Circa at Dupont
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Lounges, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle1601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
(between N Hillyer Pl & N Q St)
Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-1601
- Nearest Transit:
Dupont Circle (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
- Good for: Dinner
- Best Nights: Wed, Thu, Fri
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
63 Reviews for Circa at Dupont
I really like Circa. It is a great place to go for dinner with friends, and I love it for brunch. I find the decor relaxing and comfortable, and the food is usually quite good. I am not a foodie though. It's really convenient to Metro and I like that they change from different "personas" throughout the day.
The menu seems to rotate every few weeks, and sometimes it's not that strong. But you can always find something tasty to eat. The lobster ravioli is just... delicious. I love it. Their fries are awesome. And I like their drinks, too. The Sunrise Martini is great :)
We recommended Circa on our wedding website and some relatives from NYC went -- the ended up staying until 2 am and loving it! It is a cool "city place" to take your country bumpkin friends to impress them, and a good addition to Dupont!
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Seeing as I've staked out tables for about 3 hours every weekend for the last three weeks to watch the Euro 2008 on their large HD flat screen, I felt the need to give them a pretty decent review.
During the quarterfinals - some friends that weren't as into soccer would come - and props to Circa - they have free wireless internet for them.
The service, despite being pretty mediocre, was at least tolerant of adding multiple people to our tables during the final game (VIVA ESPANA) and was very gracious about splitting the check every which way.
As for drinks - a little pricey, but can back it up with quality. The pineapple mojito and Bloody Mary are pretty good.
As for food - they definitely hit the mark with brunch (a mean eggs Benedict), but I'm not sure it makes it for dinner.
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Great location, beautiful clientele. OK cuisine. Popped in here for a few beers since it was right where we popped out of the Metro. We decided to eat here when our local acquaintance showed up. The beer choice could be better and the food was pretty good, although, not great considering the price. The help was really good, except, unfortunately, for our waitress. I really don't blame her, but it was obvious she just wasn't experienced and made some rookie mistakes, including making herself sparse. I'd recommend that if you're visiting DC, like we were, that you try other places nearby. I saw a lot of ones I wished I'd tried when we walked around afterwards.
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I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked Circa. Reasonable prices for the quality.
sweet server, gave me change for a paper, so i didnt have to beg the other customers
the non-chocolatey dessert was quite bland
but the outdoors is lovely, the portobello sandwich was reasonable
and teh coffee was good
I had been to Circa several times for late night drinks but had never eaten there. One of my friends lives nearby so it is a convenient spot to meet up.
Last night I met three of my friends for dinner and wine. The atmosphere was lively but not too loud. We were seated a the communal table in front of the bar - perfect for watching the action out on Q Street.
We shared the calamari appetizer and three pizzas. The calamari was crisp and light with flavorful breading. Spicy jalapeno pickles, squash and garbanzo beans were also breaded and fried and tossed into the mix - a different but good addition. The roasted tomato sauce provided for dipping was so good we had to ask for more.
We were all more than happy with the pizzas. Thin crust, nice sauce, fresh cheese and veggies. We had the margarita, the primavera and the capricciosa. Perfect for sharing and just enough.
Our server was a little inattentive but very, very personable. All of the staff were nice and accommodating.
I would definitely go back for more than just drinks.
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I've been here quite a few times so I feel like I can write a fair review about this restaurant in Dupont.
It has a fabulous location, which is the most it has going for it. There is a lot of potential for this place, but I get the impression it's going through an identity crisis....breakfast, coffee shop, dinner, lunch, drinks, late night eats, bars, etc. At one point it was also a coffee shop, but they scaled down on those offerings as of late.
Food: I've tried quite a few things on their menu. I think the chef is trying to be too hip without hitting on the mark with execution. Enough of the sliders and small plates already! Their pizza isn't bad, but they could come up with some better salads and entrees. A lot of the menu is "fancy" American comfort food, which is so 2002.
Drinks: They have some nice wines here. On Wednesdays for happy hour all wines are $5/glass, which is a good deal because some of them are $10/glass at regular price.
