Went here for dinner for the first time and got the burger. It was awful. Zero flavor. I don't think they seasoned the patty at all. I had my friend take a bite and he said it tasted like nothingness. I got fries as well that were tasteless. Well the only thing you could taste was the canola oil. I only had a single fry as I try to limit myself to canola. Found it weird after the fact that it actually says on their menu "fries made in canola oil"....thats clearly not a value add so I assume the only reason they have it is because so many people ask what the fries are made in. read more

Place was renovated a year or two ago. Looks amazing. Lots of outside seating and the inside bar has a cool vibe; cooler than the Princeton, if you ask me. Negatives continue to be that the place is highly overpriced. Additionally, they don't even include chips with their sandwiched/burgers, let alone some fries. Finally, see attached picture. This is laughable. How can a place that charges $20 for a sandwich include these tomato slices? Really? In fact, when I was done, I left the tomatoes in the middle of the plate so the waitress would see them. She did, but didn't say a word. My wife's sandwich had similar tomato slices with rinds. That is BAD! read more

Circle Tavern - Tomatoes with rinds. - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

For Avalon in 2024 the prices are seem reasonable but the overall quality is a disappointment. Apps and food all came out at the same time. This happened last year when we visited as well. Maybe they don't care about timing? Food was mediocre. Grilled chicken sandwich was dry. Chicken overcooked, sourdough bread was thin and toasted but seemed to be day old - so dry as the Sahara. Almost tasteless. The wings were incompletely covered in sauce. Rice in the burrito was not fully cooked. Drink (one of the summer specials) was nothing special. I used to like visiting this place on our annual Avalon vacation but I don't think I'm returning. read more

Had a business lunch with 6 of us. Everyone was very pleased with the portions and taste. Reasonably priced. Service was fine. Understand it gets really busy at dinner but lunch was very relaxed. read more

Cool vibe but the food isn't good. We had the worst nachos I have had in a long time. The wings were also pretty bad. Go for a drink but not the food. A shame as they use to have good pub food read more

Excellent food and service. Fast and attentive staff. One of the best mojitos I've had in a while. The place is nicely decorated and relaxed. read more

Stopped by circle for lunch as it's one of the best in the avalon area, and once again couldn't have been happier with my meal, not to mention the above and beyond service from bartenders Jason and Mike, thank you circle for having one of the best atmospheres at the jersey shore!! read more

A pretty standard bar. We saw people just enjoying a drink as well as families out to dinner. You can get a good burger, pizza, fries, etc. My wife got an awesome buffalo chicken salad and I opted for one of the pizzas. There's a spacious bar area and a separate dining area, though they do have a second bar setup there (we were there off-season; they are open year round) - I imagine this place can get packed in the middle of the summer. They even have some pool tables and an arcade game or two. Our waitress was friendly and quick. The food is reasonably priced. The tables are a weird amalgam of wood pulp in lacquer and some of the wood chips stick out a bit. Oh well, it's quirky I guess. It ain't the fanciest belle of the ball, but Circle Tavern is a relaxed atmosphere with reliable pub fare. read more

I grew up down in Cape May county and have never gone in here until this weekend. My mom and I were strolling the shops of Avalon and decided to stop in here for a late lunch. We each got a Bloody Mary and split the grilled cheese and truffle fries. I've never had a grilled cheese with honey mustard, and now I'm never making one again without one! Nice kick with the cheddar cheese. Generous portion of truffle fries were excellently seasoned. We both loved the spice of the Bloody Mary. Amply outdoor seating and pleasant service read more

Circle Tavern - Bloody Mary - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

The service was nice but not very good. Example: drinks were clenched against her chest instead of held on a tray. The food was not even good enough to be called mediocre. We ordered the filet mignon sliders which were so over cooked they were tough to even cut and lacked any flavor. We ordered a grilled cheese for our daughter which was decent, but came with 3 sliced pickles and no french fries. Overall it was just an extremely unimpressive experience with below average food. read more

