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Where to get Brazilian food in NYC, according to Brazilians

NYC is not lacking for Brazilian dining. So we went to the experts — Brazilians-turned-New Yorkers — for their picks.

Sergio Krakowski, a Rio musician who will play at Joe’s Pub on Aug. 3 as part of Brasil Summerfest, said he is a fan of Beco.

Beco
“The fact that they have live Brazilian music is something that I admire a lot. And the food is great. I can definitely eat some black beans and rice — what we call feijoada — it’s the food we eat twice a day in Brazil, every day. It’s the basis of our diet. They have a really good recipe. They also have a good caipirinha, which is also a symbol of the Brazilian diet. And they have Guarana, a Brazilian soda. It’s something that’s very important for Brazilians. It tastes like childhood.”
45 Richardson St., Williamsburg, 718-599-1645

Tiba Vieira, the capoeira and GingaFlex instructor at The Ailey Extension from Salvador, Bahia, said he likes Churrascaria Plataforma and Berimbau.

Churrascaria Plataforma
“People who love meat should go there. I go on special occasions with a group of friends. It’s not the kind of place you go every week or every month because when you go there, you’re saying, ‘I’m going to eat.’ It’s mostly about the experience. Churrascarias are very famous in Brazil — you can talk to any Brazilian about churrascarias and they’ll know what you’re talking about.”
316 W. 49th St., 212-245-0505

Berimbau
“The food is very typical for Brazil. Anyone who wants to go on a date or with a small group of people, that’s the place to go. Usually they have specials like moqueca, a seafood stew that’s a typical Bahia dish, and feijoada. They have feijoada without meat because there’s a huge request from people who don’t eat meat. You can get pao de queijo — the cheese bread — those are like, you eat one and then you want to eat the whole thing. The dessert is really good. They have something that’s like pudding but made with passion fruit.”
43 Carmine St., 212-242-2606

Pedro Bagundes, Rio native and founder of Arte Capoeira Center, said his favorites are Emporium Brasil and Copacabana.

Emporium Brasil
“If I take some friends to eat Brazilian food, I usually go there. The caipirinha there is good — the Brazilian drink.”
15 W. 46th St., 212-764-4646

Copacabana
“You can eat for $10, $12. They have a buffet and the food is delicious. They have a lot of variations of meat.”
31-13 36th Ave., Astoria, 718-545-3685