Service: One word to describe this, it SUCKS! I have encountered bad service on too many occasions--from cluelessness, lack of communication, unprofessionalism to flat out rude. Some servers/hostess have no idea what's going on or their restaurant policies. They have a rule where you can't sit outside for drinks unless you order food. If you respond to the server/hostess who is seating that you're not ordering food, and they seat you outside, DO NOT have your server come up to your table of three midway through drinks asking you to leave because they want to seat people there who are ordering food. On another occasion we had an extremely rude waiter. He had major attitude and was acting like a princess the whole time...um, don't work as a server if you don't want to apply basic customer service rules!
Overall, there are a lot of places in Dupont to grab some food and beverages outside. While the location and ambiance is tempting, the food and service does not live up to what I had hoped.
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The food is mediocre at best, but the wine is reasonable and the people watching from the patio is perfect! Stick with the sliders, apps and salads.
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This was my first time at Circa. We went for a friend's birthday party, so we were dressed up anyway, but I'm glad we were, because you aren't you stick out like a sore thumb. The martinis were decent, but the mojitos were absolutely terrible. The place was packed when we arrived around 9pm on a Saturday. We only came for drinks, but most were sitting down eating. I probably won't go back here unless someone else wants to. There are plenty of other great places in DuPont.
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Restaurants with ROUND tables win me over easily. As soon as I'm seated at a round table and can see everyone at the table around me, I feel like I'm ready for a good meal.
We came here for a brunch, and I have to echo some of the other reviews here that the service was excruciating. While nothing terrible happened during our meal, the waitstaff was simply unenthusiastic and seemed like it was a chore to serve us.
The food itself was fresh. There were some classics like various omelettes and Belgian waffles (my friend claimed the maple syrup it came with was the best she'd ever had). I had the crab and arugula fritatta with a dinky serving of home fries and warm dreary "fruit salad," which was really a few pieces of melon and cantaloupe.
The food did come out in lightning speed, an accomplishment at peak brunch hours.
I would recommend Circa as a casual brunch spot or a fallback for a truly good brunch such as at Tabard Inn.
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Outdoor dining/people watching- good.
Food- blech!
When asked for a food recommendation, the server suggested either the salmon or the pizza. Call me crazy, but there are only a few things that come to mind when I'm told that: 1) this server has absolutely no taste in food 2) they have the most amazing salmon and pizza on the planet, or 3) everything on the menu absolutely sucks, so stick with what are the often the blandest of American staples.
We decided to be daring and deviate from the recommendations. I ordered the lamb and was seriously disappointed. Granted, I have high standards, but even I (who is not a fabulous cook) can prepare better lamb than this (and I do! come over..). To the restaurant's credit, they took the entire dish off the check- even though we didn't complain. I was fully prepared to lick my wounds and pay for the food I'd chosen, and had only casually mentioned being dissatisfied with my dish once. So, that was a plus, but with the multitude of good restaurants in our area, I don't know if that was enough to prompt a second try, at least not too soon.
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My experience at Circa was pleasant (as compared to Hank's). This is a nicely decorated restaurant/bar great for after work social hangout and causal romantic gathering.
1. Drinks: I had no complaint about my Mojito I had. It's definitely refreshing and every element is in balance - not too sweet or not too sour. I don't think it's so much overprice but be prepared to pay for the trendy atmosphere. The second drink I had was Chocolate Cosmo (similar to that) and it is interesting but not impressive. If you don't like adventurous taste, you probably want to think twice before ordering it.
2. Appetizer: Crab cake was great. The outside was pan fried crispy but not very oily. The inside was soft but wasn't falling apart. The taste was good but it was a bit too dry.
3. Main Courses: Scallops with peanut-butter-like sauce. The sauce worked nicely with the scallops to bring out the taste of scallops without overpowering them. It has the Asian fusion signature over it, I think.
Grilled pork chop with mushroom sauce. I think it's a disappointing dish. I didn't recall anything special about it and I couldn't even thinkg of anything to write about this dish... mediocre. I would not recommend it.
4. Dessert: Croissant style bread with ice cream. Bread was moist and soft; ice cream was ice cream without any surprise. This was the most interesting dessert I found in the menu, so I think dessert is not the strongest department in this restaurant.
