Circa 81 just may be my new favorite restaurant in the area.Highlights:Tapas menu selection is diverse.Everything was fresh and perfectly prepared.Service was professional. (Jared was our waiter).Appropriately priced.Best dish we ordered was the Garlic & Shrimp. It was divine! The garlic sauce was rich & velvety while the shrimp were expertly cleaned & prepared and cooked to perfection!Everything we ordered was great.As for the service, everyone (from the hostess, to the manager) was friendly and attentive. Even showing initiative when something was needed. You can tell that this restaurant is extremely well run & that the people who make this delicious food take pride in what they are doing.Decor is a bit dated & could use an update. Avoid the booth seating to the right when you walk in the front door. It's at a slightly downward slope so I felt like I was slipping out of my seat for the entire meal.Otherwise all was perfect and we'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
JeannieS
Circa 81 was excellent, as usual! We had several Tapas selections and each was delicious. For two people, had the small bread service, green olives, pot stickers, sweet potato quesadilla, gambas al ajillo, and asparagus. It was plenty of food (we almost ate it all!) and was served throughout our hour, or so, at the restaurant. Cocktails were red wine and a Painkiller - both just right. The service was friendly and attentive and there was never a lag in the food arriving and drinks refilled. The atmosphere is casual, friendly and special enough for a date night! We have eaten at Circa 81 many times and have never been disappointed!
Jordan D
We always enjoy our time here! My favorite is the ginger martinis!Kid-friendliness: The staff is so accommodating to our young children. We are always apologizing when we go out to eat as a whole family, but there staff makes us feel so welcomed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese and Charcuterie, Savory Stuffed Brie
SarahD
Love this little restaurant and bar! The food is always delicious and our waitress Dani was very pleasant and helpful. Reservations are recommended. My only complaints are that the bench seats are lumpy and uncomfortable and need to be replaced. Also, there is no real vegan option other than salad, a fried potato dish and a couple of the sides, like edamame succotash. Surprising, for a such a hip place. Despite that, I would definitely recommend trying Circa 81!
RichR
Had a reservation for Valentine's Day date with my wife. Circa 81 has typically been one of our favorite spots to go, and we have been there many times in the past. Typically the food is amazing, so I don't mind the fact that it is more on the pricey side. This night, my wife and I shared several diffent tapas, which were far below the usual quality. The worst part was the roasted brussel sprouts were undercooked and were soggy with sauce. Otherwise, the food which typically is very good was average at best. One of the more annoying factors was that I ordered a single drink off of their "special" Valentine's menu which did not have any prices listed. When the bill came, my single drink cost $18.00. I feel like that is excessive for a single martini sized drink, especially for a small town in North Carolina during the off-season.
Alan Blake
Attentive service, nice setting, medjool dates were very good. Passible wine list, but wish it had more offerings.
Marisella Russell
It's a cute little place. The tapas were amazing. I wish I had tried some more, but I filled it to easily. This is definitely a I'd like to visit again the next time I'm in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jack Morgan
Limited menu and a bit pricey.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Wally Warehouse
Wonderful place with wonderful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ashley Farms Duck Breast
SarahC
Kira's service was lovely - she always is. I have menu favorites that I stick to because they're so good, but I tried the lobster special and it was, hands down, the best lobster I have ever had!
The food was awesome, we came at lunch time and ordered several small tapas dishes. I highly recommend the duck and the Brie, but as good as the was the service was even better and even before we actually arrived. We called a head of time as some restaurants have limited hours before new years, the gentleman answered our questions about restaurant times and then enthusiastically suggested a reservation just to make sure there was no wait time for us. We had our 16 month old daughter with us and the staff was so interactive with her every time they stopped by. I know some restaurants/staff are wary with small children especially restaurants that are a little more high scale, but she was happy the whole time and the staff was so great during our experience and our daughter was so excited to try so many new foods. We will definitely be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, Ashley Farms Duck Breast
MichaelO
We have eaten at Circa 81 a number of times before. Each time has been consistently excellent. The wide variety of delicious small dishes make a meal particularly enjoyable as each visit is like the first time.
Allison Davis
Wow, what else can I say. The food is center stage here. The chef hits every single taste bud on every plate. We had the charcuterie board, pot stickers, rosemary beef (amazing) bread service and black bean with chicken added. My wife and I sampled several dishes and none disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese and Charcuterie, Black Bean Quesadilla, Rosemary Beef, Pot Stickers
Diego San Miguel
Only thing I would like them to have in order to have almost a good experience with Spanish food is for them to have in the future a few options of wine and beer from Spain. Napa valley doesn't come close to European wines and beers. Other than that everything else was delicious.
