Beloved Bay Ridge bistro Circles Café has closed

Seems like Circles Café and Grill has been a part of the fabric of the Bay Ridge neighborhood since it first opened its doors in 1976. But, now the beloved bistro has quietly closed the doors of its most recent location, 6931 Third Ave., and disconnected the phone.

The restaurant’s original location was at 310 Bay Ridge Ave. The owners opened an additional location at 9023 Third Ave., where it remained as Circle’s Grill until 2015 when the location was taken over by Pipin’s Pub, which itself had relocated from its original home of over four decades at 97^th Street and Third Avenue.

When the Bay Ridge Avenue Circles closed, it moved to the space once occupied by Cangiano’s Pork Store, which had shut its doors in October 2011.

Moe Sayed, a real estate broker whose company realtynerd is listing the property, confirmed that Circles has officially closed down. “One of their chefs died this past year and they decided to close the business,” Sayed told this paper.

Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann appeared surprised by the news. “I had no idea,” she said. “I am surprised they did not call me.”

City Councilmember Justin Brannan was equally perplexed. “I’ve been meaning to call and find out what happened,” Brannan told this paper. “Last I heard, they had hooked up with a new partner and were looking good.”

Bob Howe, president of the Merchants of Third Avenue said he knew one of the owners, John Fahy, and was surprised to hear the news.

“Circles’ owners were very innovative; they were anchor stores on both Bay Ridge Avenue and Ovington Avenue. They were hard workers who lived in the community and were involved in the community, and while I don’t know the reason for their stopping operation, they do have to be given a lot of credit for staying in the restaurant business for over 40 years,” said Howe.

“We’re sorry to see them go and hopefully they will open again in some shape or form along the avenue in the near future,” he added.