Illustration of a Victorian mansion fine-dining room with dark wood paneling, chandelier and candlelight at evening (illustrative, not the actual restaurant)

Menu Guide · Charleston, SC

Circa 1886 — Menu Guide

Circa 1886 is the fine-dining restaurant of Wentworth Mansion, set in the mansion's original carriage house at 149 Wentworth Street. Under the continuous leadership of executive chef Marc Collins since 2001, it serves a refined interpretation of Lowcountry cuisine built around two six-course tasting menus — the Ashley and the Cooper — alongside an à la carte list and seasonal showpieces like the seasonal soufflé and the chocolate "Old Fashioned." The honest headline first: the restaurant publishes no itemized online price menu — the official site confirms the two tasting menus but not what they cost — so every figure below is an era-dated third-party report. Everything is written in our own words.

At a glance

Location
149 Wentworth St, Charleston, SC 29401 (Wentworth Mansion carriage house)
Chef
Executive chef Marc Collins (since 2001); executive pastry chef Perla Anguiano
Cuisine
Contemporary Lowcountry / refined Southern fine dining
Price level
$$$$ — tasting menus reported at $135/person (2025 era); no official prices published
Reservations
Resy (per third-party profiles) or phone — 843-853-7828
Recognition
Forbes Four Star (2006–present) and AAA Four Diamond (2004–present) per third-party listings — not claimed on the restaurant's own site; see disclosure

Hours

Per the official site, fetched 2026-10-01: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday–Saturday 5:00–9:00 PM; closed Wednesday and Sunday. Tasting menus change seasonally.

Signature dishes

  • The Ashley and Cooper tasting menus: two six-course tasting lineups — the core of the restaurant.
  • Seasonal soufflé: changes with the season, per the restaurant's own posts.
  • Chocolate "Old Fashioned": a 2026 dessert menu item.
  • Smoked Storey Farms chicken: with potato pavé, parsley velouté, and blackberry gel (Cooper menu, 2026).
  • Fried Poulet Rouge: with caviar and gold leaf (Ashley menu, per guest reports).
  • Lobster brioche "roll": with lobster bisque (Ashley menu, per guest reports).
  • Chicken Fried Lobster: with white cheddar grits — an à la carte signature (third-party era menus, $33 reported).

The only price figures available

Circa 1886 publishes no prices on its official site. The reported figures:

  • Tasting menus — $135 per person: third-party diner reports, 2025 era.
  • Wine pairing — $90: third-party, 2025 era (tasting with wine ~$220–225/person total per ~2024-era guest reports).
  • À la carte (third-party, era uncertain): appetizers $8–$13, mains $23–$35, desserts $10–$12.

Note: the official site confirms "two imaginative six-course tasting menus" — older reviews referenced five courses, so the format has evolved.

What we'd order

If we had one dinner here, this is how we'd play it:

  • The full experience: one of the two six-course tasting menus — it's the restaurant's reason for being.
  • The pairing: add the wine pairing if it's a special night (reported $90, 2025 era).
  • The sweet finish: whatever the seasonal soufflé is that night — it's a house tradition.

Planning your visit

  • Book ahead: this is a small, special-occasion room — reserve via Resy or call 843-853-7828.
  • No public price list: since no itemized prices are published, ask about current tasting-menu pricing when you book.
  • Closed Wed & Sun — plan around it.
  • Award disclosure: Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond appear in third-party listings (e.g. americascuisine.com) but not on circa1886.com itself — we're reporting the sourcing honestly rather than presenting them as house claims.

Official links

About these prices

Circa 1886 publishes no itemized online price menu — said plainly, not guessed. The $135 tasting menu and $90 wine pairing figures are 2025-era third-party diner reports, and à la carte figures are from third-party menus of uncertain era. Always verify with the restaurant before visiting.

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