Laura
Have been coming here for years with friends for group get-togethers and is always a great time! Friendly staff and delicious food and drinks- highly recommend the sweet potato quesadilla!
Circa 81 just may be my new favorite restaurant in the area.Highlights:Tapas menu selection is diverse.Everything was fresh and perfectly prepared.Service was professional. (Jared was our waiter).Appropriately priced.Best dish we ordered was the Garlic & Shrimp. It was divine! The garlic sauce was rich & velvety while the shrimp were expertly cleaned & prepared and cooked to perfection!Everything we ordered was great.As for the service, everyone (from the hostess, to the manager) was friendly and attentive. Even showing initiative when something was needed. You can tell that this restaurant is extremely well run & that the people who make this delicious food take pride in what they are doing.Decor is a bit dated & could use an update. Avoid the booth seating to the right when you walk in the front door. It's at a slightly downward slope so I felt like I was slipping out of my seat for the entire meal.Otherwise all was perfect and we'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Circa 81 was excellent, as usual! We had several Tapas selections and each was delicious. For two people, had the small bread service, green olives, pot stickers, sweet potato quesadilla, gambas al ajillo, and asparagus. It was plenty of food (we almost ate it all!) and was served throughout our hour, or so, at the restaurant. Cocktails were red wine and a Painkiller - both just right. The service was friendly and attentive and there was never a lag in the food arriving and drinks refilled. The atmosphere is casual, friendly and special enough for a date night! We have eaten at Circa 81 many times and have never been disappointed!
We always enjoy our time here! My favorite is the ginger martinis!Kid-friendliness: The staff is so accommodating to our young children. We are always apologizing when we go out to eat as a whole family, but there staff makes us feel so welcomed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese and Charcuterie, Savory Stuffed Brie
Love this little restaurant and bar! The food is always delicious and our waitress Dani was very pleasant and helpful. Reservations are recommended. My only complaints are that the bench seats are lumpy and uncomfortable and need to be replaced. Also, there is no real vegan option other than salad, a fried potato dish and a couple of the sides, like edamame succotash. Surprising, for a such a hip place. Despite that, I would definitely recommend trying Circa 81!
Had a reservation for Valentine's Day date with my wife. Circa 81 has typically been one of our favorite spots to go, and we have been there many times in the past. Typically the food is amazing, so I don't mind the fact that it is more on the pricey side. This night, my wife and I shared several diffent tapas, which were far below the usual quality. The worst part was the roasted brussel sprouts were undercooked and were soggy with sauce. Otherwise, the food which typically is very good was average at best. One of the more annoying factors was that I ordered a single drink off of their "special" Valentine's menu which did not have any prices listed. When the bill came, my single drink cost $18.00. I feel like that is excessive for a single martini sized drink, especially for a small town in North Carolina during the off-season.
Attentive service, nice setting, medjool dates were very good. Passible wine list, but wish it had more offerings.
It's a cute little place. The tapas were amazing. I wish I had tried some more, but I filled it to easily. This is definitely a I'd like to visit again the next time I'm in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Limited menu and a bit pricey.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Wonderful place with wonderful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ashley Farms Duck Breast
Kira's service was lovely - she always is. I have menu favorites that I stick to because they're so good, but I tried the lobster special and it was, hands down, the best lobster I have ever had!
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was awesome, we came at lunch time and ordered several small tapas dishes. I highly recommend the duck and the Brie, but as good as the was the service was even better and even before we actually arrived. We called a head of time as some restaurants have limited hours before new years, the gentleman answered our questions about restaurant times and then enthusiastically suggested a reservation just to make sure there was no wait time for us. We had our 16 month old daughter with us and the staff was so interactive with her every time they stopped by. I know some restaurants/staff are wary with small children especially restaurants that are a little more high scale, but she was happy the whole time and the staff was so great during our experience and our daughter was so excited to try so many new foods. We will definitely be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, Ashley Farms Duck Breast
We have eaten at Circa 81 a number of times before. Each time has been consistently excellent. The wide variety of delicious small dishes make a meal particularly enjoyable as each visit is like the first time.
Wow, what else can I say. The food is center stage here. The chef hits every single taste bud on every plate. We had the charcuterie board, pot stickers, rosemary beef (amazing) bread service and black bean with chicken added. My wife and I sampled several dishes and none disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese and Charcuterie, Black Bean Quesadilla, Rosemary Beef, Pot Stickers
Only thing I would like them to have in order to have almost a good experience with Spanish food is for them to have in the future a few options of wine and beer from Spain. Napa valley doesn't come close to European wines and beers. Other than that everything else was delicious.
Have been coming here for years with friends for group get-togethers and is always a great time! Friendly staff and delicious food and drinks- highly recommend the sweet potato quesadilla!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5