Circle Tavern - Filet mignon sliders - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

It's fine. Not wonderful. If you want some typical bar food in a place where you can wear flip flops and shorts, this place will work. The food is decent, service is hit or miss, and the beer selection is limited. The space hasn't been spruced up in many years, but it's comfortable. Burgers are good, wings are very heavy, and the cheese steaks are ok. read more

See all

Pretty cool shore bar. It's attached to what used to be one of my favorite bars The Princeton. They seem to have went from a drinking bar to more of a restaurant which is fine but not what I was used to.. They open the doors between the 2 places on busy nights which is cool.. Anyway the Circle Tavern itself is a beach dive bar which also offers food that is reasonably priced and looked pretty good. We have only had drinks here which were also priced fair. The bartender was nice and attentive. Will be back. read more

Just visited the Circle Tavern on 10/23 and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY!! I am constantly traveling the country and absolutely love food and eating out. However tonight we chose the tavern over some of the other fine restaurants in the Avalon area because we wanted a casual setting. While the food was good, the drinks were okay. HOWEVER, our server was phenomenal. I've gone to thousands of restaurants in my lifetime and he was the absolute best. The circle tavern is very lucky to have Jeffery. read more

Circle Tavern - a fork and receipt on a plate - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

Unequivocally this is the best casual food restaurant and bar in Avalon. I have eaten and drank here dozens of times and have yet to experience bad service or a bad entre and I have been all over the menu. In fact, I've actually been surprised at how amazing every thing has been. Wings, burgers, steaksandwiches ? Amazing. Entre Salads..have tried nearly all and fantastic. Soups? The soup nazi would be proud! This is a menu you can feel safe exploringbas everything is prepared with quality and care. Great bar, great service, outside shaded patio that welcomes friendly pups and prices fair too. Just GO! Yea a real customer! read more

The food is amazing!!! Interior leaves a lot to be desired but don't let this place fool you! Bar service was good and the drinks are great. Check out the cinnamon martinis- yum!! Pizza is great and Crab bagel is my favorite item on the menu...it was huge and I ate it for breakfast the next day! Open year round so it's a great spot! read more

We decided to explore Avalon on this beautiful sunny yet windy day. Stopped by this place for lunch on the patio. There's about 5 tables outside and on the other side is a lounge area. Service was friendly. Bathrooms are clean. For lunch we ordered: Blacked fish of the day sandwich - mahi mahi was the FOD and it was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The brioche bun was warm, soft and buttery which was a perfect vehicle for the fish. Sandwich was served with lettuce, tomato, red onions and a pickle. I was a bit surprised that this sandwich didn't come with any sides nor does any of their other sandwiches. Costs $2 to add fries. Grilled chicken Caprese salad - nice size salad with a good amount of grilled chicken. We had the dressing placed on the side due to the fear of salads typically being over dressed. Hubby was happy with his choice and commented on how perfectly cooked and seasoned his chicken was. Overall, this was a nice spot to come grab a light lunch. Very happy with our choices and we will definitely come back and enjoy their patio seating once the weather gets a tad bit warmer. They are open year round which is great. Most shops and restaurants are closed until May which is typical in these small beach towns. read more

Circle Tavern - Blackened fish of the day sandwich - mahi mahi - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

See all

For a last minute dinner this place was perfect! My boyfriend and I had great service and the food was delicious. Normal beach town pricing but the cocktails were well worth it! Loved the honeycrisp martini read more

Circle Tavern - cocktails - New American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

See all

Only go here if you know someone I guess. Young brown haired Hostess sat her friends (it was obvious they knew her) before many others waiting. Was told a 40 minute wait but waited over an hour. Ended up leaving. Hire competent staff. I've been here many times and the food isn't even that great for the price. read more

