I'd definitely recommend this place if you are looking for an upscale and classy dinner. It was awesome for a date night. We had the three course meal for $40 which included bread service, a salad, an entree and dessert. The flounder was very good and tasted very fresh! Id recommend this again for a date night! read more

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The selection of sweets is non-existent, but the other selections can suit any palate. From a juicy beer to an every-changing sweet-as-pie cocktail to the phenomenal mushroom brushetta. Chris is great as a bartender, and the atmosphere (between 5 and 7) is quiet and inventing if you're looking to just relax. read more

Circa 1922 - mushroom bruschetta, super quench, sweet-as-pie - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

As everyone mentions- you must get the octopus. Definitely a hit at our table. The seasoning is absolutely perfect, it was just delicately cooked enough to not be too chewy and was so expertly paired with the purée underneath. Another top dish was the brussel sprouts. They had a very delightful tangy peanut dressing that made these unique and very addictive. The crab dip was good, and don't get me wrong- we all were fighting over the last crostini but I don't feel like this is as special as the previously mentioned dishes. Entrees were the salmon, filet mignon and scallops. My friend who has the scallops loved hers. I tried the filet mignon and found it lacking a bit of salt and flavor, but decent. I also felt the potato was undercooked as it was almost crunchy to chew through where as I was expecting something a little more velvety in texture. The salmon en croute was good and I absolutely loved the Dijon sauce it was paired with however the asparagus was bland and needed seasoning. For dessert we tried all 3 of the mini mouse options: crème brûlée, chocolate and PB. The PB was the standout in my opinion but they were all very scrummy and the perfect little mini portion of dessert to finish a meal but not feel over stuffed. Ah! I also really loved the gin cocktail I got. It definitely packs a punch. The flavor was awesome. Service was absolutely fantastic. Our waiter helped us decide on our dishes, was very personable and fun. You can tell there is a higher standard of service here. Overall ambiance is lovely. The space is gorgeous, especially decorated for the holidays. I love that they have a large bar and also offer booth seating. 4.5/5 read more

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This review is the culmination of several visits through the summer. When we started coming to Circa, the food was amazing and the service was solid. Over time, it has declined significantly. Last night we went and the restaurant was mostly empty - potentially a telltale sign. The service started out well but quickly dropped. I ordered from the prie fix menu: garden salad, scallops, and crème brûlée. My cousin had a caesar as her meal and my boyfriend the bolognese. Our server brought my cousin and I our salads at the same time, even though hers was going to be her entree. I was given the wrong salad (a caesar) but I was so hungry I didn't mind. Plus, I do love a caesar. I also had an espresso martini to start and it wasn't the best, but not the worst. Our entrees were just okay. My scallop dish had a layer of oil throughout I poured off onto a side plate - enough to fill the plate. The bolognese was just alright, he only ate half. Our favorite part of the meal is always their bread, but all 3 orders we had were stale/not as fresh as they usually are. My dessert was fine The service was really not great, she only came by twice after we ordered. There were also cockroaches in the bathroom, right next to the kitchen, so that was unappealing too. Will not be back. read more

Circa 1922 - Espresso martini - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Circa was amazing! I went here on a Bach trip and the service was great. Our server was super kind and helpful with picking out a meal. I started out the night with drinks that were beautifully curated. I had the paella and it was absolutely incredible. This is the perfect dinner place for a nice dinner or celebration! Only downside is parking may be hard to find as it is located on a main street and in downtown. read more

Circa 1922 - Crab dip - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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This was our first visit and will not be our last. Gage was our server, and he engaged in friendly conversation and was attentive without being overbearing. He was, by far, one of the best servers I have come across in some time. The ambiance was perfect; the food exceeded our expectations. I had the paella; my husband had a selection from the prix fixe menu. Delicious. read more

Elegant. Luxurious. Indulgent. Fantastic. This dinner will stand out in my memories of Wilmington. Each course was both thoughtful and flavorful. My husband and I split the Beet Salad, the Hanger Steak, and the Croissant Bread Pudding. It was the perfect amount of food, and we both felt so satisfied and nourished after our meal. The steak really stood out for its quality and flavor-- the rich and salary sauce provided a nice under stone to the savory meat. The gnocchi (something I don't usually like) was delightful with the oyster mushrooms. On top of the great food, our server was awesome. Brandon was a down to business, to the point, attentive, and skilled waiter. He saw empty water glasses from way inside the building (we were outside) and would fill our chalices back up as soon as we set them down. The meal was well paced and overall delightful. read more

