Circa 81

Nice restaurant and food. We frequently visit the restaurant. The crew is always helpful and energetic.

Delicious food. Good service and amazing desserts. Great atmosphere, always a good place to eat.

Love everything about this place. Food is delicious. Portions are perfect. Love the tapas menu

This is one of the most unique menus i’ve seen at a small restaurant and the specials are always delicious.

I chose to go here for my birthday. We made a reservation a week in advance and were tried to be sat int he middle of the restaurant where everyone walks by, not intimate, and very awkward and loud. We asked that we be seated in a corner and were moved.
The server was very polite, very nice, very informed… but… for as small as the restaurant was, we thought he would’ve been more attentive. We ordered and our drinks came out one by one… we ordered our food and it didn’t come out all at once.
We actually began to feel sick while we were eating, so, we got our meal to go. We didn’t know if this was from the soup that we had as a first course, or what…
We at the food later that night. The shrimp and grits have a much more odd taste than we ever had tasted, the mac and cheese that was raved about wasn’t our favorite, the tuna that we ate. was fresh, the potstickers were very soggy but had a good taste.
We want to return and try the food again. Hopefully with better results.

My wife and I are new to the area and like most newcomers, checked Unilocal to see who has good food. The great reviews of Circa 81 are spot on. Seafood mac and cheese, she crab soup, and sesame crusted tuna were 3 dishes you can absolutely relish. I also enjoyed the mojito and my wife loved the key lime pie.
Best thing I can say — we will definitely be back.

Superb, 5 stars, each and every time. Amazing Tapas that you wouldn’t expect to find in a small beach town. Great environment and Décor. One of my favorite local places.

On vacation staying in Atlantic Beach, have looked up reviews for places for months ahead of time and wanted to give this a shot. Went here on Wednesday night for my engagement dinner arrived at 6:30 I had made a reservation but didn’t really need one as there was only about 4 other tables filled however the nice hostess asked if we would prefer the booth and the corner and promptly went to clean it off herself. No more than an a minute went by and our waitress Janet arrived to ask for our drink order and gave us the features for the evening. She was the greatest waitress I have ever had. Prompt and so polite full of energy and knowledge about the food and drinks. She also made excellent cocktails for my fiancé and I. I recommend the pomegranate martini.
Now to the food: to start we ordered a charcuterie plate and the county cheese plate and all of which was delicious and Janet knew every cheese on the plate when I asked.
After that we order about six tapas in all even though my fiancé gave out on me after about three! These portions are legit. No skimmpy little plates. We had the Pork Ossobucco which was extrememly flavorful and complex. The shrimp and scallop ceviche served in a martini glass was so fresh and prepared excellent. The Ashley farms duck breast with the charred beet and apple was an incredible bite of food. We also had the heirloom tomato salad which again such fresh ingredients presented beautifully.
The Seared Tuna Nachos was our complete and absolute favorite thing we had all night. The best tuna and perfectly cooked tuna I have ever had and on nachos! Who knew! But seriously folks ask if they have it when you go it is to die for. The first thing my fiancé said this morning was «can we get some tuna nachos for lunch one day before we leave?»
Overall, my experience at Circa 81 was amazing. The food was astonishing and lived up to what I expected. Great to find a place like this near the beach. Been to a lot of fancy establishments in Atlanta and surrounding areas and this could fit right in. It is a gem hidden in a unassuming building on Arrendel and not to vast inside but it was worth every penny I spent. And the best waitress I’ve ever had in my life. Definitely check it out!

We went to Circa 81 on our last night of vacation. We have been coming to Emerald Isle for over 20 years, and this is the best restaurant we have found in all those years. They accommodated our party of 10 and take reservations, which is something most restaurants in this area do not do. We were seated immediately, which was important since we had four children with us. For appetizers, we ordered crab dip, potstickers, beef skewers, and gnocchi. I can’t say which which appetizer was the best as they were all superb. She crab soup was divine. The seafood macaroni and cheese, shrimp and grits, seared tuna, ribeye steak, beef short ribs and pork osso bucco ordered by our party for entrees were delicious. Service was fast and efficient, and our waitress was very accommodating. Don’t miss a visit to Circa 81 when you are in the area. You won’t regret it.

As a native North Carolinian, I came down to Morehead City for a day trip. I’m pretty familiar with places to eat in this area, but decided to try out a different restaurant. I typically just use Unilocal for discovering great places to eat, which is what I thought I was doing in this situation seeing as I saw mostly 4 and 5 star reviews, but my experience at this restaurant has prompted me to write my first review.
It was about 1 pm. The outside of the restaurant is fairly plain and white while the inside is dimly lit and decorated and furnished nicely. Nothing out of the ordinary. There are various sized tables and booths, and there is a bar. Attire seems to range from casual to business casual for lunch. Definitely a place that caters more towards small groups — fairly quiet and intimate with some background music. The greeting area is right at the double door entrance. Seating was prompt and friendly. The restaurant was about a little less than half filled, so we were given a choice of table type. There were two people working the floor, the hostess and another waiter, but it seemed like enough people to cover the crowd. The restaurant wasn’t busy at that time. Despite a smaller crowd, it took about 15 – 20 minutes to be waited on, so when it was finally time to order a drink, I went ahead and ordered my drink and meal at the same time, in hopes of preventing sitting there and wasting another 20 minutes. I got my drink, but ended up waiting about 30 minutes for my small bowl of potato soup. A couple that came in after me had already gotten their meals and were almost done eating. They seemed pretty comfortable with their waitress, so I’m assuming they are regulars. While waiting, no one was checking back on my table, but the waiter became better at doing that towards the end of the meal. However, almost everyone who was in there when I arrived had left by then, so I would say the service wasn’t very evenly distributed. The waiter was nice and professional though. While the hostess was still chatting with the couple, they finished up swiftly, but I was still waiting and sipping on my water. Eventually the food did come, and it was pretty good, which is why I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1.
The bottom line: not the best first impression. The food is good and not bad for the price you pay. The quality of the customer service could definitely improve and become more professional and more balanced out among all visitors, but I’m sure if you become a regular visitor here, your service will be excellent!

