The revitalization of the Granville strip continues, the latest restaurant to open their doors on this rapidly evolving stretch of downtown real-estate is Circa Restaurant & Lounge. Come inside for a closer look.
Circa Restaurant & Lounge
1050 Granville Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604-683-3311
www.circarestolounge.com
Hours of Operation: 5 pm – Midnight 7 days a week
Cuisine: Pacific Northwest
Bar Manager | Luck Sarabhayavanija
General Manager | James Brown
Executive Chef | Segue Lepage
Wines: All BC selection, 12 by the glass with a list about 34 deep. 8 imported bubbles with 1 by the glass.
Beer: Bottled beer only. The usual macro suspects with Whistler Brewing currently being the only local micro being offered.
Cocktails: 14 classically inspired drinks with 2 oz pours using premium spirits.
Food: Chef Seque Lepage’s (formerly of Chow) menu, for the most part, plays it safe with an assortment of popular dishes that run the gamut of regional and foreign cuisines with options for small and large shared plates and a few entrees thrown in for good measure.
The massive room has 40 foot ceilings and is a post-modernist mash-up marvel of old and new world design, taking many of its cues from classic Roman and Venetian architecture. The tables and the rest of the decor is the standard casual fine-dining fare of tried and true black leather, iron and stained wood. Much of the theme and design ideas for the room were by GM James Brown and the architect who worked on the space is named William Harrison. The room was built by PCD Construction.
Circa has a total of 192 seats and two bar/lounges (one upstairs and one on the main level) and there is also a private dining room adorned with etched gold leaf and elaborate woodwork that can comfortably seat 14-20 people.
Good luck everybody! ~ PK
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
That is a huge venue!
Good luck folks!
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See you @ the wood
Great looking room.
Are you pouring any non-BC wines besides the bubbly?
Nice decor inside but the food is sub par…outrageous prices for the tiniest portions.
What did you have to eat Vancity?
I got word of a customer being upset from the previous evening after looking into this complaint because I believe our food prices to be well below the norm. From what I understand, there was a customer who was very upset and vocal about the pricing and portioning of the house made ricotta ravioli that we serve on the evening of may 29th. I was curious myself because I personally make each of these raviolis by hand as well the ricotta filling. I can assure you that it is no cheap, cut corner process. This dish in particular we focus strongly on hand-made, carefully crafted ravioli instead of putting forth a dish which is generic, poor quality and made without care. It is unfortunate that you left unsatisfied. Myself and the rest of my kitchen team would be more than
happy to hear your feedback and provide you with a better dining experience.
Paying $13 for a plate of HAND MADE pasta doesn’t seem that unreasonable to me when the average price for a cocktail or pint is $9-$12 on it’s own in most restaurants…I guess this is why Earls does so well.
Better luck in the Future Vancity.
The staff at circa was awesome, the music was great! food is perfect with a nice cocktail. had a great time with my friends there!
Chopper, I understand that your kitchen team are trying your best to provide something unique and a focus on quality.. but.. to put it bluntly. If you continue with that same menu you will be out of business within the year. Whether you like it or not Circa is a pre-club restaurant. It needs to cater to that crowd and a fine dining french influence is just not going to cut it for where Circa is located.
I have looked at reviews online and 75% are just bad for the food, my friends and I went last week and they all never want to go back because they just didn’t like the food. There is no point getting defensive and trying to justify the menu when 6 months from now the image of Circa is tarnished and even if you change the menu it is too late. Slowly introducing some new items will help considerably. (chicken wings, gourmet pizza) You will be surprised how many people will want simple items like these. And this is why places like Earls will grab your customers. I’m not saying you have to ditch the Hand Made pasta and other unique dishes, but realize you are catering for the Pre-Club crowd that don’t appreciate fine dining as much as you do.
Already I have several groups of friend that went to Circa the past week and are talking about the weird preparation of the food. Bubble Froth on halibut? the list goes on.. My GF was talking to another friend that went and was not happy as well. Circa really is in a great location and is a great venue. The menu just doesn’t suit the place currently and needs work. Rather than getting defensive, introduce some new items, fix the preparation and try to save things before you end up with no repeat customers.
Wow Jasler,
That was a spectactularly douche-tastic post.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never set foot in the door of Circa and have no opinion on it’s merits, but I think you’ve lost the point of websites such as this.
This is not a forum for you to play Gordon Ramsey, even if you’ve watched, like, every episode of his ever, and feel you’re a qualified expert to do so.
Nor is it an environment for furthering your chicken wing/pizza propoganda on the local culi-nazi’s in an effort to subvert their devious coup de foie.
The industry is filled with diversity and choice, and each independent restaurant makes a clear decision on who their target market is. It seems clear that this particular venue has decided not to target you as their market, and you seem to have taken offence.
I feel your pain, especially as one who considers chicken wings appropriate for breakfast, sometimes with a rasher of bacon (omg now i’m hungry). People like us have places to go to eat a little more simply, while the fancy pants and prada folk have their foam and caviar.
I can imagine it’s frustrating when you see a piece of art that people call a work of genius, and it looks like a four year old just ate a carton of crayons and puked it up, but such is the world we live in, it takes all types.
So instead of berating the genius four year old artist, find art you can enjoy, even if it’s just a large yellow M on a bright red background. As a brilliant man once slurred, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beerholder’, and quite frankly, if you aren’t enjoying yourself, you just need another beer.
s sherwood, A good laugh I had from your post. I don’t really care what the purpose of this forum is. If I was running Circa I would like to know what the general vancouver public think.. It is not just me who thinks this.. I pointed this out. I do feel the chefs pain, because they are trying to be innovative and enlighten vancouver with something new.. As you said it four year old art.. as always is subjective. They are just in the wrong location to provide the four year old art.
Anyways this is the internet and it is great to be a douche like Gordon Ramsey. If you can get away with it then why not right..
Interesting room.. ended up here for a birthday. A group of 20 or so of us, and I’d say food is not the stronger part of the concept, but congrats for the venture. Liked the bar and bartender more than anything.
Terrible food. Period. I attended for a birthday party and left completely unsatisfied. Great service, bad food.
I would never come here again. Their food is boring and the waitress did not know how to explain each dish. Her explanation consisted of, “It’s awesome, I’ve had it” This place will not last.