Full Circle Diner + Cocktails is finally open, bringing a new retro brunch spot and disco-themed cocktail lounge to Aggieville. Located in the old Hunan Express, it soft-launched its opening last week and is officially open as of Oct. 30.
Inside, the vibrant walls and checkered floors give the space a fresh, vintage feel, which is complimented nicely by the retro city pop that was playing during my meal. The interior is a major turnaround from Hunan Express, reminding me a lot of the Hi-Lo across the street.
When I went in to eat lunch, the seating was first-come-first-serve, so we sat ourselves. Wait staff was quickly to our table with menus and water.
The menu was brief, but still covered some of the classic breakfast basics, featuring eggs benedict, french toast, biscuits and gravy and more. For featured brunch cocktails, they serve a mimosa, Bloody Mary, espresso martini and breakfast daiquiri.
I ordered an espresso martini for $11 and the chicken and waffles for $16, and both were out to me quickly.
The martini was good, but it felt a little expensive for what it was. For reference to other espresso martini prices I’ve seen in Aggieville, Nico’s Little Italy and Bluestem Bistro charge $9. It’s not a huge complaint, but as a college student on a tighter budget, it was a noticeable difference to me.
The chicken and waffles were one of the more expensive items on the menu, but when my food was served, I quickly realized it’s because of how much chicken you get with your meal. The fried chicken was a great balance of juicy and crisp, and was enough for two meals for me.
My only complaint was the waffles, which had a sweet, buttery flavor, but were a little soggy and overpowered by how much chicken I got. I felt like I was eating more chicken than waffles, so much that the chicken ended up flattening my waffles. This entree was still good. It was flavorful and filling, and perfect for anyone who loves fried chicken — it just wasn’t as balanced as I’d personally hoped it would be.
This place has a lot of potential, but only time will tell how it holds up to other local brunch and cocktail lounges like Parkside Station, The Chef, Bluestem Bistro, Arrow Cocktail Lounge, The Hi-Lo and more. While I’m really excited that Aggieville is getting more involved in the Manhattan brunch scene, Full Circle’s brunch didn’t feel that different from other spots in town.
That being said, I’m excited to go back in and try their Cocktail Hour on Friday and Saturday starting at 5:00 p.m., which hopefully will be everything I was looking for but didn’t quite get from brunch.
Based on my own experience and listening to others, I’d currently give Full Circle’s brunch 3.8 stars out of 5. It was good, especially for just getting started, but there wasn’t enough novelty for me to justify getting lunch there compared to other places in town. In terms of another brunch spot in Manhattan, Full Circle has a lot of potential, but I don’t think it’s quite there yet. In the future, I hope the business does something more unique during its brunch hours to appeal to students, especially after the initial rush after opening wears off.