Circa 1800

We’ve lived in Fayetteville 25 years and just now experienced Circa. It’s small and we had tried to drop in on a Saturday night before but it was booked. This is a FANTASTIC place. We like to support local places and the downtown area. This is a must. The calamari and southern spring rolls are amazing. Great atmosphere and friendly attentive staff. WAY TO REPRESENT LOCAL !!!

This restaurant was delightful. Small and quaint with excellent service (thank you Sally) and delicious food. We had the calamari which had a sweet and tangy dipping sauce — I highly recommend. It was tender and delicious. For our main course we had the chicken piccata. Also yummy with creamy risotto and perfectly cooked green beans. It was a wonderful evening.

Circa 1800 has delicious food and a great atmosphere. I have been twice now, and my family and I have been very happy with our experiences. I took off one star because the server the second time was slow and not personable. The first time we went earlier this year, our server was great. I ordered shrimp and grits the second time I came because it was so fantastic the first visit and it again did not disappoint. Same with my daughter who is in love with the truffle Mac n cheese. They offer great specials as well. It is pricy, so we save it for special occasions, but I definitely recommend supporting this local business!

Had the crab cakes — AMAZING! Authentic crab meat. Most definetly recommend.
The shrimp and grits are outstanding as well. Got an order to take home too.
Good quality food and service. Had great drinks at the bar too!

This place has changed over the years, some for the better and some not so much.
Over all it’s one of my husband and I’s favorite places to go when it’s just the two of us looking for a quiet, quality meal.
Amazing pineapple upside down cake martinis!

I’ve been to Circa a couple of times now and can safely say this is my favorite restaurant in town! Can be hard on the budget conscious but hey, it’s good food. If not crowded the staff are good about letting you switch seats because of window glare, too cold, bigger party, etc — generally when they first open cause then they get busy. Service is great; I probably have my water glass refilled upwards of four times because the servers don’t allow the water to get all the way empty.
Recommended dishes:
+ 1800 Burger ($ 12) is delicious! Extra added jalapeño makes the burger even more fantastic!
+ Chicken and waffles ($ 13). Waffles a bit more delicious than the chicken, but if you start with the chicken it’s amazing. Plus, I had two bowls of perfectly seasoned grits. Order comes with one, but sometimes people don’t like soupy grits and you can nab yourself an extra serving.
+ 1800 Stack ($ 13). Fried green tomatoes and crab cakes with exceptional tartar sauce.
+ Grilled Portobello mushroom ($ 18). A bit on the saltier side but you can’t go wrong with truffle mac and cheese.
+ Broadslab NY strips ($ 24). I’m not a big meat eater but I tell you the horseradish mashed potatoes were perfection.
+ Chocolate mousse? I expected this to be decadent but it ended up more smooth than overwhelming, especially if you are a fan of chocolate mousse. Great flavor!
Also good but didn’t blow me away:
+ Shrimp and grits ($ 12). Shrimp was seasoned well but the spicy cream sauce was a bit salty for my palate and I wished the grit cake wasn’t in a clump (looked nice though) because I had to work harder to coat the grit with the sauce.
+ Country french omelette ($ 12). People rave about this, but bf had the chicken and waffles and I could not stop eating his brunch meal.
+ Collard greens are on the sweet side, tossed with bacon, if sweet collard greens are your thing.
+ Brunch complimentary bread are delicious little apple muffins
+ Parking: Street, free, read signs (except on holidays and weekends)
+ To go orders are a thing!
— Patio may have tobacco smoke
+ No alcohol until noon per NC laws, but then you can make your own bloody Mary!
+ Private room in the back seats about 6 – 7 people
A great atmosphere for chitchat and eating your heart out. Would arrive early for both parking and ideal seating. Am determined to try everything on the menu. Would come again!

Have only been here for the Sunday brunches. Have never had a meal that was bad, always interesting recipes, delicious and served by friendly people. Outdoor dining on nice days. Fresh hot muffins are wonderful.

Food wasn’t that good and the wait staff is slow and not very friendly. We had to ask a few times to have drinks refilled.

Food was only ok and the service was slow. The atmosphere and food could both be improved. My waitress seemed tired and annoyed.

I had dinner here with my colleagues. The food was excellent. The wait service left a little to be desired. For some reason it took a lot longer to get the drinks than the food. Anyway, I would still recommend this place. My colleague loved the Shrimp & Grits.

My husband and I came here for my birthday. All I had asked for for my birthday was a nice date night with the hubs. We were both very pleased with the taste and presentation.
Meal Included:
Crab Dip– Amazing! Only wish they gave more crostinis/​bread. I ended up eating the rest with a fork. Which clearly tells you how amazing it was!
Broadslab NY Ribeye– Great Taste! This was my husbands choice. The bacon after taste was perfect! Very pleased!
Maui– Maui dish topped it all! The sauce combined with the Maui and Crab just melted in your mouth. The flavoring never got boring, each bite had an impeccable taste.
Wine– Red Blend, cannot remember the name of it. Waitress suggested it, stating it was the most popular. She was right!
Also, mashed potatoes ROCKED!
COST IS WORTH IT!

