Circus

My husband and I had 7:30pm reservations on the third night of our honeymoon. After reading other Circus reviews that afternoon, I was a bit nervous we’d be disappointed – NOT the case! We did have a bit of trouble finding it, as the outside is vastly more nondescript than the inside. We walked in to a show in progress – an impressive hula hoop act – and the shows just got better as our 2-​hour experience continued (we saw 6 in all). My favorites were the blacklit hula hoop act and the dark acrobatic noir that included just the right amount of gunfire. The brachy drag number was a welcome comic relief, as well. To experience as much of the menu as possible, we ordered a smattering of small plates (each more delicious than the last), and a main course to split (completely succulent). We also tried a few of their whimsical cocktails that are stronger than they seem. All in all, a spectacular experience.

Went here for a birthday dinner with some friends. First off, the food is really, really good. Nothing we ate was remotely bad in the slightest — all very good. Having said that, the service is… aggressive. I guess it was good in the sense that the waitress was always there, but that’s just it… she was always there. At one point she refilled my wine glass twice in 60 seconds, even when I hadn’t taken a sip. You do feel like you are rushed to eat but maybe they were rushing between acts?
The entertainment is good but I was hoping for more. Over 90 minutes we only saw 4 acts and 3 of them were really good though 1 was strange. There isn’t really a theme per se; it’s a mash up of various talents.
It’s a good place to go for a special occasion but don’t expect a lot in terms of entertainment or experience. But the food is fantastic!

First off, you have to really look closely to find this place. It isn’t marked from the exterior. The acts were good… not great. I think they’re too short for the price you’re paying for food. And the food was not great. I think the concept is cool… but the food isn’t good and it’s very overpriced. I wouldn’t go back.

A must see if you are in London!
Great experience.
The food and drinks are excellent, the shows are fun and there is enough time between them to enjoy the food.
We had the tomato salad, sea bass and a few other things and everything was very good.

You wouldn’t come here for the food, and I can’t recommend that you come for the show either. Find a nice restaurant and purchase tickets to Cirque de Solei instead.

I got taken here for part of a press event and was so glad I wasn’t paying, as the first thing I noticed was how pricey it is. My eyes stood out on stalks as I looked at the £50 main courses and £20 cocktails. My wallet, however, breathed a huge sigh of relief. Not tonight, my trusty friend, you’re off the hook. Don’t worry.
The cocktails are delicious, inventive and well presented, and they flipping well should be, given their price. Sip with caution; they go down easy, and with the cheapest one being a measly (lol) £10 you might wanna watch how many you order. There’s quite a limited menu and not much scope in the way of veggie/​vegan options. The portion sizes are quite small for main courses, so I’d definitely recommend getting a side (although it will ramp up your bill somewhat). What you are served is certainly tasty, however, considering what you pay it would be nice to be served a little more. What exactly are you paying for? These are genuine children’s portions.
The circus themed entertainment was good fun to watch, although they switch all the lights off during the performances, so you’re left to either try and eat in the dark or let your meal go cold until the entertainment is over. It’s not really much of a «show» as is promised, however, just a couple of five minute intervals here and there of people hula hooping and the like. You’d probably get better value for money at somewhere like Proud Cabaret, and a better show too.

I came here for my best friend’s 18^th birthday with her parents — she wanted to do something extra special and this was definitely it! We had a table booked, I don’t imagine you can come here without a reservation. The food was delicious, as you’d expect it to be as it came with a price tag!
Of course, the best bit is the entertainment. We went for dinner fairly early and the entertainment didn’t start until later so we didn’t see too much. There is a long table in the venue where the dancers walk onto, which I’m quite relieved I wasn’t sat on because I wouldn’t have been able to watch the show. As well as this, there were huge loops that came down from the ceiling and someone started hanging from it with ribbons.
It’s basically a circus show to watch while you eat delicious food. But for a price.

My former boss invited us here for our Christmas dinner. It’s certainly a very fun place when you’re going out with a group. The room is quite dark and there are little sessions of freaky dancing and acrobatics. The music is loud so it’s not the best choice if you’re planning on having deep conversations.
The food was quite amazing. It’s Pan Asian fusion and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with their statement «Michelin-​worthy menu».
I’m not a real fan because I prefer my dinners in different atmospheres and it’s also a little too pricey for me but Circus is defenitely good for amusement and a treat to the palate.

The atmosphere is great, showmanship top notch — the food is great too. However the experience is overpriced to say the least, even considering the price I would pay for the show. Overall they did well catering for a big group, and the service was quite good — although difficult to grab at times.
I liked that the shows were between courses rather than throughout your meal, so you can still chat over the meal.