I was having a great time here for the FSU and Norte dame game until I was kicked out of my seat at the bar by the hostess???? I had arrived at the bar an hour before for this game, the bar is full yet I staked out my seat. Then a hostess comes and removes me from my seat to provide a seat for dining service despite my established seat for over an hour... AND THERE ARE MORE AVAILABLE SEATS AT OTHER DINE IN SERVICE TABLES. I loved the bartenders however the hostess's service will prevent me from future patronage. read more

We've been here twice. It's very very good bar food. We had the nachos with chicken and it was very very good. We ordered two at our most recent visit. I also got the crab pretzel which was very tasty. We got the onion rings and were a little disappointed with them. If you like very thickly breaded onion rings than you will love them - after a couple of them I got bored. My son got the burger which he liked. I've had the flat breads which I've enjoyed. It's a bit of a local spot - so enjoy the regular people crowd read more

I hate giving poor reviews and I really wish this wasn't the case but this was some of the worst food I have ever had. I am not sure where the good reviews are coming from but my best guess is that if you get people hungry enough in the dead of winter, that as one of the few restaurants that is open year round, people will truly believe they are eating good food. Let me repeat: it was terrible. We ordered the meatloaf with potatoes green beans as it was highly praised in reviews. The potatoes and beans were barely passible (how can you make potatoes taste bad?!) but the loaf was utterly inedible. It was burned severely on both sides, a blackened look the chef didn't try to hide, most likely thinking him/herself artistically displaying the blackened sides ostentatiously. The side salad was the only passable food on the menu but you can't go wrong with undressed romaine lettuce now can you? The veggie flat bread was disgusting. The artichokes were old, the bread soggy, and dousing the whole thing in bitter dressing did not help. I get that this is one of the few places open year round, but even in the dead of winter, I wouldn't eat here again. :( read more

Throw back to the 80s but only because the decor hasn't been updated. Advertised as a seafood restaurant but couldn't find any worthy seafood options on the menu. Left without ordering and went elsewhere. read more

Ordered a Miller Lite, the glass was so clean the beer kept a head. I love good head...on my beer. The tunes were awesome and the atmosphere was spectacular. I give this place 5 vrooms and a bag of chips from Right Aid. read more

We had dinner on the patio. There were 30 of us. The food came out quickly and the same time. The waitress was awesome. I got the arugula salad and fries with old bay and cheese on the side. It was delicious! My husband had BBQ chicken pizza. He said it was yummy. Everyone was happy with the food. Later that evening we had a little black and white visitor who apparently is a regular. I'm glad we didn't get skunked. read more

This is our favorite local place in Avalon. Great food and service. I feel like I am at Cheers! They always know what we order. Great place to watch baseball and football. read more

Really great food, but the bartenders need martini lessons. Big Time. Not everyone wants beer.

We were a little bit worried about eating here, especially because the interior was more bar than restaurant. The food was outstanding. Our party had a burger with fries, short rib tacos, and short rib sliders. Everything was very well done with lots of good flavor. Would highly recommend the Circle Tavern. read more

The food here is average but the service is absolutely horrible. My family and I have been here many times(the beach fries keep us coming back) and each time it's a struggle to get silverware, napkins, plates, and water. This seems like the basics of running a restaurant/being a waitress to us?? Last time we went, we had to go find the silverware cart ourselves after staring at our food for 10 minutes with no utensils to eat with. We had the tall waitress with long blonde hair each time. Do your job!! read more

I've been here quite a few times and have been happy with my meal every time. Lately I've become addicted to the mahi mahi wrap!

Fast service and casual atmosphere, dined outdoors, after dinner we ventured inside to see the band "Crazy In Stereo" perform.

