Existing oversized soffits were hung with elaborate, golden mesh chandeliers, while a candle-lit, deconstructed heart wall-art installation carry the La Biblioteca theme upstairs to the dining room. Images courtesy of Dylan CrossFor South Florida vibes liberally mixed with Latin spice and Caribbean cool, Mango’s Tropical Café has long fit the bill. Opened in Miami in 1995, the brand expanded its Floribbean cuisine and Vegas-style live music and dance club concept to Orlando’s International Drive in 2015. It is there, in a market comprised of heavy convention, tourism and local business, that Mango’s recently added a fresh twist. Last
October, its owners unveiled a new partnership and a new concept, transforming underutilized space within Mango’s vast, 55,000-square-foot footprint into Corazón by Baires.
A collaboration between Miami-based Baires family, the force behind the eight-unit Baires Grill Argentinian restaurant group, and Mango’s owners David and Joshua Wallack, the father-son team behind
Wallack Holdings, Corazón by Baires is a vibrant Latin-American dining destination that’s an experience all its own. Primary developer Joshua Wallack says it was conceived of in part due to post-pandemic shifts in Orlando’s I-Drive restaurant culture.
“Prior to COVID, we ran a largely show-focused business model,” Wallack says. “We had a dinner show every night, and it was a really fun nightclub for locals and conventioneers alike. But then we had to close for 16 months, we lost most of our culinary staff and as we came back we knew we needed to look at the business in a different way. The Restaurant Row district here in Orlando is now booming, packed with high-end restaurants that are busy every night. We have the location, the space and a kitchen with plenty of extra capacity, so we decided to use a portion of the Mango’s facility for something new. We also knew that we’d need the right culinary partner to help bring a new concept to life. Turns out the Baires family was looking to lease some adjacent property that we also own for an Orlando restaurant and the stars aligned. Instead of them doing their own concept in another building, together we created Corazón by Baires right here.”
The upstairs mezzanine was chosen as the ideal spot for the new restaurant.
Major Makeover, Minor Timeframe
With its own dedicated entry on the ground floor, Corazón by Baires now occupies what had been Mango’s mezzanine, a generous, 12,000-square-foot area overlooking the dinner-show space and live music stage below. An adjacent lounge, which had been operating as Mango’s Ultra Lounge, is also being transformed into a 120-seat private dining room dubbed La Rosa de Corazón. When the doors to La Rosa remain open, that space can be used as overflow seating, bumping Corazón’s capacity to nearly 350 seats and more strongly positioning it as a unique destination for large private events.
New York-based Beyond Merritt Design, led by principal Rebecca Merritt, was brought on to spearhead the transformation of the Mango’s space into Corazón. Merritt describes the project as a full cosmetic changeover, and one that had to be completed quickly.
“It was a whirlwind. Sign-off was basically four months before opening day,” she says. “We went through several rounds of mood boards, making some revisions here and there, but the core ideas and the palette never changed. The Wallack and Baires teams were clear and in agreement on what they wanted.
And knowing how quickly it needed to open, we sourced as we designed to make sure everything was waiting in the wings once the trigger was pulled and installation could begin.”
Texture, soft finishes, and warm lighting help to create the desired romantic, sultry-luxe vibe.
What the Wallack and Baires teams wanted for Corazón by Baires was a seductive, high-end, romantic experience, one that would stand out among the sea of nearby upscale chain steakhouse and hotel restaurant concepts. But they also wanted it to complement the existing, more relaxed and energetic Mango’s experience downstairs. “We needed both concepts, both experiences to coexist successfully in the same building,” notes Sophia Koenig, Baires Grill regional general manager. “From a culinary standpoint, we kept the food focused on Latin fusion. We didn’t want to switch to another type of cuisine because that’s what Mango’s is known for, and Baires, of course, is Argentinian. So we tried to blend these different cultures and influences at Corazón, but in a very chic and tasteful way and in an ambiance that makes you feel like you’re in a beautiful, romantic movie with all of the details perfect.”
Once it was agreed that the upstairs mezzanine was the ideal spot for the new restaurant, the space was stripped down and reimagined. The transformation plan allowed for no demolition — a necessity given the tight timeframe, but also meaning some existing elements would need to be incorporated into the new Corazón aesthetic. Top among those was the large, curvy bar faced in a vibrant, hand-painted mural, a distinctive work of art beloved by the owners. Also staying put were large soffits and faux palm trees.
“We took those amazing, oversized soffits and made them into focal points by hanging elaborate, golden mesh chandeliers there,” Merrit says. “Because the space is so large, they also help to break it up, almost creating two separate areas. The bar, too, is a focal point. It has a unique shape and an amazing mural, but it’s in primary colors that didn’t really fit with the deep teal and romantic rose palette we created for Corazón. Mango’s in-house AV team worked with us to create a lighting plan that ties it all together beautifully. We added lush floral arrangements and a custom back bar that’s entirely lit by candles. It’s like a glittering jewel and really makes the bar a great visual the instant the elevator doors open to the restaurant. And the palm trees naturally fit with the luxe, tropical vibe we envisioned. We wanted it to feel like you’re sitting in an enchanted garden or one of the gorgeous hotel courtyards you see in Miami.”
The original large, curvy bar with hand-painted mural front was kept, but a new custom back bar, dramatic floral arrangements and copious use of candlelight give it a fresh, distinctive personality.