Hold on to your chopsticks! Because you are bound to drop them at the sight of Christian Grey-​esque man spinning on a hoop and über bendy ladies providing the entertainment whilst you eat… *thoughts back to Christan Grey-​esque man*
Came as a group for a ‘farewell! Why-​on-​earth-​are-​you-​moving-​to-​Canada!?’ gather and we had a wonderful pan-​Asian set menu to share. Great atmosphere, strange and wonderful ambiance for a fun night. Definitely on the London to do list.

I came here for dinner on a Thursday night (bank holiday Friday). We booked our table for 7 and when we arrived were informed by the hostess that at 9:30 our table had a second seating. This was fine for us because we were planning to head off, but may be worth checking this at time of booking, if you plan to be in there a while.
The concept is a winner. You have dinner whilst watching various performances on a stage a few feet from your table. All the performances were entertaining and impressive. The performances last about 5 minutes each and there is about 20 minute break between.
Our waiter was excellent, informal, which works for this venue, and for us, but other people may be taken aback as he sits himself down whilst taking your order.
The food was okay. Not the best meal I’ve ever had, but it was fine and I was focused on the performances as that’s really why you visit a place like Circus. The cocktails were pretty good, I tried three and enjoyed two of them.
I would return, perhaps just for drinks, and maybe a bit later on the evening.

The entertainment factor was great although the upper right speaker when facing the performance area is a little too hot (loud as hell!)
However, we were unlucky enough to have London’s worst chain smoking server, Marine. This was meant to be a romantic and fun date night, but her lack of attentiveness and inability to properly place our order, let alone check on us as the courses came, made the experience right shit!
Their small bottle of unfiltered sake also costs £20 when the actual cost should warrant the larger bottle of that brand which we frequently have purchased elsewhere.
One major positive is that the menu does clearly label which items are veggie or gluten free friendly, which is important to me, even if my options were rather limited.
If you want the atmosphere and entertainment value be sure to ask to sit in someone else’s section. That being said, as someone that has lived/​experienced fine dining in NYC, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas… I would not return, even if they paid me…
They can thank our lousy server because everything else was decent.

A friend recommended this place while I was visiting London. Food wasn’t terrible but pretty overpriced for what it was. As for the circus performances I wouldn’t say it was anything worth the experience. The whole experience came off as tacky, gimmicky, and something I could see in any West Hollywood bar on a Friday night.

This place… is interesting. Definitely don’t go here for the food. And the entertainment is ok if you plan to have LOTS of drinks!
Food is super generic pan-​asian food.
Entertainment is very cheesy. There is one act that is ok, but others are just a little bizarre :)

Roll up, Roll up! You have been invited to one of London best kept secrets and tonight, you’re the ring leader!
Whats not to like? Great drinks, food and amazing entertainment!
I’m not sure where all the negative comments are coming from, obviously you didn’t read up before you came to Circus otherwise you would have realised prices (which aren’t even that high for central London) are the way they are because you get a free show every half an hour! What a great concept rather than having one show per night. We were only here for just over an hour and still managed to see two spectacular performers come up to the main table and execute a flawless 5 minute show of their talent. I will definitely be coming back!

All eyes on me in the centre of the ring just like a circus! Sorry I was obviously channeling Britney there for some reason (probably because I’m reviewing a bar called Circus and she did a song with the same name… coincidence?!). Anyway, I met some friends here on a Friday night for some after work drinks, which I eventually made after walking past the bar three times without seeing it! No proper sign, just a man standing by a door to the back and beyond.
We didn’t get a table for the food, but looking at the menu it seemed very overpriced for Dim Sum. I suppose you’re paying for the entertainment as well… which if you’re on the main table is spectacular. This place is a mix between restaurant, bar and big top. If you’re lucky enough (most likely pay extra) to sit on the main table, you sit on what looks like a wide, white catwalk. After each course the whole place is entertained by a circus act that performs up and down this long table, often nearly hitting people in the face and knocking drinks everywhere, such drama! We were stood in the cocktail bar area with decent tasting cocktails (too much ice) at about £9 each and could oversee the drama unfold. We were treated to the delectable (and some undelectable) sights of a drag cabaret act, a burlesque Alice in Wonderland, a contortionist and an aerial hoop act. All impressive (I couldn’t do any of these things and my legs do NOT look that good in fishnets) but I couldn’t help feeling it fell flat. Possibly because having seen Cirque du Soleil my expectation of a circus act are SO much higher than before.
Good night though, wouldn’t pay for food or go racing back

‘OMG she actually bent backwards on her face? what? Oh god I can’t watch’ and why is she dressed like Alice? from Alice in wonderland– OH GOD OH GOD, why is alice stripping?!
That’s the moment when suddenly Lewis Carrolls famous novel is not just a kids book anymore. I’m not sure how I feel about that. But that’s why circus has some relatively good cocktails to knock back whilst that happens when you don’t know what to do with your childhood anymore. As of that wasn’t enough, they had dancing drag acts and dancers grace the table where people were eating. If you’re ocd about having feet on the table, this place isn’t for you.
I only wish the music in between the acts wasn’t so boring and i also wish that the drinks were less iced up.

