At Hoexters, a brasserie that opened in November on East 82nd Street near Third Avenue, you don’t feel like you’re on the Upper East Side. It’s loud in the best way, in both volume and color. People are packed into connecting rooms covered in wild wallpapers: flamingos and tigers when you walk in, then red plaid alongside exposed brick, and, finally, golden stars and moons lit up by a custom Murano-glass chandelier. No matter where you’re sitting, Hoexters—pronounced “Hexters”—is the kind of restaurant that becomes exactly what you need when you need it, whether you’re there for a quick martini or a celebratory steak dinner. —Nina Friend