Pitbull to Open iLov305 Restaurant on Ocean Drive

If Miami had a baby with Miami, it would result in the following announcement:

Pitbull, Miami's ambassador to the world, is opening a restaurant on Ocean Drive called iLov305.

The Real Deal reported that Mr. 305 will open a combined eatery, cocktail lounge, and daiquiri bar in the space formerly occupied by the Bon Air Hotel, at 1060 Ocean Dr. iLov305 will be located on the ground floor and in the basement and is expected to open in late summer 2018.

"Pitbull and his team will be actively involved," a spokesperson for iLove305 confirms. "We are excited to be working with Pitbull and his team on this project."

Not much is known about the decor or menu, but pure speculation would envision a world of neon, glitz, celebrity sightings, and a gift shop. One can only hope the walls are giant screens playing loops of the dapper rapper's videos so we can watch while drinking Fireball!

iLov305 was registered this past June as a Nevada LLC, naming Charissa Davidovici as an officer. She is the founder of the star-studded Sugar Factory. Miami Beach's Sugar Factory was named one of the most Instagrammed restaurants of 2016. When iLov305 opens, it'll surely give the sweets-filled restaurant a run for that title.

The Bon Air Hotel was built in 1934 and turned into a condo hotel in 2004. The ground-floor retail space was purchased by Nakash Properties in 2012 for $18.3 million. In 2014, Nakash Strand LLC submitted a proposal to the City of Miami Beach to turn the lobby and portions of the basement and mezzanine into a Walgreens, but the store didn't materialize. Founder of Jordache Jeans, the Nakash family also owns the Hotel Victor and Gianni Versace's former home, Casa Casuarina. The proposal for Pitbull's restaurant was approved by the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board this week.

This isn't the first time Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, has ventured into the restaurant scene. The rapper is also an equity partner in Miami Grill.