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Named after the circus drawings on the walls, this bustling Upper East Side eatery specializes in nouvelle Brazilian cuisine: delicious flaky empanadas stuffed with chicken and mustard, pan-seared salmon steak with potato crust, and shiitake mushrooms in shrimp sauce. A boisterous late-night crowd comes for dishes prepared with typical South American ingredients such as coconut, beans, rice and fruits. Circus is also a recommended spot for Brazil's national dish, feijoada, black bean stew with pork, beef and sausage served with collard greens and rice. Like the country from which its cuisine hails, Circus's atmosphere is casual, and you might find yourself talking to your alluring, fun-loving neighbors by evening’s end. — Tom Samiljan

Daily, noon-3:30 p.m.; three-course lunch, $21

Chicken empanadas, $8; sugpan-seared salmon steak with potato crust, $21; feijoada, $26