Circa 1888

Visited this location on a Tuesday night. There was a nice crowd, and we were fortunate enough to grab a pool table that was just opening. We had a fun few games of pool and enjoyed a couple of bottled beers. The pool area was kept clean which was nice. Enjoyed the visit and would definitely visit again!

Great bar with pool tables, an outdoor patio, attentive bartenders, and affordable drinks. The crowd is a lot less stuffy than your typical Raleigh nightlife spot.

Dope dive bar. Pool tables are free so long you're drinking so that's dope. They have a sweet little patio with covered seating for some but not for all, so be mindful on rainy days. Typical dive bar smells and feels tho. I felt right at home and happy.I'll be back...

I had no idea this bar was here. Like not even a full block from Boxcar. The drinks were good. Plenty of seating. They even had 4 or 5 pool tables. It seems like a good place to have a few drinks and actually have a convo while doing so. I'd definitely return.

Nicole was a sweetheart of a bartender ty...Very pleasant atmosphere, great drinks, fun pool tables, and patrons! We enjoyed ourselves and will go again

In the space that used to house the old FUBAR, you now have the decidedly upscale and posh, Circa 1888! Owned by the same folks as Landmark Tavern, this innocuous front entrance opens up to a huge space inside. Arched stone entry-way, antique brick interior and a long, serious bar on the right hand side. We grabbed a pint here and wandering around you've got a nice billiards area, huge red banquette/booths, a private room along with a side patio. Service from Renee at the bar was personable and friendly, I'm curious to see what kind of crowd they draw here. Never made it here when it was a dance club but I'll come back now that it's Circa 1888. The bar and cocktail scene takes another leap forward in the Triangle...

This is a hidden little gem. If not for a friend taking me here I would've never known it was there, but I'm so glad I found it. It's a very chill low key spot with some great drinks. There's a few pool tables that are free to use during the week. The atmosphere is nice as well. Low lighting and an intimate feel, but not so intimate that you couldn't come with a few friends. They have a great drink menu with nice craft cocktails as well. Great place to go to escape the craziness of Boxcar when it gets busy if you need an escape since it's just a 1 minute walk away...

For my first night out on the town...this is an awesome place to start! Met up with buddies around 9pm on a Friday night. You could definitely tell there were large groups of those who started drinking at 5pm Happy Hour. Love that the pool tables are controlled by the bar, with a wait list and you get charged to your tab. A few tried to steal our table so set them straight and sent them to the bartender. Love the drink choices! Cocktails, mules, wine, and a funky craft brew list :) Around 1030/11pm the place and patio got packed so we headed to Neptune's for dancing before that place got too packed, since we had a large group by then. So fun!

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I walked into Circa 1888, but whatever it was, it was blown out the window! From the outside the building looks small and I think I was just anticipating a small bar. What Circa delivers is a huge space and as soon as you walk through that ordinary door, you're transported into somewhere that is far from The Depot. After walking through a stone archway, you're greeted by a bar along the entire wall of one side of the building. Fancy, red loungish seating, pool tables, a porch that will comfortably seat 50+ and two more "private" spaces, one full of high top tables and chairs, the other located behind a beaded divider that once you pass through will transport you into a dimly lit "Austin Powers" set (complete with my Granny's crochetted blanket on the back of one couch. Circa 1888 and The Landmark (further downtown) are owned by the same gentleman, however the only thing similar between the two is the Allagash White on tap. They have a normal collection of beers on tab and a wide bottle selection as well as wine by the glass and bottle! Unfortunately, as of last night, they are still putting together a cocktail list but have all the liquor in stock so if you can come up with it, they can probably make it. Circa is just plain cool, it's an awesome addition to The Depot and this place is going to blow up. I can see grabbing a circle booth with a group of friends and ordering bottles of wine. Playing some pool ($10/hour) with a handful of friends OR renting out the Austin Powers room for a party, complete with private bar! Currently the Austin Powers room is first come first serve, but I'm telling you, as soon as people realize what a new treasure Circa is, this will change. As long as Circa keeps up the charm, excellent bartending and the chill vibe, I could definitely see this place becoming a five-star spot and one that I would recommend to all; I just want to see that cocktail list and come out on a weekend and confirm the awesomeness!

We were encouraged to check out this establishment by a bartender at another bar we had a blast at so we had high hopes. We went Saturday 3/16 in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The entire city was basically drunk by the time we arrived around 11pm. The bar itself was cool looking, only a $1 cover and they had a lot of drink options. My friend and I ordered a gin and tonic and my husband ordered a Guinness, which the bartender poured and left at the tap to settle (as is normal). The bartender, however, stepped away from my husband's beer and never gave it to him. My husband, obviously a little tipsy already, tried to get the bartender's attention to remind him about his beer to no avail. He then tried to get the second bartender's attention, but he was on his phone a lot and never really gave my husband any attention until he snapped asking if anyone was going to give him his beer. The second bartender then asked the first if that beer was indeed my husband's and he admitted that he straight up didn't remember who that beer was for. After my husband, semi-frustrated, told him the beer was indeed his, the second bartender slammed it down in front of him with attitude and went back to talking to some other patrons and scrolling through his phone. Noticing my husband's frustration and seeing the way the bartender treated him, I asked him what happened and he proceeded to tell my friend and myself how the whole interaction took place. Of course, with a few drinks in him and pretty frustrated by how everything transpired, he was a little louder than necessary and his language a bit colorful. He told us what occurred and in so doing, called the bartenders "***holes." After which the second bartender, again on his phone, put it down, grabbed my husband's beer, dumped it out and told him to leave. My husband said he had a tab and they had his card and the BT got it and threw it at him, telling my husband to go somewhere else if he wasn't happy at their establishment. My husband told him they should learn how to serve people correctly, especially since they weren't even busy when the first BT "forgot" who the beer was for and the second was spending the majority of his time on his phone rather than attending to patrons. I know my husband's remarks weren't mature, but bartenders should have thicker skin, I know first hand that they hear FAR worse and my husband understands bar etiquette better than most. And let's be honest, it was St. Patty's... how a BT could be so soft on one of the drunkest days of the year was nothing short of pathetic. What made the experience even worse was as we waited for them to return my friend's card before leaving, I could hear the BT whining and telling everyone he could about the jerk who he had to kick out and exaggerated the story to anyone who would listen, making my husband out to be this vicious attacker and making it sound like he was calling him an asshole to his face and getting in his face like he had to stand up for himself against this big bad wolf. He somehow managed to sound like a cry baby and braggadocious all at once... All in all, the experience was horrible... which was too bad because the place seemed really cool. We may go back another time to give it a shot when that BT isn't around.