Full Circle Cafe — Restaurant in Morehead City

It was our 5 year anniversary and my wife decided to book a reservation for a Saturday night. It was for 6:45. Let me start with the positives. The hostess was pleasant and greeted us with a smile, we were seated immediately......After that things went full circle if you will or 180 whichever. First off atmosphere: The noise level was unreal. Yes the place was packed and is quite small but there was absolutely no way you could even clearly hear the waiter. He recited the evenings specials quite well but the issue was you could barely understand and they weren't written on a flyer nor chalkboard that I saw. So we decided to order from the menu. Let me add about the menu. I thought the selections were minimal but adequate. What I did not care for was the fact that most selections were just that,nothing more, any side dish you wanted was extra, for instance why not include a small side salad or a few asparagus sprigs with the entree. What was included was the bread. The waiter forgot and brought it later with the meal after we asked and it was cold. The wine selection in my opinion was adequate. Im not a wine snob but it seemed to cover what most average partakers would enjoy. The cocktail menu was laxed. We both ordered drinks. I had red wine and she had a grapefruit gin cocktail. Her drink was terrible, she tried her best to sip it, it tasted like pure gin, no sweetness at all. To the entrees. My wife ordered the mushroom pizza and I ordered the lasagna upon the servers recommendation. It came to the table in adequate time. I must give a compliment here. The mushroom pizza was quite good. It was burned, 1/2 of it due to the wood fired oven but we did not care at that point. My lasagna was a large generous portion way more than I could eat. It was not very well prepared. The only cheese was shaved on the top then put in the oven to brown. The sauce was so bland it was actually appealing . I tasted no freshness, no herbs,and no garlic. It had many layers of noodles. It was not what you think of lasagna even if you aren't Italian. To add, why use paper tablecloths when you are charging what you do??? You just down -classed your appeal and cheapened your establishment. (I know it cost for cloth)To some this doesn't matter but that's probably why they are hanging out in there drinking and people watching. Your value added was a one star. This is all my opinion but I dont need to think because I am paying for instance $50.00 for an entree that it must certainly be worth it. And to add (no fault of the restaurants)when we first got there there was an eight top directly beside us. I noticed after awhile it seemed they had not gotten their food, 45 minutes went by and they were still sitting there talking, mostly drinking water. Come to find out they had already eaten before we arrived. People standing in line inside and outside waiting to get in.... people need to stop being so self focused. Order ,eat, have af ew drinks then give up your place so others can enjoy. I hope this helps others when deciding where to eat but we won't be coming back full circle to give it a second chance. BTW the hostess also took the initiative to clear tables and help with the flow, good vibes from her. Please use this...

My birthday fell on a Monday this year and if you live locally, like us, you know it can be a challenge to get a last minute reservation in town. My husband made a reservation elsewhere that I knew to be more of a tourist trap and I took to searching for a place I knew I’d be happy with (he tried, ya know?)

I’d been wanting to try Full Circle for so long, but without lunch service I often forgot about them for dinner. I worked downtown for about a year and i think i fell into the trap of “what’s closest/easiest.”

Last night I called and they sounded super busy but I explained my position (not at all expecting to get in). Roxy (who would be our server) and Katie (co-owner) told me to head over and they’d feed my daughter, husband, and I. The only bad part about my meal was realizing how much time I wasted not coming here sooner. I’m From Maryland - between DC and Baltimore, and spent a littler over a decade in Central Ohio. My husband has lived all over the country. My husband and I are big foodies and we miss a lot of the fresh ingredients that were more accessible where we both have previously lived. This was one of my most favorite meals since we moved to town in 2023.

My daughter (soon to be 13) simply got the scallop appetizer for dinner - which was seared perfectly and absolutely beautiful. I got the salmon + lobster ravioli dish, and my husband tried one of their Brick oven pizzas - both gorgeous and delicious. One look and you could tell how fresh their ingredients are. Katie took a lot of time to stop by our table and talk to us about the place and their ingredients while Roxy was such a friendly and attentive server for us. I learned that They’re small, and usually aren’t able to accommodate guests without reservations during the busy season - so it felt meant to be that we were able to get in. Katie discussed the ways in which they work with local farmers + locally source meat and seafood. This isn’t the place you go and get quick food to smash and go. It’s for those who really appreciate a chef’s love/dedication to crafting a real, good, local, beautiful menu. My husband and I both had crafted cocktails too - and they were awesome as well. I briefly saw their Extensive wine list, which I’ll be paying closer attention to next time I’m in!

We can’t wait to go back. I’m excited to try other items in the menu, but it’s going to be REALLY hard to move away from that fire-roasted Atlantic salmon. The texture of that crispy seared salmon combined with the lobster ravioli + ivory sauce…I die. Truthfully I was so busy obsessing over it I didn’t try the other meals at the table. My daughter did try mine and was sad she didn’t go for it - but was very happy with her choice regardless. There’s also something to be said about a place that builds a pizza like artwork - and they’ve got that down for sure.

Thank you thank you thank you to Full Circle for taking us in and making my birthday dinner so special, we’ll be back (with a...

Hands down, one of the best evenings we’ve had in years – spectacular cocktails, amazing menu options and stellar service. We were promptly seated on a recent Friday night and greeted by our server who immediately offered us a selection of the nightly drink specials – we opted for the Coconut Margarita and a Mescal Mojito, both were well-balanced and quite boozy. The evening’s dinner specials sounded awesome, and we chose the locally-caught Green Shrimp Pizza as our entrée, but started off with our server’s excellent appetizer recommendations; the Fried Arancini (Italian rice balls with risotto) of the day was served with a wonderfully balanced marinara and basil aioli sauce - perfectly fried, delicate and over the top. Our second appetizer, the Curried Fried Oysters, were one of the highlights of our meal – in a town where most of the seafood is imported and overly fried, Chef Cam’s local bivalves were plump and juicy, and perfectly paired with the Thai dipping sauce. This app could easily be a meal in itself! We decided to split a Spinach Salad for a small upcharge, but ended up wishing we had ordered two instead – the warm made-to-order bacon and egg vinaigrette was refined and a perfect light dressing for the sliced mushrooms, red onions and baby spinach. The meal’s pacing was flawless and our server was wonderfully attentive without being hovering. The timing gave us the opportunity to enjoy the eclectic atmosphere and watch gorgeous plates of food being delivered to nearby diners. The Edamame appetizer, served with multiple flavors of colorful sea salts was a huge hit at the table next to us. The Rosemary-rubbed Lamb Chops and Chicken Pho was also quite popular with the guests seated next to us. Our gorgeous pizza arrived hot and bubbling - the sourdough crust was perfectly charred and had a nice chew, and held up under the weight of the expertly fired green tail shrimp, garlic sauce and basil aioli. The pizza was certainly big enough for two people to share. We’re excited to return and try some of the other protein options, including the steak and Tuscan-style Shrimp pasta. Don’t miss this place – rarely do you find Charleston and Chicago-esque dining in southeastern North Carolina that offers this much attention to flavor and...