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I've been to Circa 3x now... never had a bad dish or appetizer and I've tried different things every time. Spotted a few others I want to try. Drinks are poured well, no weakies! Good variety of local brews to choose from. Servers were knowledgeable about meals and nightly specialties. They were also ninja like with their timing - always showed up at the perfect time and were not intrusive. Kept water full and table cleared of spent food dishes. Ambiance has been a mixed bag; on weekday nights expect quiet and conversational atmosphere. But on weekends you should expect longer waits, a crowded bar, and a steady low roar of voices with occasional outbursts of laughter and good times. Dressy casual attire is standard. read more

Great food and ambiance love the small plates Go to for wine and more. Love the building and seating with the charm of old Wilmington read more

Another great date night! Food and service was great. We love the appetizers so much the next time we are just going to order three each and dessert! read more

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Great food I had the filet it was delicious and cooked perfectly my husband had the bolognese which was very good. Portion sizes were perfect. The appetizer and drinks very good, wait staff made wonderful suggestions and we loved what we had. The restaurant itself is beautiful a little in the pricey side but it was a special occasion so we didn't mind. read more

I don't write a lot of reviews but feel compelled to tell folks how great my experience at Circa 1922 was. I ate at the bar as I was traveling alone for business. Chris the bartender was amazing, attentive and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. Started with the octopus appetizer which had the perfect char and complimented perfectly by the potato foam with heavily smoked chunks of bacon and pickled onion which added the acid necessary to balance the well crafted dish. Best octopus I've ever had! Entree was the duck confit, the presentation alone made my mouth water. Duck was perfectly seasoned, and the cassoulet almost outshined the duck itself. Then when consumed together the dish explodes with flavor. There is very obviously great attention to detail both in the kitchen and at the front of the house. An amazing restaurant that should be on everyone's list if in the Wilmington area! Bravo to the entire staff! read more

Circa 1922 - Octopus La Pancha - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Came here last night with my family and had a lovely experience. It was a busy Saturday night, and reservations were definitely a must. The building is beautiful, and the live piano music was great. Bread was served to the table along with as assortment of olives. I chose the duck confit for my dinner, and it was exquisite! My sister got the scallops and said they were amazing. At the end, we each got a mini creme brûlée, and it was fantastic. Overall, it was delicious and reasonable for the price, comparing to other similar restaurants in the area. I would add that the only downside was the wait for the food. It took around 45-50 minutes to get our entrees. Otherwise, I recommend this restaurant and would love to come back! read more

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The atmosphere was fantastic. The food was full of flavor and the service was great. The live music was a great touch.

Enjoyed a lovely dinner. Our Waiter, Gauge, was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Food was good - especially the filet. Would recommend grilling the octopus a bit more. Loved the desserts! read more

The food here was delicious I would definitely come back. The quality of the entrees were top notch. Best dinner out of the week from my vacation to Wilmington! The filet could be cut with a fork it was so tender. Our sever was super nice as well, and our dinner was quaint and relaxing. read more

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Went here for a Birthday celebration for my boyfriend and it's safe to say it was the right choice. Overall, we had a very relaxing and pleasant experience. Arrived at 5:55 for our 6 PM reservation and was seated immediately. The ambiance is outstanding! It's a large restaurant so the noise is not overpowering even though it was packed. There is low lighting which creates a very intimate setting and very tall booths which separates you from the other individuals dining. The service was great and extremely prompt! Any questions we had that she didn't know the answer to, she made a point to go and ask someone. I loved that she was willing to go the extra mile to deliver a wonderful experience. Sunday-Thursday they offer their Price Fixe menu. This is 3 courses for $40, which is an outstanding deal. They have a variety of options on that menu and something that is suitable for everyone. We started with the mushroom bruschetta. It was very unique and tasty. The bread almost melted in your mouth and the mushrooms were packed full of flavor. I ordered the tuna for my main course. The tuna was cooked perfectly and very fresh. I was hesitant to order because it came with rice, and rice usually doesn't have a ton of flavor. However, this was the best rice I've ever had! The rice ended up being my favorite part of the meal. They brought out our deserts with a very large candle/sparkler (see picture) which was awesome. The deserts were outstanding. I really can't say enough good things about Circa 1922. I didn't have a single complaint and I am so happy we chose to come here for his birthday. I can't wait to come back! read more

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This place blew my mind! Went here from suggestions of family friends and this fell nothing short of excellent. The food was all so tasty. The appetizers we got were freshly prepared and the beef carpaccio was some of the best I've ever had. We devoured this! The tuna poke bombs had some of the freshest tuna around and the crisp rice served with them was a lovely texture complement. The crisp calamari is a dish you just can't go wrong and the sauce it was served in was delicious. The drink menu was extensive and the special cocktails left all of us happy. The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit and had a relaxing atmosphere. We sat on the top floor and enjoyed it quite so. The place was rather large and even had a live piano player where the entrance was, which anyone around loves. Our server was so helpful and she guided us through the menu, selected her favorites and showed us the works. Can't wait to return here and try more! read more

