CIRCA at Foggy Bottom

Food was amazing! We both had the blackened salmon. It was incredible. Perfectly cooked, and the veggies and tomatoes complemented it wonderfully. The lights are dimmed, and candles are on the tables. But still enough light to see your food. Perfect and well thought out. The waitress hovered just enough and even made my husband sweet tea since they only have unsweetened. The reason I didn't give them 5 stars - hubby had to ask for bread. I agree that you shouldn't just put it on tables anymore to go to waste, but at least offer it. We went during happy hour, and had made reservations and put "date night, quiet corner table please". We were in a corner, next to the doorway to the kitchen and close to the bartender. It was anything but quiet. We were not allowed to order Happy hour drinks unless we moved to the bar side. I don't know if this is a DC thing, and I get not wanting people just drinking to take up your tables, but we were ordering food too. Finally , there was a very loud and irate customer arguing with management about what she says was a duplicate charge. I don't know if she was right or wrong, but it was 23.80 and it consumed the entire restaurant for at least 10 minutes. Management needed to handle that better and calm down the situation.

Shrimp salad was fantastic! Will be back to order it again.

Great food but awful ambiance/aesthetic. If you're looking for a cool spot, I would not recommend CIRCA although the food is priced at a great value and they have delicious cocktails.

Love this place. Every time we come to visit my son at GW we try to come here for a meal. This time we enjoyed dinner on the patio during an unseasonably warm winter day. Love the filet mignon sliders. Wish the calamari portions were a bit larger. Next time we will have to order two!

Our server was fantastic and the food and wine was amazing !

Circa is SESATIONAL! Circa is SESATIONAL! Circa is SESATIONAL!

Food is excellent and staff super attentive, I will definitely refer my friends to this gem.

Great food, good location for a post-dinner stroll to the Lincoln Memorial.

Loved the baby kale parmesan salad topped with shrimp! Tons of flavor!

Really enjoyed offer of free glass of Prosecco for my birthday.

I was disappointed that I was not served bread with my salad. I noticed the gentleman next to me received bread after he asked.

I thought the ambiance was nice. The salmon was a little tasty, nothing to write home about. The Nutella trifle dessert left much to desire, the cake crumbs were dry. The waitress was nice and provided good service. I enjoyed the courtesy of the staff. Maybe I need to try a different option on the menu.

Circa is so convenient and I always have a good meal with great service. But the noise level is just so high, conversation is a challenge. And when you add the music on top of the dull roar of conversation, it is very difficult to relax and enjoy whomever you are with.

Very consistent food, good value. Great venue before the Kennedy Center. Nice vibe and staff very professional and friendly.

Reasonable prices for DC. Very convenient to Metro and Kennedy Center. Menu is not inspiring, but food is reliably good.

The brussel sprouts and filet filet sliders with worcestershire sauce were simply amazing. Was not impressed with the t-bone steak.

Circa is our whole family’s go to and special place. The food and service are both awesome!

We were in town for DC Mardi Gras Ball, and wanted to have brunch on Saturday. Ambience was enchanting and food very tasty. Our waitress was very professional and attentive. Price was reasonable. We will be back.

Great food, good prices, but a little noisy. We went for brunch and loved our food (the mimosas and bellinis were so cheap!!) but it was pretty loud and a little squished together. Still, I’d go again!

Our favorite spot for lunch or dinner when coming into DC for a show at the Kennedy Center or shopping/hitting the museums!

There isn’t too much to dislike about CIRCA, but the place did really do much to win me over. A Wednesday night dinner found the place pretty loud and the food was okay, but not something that would make me pick this place again. Service was good, restaurant was busy, and we were not rushed. So there are a few positives to share.

The food was delicious. Those brussel sprouts are to die for!

The food was excellent. So glad we did this.

Food and service were great. Our go to place in Foggy Bottom for sure.

A pleasant surprise right on the GWU campus. Stopped for lunch after a meeting on campus. Relaxed atmosphere, great service, table right away at lunch hour. Had the brussel sprout appetizer, roasted to perfection - not too firm or too soft, with savory mildly spicy basalmic reduction - I could have eaten two, except I would not have had room for the fantastic grilled salmon over mixed greens salad. Medium grilled salmon was flavorful, tender and cripsy. Vinagrette light and flavorful. Barely had room for the Nutella trifle that topped off the meal. Service was first rate, price quite reasonable. I will be back next time I am in town.

Quiet and pleasant. Wait staff explained the menu and promptly refilled my glass. Cream of brocolli soup was better than I anticipated. Pumpkin ravioli was perfect portion. Brioche bread pudding with ice cream and rum sauce is a worthy signature dessert.

Everything was very good, however, our waitress didn’t even stop back to check on us after we got our entrees. I even would have ordered a glass of wine. Other than the ok service everything was acceptable.

The scallops I had were amazing!

A little loud for dinner with my parents but overall it was a great dinner. Went for restaurant week dinner. Food and service was great.

With a 9:30pm reservation, we needed quick service so we could eat and socialize before closing at 11pm. The receptionist seated me when I arrived even though the second person wasn't there yet - some restaurants won't seat an "incomplete" party until the last one arrives. The wait staff was prompt, accommodative, provided useful suggestions and assured our drinks and food arrived quickly. Finally, the staff at Circa was patient as my guest and I lingered a bit past the posted closing time. Recommendation: the noise level is relatively high so if you're there to talk with someone, consider sitting side-by-side or in adjacent chairs rather than across a table.

I went for restaurant week. The flounder was well prepared, but the Caesar salad and dessert tasted almost store-bought. Very good location, across from Foggy Bottom metro.

We had, as usual, a delicious, inexpensive fun dinner at our go to restaurant pre- Kennedy Center. I would definitely recommend Circa!!

A good restaurant for an evening bite to eat; great service with a good vibrant atmosphere; we went during restaurant week and the food represented good value for money. Caesar salad, buffalo burger followed by cheesecake for $35

We have been in the area to watch a gymnastics meet twice and both times we have eaten here. Fantastic in everyway.

We ate lunch here and it was fabulous. Would def return. Two of us had the Fuji shrimp salad-excellent. And one had the burger. Also excellent. Server was great.

Circa is a great restaurant with very good food and the location is great especially for pre and post theater (Kennedy Center). The restaurant is not really good for dinner conversations because the noise level was a bit louder and many statements had to be repeated just to have the conversations. When making and confirming the reservation, I had stated my concerns about the noise level and not being placed by the bar, and was assured everything would be fine. We arrived and they placed us in a noisy section. I had conversations with the hostess and the manager and the best they could do was move us from the speaker. I enjoy the food and will return, but it won't be to have conversations with those dining with me.

Wasn’t sure if this place would be a good foodie fit because it has several locations/is a local chain, but Circa (Foggy Bottom) hit it out of the park. Live in nyc, so haven’t tried other locations in DC. Incredible short ribs, creative winter seasonal menu, and delicious wines. Also, the brioche bread pudding is NOT to be overlooked — wow!!! Incredible — the menu item that solidified this place as way more than a boring chain for me. Highly recommend.

Always a great option for lunch or dinner. Lots of variety on the menu and easy to understand what you can choose from. Definitely worth stopping

The food was fantastic and the menu options were fun (not the same old stuff). My only comment is, if you are dining inside, the area is quite small and so if you were having a business lunch it was probably a bit too close for comfort (at least at the tables for 2 people). The outdoor area is awesome!!!

Great restaurant! Drinks are fabulous and the brussel sprouts are amazing!