5. Service: Overall service is an A-. The waitress was very approachable and friendly. However, she wasn't really attentive because she forgot to give me a steak knife to cut the pork chop.
It's a definitely another 3.5 but I just round it up to 4... If you ask whether I would go back, I think I would but I would be careful with what I order and probably no dessert.
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I am just glad that Wrap Works is gone. But this is also an upgrade.
I sat at the bar for dinner. The staff seems shy or apprehensive. Maybe its because my right eye is trying to escape so I have this crazy look.
The food is fresh and slightly gourmet yet simple. It tends to lean on the more Italian side but not not the typical red sauce white sauce type.
What I found really annoying was the music. They were playing Billy Ocean, Anita Baker, Phil Collins and all sorts of tacky office music.. It totally rules out this place as being cool or even remotely hip.
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This is quite the lovely spot! A lot of kudos for the food. More props to the staff, who were so accommodating and friendly. The sliders were awesome, as were the garlic mashed taters. Great decor and also a really sweet place to sit outside and people watch.
This place is confused about what it wants to be, but I did visit twice during my weekend stay in Washington DC.
The dcor is what I perceive as trendy, upscale with a fabulous patio for people watching, yet they have a walk up coffee bar and big screen TV's on wall.
The first time we came in to kill time between sightseeing and the dinner hour. I was hungry, but nothing seemed to appeal to me on the menu and I ended up ordering the chicken wings and a side of mashed potatoes to snack on. I didn't really care for the chicken wings. I prefer them dry and these had been baked and then mixed with sauce. They did have good flavor and I ended up taking them back to the room for later. The mashed potatoes were delicious, but my friend thought it was horrible that the menu didn't mention a word about garlic being mixed in them. I must admit that I was tempted to order another serving, though.
My friend had a few glasses of wine and then decided that she was hungry and ordered the cheese plate. We both agreed that it was smallish and a bit disappointing. There were three small triangles of different cheeses with bread.
The following day, we had more time to kill and found ourselves sitting at the bar with a glass of wine. I can't decide if it was good or bad that we were sitting in front of the area where they make and sell the coffee. Some of the people that came in were quite amusing, so I guess it was good.
Overall, we had good service and a pleasant enough time here. I only wish that the weather would have been nice enough for us to sit out on the patio.
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I needed some brunch food and Circa was there for me when kramers was overcrowded. Brunch was great and I really like the environment and the service despite how busy the place was. My friend and I chose to sit outside which was really great for people watching. I would definitely recommend this place to people going for a date or just wanting to hang out and catch up with a friend.
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Prime location near the Dupont Cirlce north metro station entrance and near Kramer Books. Unfortunately, not a big fan of the service or the many rules for sitting at a table vs. at the bar vs. in the bar area vs. at the communal table.
Businesses that fall somewhere in between a (wine) bar and restaurant really need to rethink their seating rules -- I can understand if you don't want to seat people at a table at the peak of the dinner rush if they don't plan on ordering full meals, but in off hours when you have the space and the customers say they'll order dessert or appetizers, why crowd them at the bar?
Wine servings are generous here, and the selection is OK... but seeing as how this location was a WrapWorks just a little while ago, they should probably loosen up a bit.
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Yeah, the 80s music can irritate (Sussudio almost made me lose my lunch). But I really liked the spinach salad, with crispy mushrooms so intense and flavorful, they reminded us of bacon bits. Also, the veggie meatloaf had a pleasantly crusty cheese top and a rich red sauce.
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Circa has an inviting space. The bar has a high-tech feel with spigots lined-up on the back bar--presumably to dispense hermetically sealed servings of wine. Two very large televisions dominate the space. One is at the bar; the other is on the far wall of the dining room. These comments suggest Circa sounds more like a sports bar and grill, and perhaps during the day it may be more casual, but at night the space reads tablecloth (even though they don't have them).
I had only one cocktail. It was interesting and well crafted. A berry smash or some such. The muddled fruit was fresh, but not too sweet. From my table I noticed that the bartender's machinations raised some questions of those bar-side. The texture was that of smashed fruit--between a puree and a well-macerated sangria--but don't think smoothie. Not my personal preference in texture, but a departure from most drinks.
