Circa burst onto the Dublin dining scene in spring 2019 with flair and intent. Opened by four friends, the cool dining room, fun vibes, slick service and exciting cooking saw them became an overnight success in Terenure, quickly finding favour beyond the neighbourhood.
Having put Circa on the map with his stylish cooking, chef Gareth Naughton parted company in 2020. Darryl Haynes, who had worked with Naughton, took over Circa's kitchen. The transition was smooth, with Haynes continuing to focus on seasonality, beautiful ingredients and elegant, pared back presentation.
Menus change regularly and Circa's popular take-away menu, Circa @ Home, helped keep the creativity flowing in the kitchen during lockdown restrictions. A summer starter might feature creamy burrata in smoked tomato broth with aged balsamic while winter menus offer hearty signatures like game pithivier with confit duck, wild mushroom wellington with manchego or cote de bouef with dillisk. Vegetarian dishes are original and there's always good seafood choices like ray wing, served with seasonal accompaniments like morels or Jerusalem artichoke.
Circa's brunch menu is especially imaginative, with creative choices like fish tacos, roast duck bagel and venison chorizo with eggs.
Service is perfectly pitched, with great engagement from friendly and helpful staff. Cool tunes play from the speakers and the heated and covered garden is a lovely space to dine and linger. The modern and attractively priced wine and spritz menu comes courtesy of Emmet Murphy, who will enthusiastically share his recommendations.
The dining room is bright and open, with well-spaced tables and a photo-perfect marble-topped bar sporting a large vase of fresh flowers, where there is some extra seating.
There is plenty to love about this modern, fun and hard working neighbourhood restaurant and, while some dishes are more successful than others, Haynes' cooking shows ambition.
