Berimbau Restaurant

“New York is a very challenging place for a restaurant. But it’s also a city that recognizes the truth. When you bring something real, the city embraces you.” Mario DeMatos, Owner Berimbau West Village & Berimbau Midtown Manhattan

Fresh off a flight from his native São Paulo, architect Daniel Castro Cunha arrived at Midtown’s Berimbau Brazilian restaurant and entered the Second Floor, where owner Mario DeMatos, the son of a Brazilian baker, wanted to create something new: an intimate Brazilian-music-meets-Brazilian-gastronomy experience.

Looking at the space, Daniel saw a wall canvas with the potential for more color and brasilidade, or Brazilian identity. He recalled a striking panel by artist Jeffer Zion in his cousin’s home and knew the artist’s work would fit Berimbau’s walls perfectly.

Berimbau Second Floor is a space dedicated to the intersection of music, culture, and atmosphere. Upstairs, a curated selection of vinyl sets the tone with the sounds of Bossa Nova, Chorinho, and Tropicália filling the room. It’s a place to slow down, connect, and experience the richness of Brazilian rhythms in an intimate, thoughtfully designed setting.

Zion spent 300 hours hand-painting the flora and fauna of the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro on the walls. “Scarlet guaras, golden tamarins, canaries singing to a guitar that grows out of a tree—a blend of nature and music that celebrates the joy of being Brazilian,” Jeffer said. Mario’s team calls it “A forest that sways to the rhythm of Bossa Nova.”

Mario had long dreamed of the perfect seating to define the space. As a passionate admirer of Aristeu Pires’ work, Mario aimed to furnish the bar with Sossego’s pieces by the Brazilian designer. The owner of Berimbau was excited to host Pires during one of his trips to New York, and their meeting took place during NY Design Week 2025.

“Aristeu’s designs are simplicity meeting sophistication. Curvy, charming, and inviting,” says Mario. “They’ve helped me create a sensory and emotional atmosphere that helps me connect guests to my Brazilian culture. A piece of Brazil in New York City.”

The smooth, flowing minimalist furniture crafted from native Jequitibá and Louro freijó wood, customized with fabrics and rustic leathers in earthy tones, pairs beautifully with the surrounding rainforest. The Aurora and Julieta armchairs, the Malu sofa, and the Duda barstool have made it easy for guests who live in a rushed city to relax and experience their bit of sossego, which means tranquility in Portuguese. “We love the way everything blends,” said Daniel.

In the end, Berimbau has brought a genuine piece of the Brazilian soul, offered with open arms to the city that knows how to embrace what is real.

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