Service was adequate, but not especially friendly or efficient. They forgot a side order. But the food was okay. The lamb shank was tender (but could have used more soupy-/sauciness). And the macaroni and cheese side was great. The prices were also a nice surprise.
Note, they don't take reservations.
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oh trendsters in d.c.-- the quick looks, the belt-over-the-dress, the deliberate walk so as not to trip in new heels, the eyeshadow du season, the little puff of bangs.
they who are able to maintain the trend will be served at circa. this is the dc crowd who gets to eat on time.
those of us who just wear jeans or even (gasp) fleeces and parkas-- we are hungry too!!
however the following happens to us:
1) our drinks are late
2) they let the person at the table next to us pick up our bags and move them without asking our permission, then push their chairs INTO OUR TABLE
3) the waiter takes our order and AN HOUR LATER comes back, tells us he's forgotten what we ordered and can we please tell him again?
4) mind you, during this time at least 4 other parties who were seated after us all have their food and are happily eating, while my poor sister is shaky from hunger and i'm screaming at a waitress to bring us bread.
the food? mediocre. the drinks? mediocre. the service? abyssmal.
we may not look trendy and fit in with the dc elite, but we deserve our food on time without a side of ridiculous treatment.
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After having passed by Circa numerous times I finally went in with some friends last night. It was a beautiful day and we scored a table outside. That was the best part of the meal.
There were three of us and we opted to choose a number of small plates and share them. The mussels and fried oysters were good. I was less thrilled with the lamb skewers and calamari, but they were both decent.
The reason that I only give two stars is because the service was absolutely atrocious. Slow, inattentive, really any adjective would suffice but it was just plain bad. While the food itself was fine and the location is great, the service is so bad that I can't justify going back when there are so many other options in the area.
omg, i think i found a decent restaurant in DC.
The food: I had the soup special and vegetable meatloaf. Awesome. The meatloaf was original and very nicely done with a great presentation.
The service: The server I had was ON my table. Water, wine, whatever, he knew what he was doing. The food was out quickly.
My only beef? The wine list was kind of limited. Otherwise, well done.
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You'll be very excited when you walk in. Expensive interiors, tasteful details, sexy bar, extremely friendly hostess, exciting menu...... and....your excitement will end there as you trip over the inept server and tumble down a very slippery and steep hill.
I won't bore you with the many minute details of dysfunction, of which there are many.
Here is the distilled version:
-Super super SUPER slow and inattentive service.
-Horribly cooked meats (overdone lamb, and, by overdone i don't mean medium instead of medium rare, I mean cardboard instead of medium rare).
-I would've sent our dishes back, if our server had checked on us, or walked by us in the 20 minutes we sat there, but he didn't, nor did he ask if everything was ok when he took our plates away and saw that we hadn't eaten more than two bites, but he didn't do that either.
Sad, because Circa has great potential, the location is prime, the ambiance is fantastic, the outdoor seating is a gem, the brunch menu sounds heavenly (I might still try it). Hopefully they have a big iron in the back, because they are really going to need it if they want the food and service of this place to look as good as the decor.
I like the size of this place (smallish). I liked that it was kinda crowded at 6pm on a Wednesday evening, but we still got seats at the communal table immediately. I liked that the Q-something martinis (with cranberries and pomegranate) were very tasty (albeit pricey). I liked that the wait staff was all very friendly and attentive and accessible. I liked the decor which was rich, dark wood and shiny, polished metal. The music was a little loud, but even though was the tail end of happy hour and the place was crowded I still had no trouble hearing my friend across the table.
Our food: Calamari appetizer and margarita pizza. The calamari batter was light and fluffy, and there were little strips of zucchini and squash and tiny pickles and slices of jalapeos all mixed in. It smelled and tasted dee-licous. The pizza was very tasty, but I would have selected smaller, redder tomatoes to adorn such a plain staple.
Circa would be a good place for small groups but not more than 6. The location makes it excellent for people watching, and I hope that I get back here during the summer months when there are tables alfresco. I also want to try more of their food.