Nice little tapas joint. The sweet potato quesadillas, calamari and bacon wrapped dates were tasty if a little salty. The mixed grill was absolutely fabulous. Haven’t ever had duck that beautifully done before. Would definitely recommend visiting if you’re in the area!

A very nice dinner! I had the fried calamari. My friend had a salad and the potstickers. My calimari was very good. Not greasy, not overcooked (hence rubbery). Not the best calimeri I have had, but well above average. I wish I had ordered the potstickers as well. They were some of the all time best I have ever had. They were obviously made in the restaurant (most are not-​they come frozen and then are typically deep fried). I have been coming to the Atlantic Beach area nearly every summer for over 15 years now, and this was some of the best food I have had here. 4.5 stars. Lastly, went on a Sunday night, and walked right in. Not that busy on a Sunday night. Good service.

Hands down one of my favorite dining experiences from my recent trip to Emerald Isle, NC. The foodie in me was looking for more than deep fried sea platters with a side of cole slaw. I wanted seafood with some flare! I was searching for an out of the box seafood experience with an rocking beverage menu, I mean what’s great food without great drinks, right???
Here were the 3 things that made this place a winner!
1) Small Plates/​Tapas options: I don’t know about you, but when I go to a new place I like to taste all that they have to offer, and there is no better way to do that then with tapas/​small plates. They are perfect for sharing. Why settled for just one spectacular dish when you can have 5!
2) Seafood Mac-n-cheese…yes…let it sink in for a minute… are you salivating yet… think lobster mac-​n-​cheese x 10! Yes, it’s that good!
3) Champagne Mojito… just get one!!! Maybe two or three if someone else is driving!
The service was outstanding, as I expected from a restaurant that boasted 4 stars on Unilocal.The wait staff went above and beyond to make sure my dining experience was superb, and I have to say they delivered above and beyond my expectations.
Recommendations:
1) Make a reservation ahead of time. We lucked out and were able to walk in and get a table after waiting at the bar for 10 mins or so. I didn’t see one open table the remainder of the night.
2) If it’s a nice night, sit outside. They do have some outdoor seating which seemed like it would be nice on one of those rare non-​humid type of nights, which seem to be very rare down south. If you just so happen to find yourself at Circa 81 on one of those nights, ask for the outdoor seating.
Stay cool… if that’s even possible
Cheers!

My mom and friend and I went on «mojito Monday» for some delicious, discounted specialty mojitos and they were TO DIE FOR. Traditional, coconut-​pineapple, and blueberry; all delicious. Great start to an excellent meal!
For an appetizer, we shared the daily special of fried provolone cheese with vodka sauce — SO good. For our meal, we all split calamari, seafood Mac and cheese, beef skewer, and the crab dip. ALL great, and brought out two at a time, which was convenient. Great, friendly service by Kira. We will definitely come back!

This place was the
! From the mojitos to the dessert! No disappointment here. We were skeptical of the location but decided to go for it!
GO RIGHT NOW
Everything was fresh and delicious!

My friends and I ate here a couple weeks ago. We rented a house in Emerald Isle and drove around on a Saturday night only to find out so many places close at 8pm. We were lucky to find this place open and they seated all 9 of us. While we were looking over the menu we noticed the sanitation rating was a 92 which kind of alarmed us. The owner/​manager was willing to come out and talk to us about his rating which we appreciated the gesture.
We ordered drinks and tapas mostly and tried a few new things on the menu. We also indulged in dessert. For dinner many of us split tapas to share, like the shrimp Mac n cheese, the crab cake (just one), the lamb kabob, mussels, & shrimp & grits to name a few. One friend of mine tried the duck. And we also had colorful salads ordered all around. The calamari was nice & the lemoncello cocktail was tasty.
This review is a little bit all over the place but for the most part, we were more than satisfied with the experience. Aside from the «low» sanitation rating, the place was clean and our hostess & waiter were so friendly. Looking forward to coming back.

There’s a lot of things I can say about Circa 81. I can say that they have a breathtakingly diverse menu with something for everyone. I can say that their food is of the highest quality and has nuances without being intimidating. I can say they have amazing cocktails.
But in the end, the only thing you need to know is this: if you are in the area and don’t eat here you are missing out. Stop by, you will not regret it.

Went for Valentine’s Day and was impressed by the food. They had price fix menu but we went with the tapas. We started with some great Serrano ham.
The seafood Mac and cheese was wonderful and cheesy, crab cake, black bean quesadilla, then these best was the pork belly tacos and the duck breast.
The prices were good. Service was attentive my only complaint was that we felt rushed. They brought the dishes out very quickly and the it went too fast. For this type of meal I feel the small plates should be brought out a little slower to enough the meal.
I will be going back.

Love that Circa 81 works with OpenTable for reservations.
We like to go to Circa 81 for brunch (there aren’t that many spots in the area that offer brunch) and order a bunch of the smaller plates to share.
Baked brie is a staple and one of my favorites.
The Seafood Mac ‘n Cheese is very seafoody and very cheesy.
My husband loves the Medjool Dates.
We like sitting at the bar (tvs are usually tuned to sports) or asking for one of the booths.
Highly recommend the cocktails.

Great dinner at Circa 81. I had the She Crab Soup and the Mussles which were both great, but the soup was amazing! Monday night is Mojito night and they have several flavors to choose from for $ 5. I would definity come back here!