Circles Bistro

Always can rely on getting a good meal here. My fav is the chicken czarina and the pad Thai and I love to check out the daily specials. Sometimes parking is a challenge at lunchtime.

As much as I like this hidden gem, the wine selection, the owner, the food and ambiance I do have to admit to a couple of drawbacks. First, if the owner is alone during meal service, things can be a bit slow, you will need to be patient and not in a rush. Second, consistency is a hurdle, one day fantastic and the same meal another day is good but not as good. See side by side photos I included of Veal Sorrentino, this occurs every now and again.The owners is very knowledgeable when it comes to wine and has a very nice selection and assortment of obscure varietals. I have found contentment in a glass here on many an occasion. You can buy wine by the bottle to take home during your visit. There is always something luscious to drink by the glass at very reasonable rates.The food more often than not is excellent, a real treat for the foodies out there. Pairing wine with the food is a very good idea, the place usually has a few oenophiles at the bar, I have witnessed wine sharing between patrons on a couple occasions. The menu is an eclectic mix of French/Asian dishes. I had an amazing Cioppino here once. Come get you some.

I visited Circles Bistro on a Saturday night with a group of four. We were able to get a 7:30 reservation when they opened at 5:00.From what I can tell the restaurant does not have a website, does not take reservations online, it definitely operates under the radar.The restaurant is intimate with like 10 or so tables but the menu is extensive. There are many Thai items on the menu as well as traditional "bistro" fare. We ordered the duck liver mousse as an appetizer, my husband ordered the shrimp Pad Thai and I ordered the arugula steak salad. Everything we ordered was excellent though I wish I would have gone with something other than the salad as it was a little boring compared to what others got.The service was good, the wine menu is extensive. They want you to take your time so this is definitely not an in and out quickly restaurant. The prices are reasonable. Definitely a hidden gem in Carrollwood.

Circles is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants! Like a lot of places, they are short staffed, but doing their best. Reservations are recommended. We dined wednesday night and they were reservations only. The restaurant was booming with locals. Food was absolutely fantastic. Always consistent. On Wednesday night, Michael (owner), and his daughter, Cathy, were serving. Michael's wife, is the head chef and is truly a gifted in her field. I had the shrimp Czarina, which is no longer on the menu, but Chef is happy to make it. This dish is one of my all-time favorites. It has a ton of flavor and the perfect amount of spice. My friend had the duck and couldn't stop raving about it. Great flavor and cooked perfectly. For desert, we tried the homemade tiramisu and it was fantastic! Make a reservation and enjoy your meal here!

I love this place. It feels like a good friend's bar counter, with carefully curated spirits and warm, friendly service. It has the most amazing assortment of liquors, especially Bourbons and whiskeys.It's the place to go if you want to sit down, exhale, and have a good conversation with a friend and the restaurant staff.And the food is stellar, too. A lot of authentic Thai influenced foods that are delicious. Ask for the hot sauce on the side :-) There's a difference in Thai spicy and American gringo spicy.If you sit at the bar, I guarantee you'll walk away with a smile and good memories.

First time in this place. Intimate little restaurant with friendly staff. Our server Armando was excellent. The food was good and unique. Seafood was fresh and tasty. Their soups were delicious. Seems as many locals come here regularly to enjoy this restaurant.The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because their on line menu is definitely incorrect. I understand that these might be the pre Covid prices on line but it needs to be addressed by the restaurant and changed to reflect the actual menu and prices which are at least double now. The menu is also much smaller.

If you take their online menu https://m.zmenu.com/circles-bistro-tampa-online-menu/Double the price and cut the selections in half, you'll have a better idea of what you're getting into. Granted that all prices have doubled since 2020, so they're not to blame. The food was pretty good with small portion of meat and large portion of rice etc...

Delicious food and many choices on the menu. We like to try something different each time we go. Pad Thai is one of our favorites. Owner is a sommelier, and they have quite the collection. Highly recommend!

Been back several times and food amazing as usual. Going back again tomorrow night for my anniversary. It's like the best comfort restaurant in town. Owner is always there and the best wine selection.

The reviews are correct. The food is good BUT a little on the expensive side. Went for lunch and two cups of soup and one appetizer plus two bottles of beer plus a $7.00 tip was $50.00. For me I now think I could have done better elsewhere. Just a choice I made, but won't be going back.