I'd take a date here, but not a first date.
"This place, ach, it never gets crowded."
So said our Polish friend who works there. But then, hey, he's Polish. He's born with angst. Hubby, Baby, and I, on the other hand, are not.
After we got our hair chops at Salon Cielo with my girl Lucy, the three of us sauntered on over to Circa. Hubby had brought me a snack from Cosi while I was getting my chop, but after our collective family chops, I was hunkering for more. And Baby, who really can eat her weight at each sitting, was perfectly happy to humor my appetite for a late lunch on our rainy yucky Saturday. Rainy AND yucky - our Polish friend would have been so proud. Us, well, we were just wet. And quite ready for a tummy-warmer.
I really didn't know what to expect, and as I've been venturing out with Baby to places I used to frequent before she was born, I'm finding that some places are really good, and some just downright suck. This place is in the first category. We came in, expected to wait a bit as the place was jam packed, but there were a couple of tables open, and they seated us within 10 minutes, high chair and all. Our waiter (wished I could remember his name!) came and took our drink orders, and even asked what Baby would like to drink. When's the last time the wait staff paid attention to your ne'er year old's comfort in the first place? He even asked if she'd like a sippy cup, though it was just a make-shift one - just one of their to-go plastic cups with straw, but for our purposes, it was perfect.
I ordered the crab and arugula frittata; Hubby, the French toast. Baby had everything and then some. The food arrived pretty quickly, along with our drinks. The crab and arugula frittata was wonderful - buttery, sweet crab, and just a bit of bite from the arugula. The French toast was also wonderful - the only bummer of it was that Hubby and Baby gulped it all down before I was able to request a bite to save as dessert. Well, next time - we're definitely coming back - and I'm definitely having some of that French toast for myself. Or, at least, about a slice for me, and one for Baby.
This was one of those experiences that really made me feel good about being a parent - and I have to give all the credit to the friendly and accommodating staff there. Hip, urban, not a chain, good food, and friendly and helpful crew. Definitely a huge thumbs-up to our little humans for this joint from this mom!
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I came here at 11 a.m. on a Sunday for brunch and was seated right away (yay!) The food really is not expensive -- I had coffee and French toast and the bill was like $12. You really can't beat this location, either. This is a great last-minute place if you want to hang out in Dupont Circle for brunch. I don't really have any complaints.
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I finally went here after many months of putting it off. I don't know why I didn't get here sooner.
I won't ramble as it seems most people have already given generous reviews. Circa has a great brunch and fantastic espresso. I'd go more often but that would require me waking up before 1pm on the weekends.
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Circa was hands down my favorite east coast restaurant during my summer 2007 trip with friends. We actually came here twice in the same day!
We came here for a mid-morning caffeine boost before we started off on another long day of sightseeing because it was really close to the metro station and looked welcoming. I ordered an iced soy latte, but a few minutes after taking my order, the barista told me they ran out of soy milk and apologized profusely for not telling me earlier. Then the manager came and refunded my money AND gave me a free drink - I decided to try to Ginger Peach Iced Tea and it was surprisingly delicious!
Even though we only bought drinks from the coffee bar, they didn't mind that we took over a table by the window and spread our maps and subway directions all over the tabletop to plan out our day.
After a lot of monument-visiting, we were all completely exhausted and we somehow found ourselves back at Dupont Circle, in front of Circa again at around dinner time. We called up a friend of ours who said she would meet us at Circa for dinner, so we went inside to reserve a table.
Even though the place was pretty busy, we got our table (which turned out to be the same table we had sat at earlier that morning!) pretty quickly and the servers were extremely friendly and courteous to us, even though we were extremely underdressed and sweaty/gross-looking from a day out in the hot sun. I definitely appreciated that.
Our friend (the DC native) somehow got lost on her way to Circa, so we ended up sitting at the table without ordering food for almost an hour. The place was busy and they needed tables, but the servers never grew impatient with us and kept coming by to check on us and to refill our waters. I felt really bad for sitting at the table for so long, but I was glad that the servers did not give us any attitude for slowing down their turn-over for the night.
