Circus

In Short – The name comes from the drawings of acrobats and tightrope walkers adorning the walls, and the circus theme shines through in the restaurant's festive flavor. There's no clown-car crowdedness, with plenty of room to dine--either on red cushioned benches in the front or in the wine bottle-filled back room. Customers make snapper seviche, braised octopus and chorizo, and churrasco disappear. And, in a trick that would impress Houdini himself, they still have room for flan.

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Save Money:: Get more bang for your buck by ordering the three-course lunch menu for $21.

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User Reviews (18)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“It's a lovely little place with lots of friendly and fun touches.” “The food is unique and different and the decor is fabulous.” “This resturant has a great atmosphere, spacious and nicely decorated.”
dessert	0.0% positive	“My complaint was with the service-- our waitress was rather pushy and visibly annoyed when we didn't order appetizers or dessert.”
drinks	100.0% positive	“We first tried Circus for lunch while working a couple of blocks south at Bloomberg Financial; eventually we migrated to work at Wall Street and could no longer make it for lunch but we keep coming back for the flavorfull dishes, great service and refresh” “Ah, the "Brazilian" drinks at Circus (caipirinha/caipiroska) is made with bottled juice, while in Brazil we use fresh fruit.” “Our waiter actually recommended a cheaper wine than the one we were looking at which resulted in a larger than average tip.” “Very good drinks from the bar and the wine was good.” “The food was very tasty, the wine list respectable and the prices quite reasonable for the neighborhood.”
food quality	100.0% positive	“Aside from the food, the best part about my visit was the couple having a serious argument a few tables away - wonderful dining drama.” “The crab w/ coconut sauce was very good, too.” “The food was excellent.” “The food is wonderful although one or two dishes were a bit too salty, but the flavors were amazing.” “We had no idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the good food and attentive wait staff.” “If you like South American food, go there!” “this place has great food!” “Classy place, yummy food, and friendly service.” “Pork tenderloin and red snapper marinated in herbs and banana leaf were delicious.” “Great food!” “for authentic Brazilian cousine go to Casa in the Village.” “The food is unique and different and the decor is fabulous.” “The staff are friendly and pleasant, the food is different and cooked well and the price was not as bad as many other places in the area.” “The food was very tasty, the wine list respectable and the prices quite reasonable for the neighborhood.” “The Brazilian apetizers are good, but the typical dishes, specially the ones from the North East of Brazil, are anything but typical.” “highly recommend Brazilian cuisine to anyone who wants a change from the plethora of Italian and French resteraunts in Manhattan.” “Ah, the "Brazilian" drinks at Circus (caipirinha/caipiroska) is made with bottled juice, while in Brazil we use fresh fruit.” “highly recomend this restaurant to anyone who wants great brazilian food!” “the service is more or less good, but every dish we got was so tasty.” “The crab appetizer in coconut sauce was wonderful.” “We first tried Circus for lunch while working a couple of blocks south at Bloomberg Financial; eventually we migrated to work at Wall Street and could no longer make it for lunch but we keep coming back for the flavorfull dishes, great service and refresh” “The rest of my party (3 others) enjoyed their food as well.” “The service was great and the place very welcoming, but the food should not be called Brazilian.” “The food was amazing, had the octopus and chorizo entree and snapper ceviche, appetizer which was outstanding!” “recommend the "Mamao com camarao" salad with shrimp.” “The food was flavorful and excellent; the service outstanding.” “The place is nice, food is good, given there are only 2 other brazilian restaurants in the city anyway, it is not very meaty, which is good, decent spread out menu, good food.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The place is nice, food is good, given there are only 2 other brazilian restaurants in the city anyway, it is not very meaty, which is good, decent spread out menu, good food.”
overall	100.0% positive	“If you want real good Brazilian Churrasco the place to go in NYC is Plataforma.” “great brazilian restaurant” “It's a nice mid-sized restaurant (though the American circus theme for a Brazilian restaurant is a little perplexing), attracting more sedate chic crowd.” “The service was great and the place very welcoming, but the food should not be called Brazilian.”
service	94.44000244140625% positive	“The staff are friendly and pleasant, the food is different and cooked well and the price was not as bad as many other places in the area.” “The service was great and we were able to spend hours on a relatively slow night, so bonus!” “It's a lovely little place with lots of friendly and fun touches.” “Classy place, yummy food, and friendly service.” “the service is more or less good, but every dish we got was so tasty.” “We first tried Circus for lunch while working a couple of blocks south at Bloomberg Financial; eventually we migrated to work at Wall Street and could no longer make it for lunch but we keep coming back for the flavorfull dishes, great service and refresh” “The staff here is wonderful.” “This place was great to bring people from out of town.” “We had no idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the good food and attentive wait staff.” “The food was flavorful and excellent; the service outstanding.” “have been at Circus a couple of time for I tend to give a restaurant a second chance when the service is good.” “Our waiter actually recommended a cheaper wine than the one we were looking at which resulted in a larger than average tip.” “My complaint was with the service-- our waitress was rather pushy and visibly annoyed when we didn't order appetizers or dessert.” “Another friendly neighborhood restaurant but the Brazilian twist makes it a great change” “This place is addictive; great service & plenty of flavors!” “The service was great and the place very welcoming, but the food should not be called Brazilian.” “Great service.” “service was good when I was there.”
value	100.0% positive	“You will find fifth avenue quality at very reasonable prices at this place.” “The staff are friendly and pleasant, the food is different and cooked well and the price was not as bad as many other places in the area.” “The food was very tasty, the wine list respectable and the prices quite reasonable for the neighborhood.”
wait time	75.0% positive	“The service was great and we were able to spend hours on a relatively slow night, so bonus!” “Service is good but may be a little slow when they are busy.”