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Wonderful first visit, we will return! We were seated in the room next to the vault which was arranged with about 10 tables for two. The tables are very close together so private conversations are impossible. It also allows for random conversations with diners adjacent to you which my husband and I enjoyed with couples on each side of our table. Our server Linda was knowledgeable, witty and attentive. We both chose to order off the prix fixe menu. We thoroughly enjoyed all of selections. The salads are a good size, the light dressing on the autumn salad was amazing. Entrees of tagliatelle bolognese and filet mignon were delicious. If you are used to oversized pasta portions or 6-8oz filet mignon you may be disappointed. I would guess that the filet was 4oz cooked. Perfect for me along with the large shot glass sized dessert options. Great vibe and mojo, the couple next to us (They were celebrating their anniversary!) secretly paid for our drinks!!! We will pay it forward! The man next to us is the chef at a popular restaurant on Carolina Beach Rd. Looking forward to a return visit! read more

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We had dinner at Circa 1922 Saturday night, party of 4. Our waiter Gage went out of his way to insure we had an exceptional experience. The food was exceptional - only outdone by the service. When we return, we will be requesting Gage whose kindness, attention and service (along with 4 epic meals) made a night to remember! read more

Was very excited to spend my partner's. birthday at Circa,so we made reservations. When we were sat, we were crammed between two normal sized tables, at a half a half table. At first we were fine but the dynamic with the tables less than a foot away was awkward. Don't get me wrong, I'm from New York. If the place was crowded and high in demand I would understand- but it wasn't. It was a Thursday and there was room...a lot of room I ventured up to the hostess stand, and asked if it was possible to move to the open booths- the hostess with the fantastic eyebrows who was younger was very pleasant, accommodating, wonderful, hospitable- but then an older brunette lady, maybe manager jutted in and said "what's up?" I explained the situation and before I could even finish speaking she cut me off and said "uhh no" (in the least hospitable way)-I was taken aback and confused We were dressed formally, and planning to spend a substantial amount of money on a birthday dinner but ended up leaving feeling disrespected, not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars to be an afterthought. Was very excited to try what seemed like an upscale experience. 1/10 read more

Was in town for work and had a fairly large group for dinner. I left a message at Circa1922 around noon requesting a reservation for 12 for that evening. They returned by call within a few hours and were able to accommodate our group for dinner. We arrived and were promptly seated for dinner. Restaurant is very nicely decorated inside with seating both upstairs and down. The highlight of my meal was the beet salad-combination of beets, goat cheese and pistachios was so good. For dinner I had the pork osso bucco (as well as another person in our party). They accommodated my request to substitute out the kale for another vegetable. Pork was delicious and fall of the bone. Several in the party had the filet which was extremely tender. A few in our party also got the paella which they also liked. Finished dinner with most in our party getting dessert. A few got the creme brulee and I had the blueberry cheesecake. The cheesecake was the perfect size to have a taste of dessert but not a whole slice of cake. Enjoyed the meal and will be back when visiting Wilmington again. read more

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The food, ambiance and service were all terrific. The butternut squash soup of the day was very flavorful. The flounder was cooked perfectly with a sauce that complemented the delicate fish. We will be back to try some of the small plates. read more

Circa is incredible, a comprehensive wine list filled with classics. Food is out of this world! Menu is always changing, but everything is fresh. Do not skip dessert here! Service is always great. It is located within an old bank. The vault is now the kitchen. Really neat read more

Incredibly impressed with this restaurant. Food, beverage and service were all 10/10. Perhaps the best aspect though was the ambiance - the exposed brick, low lighting and live piano on Saturdays is wonderful. Highly recommend. read more

They earned the same review as I wrote a few years ago. It was okay, but not great. We went with a group of friends, and it is nice that they have a large oval table specifically for a larger group. It is right by the front door, so the person who sits at the end gets hit with a gush of cold each time the door opens. The venue is so pretty. I love that Wilmington uses these historic buildings rather than knocking them down to build new bland construction. The other nice thing about this place is that it's not super loud, so you're actually able to carry on a conversation with one another. Sunday through Thursday, they have a special for $38 to buy a salad, an entrée, and a mini dessert. This is a decent offer. The two who ordered the scallops said they were cooked perfectly and were very good. My salmon was also well cooked but a little bland and the asparagus that came with it were huge and therefore pretty tough. I tasted my sister's filet mignon and again, cooked perfectly, but bland, bland, bland. The dessert though was delicious! This would be a great place to come to get a drink and dessert, but I would choose somewhere else for the main course. The service was great. read more