When our friend finally arrived, we placed our orders quickly and the food came out equally quickly, which was great because we were all starving!! I really enjoyed the bread basket they brought out because it was full of interesting rustic breads that were fun to try. I had the vegetable potstickers and the fried polenta and it was all delicious!
There were also a lot of interesting-sounding cocktails on the menu, but unfortunately, we were not 21 yet so we could not try them.
When we visited Circa over the summer, they had just opened and if they kept up the great work we saw when we were there, they must be super successful now. I definitely look forward to eating another meal at Circa whenever I am in the DC area again!
(P.S. They also have very spacious and clean bathrooms here!)
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Great service, Good coffee, espresso/non-espresso drinks and lots of choices of drinks, and food.
Nice decor.
I tried javatini and cran-cahipirina. Both were awesome. Good place to hang out and have conversation with your friend or date.
Not in the mood for drinks or food? Try their coffee/non-coffee drinks. Good place to start your day out or finish your day out.
It's not a good place to hang out to browse your laptop all day long:)
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We went here during our trip to DC last week, and i really liked it.
We got:
1. Tuna sandwich ($9) - Oh so tender. Flavorful too.
2. Side order of Mac & Cheese ($3-ish) - Great. I liked the crunchyness of the parmesan and the bread crumbs on top, with the gooy-ness of the cheese.
3. Fromage ($11) - the 3 different types of cheese was amazingly good!
4. Oyster Soup ($8) - Light yet flavorful.
Overall, I would go back here again (this is after trying the other good food places all around Dupont Circle)
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For the life of me I can't figure out why this place received such a poor review in the Post. It was a perfectly nice place to grab some wine and munchies. Granted, Circa was a little too shiny for me...all those type A's trying to show off their lack of knowledge when it comes to wine...but the food was good, and the option of having a 3 or 6 oz. pour was welcome. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and engaging, and the pizza crust did not taste like a cracker, I assure you. I would definitely return again for after work drinks.
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In many ways Circa is exactly what I want: a bar/restaurant close to home with a good selection of beer, wine and cocktails; a menu with lots of appealing items that are moderately priced; an atmosphere with a buzz that's under control enough to allow me to hear the person sitting next to me.
I was greeted by a friendly hostess when I arrived alone last night. I told her I wanted to get a drink at the bar and she cheerfully handed me a menu. I found a seat easily and while my berry smash cocktail ($9) was not the best cocktail I've had recently it certainly wasn't the worst.
The radiologist sitting next to me ordered some lamb skewers which he politely offered to me. They looked great but I didn't have much of an appetite just then. I nipped a couple of his fries (yes, I like eating off of the plates of strangers) when his sliders arrived.
Now you might be thinking that all of this sounds great, right? Well, not exactly.
Right after I ordered my berry smash the radiologist had to send back an unacceptably dirty wine glass. Almost in the same moment a guy who'd ordered onion rings to go came to the counter ready to fight. They were burnt, the portion was minuscule and he wasn't havin' it. When my cocktail companion arrived it took more than a little waving to her a drink.
I hoped Circa would be a great experience but on my first trip there it was just okay.
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I absolutely love this place! It is great for a quick coffee in the mornings to grabbing dinner and drinks at night. The bartenders and staff are so friendly. Circa looks upscale but is isn't stuffy or snobby. The food is delicious and the service has always been great. Its a perfect place to meet friends, have good conversation and even catch a game. Overall, a great place anytime of day.
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Once upon a time, I loved Circa. My partner and I frequented this place on weekend mornings, and it quick became a happy recurring event for us. We'd get pastry and coffee--love their brewed half caf-half decaf, and chat it up while people watching. We were impressed that a place so shi-shi would allow ruffians like us in, although we always made sure to leave before their brunch officially began at 10:30. We noted other regular coffee drinkers, and appreciated the sense of community this place afforded to those who couldn't or wouldn't afford a pricey brunch and $10 bloody marys.
Alas, all that came to an end this weekend, when Circa posted their new hours--opening at 10 am. We inquired to the hostess--apparently, they've decided to remove the pastries, only provide to-go coffee, and convert that area to a bar. She said it was to make more money.