Celebrated my birthday here at Circus as I wanted to do something different and fun! I’ve been wanting to come here for aaaaages and was so excited! Was left rather disappointed, and will not be recommending this to friends and colleagues.
There were 15 of us and we went for the main table — so had to take the ‘Sharing Menu’ at £60 per person + 12.5% service.
Booking was relatively straightforward. A £15 per person deposit is required to secure booking, and staff were polite and helpful.
Portions were very SMALL so don’t come expecting a full meal, and whatever you do don’t come hungry. I did worry that the portions were not going to be enough for some of the lads in the group and despite reassurance from the restaurant and people who have been before, my worries came true.
Quality of the food was average to good, but DEFINITELY NOT «Michelin worthy» as stated on their website.
I wasn’t impressed when dessert came — they were served in tacky looking plastic bowls!
The shows themselves were fairly good, although I have seen better. Each act was a few minutes long and spaced out between courses. Was pretty good cos you can eat and chat to friends in between the acts.
After the watershed the acts got more saucy — expect the same acts but with more boobs/​pecs on show!
This is NOT a place to come for dinner. And certainly NOT a place to come if you’re hungry. Come here for drinks and a few nibbles — make sure you reserve a table though as the bar area is small.
All in all, I feel rather hard done by as I had an entirely different evening to most other reviewers (on Unilocal and elsewhere) I’ve read.
I would not even recommend this place if my boss/​clients were paying.

Went here last night for a work dinner and it far exceeded my expectations. I must admit, I love indulgent gimmickry. I live for drag queens and contortionists and fire swallowers. This place had me at hello.
I think it’s important to mention here that I didn’t pay for the dinner. Dinner was pretty expensive, as due to the size of our party, we had to order the sharing menu at £50 per person. There was lots to choose from including steak, salmon and curry. All was exceptional, particularly the Scottish black Angus fillet steak. Just incredible. Probably not worth £50 per person, but again, corporate AmEx.
The price of the food is irrelevant when you have a topless fire eater dancing across your table. Trust me on this one. If androgynous acrobats and meretricious show girls are your thing (like they are mine!), then you are in for a treat! The performers are yummier than the mousse if you come in with an open mind and dump cocktails all over it.
Speaking of cocktails… My GOD they do amazing cocktails. The bartenders are impressive (and not just their looks!) and their cocktail list is eclectic. If ever there was a need to even refer to someone as a ‘mixologist’, it may be these guys. I ordered the kumquat & almond caipirinha with dinner. Very delicious and beautifully served. I also had the G and Tea, but that was very late in the evening and after several glasses of wine, so I cannot remember all the ingredients of that beverage. What I do remember, and maybe most importantly, is that it was mixed in a Hendricks teapot and served in a matching teacup and saucer.
This place is a great place to go for very expensive and equally delicious cocktails and a show. It’s also a great place for a date, work do (if your colleagues are open minded) or a hen party. Circus is just great. We had a fantastic time. Next time I have fun guests in town, I’ll bring them here. Maybe I’ll skip the dinner and go straight to the cocktails when I’m picking up the bill myself.

I had very low food expectations. I thought it was going to be TGIFriday quality food with a bunch of lights and glitzy entertainment. Firstly, I walked straight past this place — and wasn’t sure how to enter the door! It didn’t look like a door and made me think whether I needed to go around to another entrance.
I went for a hen do but our party wasn’t big enough to get the stage table… which was probably a good thing. The entertainment was remarkably good — not very frequent but thought that was good because you can sort of eat in peace and it is timed in between courses. I ordered the crispy squid which was quite good and the josper red pepper lamb and it was surprisely good. A little on the salty side so I’d recommend a side of rice if that’s your thing.
Cocktails — I thought they were gross. I love a good cocktail but that honey mojito thing reminded me of medicine. At times like that I think perhaps I don’t have the right palate for it.
It is a fun night out — but be warned that it is quite expensive esp if you order a lot of their nasty cocktails. I might go back for a drink one night but will stick to wine or beer!