Looks like I can't stop reviewing this place. IT. IS. THAT, GOOD. This time, there were eight of us. We each had appetizers, entrees and dessert. Yeah, we were hungry but the food was also too good to pass up. Most of us had salads for starters, some Caesar and some beet. The Caesar salads were an unbelievably generous portion and from what I was told, delish. The beet salad was fabulous! Served with goat cheese and an interesting mix of beets and grapefruit slices, it was an excellent way to start the meal, and what a meal it was! I ordered the hanger steak, which was a tad too rare but so tender it practically didn't need a knife to be cut, and the side of gnocchi melted in my mouth. Other entrees were met with equal enthusiasm, and the desserts were to die for! They're 'shareable' and truly enough for four people. The crème brûlée was so large it looked like it was served in a canoe, and the gelatos were simply amazing and huge!! Our server, Brandon, was polished and professional, and didn't skip a beat. He handled our table like a pro and got us out just in time to make our show. Circa is a gem that never disappoints, and it's one of a handful of eateries I will return to again and again. read more

Circa 1922 - Hanger steak - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Visited twice in July 2024. Absolutely wonderful service. Food was A++++. Had selections off of their fixed menu. Big standout was the charred octopus, spaghetti bolognese and martinis. So very, very good!!!!! read more

Amazing meal in a cute quaint setting in the center of historic Wilmington! The food and drinks were delicious! We ordered off the main menu, as well as the prix fixe menu! Desserts were the perfect ending to our meal! We tried and shared a few! The staff and service were wonderful and on point! I definitely will be returning and would recommend to anyone visiting Wilmington! read more

There were five of us that dined at this establishment and 3 of us agreed food was super salty and we love salty stuff, but this was too much. I ordered 2 different items and was told 2 different times, after orders had been placed and put in the system- they were out of dishes I preferred. I had to settle for what was available and it was ok. I may come back and give another try (3rd try) and order other dishes they have to offer before I finalize my decision of recommending this place to others or not. Everyone has their "off days" and deserves chances. We ordered our beverages and requested for rolls and butter. Drinks arrived five to seven minutes later and dinner rolls arrived ten minutes later without butter. When we asked our server she said she'd be right back. Eleven and a half minutes has lapsed and still no sight of our server. We asked another wait stuff that walked passed our table if we could have some butter. After ten more minutes of waiting, butter finally arrived and the server seemed annoyed with us. By this time rolls were cold and they, too, were salty. Love the woodwork and old building feel with what seem to be original bricks. It was nicely decorated, but a bit too dark and dated. Need a little sprucing up and a little more light. The pianist they had playing that evening was great! read more

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For the price deplorable. Starters: soup of day excellent. Octopus with Potatoes: nicely done Octopus topping more than well done, potatoes nice pairing. Mushrooms Focaccia: mushroom black and over cooked. Entre: Pasta Bolognese; was probably good if not for mountain of sharp/salty parmesan cheese obscuring the taiste. Service: all from the right except when crossed over table, tables for 2 so close got excellent view of servers derriere when serving table to left. Patron from 50 miles out of Wilmington. If this is is what $200+ dollars with 4 glasses of wine get you down town Wilmington gets you today bring back Cafe' Phenex. It will be along time before choose what must be a tourist trap in down town Wilmington and stick to the Grills, in the country, for good hamburger! Fine Dining it was not. read more

There is nothing else to say except that Circa 1922 is absolutely fantastic. The food, atmosphere, and staff are top notch.

Excellent service,food,cocktails the restaurant also has a nice vibe as well I had a flounder dish and it was off the charts delicious

I can summarize our visit in one word: WONDERFUL! The food was excellent , waitress was super, surroundings were historical and beautiful. Please try to experience this fantastic establishment. read more

Atmosphere, staff and vast array of vino selections available all make the visit such a pleasant and memorable one!

Wonderful experience. We walked in for dinner with no reservation and were seated immediately. We had the P.E.I mussels to start and man... were they good!! For entrees we had the filet mignon and the paella. Both were absolutely delicious, although the filet was definitely very small (seemed 4oz at most). Beautiful place, excellent service, and the ambiance was mostly romantic and quiet. Definitely recommend! read more

Circa 1922 - Tapas Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Very tasty fish. Little salty. Wine Wednesday 1/2 of bottles that are also sold by the glass.

The service was great, the atmosphere was great and the food was superb. We sat next to the piano and we were still able to hear each other without shouting. read more

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Beautiful environment with a really great bar. The bartender was professional, friendly and knowledgeable. The wait staff was also very good always "there" without being overbearing. I had the octopus appetizer and the flounder for dinner. Both were good. The octopus nicely grilled and the flounder nicely cooked. But, my reason for 3 stars is that the menu is boring. It's one of those menus with all the predictable things you'd expect in a nice restaurant. No creativity or anything interesting. Don't get me wrong I'm not at all saying it's bad. I'm just saying it's predictable. read more

Great spot right downtown, lots of seating with 2 floors, and an awesome menu! Service is great, we love Nikki she's awesome!