Best tavern in town with food to match. Approachable, fun, easy going atmosphere and priced right IMO. Rachel is the friendliest, most charming, most accommodating bartender south of AC. The shining example of sterling service. read more

Looked like a cool place. Hostess told us there was a 10 minute wait, took our name and told us to come back in 10 minutes because they don't have an intercom systemto announce ourname. Strange. It really isn't a big waiting area. Not too hard to find people. When I checked back 10 minutes later, she looked at me like "who are you and why are you talking to me?" Our waiter was nice but awful. Brought us our beverages but didn't bring the sweetener. Never brought us napkins or utensils after our food was delivered. I had to go back to the hostess to ask for them. She told me to wait. Our server forgot the french fries my husband ordered. Then, brought them out when he was almost finished his meal. Food was just okay. Only reason we'd come back would be for a beer at the bar only. read more

Rude servers and terrible drinks. If you want a dive bar and bottled beer, then probably not bad.

I ate here tonight, 11/29/2013, after enjoying some of the Festive Friday activities. I sat with a large group of people; 15 to 20. Service was mediocre, the waitress seemed new and it took a while to get drinks. Onto the food.. Not so good at all. I ordered the pot pie. It had chicken, bacon, green beans, carrots, and mushrooms in some sort of creamy sauce all in a bowl. It was topped with what looked and tasted like frozen store-bought puff pastry. The chicken was hard to chew and the whole dish lacked flavor. The vegetables and gravy had the same lackluster taste. The only reason I can think of for the dish to cease the flavor would be due to freezing old food. If you can't taste a carrot, there's a big problem. Needless to say, it's been about 3 hours and I'm having lower digestion issues. Obviously, I was served old food. For $12, this wasn't worth it. read more

Free Wi-Fi - that's about all I can say. We got there on a Tuesday night (not super busy) and the hostess was sitting at a table playing with her phone. Eventually, she came over and seated us where we sat and were ignored. We got bored waiting for our waitress to even stop by and say "Hi, be right with you", that is when we found the free Wi-Fi. We kept looking around trying to get anyone's attention, every now and then the hostess (now back at a table playing with her phone) would stare at us as if to say "why are you looking at me". Other patrons were getting up and chasing after the waiters trying to get checks so that they could leave. After nearly 20 minutes, we had enough and got up and left. So if you just want free Wi-Fi and to sit at a table and be left alone then maybe this is the place for you, bring your laptop and a full charge. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Server was excellent. Got the Burger, quite expensive for a burger. 12.99 plus $3.00 for sautéed onions and Swiss cheese. Does not come with any fries or chips. Burger was great, cooked properly, service was great, just thought it was a bit pricy for lunch when there is many other lunch establishments for less. read more

I just finished dining outdoors at The Circle Tavern. There was no one indoors - place was dead. That should have been an indication that it was not the place to dine. We ( there were 5 of us ) waited for a long time to be served upon which the food arrived cold and was very unappetizing. I dine out often - this food was among the worst I have had in a long time. I paid the bill but first told the server that the pizza ordered was cold and came out as a flatbread. He said yea. I went inside to use the filthy bathroom where upon I saw the owner and told him how disappointed I was in our meal. He was rude, unapologetic and could not have cared less.His comment to me when I said I would not return nor recommend his restaurant was - Go knock yourself out. Would he say that to a gentleman. I fear not. And this is in the hub of a very upscale seaside community - Avalon, NJ which should expect far better fare and service for its clientele. read more

Extremely good arugula pizza and will definitely get from here again. Also enjoyed the hand cut tavern fries.

It's an ok place for a beer, watch a game, but not very good as a restaurant. Took my Mum, kinda dirty/sticky booth, flies everywhere, and only fair to poor food and service. read more

We stopped in their last week for lunch.First of all the bar area is real loud with customers.My wife ordered a salad and I ordered a hamburger with fries well done.My wife got her order before me and was half way done when my burger arrived.Took a bite out of the burger and the burger was pink inside.I called the waitress over and she told her the burger was pink inside and she said she would get me a new one cook well done.About 10 minutes later out comes my burger which now I eat alone.The place is pricey and the food is not that good and the bar area is very loud! read more