Circa 33

Never even got to try food/​drink.
Being new to the neighborhood (not new to Portland), my boyfriend and I were excited to check out Circa 33 on a Wednesday night. It looked like great food and atmosphere. The server was friendly taking our drink order that included… one water and one beer, we also ordered an appetizer. A few (+) minutes later he came back to tell us we needed to order ‘more food’ before we got served our drinks. Which overall was not a big deal because we came there specifically for dinner. Placed our dinner order. Then at least 5+ minutes later we proceeded to check with the server to say… «So are we getting our drinks?» He pointed rudely and said «no, you two cannot get drinks.» There is where the rating comes from and sadly we never got to try a drink or food. (This happened tonight)

We were seated at 945 with the full menu, the server came for drink orders and we needed more time, she came back @10 and took away the full menus and replaced them with the late night menu… 10 minutes later she came back to take drink orders, never asked if we wanted food (we did but what we wanted was on the full menu…). I get that bars have late night menus and that’s understandable, but to take away the full menu 15 minutes after we were seated with it?

Wow! Truly incredible! Our server, Elliot, was pretty chill, an alright guy. He went along with all our bits and supplies us with endless puns. A great experience and good drinks as well.

I’ve been here a few times and always enjoyed myself. The drinks are good, but they are small and on the costly side.
I’ve never been overly impressed with the food — not bad, but not great either. It looks delicious, but there is a general lacking of good flavor.
I went last night and split the calamari and the burger with the Belmont Salad. The calamari was meh, and so was the burger. At least the burger was cooked a perfect medium rare. The beets on the Belmont salad were really good! Our cocktails were delicious, but again, kinda small and pricey.
I’ve always had GREAT service, so no complaints there. The outside section is lovely and a good place to sit, drink, and have a good time.

Cool location, great for an afternoon out in SE. I liked the vibe of the alleyway patio, that is what originally caught my attention. There is comedy hosted at the location, and i look forward to catching a show.

Bring a book and a hammock, you’re going to be waiting a long time for your food. There’s one guy who seems to care, but he’s probably already had an aneurysm by the time this review goes up.

The layout of this place was awesome
We dined in the alley, I wish they had bars like that in Chicago.
We did not eat we only had drinks, which were decent.
The service was slow.
You are paying for the alley seating and ambience, drinks and service are average.

A beautiful place with friendly service and delicious cocktails. I had the shrimp pesto angel hair pasta and it was amazing. Looking forward to eating there again soon.

We went there on a Monday, when they have all-​day happy hour. The room itself is amazing. The bar is beautiful. If this place were in Vancouver BC it would be filled with «beautiful people» and I would probably never go there but this is Portland so the vibe is much more relaxed. The server was great, friendly but non-​obtrusive. We ordered a couple of cocktails and a few snacks from their happy hour menu — fish tacos, mac and cheese and their salad. The mac and cheese was fine, the salad a little sad, mostly lettuce with a few (I think 3) beets (I love beets). The cocktails were well-​done but I wish the menu had more old-​school cocktails, very few were from before 2000 and the point of the place is to celebrate the end of prohibition. I would go back for cocktails and likely skip the food (so many other options in PDX).

Nice bar on SE Belmont. Went there to grab a beer while waiting for our turn at a restaurant nearby. Good beer and my friend got a slice of pizza which was nice as well. they had live music going as well.

They had an old school band playing when we were there. It’s a fun environment, and a good place to grab a drink. My only compliant was that it was too loud, and no I’m not that old.
There’s a speakeasy in the back behind a faux bookshelf which is pretty cool. The bartenders also climb up a ladder to get some alcohol which I’ve never actually seen in a bar. It’s a great place for the east side,
and definitely a hipster vibe.

We were looking for a diner drive in and dive and dribbled on this gem in the Holgate district. What a super little bar. The food was super and what great combinations. The soup was perfect.
You rally felt like you found a secret little slice of perfection and you don’t want anyone else to know about it.

I have never been a «regular» anywhere, but that has changed since I found Circa 33. My husband and I have now been going to this bar for years. The services is always fantastic, the food is great (try the Bookshelf burger — seriously) and I’m always pleasantly surprised by the drinks. They managed to make a gin drink I enjoy — which is a spirit I do not usually like.
I have to say that more than anything the service and the atmosphere here is what keeps me going back. Everyone who works at Circa 33 is friendly. They give you great recommendations and if you ask for something (like the Bookshelf burger when they are on their late night menu or a Horses Neck after I binge watched Tommy and Tuppence on Netflix), they will do their best to make it happen.
Overall, I would recommend Circa 33 to anyone. I’ve taken a number of my friends here and I will definitely continue to be a regular customer.

