I can’t stress enough how impressed and thankful we all are with our wonderful experience at Circa! The staff was welcoming warm and eager to please! Nothing less than a 5 star experience! The tasting menu is the best way to get full appreciation of their creative cuisine. Not too much and certainly not to little! Thank You Circa! We will see you Again!
An attractive fine dining restaurant in a lovely setting located close but refreshingly removed from the cramped historic area restaurants. A perfect choice for a romantic or celebratory dinner. As first time visitors to Charleston we loved the menu concept that reflects the culinary influences and local ingredients that distinguishes the region's food from other areas of the country. Prior to dinner we enjoyed two refreshing and interesting specialty cocktails - the Peach Wire and Little Bird Told Me. Our appetizers of Preserved Rabbit and the Butternut Squash/Peanut Soup and entrees of Paprika Grouper and Chicken Fried Duck Breast were simply delicious. The portions are perfect and the plate presentations were visually appetizing. For dessert we had the Sweet Corn with Huckleberry and the Coconut Sombi. Both were artfully plated and an absolutely unique tasting finish to our meals. Neither of us are wine drinkers (I'm sure to the chagrin of the many waiters and restaurants we've experienced over the years) but the wine list appeared extensive with numerous options for enjoying from individual glasses, tastings, half bottles and of course, full bottles. I would be shocked to learn otherwise from those who know. The service is professional, attentive, and cordial without feeling pretentious. Of our four major dinners, Circa 1886 was easily the best of our recent trip to Charleston in all respects.
The total experience of dinner at Circa 1886 is exceptional. The setting is gorgeous, the service is nearly perfect (friendly, prompt, helpful, professional) (thank you, Brian!), the wine list is excellent. The food may be a bit more polarizing. The conceit of the restaurant is that Low Country cooking has many influences, so they divide the menu into preparations that reflect Native American traditions, African traditions (Gullah), European influences, and South Carolina today. We chose a mix. For appetizer I had the superb Shrimp & Rice Grits (from Africa), while my wife had the Southern Grilled Cheese (SC Today). The former was delicious, the latter was a bit heavy. For main courses, my wife had the Sea Scallops (SC Today), which were excellent. I had the Rainbow Trout (Native American). The trout was covered in a wild rice porridge and sunflower sumac crust that completely overwhelmed the trout. I wouldn’t recommend it. The two desserts were both top notch. The Chocolate Mousse (Europe) was very dense, rich, and very chocolate, while the Strawberry Shortcake Soufflé was fantastic! Circa 1886 is a world class restaurant, worth a trip. We’d be delighted to come for another dinner. It made for a memorable evening.
By far the best dining experience we've had in a long time. The service, food and atmosphere were all contributors to a memorable evening!
The best restaurant experience I have ever had. I highly recommend dining here.
Stunning place, delicious food, and a friendly staff. I highly recommend this restaurant! Since it's popular I would make a reservation as soon you you know you are heading to Charleston. An absolute gem!
Amazing atmosphere this place really takes your breath away when you step up / inside of it. The restaurant is tucked in the back of the property in its own little building but walking through the mansion and courtyard really sets the vibe.Dining staff is what you would expect from a restaurant of this caliber. Formal and polite, welcoming and excited to share an experience with you.The food was incredible . Chef clearly did his homework and pulls inspiration from some of the greatest restaurants in the country with his own spin on things.The pimento cheese caviar grilled cheese is a whimsical play on a southern classic only 'dressed up'The menu has a few different experiences in it each paying homage to a different culture.Everything sounds phenomenal so its difficult to pick one over the others.Dessert were 50/50 the african milk tart although breathtakingly gorgeous was lacking in flavor in most components but the apple souffle (server's suggested) was quite tasty and well executed10/10Will be back next time we're in town for certain.And tell everyone going to visit they NEED to check this place out.
Very much enjoyed our meal and our server, Laura, was great. Was it a perfect meal? Not quite... but very, very good. My husband had the venison entree which was fantastic. I had the grouper and it was great, but I wish I had also ordered the venison because it was phenomenal. Prior to our mains I had a caesar salad and my husband had foie gras. We always order foie gras when we see it on the menu as we are huge fans. We know how foie gras is prepared (not well-done), but this was a little bit too rare. My husband could not eat the interior portion at all because it was completely gelatinous and raw. We didn't say anything because it feels uncomfortable to send back a $29 appetizer that was actually quite good aside from the raw portion. For dessert we had the apple souffle and it was wonderful. I also had a choclatini. Really good. My kudos to the bartender. She was highly skilled and for such an overall expensive restaurant their cocktails are reasonably priced. They do request that you order your entire meal at once (even dessert). I'm sure they have their reasons, but I found that aspect a bit different. Ordinarily I don't know what I want for dessert at the beginning of the meal. Obviously, with a souffle it is always required to order in advance, but there were other dessert choices that were not souffles which had to be ordered at the beginning of the meal also.
This was the best of 6 dinners in Charleston. All of our 4 different entrees (scallops, duck, tenderloin and grouper) were excellent. The Milk Tart and Souffle were heavenly. The soup was excellent. They have an onsite small parking lot. Ambience and service was great. I would have loved to come back.
Delicious fine dining and impeccable service! A wonderful experience. We’ll definitely be back!