08/13/09

Great service...not authentic Brazilian food though

by ABrazilian

I have been at Circus a couple of time for I tend to give a restaurant a second chance when the service is good. The Brazilian apetizers are good, but the typical dishes, specially the ones from the North East of Brazil, are anything but typical. The service was great and the place very welcoming, but the food should not be called Brazilian. The strogonoff is liquidy and bland, the feijoada flavorless, the dishes with dende flavorless as well, the churrasco's meat a bit on the hard side with small selections of meat. If you want real good Brazilian Churrasco the place to go in NYC is Plataforma...for authentic Brazilian cousine go to Casa in the Village. The food at Casa feels like home (I have not eaten anything bad there). Ah, the "Brazilian" drinks at Circus (caipirinha/caipiroska) is made with bottled juice, while in Brazil we use fresh fruit....although they charge a lot for it.

Pros: service
Cons: bland food

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05/10/08

Food was excellent

by wisebrain

My friend and I both had fish and each were very tender and tasty. The atmosphere is a bit childish, but still fun.

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03/17/08

It's all about the attitude

by lex142

The staff here is wonderful. Very friendly, available, and proficient. While the food is better than average, what makes me want to go back is the welcoming atmosphere and the people.

Pros: staff, atmosphere
Cons: probably are some but I was too relaxed to notice

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01/12/08

Yummy

by shanghailil

Classy place, yummy food, and friendly service. What more could you want? If you like South American food, go there! And bring friends because it's not too crowded for you to stay for hours!

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01/08/08

Simply wonderful!

by changmino200

It's a lovely little place with lots of friendly and fun touches. The food is wonderful although one or two dishes were a bit too salty, but the flavors were amazing. The service was great and we were able to spend hours on a relatively slow night, so bonus!

Circus

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Editor's Tips

08/13/09

Great service...not authentic Brazilian food though

by ABrazilian

05/10/08

Food was excellent

by wisebrain

03/17/08

It's all about the attitude

by lex142

01/12/08

Yummy

by shanghailil

01/08/08

Simply wonderful!

by changmino200

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