I had the Moscow Mule and it was not good. Way too much ginger purée. I ordered another shot to add and then it was spot on. Now said drink cost a whopping $ 13 bucks. hmmmm
The fish tacos came with a butternut squash purée. Loved the purée but the tacos were soso at best. Good thing I have a bar in the basement and am able to mix whatever I desire. I will not be returning to this place anytime soon.

This has become our regular, around the corner bar, at least when we can get in. During the winter months, when no one wants to sit outside, our usual Friday night stop over has been curtailed by a lack of available seating. That’s a good thing, I suppose!
For me, the highlight here is the cocktails. There’s a rotating mix of classic and modern on the menu, and each of them I’ve had has been pretty great. My ex-​bartending friend tells me their pisco sour is a really great version (and given how good it tastes, I’ll have to agree).
Food menu is fairly focused, it’s not a sprawling affair of sixty different dishes. My particular favorites have been the tea-​marinated chicken on the club sandwich, the hush puppies, and a smoked gouda burger with pork belly. Also of note is the happy hour burger, a great deal and not skimpy like some can be. Only food disappointment was when realizing that yes, Allie, when it says «braised crawfish» it really means whole crawfish in the shell. That wasn’t really my gig but the biscuit and étouffée was unique and tasty.
Overall happy to be able to walk here.

This is the food that some ninth grader would put together on a night of cooking dinner for her 12^th grade boyfriend because her parents are out of town and she’s trying to impress him.
The last time I was here, the tangy sauce from the fries made me sick all night long. I gave the place the benefit of the doubt, though, assuming they couldn’t screw up nachoes.
But oh, they can.
Their blue cheese «nachoes» are soggy baked potato chips topped with a dollop of tangy sour cream, salty blue cheese, and a dash of tomatoes and green onions. It’s WAY too salty to eat more than a few bites. It just isn’t a balanced flavor for an appetizer.
The service is great, however. Elliot is a great server and the dark haired girl behind the bar was friendly enough.
But nothing wowed me. There are much better places in Portland to spend this much money.

Good drinks, solid food, nice wait staff. There is nothing that will really blow you away coming here but I have never left disappointed either. It is fun when you get to go into the «secret» back room. If the staff likes you, they will slip you the code for the Mafia book and you can venture into their speak easy bar.
I have no idea why but the bar has a really strong chemical smell and it needs to be addressed.

It’s stated on the website: CALL 503−477−7682 for TO-​GO ORDERS!
That needs to be updated to: We will never answer so just call Dick’s Kitchen instead!

A girlfriend and I stopped in for a drink on a Friday night and I was surprised the place wasn’t packed. We got a comfortable booth and the server appeared within a couple of minutes.
We ordered the Planters Punch and the Final Flight. The Final Flight wasn’t to my taste but it seemed a very well made cocktail.
Circa 33 boasts itself as a speakeasy. Ask your server for the code to get into a secret social room. Unfortunately it was closed for a private event that night so I’ll have to come back to check it out!

Brunch almost became a bust after arriving at one restaurant only to learn that the wait was an hour. The alternative: Circa 33. Ok, so Circa 33 was the second choice, but a good choice nonetheless. Just our luck, when we got there the place wasn’t crowded, but there were patrons enjoying their meals outside.
I like the feel and concept of this place. Even though my experience was limited to outdoor dining, it was fun eating in an alley without garbage cans, stray cats, and transients with shanks. An upside to eating outdoors at Circa 33 is that the alleyway does have a protective cover above, just in case a sudden shower occurs. The downside is that when the sun is out you can feel some heat, but it’s bearable.
There are several items you can order off of the brunch menu. I went with the Omelet Your Way. The omelet is made from three eggs and comes with house potatoes, but I chose a side salad instead. My omelet consisted of smoked gouda, mushrooms, spinach, and pork belly. I was hesitant to order the pork belly because it was an additional $ 2.00, but I’m glad I didn’t hold back because it completed my omelet. Not only was my omelet tasty, but the salad was above average for being a house salad.
My overall dining experience was positive. Delicious food and good service, and the atmosphere was casual and laid back.