Sunday am the place to go. Had no reservations and i got the last table. Food and service top notch for the three adults in my party.

I’ll be back and try again, nice atmosphere plates that passed me looked excellent. When I receive my plate it was ok. I’m not a fan of runny grits but I was hungry, the flavor was good & the shrimp cooked just right. I’m just not a runny grit girl… I’ll return soon because overall I enjoyed it & the bartender was great & understanding

Fabulous Shrimp and Grits. Zucchini side was very good. Excellent and Prompt Service. Reasonable prices.

We had heard so much about Circa and decided to give it a try today for a rainy Friday lunch. Let’s be clear, there is a lack of good or unique restaurants in Fayetteville. Circa is like an answer to prayer.
When we arrived I admit I was grumpy and what you call ‘hangry.’ I would have given Circa 5 stars if the service had been a little quicker. It seems like it took awhile for anyone to notice we had seated ourselves and had not placed a drink order.
But I digress.
The food was worth the wait. I had the shrimp and grits. Fabulous. My husband had the fried green tomato sandwich, which was interesting and fresh. He also had the potato soup, which was more fluffed potato than soupy, but it was still delicious.
The best part of the visit is when we paid the check and I asked the waitress about the menu for dinner. She went the extra mile to get me a couple of menus to review. The best part is: they have brunch. We hope to go back soon to give it a try.
All in all, Circa fills a void in this area. Delicious food, elevated atmosphere, and NOT another chain restaurant.

Updated review: I brought someone here February 2016 and they must have gotten a new chef who was not properly trained. The food tasted totally different. I ordered the shrimp and grits. They made it into a brick and put shrimp on top. Where was the bowl? Where was the bacon? I sent it back was bland and not edible. The crab dip i loved so much the portion size was cut in half and it was much thinner and the bread was slightly over cooked. I’m reducing to 3 stars hoping it was just a fluke day. Afraid to return.
First review: First restaurant I went to in Fayetteville and I will definitely be back. Cute décor, good food, friendly waitress. What more can you ask for. Their crab dip was the best I’ve ever had in my life. It comes with panko crusted fried bread to dip! That says a lot being that I’m from the crab state of Maryland.

Perfection on a plate and in a cup! Cutest place and fantastic service!
A must visit in Fayetteville and the downtown is super cute!

Great food and since Christmas is close the whole downtown scene and interior of this place is lit with string lights. The most relaxing place I’ve been in a long time with amazing food to boot. Will be eating here again and bringing company.

I’ve heard of Circa 1800 for awhile now and finally got the chance to check them out for Sunday Brunch. Now, I love Sunday Brunch so I was pretty excited for this experience and Circa 1800 didn’t disappoint as the food was delicious, the service was good (a bit slow though) and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg for two people.
First of all, this place is small so adjust accordingly. I arrived with my sister a little after they opened so we were seated quickly but there’s not much room if there’s a large party (which there was the day we went) so I can see where a long wait time could be an issue. This is definitely more like a restaurant than a bar as their bar is pretty small with a very small TV. Not knocking them down for it, just more of a FYI.
To start, we were given banana nut mini-​muffins which was an interesting replacement to the usual bread spread at most restaurants. These muffins weren’t my favorite (not a huge banana nut fan) but they were moist and great way to get our appetite ready for the main meal. I was happy with the selection of entrees and it took me awhile to figure out exactly what I wanted but I finally decided on the pumpkin praline french toast with bacon, grits and fresh fruit. The french toast wasn’t exactly what I expected as the pumpkin taste was more of a filling on the french toast (instead of being pumpkin flavored) but I still enjoyed it. The bacon was flavorful and crispy, just the way I like it! And the grits… oh these grits are amazing! They were so creamy, flavorful but not too soft which I like. I pretty much licked the small bowl clean, it was that good! My sister ordered the chicken and waffles and luckily she was willing to share. The chicken was breaded perfectly and juicy however we both agreed that the waffle would have been better if it were more done or crispy. I thought it was interesting to have the waffle cut into quarters with one piece of chicken on each instead of the usual pile of fried chicken on a one Belgium waffle but it was tasty either way.
The customer service was good, our server seemed a bit overwhelmed with a larger party so she was a bit slow when it came time for us to pay and cash out. Other than that, I was pretty satisfied with their service as our drinks were never empty and all their staff members were friendly.
Overall, if you’re looking for a brunch place to check out in Fayetteville, I would recommend checking out Circa 1800!
Disclaimer: this rating is boosted as I’m reviewing it in comparison to other brunch/​breakfast places in Fayetteville. It might be more of a 3.5 stars in comparison to places in DTR/​Chapel Hill/​Durham.

Came in for dinner with a friend. The food gets 5 stars, atmosphere 4, customer service 4, and the place itself another 5! Cute little spot for a cozy, romantic date!
Ordered shrimp and grits, and Im very hard to impress when it comes to grits. It was the best I’ve ever had!