Together, but Separate
The biggest challenge overall, Merritt adds, was creating a distinct new concept within the existing business in a way that provides for synergy but also independence. “We have two concepts that are essentially in the same space, and each needs to have its own look and feel. How could we make Corazón be this magical bubble under the same roof as Mango’s and do so without putting up any walls?”
The solution relied on two key elements: a dedicated and highly designed main floor entry area that immediately sets Corazón apart from Mango’s combined with a creative use of greenery.
“We had to work with the existing fire suppression system, which was a major design challenge,” Merritt says. “There were things that initially we thought we’d be able to do upstairs, such as hang heavy curtains to block off the mezzanine and create separation, but ultimately we couldn’t do that because we had to work with that existing system.”
Instead of fixed drapery, the designers opted for a dense wall of high-end, up-lit faux palm and sea grape trees, effectively screening Corazón from Mango’s below while creating a luxe tropical backdrop.
“This was something that was really critical to us,” Wallack notes. “This wall of greenery had to be significant enough to separate Corazón both visually and acoustically, with Mango’s a world away if we want it to be. But it also had to be removeable, so it’s on casters. The banquettes, too, are designed to be flipped around. If we’re hosting full buyout events or big concerts for which we want that view to the stage and that experience opened up, we can easily do that.”
For the dedicated entrance, Merrit and her team sought to design a sophisticated, high-style portal to the Corazón experience, one that would transport guests well before they step into the elevator to the restaurant upstairs. For this element, the design team repurposed a small Mango’s retail/souvenir shop with its own entrance on the ground floor. That area is now La Biblioteca de Corazón, a roughly 500-square-foot space designed as a bespoke library that sets the tone for the brand’s focus on romance.
“This element is one of the most compelling for me,” Wallack notes. “When I saw that idea on the initial mood boards that Rebecca presented, I was in love with the vision. Walking into a library that is sophisticated and complex and related to the idea of Corazón, which means heart or love in Spanish, is just so clever and unique. A lot of photos and selfies get taken there and posted online.”
La Biblioteca’s walls and ceiling are painted a deep teal and the space is designed for lingering and discovery. Bookcases are stocked with custom-wrapped banded Corazón books, some with glowing hearts set into them; sultry literary titles such as Kama Sutra and 50 Shades of Grey; and warm brass accessories and vases of the brand’s signature flower, the red rose. A center table holds a dramatic silk floral arrangement while wall-mounted curio cabinets filled with trinkets and accessories are designed around three themes: wild hearted, wicked hearted and broken hearted.
The entrance is dubbed La Biblioteca de Corazón. Formerly a retail shop for Mango’s, the space was reimagined as a stylized, book- and love-themed portal to the Corazón experience upstairs.
“From the moment you step into La Biblioteca, you’re fully enveloped in the world of Corazón,” Merritt says. “We wanted to have moments of real beauty in this space, moments that we could then replicate or build upon in other parts of the restaurant. They extend through to the elevator lobby and the elevator itself. The elevator doors are branded with floral Corazón artwork in motifs repeated throughout the space, as is the elevator floor. The branding, the colors, the florals, the design details in that entry way and elevator helps to create a really unique portal for arriving guests.”
Once upstairs, when the elevator doors open, those guest immediately see the full breadth of the restaurant, with the bar as the central focal point. To create a sense of intimacy and romance in the large, open space, the design team brought in over-sized foliage and chandeliers; hung drapery to add sound absorption and a sense of privacy in open seating areas; installed custom, high-backed curved booths and banquettes covered in soft, velvety rose and teal fabrics; and relied heavily on candlelight and tabletop lighting to create a warm glow throughout.
Branding around books and love, introduced in La Biblioteca downstairs, picks up again more subtly upstairs. Select wall sections, covered in a gold-toned wallpaper, are the backdrop for floating, candle-lit book installations arranged in various full and deconstructed heart shapes. Large antique mirrors behind a dining-room banquette mimic the shape of the bar and, in their reflections, provide views of those floating installations.
“It’s a very big space, but the design team did an amazing job of making it feel cozy and intimate,” Koenig notes. “There’s a lot of texture, a lot of soft finishes, greenery, florals and warm lighting. It’s so original, so carefully detailed and it all just really envelops you, which is exactly the type of experience we were hoping to create.”
Bookcases are stocked with custom-wrapped banded Corazón books.
Project Team
Ownership: Joshua Wallack, David Wallack, Wallack Holdings/Mango’s Tropical Café; Sophia Koenig, Baires Grill
Project manager: Zach Gettis, Mango’s Tropical Café
Design: Rebecca Merritt, Beth Scura, Beyond Merritt Design
Custom fabrication: Amal Semaan, Semaan Construction
Carpentry, fabrication: Stefan Price, Round Table Productions
Multimedia artist: Erik Mednis
Snapshot
Concept: High-end Latin fusion
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Opened: October 2024
Size: 12,000 square feet
Seats: Main dining, 210; bar, 22; semi-private dining, 58
Project type: Rebranding, adaptive reuse
Project duration: 180 days, initial design development to buildout
Average check: $90-$100 per person
Design highlights: Stylized “La Biblioteca” dedicated entry and elevator lobby; lush, tropical greenery; large, curved bar with hand-painted mural face; book-, love- and heart-themed accessories and abstract art installments; rich teal and romantic rose color palette; soft, cut-velvet upholstery; custom, candlelit backbar; curved, high-backed booths and banquettes; large soffits with golden chain chandeliers; dramatic silk floral arrangements