Now, I realize we live in a free market, and I understand that these people are in a business. But, it made me sad that Circa management chose to sacrifice their regular early morning customers in favor of making more money. I hope they didn't fire the lovely morning staff, either--they were so nice.
So, I'm giving Circa one star for their thoughtless chase after a dollar, and in mourning over all those displaced early morning coffee drinkers. I guess we can go to Starbucks, but their pastries really suck.
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Friendly staff, killer location, outside seating, tasty dishes, lots of wine, great cocktails.
And only 3stars?
Can't put my finger on what it's missing... maybe some peace and quiet? Man, does this place get PACKED. To the point where it actually detracts from any sort of enjoyable experience. It takes a while to be served, you bump in to people if you try to walk around, and it gets loud.
I suppose I could totally be missing the point. Maybe I'm getting old? That can't be... I'll have to go back and see if I'm in a better mood. Try it out- you'll love everything but the crowds.
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Pretty standard chicken panini, absolutely stellar fries, super yummy sliders. A little pricy for my taste, but the waiter was friendly and was cool with splitting between 4 cards (I know, totally annoying).
Funny, though - we asked if we could switch to the corner table and they said it was reserved for the owner. 15 minutes later three preppy college kids were sat there. Hmmm.
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Sometimes you just have to take a stand. My stance on the Circa issue is that I am officially pro-Circa. I support Circa and the things that Circa brings to Dupont Circle. Namely good food, strong coffee and hard, hard liquor.
My beau and I stumbled into Circa following (i) a seven hour trip (including flight time, cab time and waiting around time) into DC sans food and (ii) a fifteen minute fiasco at the cafe attached to Kramer Books*. We brought our appetites, if you know what I'm saying.
Circa made us so happy that day that we came back for brunch the following day. All totaled, we tried seared scallops, mac n cheese, chicken salad, greek salad, house-cured salmon platter, steak and eggs, plenty of stiff drinks, a gratis shot or two and a non-fat latte. Not all at once, mind you (that would have been quite a display of omnivorosity, indeed). Thanks, Circa, for restoring our faith in Dupont Circle grub.
Highlights:
-- cheese grits on the steak and egg platter (ohh, I love the cheese grits!)
-- great use of space indoors
-- combination restaurant/bar AND coffee stand - why haven't I seen this concept before??
-- leading me to... the ultimate energy shots whipped up by the bartenders; lots and lots of caffeine and sugar products combined with alcohol? red bull should be very very afraid.
-- wines on tap. call me sheltered, but I've never seen this before.
Check out Circa. I need the place to do well so that I can come back the next time I'm in DC (the spot they are in doesn't have the absolute best track record, you know). I would be a regular if I were local. Buzz buzz.
*I've instituted a new Policy. Policy #251: If the waiter can't be bothered to take a drink order within ten minutes, but will actually bus the table next to you instead of taking said drink order when the restaurant is less than half full (while saying "I'll be with you in a minute"), the proper response is to run, not walk, to the door and find somewhere else to eat.
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This place is just what Dupont Circle needed --
- Excellent martinis (all the bartenders seem to be experts, sometimes eager to discuss the thought that went into crafting the cocktail menu)
- Delicious munchies (appetizers, pizza) - I haven't tried their entrees because I see it as more of a drink and nosh kind of place
- A TRULY mixed crowd - gay and straight - which is hard to find in DC
But with the awesomeness comes intense wait times and crowds. You're best to come here either early (5-7) or late (after 9) if you want some room. I have never had to wait a ridiculously long time for a seat though. Circa is clever enough to have a very long table with lots of seats in the middle of the restaurant, sort of an extension of their bar.
Most of the staff are great - unpretentious, quick, and friendly. The kitchen can get slow during peak times but the servers I've had there have never left me wondering where my food is (sometimes friendly updates make all the difference).
I've heard from some that the salads and entrees don't hold a candle to the appetizers, which I would expect from a place that is more of a bar than a restaurant.
Unfortunately, they don't have any happy hour specials, probably because they are so popular that they don't need to. I have had a few instances, however, where my round or even my party's round of drinks were comped for no particular reason. Yes!
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