A new restaurant inspired by the Amazon rainforest is set to open in fall 2026 at 205 Allen Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, bringing charcoal-grilled picanha, cassava fries with açai ketchup, and a cocktail menu that uses tucupi to the neighborhood. Iara is the debut solo project from chef Vitor Mendes, who spent years in some of New York's most decorated kitchens before turning his attention to the ingredients of his home country.
According to Resy, Mendes has said Brazilian food is more than rice, beans and barbecue meat, and Iara is his attempt to prove it by focusing on Brazilian comfort cooking layered with ingredients pulled directly from the Amazon rainforest. The space itself, designed by Studio WDM, was built to reflect that intention: rather than leaning on bright tropical clichés, the interior draws its palette from Amazonian soil and natural tones, according to Hall PR. Murals by Cleyton Alexandre and a green table line meant to represent the rainforest round out the décor, per the same Resy report.
From Newark Busboy to Michelin Kitchens
Mendes started in the food industry at 15, bussing tables at a Portuguese restaurant in Newark, New Jersey — a job that ended after he accidentally dropped flan on a diner, according to StarChefs. The mishap pushed him into dishwashing and prep work instead, and he enrolled at the International Culinary Center at 17 not long after. From there his résumé reads like a tour of the city's top fine-dining rooms: cook stints at Michelin-starred The Modern and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, and a run as sous chef at The Fulton by Jean-Georges, per StarChefs.
The Resy report notes Mendes also worked as chef de cuisine at Theodora, the Clinton Hill restaurant helmed by chef-owner Tomer Blechman, who hired him. Theodora, which Hoodline covered in May when it staged a live-fire beach club on Governors Island, is where StarChefs named Mendes a winner of its NYC Rising Stars Award in February 2025.
A Return to Brazil Reshapes the Menu
The turning point behind Iara traces back to a personal loss. After his father died unexpectedly, Mendes returned to Brazil for seven months, traveling, staging at Michelin-starred kitchens and studying regional ingredients alongside artisans in the Amazon, according to StarChefs. Iara's concept centers on ingredients from the Amazon.
That experience shaped a menu built around ingredients most New York diners have never encountered, including jambu, tucupi, cumaru and puxuri, per Resy. Tucupi, a broth made from fermented manioc root, shows up in Iara's hot sauces, ceviche, moqueca and even its cocktails.
Jambu, the leaf featured across Iara's dishes and drinks, brings its own sensory jolt. The plant contains the bio-active compound spilanthol, which produces an electric, lip-tingling and tongue-numbing sensation, according to Mongabay. Beyond the kitchen, the outlet reports Brazilian universities are researching the leaf for potential oral healthcare and pain relief applications.
What's on the Plate and in the Glass
Signature dishes include moqueca with Bahian red snapper simmered in tucupi, a 10-ounce picanha steak served with cassava fries and açai ketchup, and tapioca and tuna, which swaps tapioca for rice alongside biquinho pepper, per Resy. The menu also includes pimenta jiquitaia. Dessert options include rotating seasonal pudim and brigadeiro bites, sometimes called Brazilian truffles, Resy reports.
Calvin Czypinski curated the beverage program, which includes a tucupi martini, caipirinha, an Iara cocktail, batida de coco, a Romeo and Juliet martini, wine by the glass and beer served at -5 degrees Celsius, per the same Resy report. Mendes has said the goal is an accessible restaurant where people can try a new culture, with most dishes priced below $20.
Inside the Dining Room
The restaurant seats 60 people across a 13-seat chef's counter facing an open kitchen and charcoal grills, plus a private dining room for up to eight guests, according to Resy. Reservations are available.
A Brazilian Food Focus
Mendes has described Iara as an effort to showcase Brazilian comfort cooking with ingredients from the Amazon, per Resy.
