Circles On The Square

Wilkes-Barre, United States

4.2

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 570-829-4005
Website:
www.circlesonthesquare.com
Address:
9 Public Sq, Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18711
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.5 miMountain Top/Wilkes-Barre Park and Ride Lot LCTA Bus Stop
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Hipster, Casual
Noise Level
Loud
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Open now
Local time (Wilkes-Barre) 12:37 PM Thursday, May 29, 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Tuesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Wednesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Circles on the Square is an award winning Take-​Out Delicatessen and Emporium, specializing in top of the line Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses, in house bakery, an all home made salad bar, extensive beverage selection as well as a store full of unusual gift items. Everyday is baked on premises butter croissant day, plain and filled. Wednesday is fudge nut brownie day (made with black coffee, jamaican rum, bourbon vanilla, droste cocoa, semi sweet chocolate and California walnuts!)

Thursday is Carrot Cake day; iced with cream cheese icing or naked.

It is said you will not find a better sandwich in Pennsylvania. Our committment to quality is legendary. Just looking at our menu will make you hungry. We look forward to serving you!

History

Established in 1985.

Started on a shoestring by two college chums (15 years after graduation!)

who were committed to good food and time honored preparation techniques, Circles on the Square won the hearts, minds and taste buds of the local foodies. An eclectic mix of fun and fancy has made Circles in-​store experience one of whimsy and surprises. Products from rubber chickens to hand blown glass, refrigerator magnets to custom roasted coffee beans, Woodstock brand precision tuned windchimes to Japanese incense from a 300 year old company, jewelry, museum repros, candles, candy and SO MUCH MORE to delight the eyes and amuse the soul.

We opened January 2, 1985 and are celebrating our 30th anniversary this winter. Come see why!

Meet the Business Owner

Phil R.

Business Owner

Phil was born in Wilkes Barre, moved to New Jersey when he was 3 but returned monthly with his folks to visit family. (Phil’s Dad’s family bought the ancestral home in «the Heights» section of town in 1893!) Phil’s maternal Grand Pa was a coal miner. Phil came back to Wilkes Barre to matriculate at Wilkes College, where he met his start up partner, Steve G. (Steve has since passed away.) Phil has a BA in English and has worked at jobs as disparate as locomotive crane jockey, fast foods burger flipper, parent surrogate in in-​patient childrens’ psych, nurseryman, landscaper, supermarket management and chemical plant labor pooler. Lives on a dead end street with a trout stream crossing a corner of the property with Debi, his significant only of 19 years and our dog, Ted. Loves to fish and spend time watching the (Susquehanna) river flow. Works assiduously to keep Circles quality and service top notch. Needs a vacation! LOL. Say «hello» when you are in town!

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20 reviews of Circles On The Square

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Mechanicsburg, PA
Circles is as good as it gets. A spotlessly-​clean deli with fresh whole ingredients and from-​scratch soups, cookies, and muffins. If the variety of sandwiches on the menu looks intimidating, it’s even more overwhelming when one discovers just how delicious the sandwiches are. Line can be long but it moves quickly when customers know what they want when it is their turn to order. Yes, that’s a hint.
Place rating: 5
Allston, MA
Stopped in for lunch coming off of 81. Definitely worth the visit over one of the many chain restaurants right off the highway turnoff in Wilkes-​Barre.
List of sammiches can be head-​spinning but I’m sure all are top notch. Got the Summer in Vermont and it was fantastic.
Staff was friendly and he even through in a Blueberry muffin for free (I’m not sure if that usually comes with the sammich, but a nice touch regardless!)
Definitely worth the stop whenever you’re near WB/​S.
Place rating: 5
White Haven, PA
A most stop and shop lunch spot in the Wilkes Barre Square
Great summer entertainment across the street during in the summer at the Arts Fiesta
Place rating: 5
Drums, PA
Great, fresh made sandwiches with top quality ingredients. The combinations they offer are inventive and delicious, but they encourage you to come up with your own combination of ingredients too. The mac ‘n’ cheese is one of the best I’ve ever had. I’ve been getting takeout from Circles for around 7 years now and I’ve never been disappointed.
Place rating: 4
Charlotte, NC
With 75+ items listed on their overhead white boards, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed here at Circles. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to how the sandwiches are listed, so my advice to you is to simply pick one board to choose from and as soon as you’ve found one that you like, STOP LOOKING. Because you’ll end up spending your lunch hour deciding and end up with nothing! As the saying goes, you’ll be the donkey who starved to death between two piles of hay.
I chose the «Greg’s Lucky Number» and asked them to substitute New York Rye bread. When I got it back to the office, I had a very tasty sandwich — sliced chicken breast, extra sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. It was amazing. And because it’s Boar’s Head, it was super super tasty. Really, a very good lunch. (In case you’re wondering, his lucky number is 67.)
Two downsides to Circles on the Square. First, it’s a bit confusing with the ordering process. There are two different queues and I couldn’t quite understand how it went from ordering your sandwich to paying for it. There’s a system, I just don’t know what it is. And second, this is a take out only place. In the summer months, there are a couple tables outside. But in December? It’s all to go.
Overall? Great sandwich!
Place rating: 2
Mountain Top, PA
I am not likely to go back. I do like their sandwiches and the mac and cheese is probably still great, however, I was extremely annoyed to find, after making a special trip downtown to have a sandwich, that their posted hours are not real hours. I was at the counter at 4:30 on the dot according to my phone. Didn’t look until I was informed that the deli closes at 4:30. I had checked online before heading down (didn’t phone in my order as I thought I might change my mind) and online it said open til 5:30 — plenty of time to spare. Got to the counter and was bluntly informed ‘the deli closes at 4:30′. This is the way I expect McDonald’s to tell me it’s too late for an egg McMuffin — not a local shop to tell me I missed the window to obtain a sandwich by mere seconds. I am unable to go often, but from now on will remember this and take my business elsewhere. BTW — I went back and re-​examined their webpage. Nowhere does it say sandwiches (their main business focus) are only available til 4:30. In fact, on the downloadable menu it says hours til 5:30 M-​F
Place rating: 5
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Love this place! I’ve been frequenting Circles since they opened back in the 80’s. Not only are their vast selection of gourmet sandwiches fantastic, you can put your own combo together. Their salad bar is sweet, with a few homemade special pasta salads per day. And you will love browsing their kitschy collection of gifts, magnets, gourmet snacks, drinks and spreads while you wait for your sandwich to be lovingly prepared. Don’t miss their changing-​daily soups and sides either! There is no other spot like this in W-​B. The owner is a great guy and this shop/​restaurant shows it! Don’t miss it– you won’t be disappointed!
Place rating: 4
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Artisan feel
No seating (yet they have tons of emporium stuff there though go figure)
Very creative menu
Very (almost too large) menu (like 80 sandwiches!)
Homademade soups were ok mine was all broth
Fresh made corn muffins are so good pair perfectly with the chilli
I got the Reuben
Very well done
Around 13 $ With chips n can of soda
Tips:
Get a menu beforehand youre first time or you’ll be standing around rubbernecking for 15 min.
Place rating: 3
Miami, FL
This is a good deli on «the square». They have a large selection of creative sandwiches. I haven’t found the perfect sandwich for me, but maybe it’s there somewhere. The people I’ve gotten sandwiches for from there said they were «good, but nothing to write home about». The gazpacho soup is always excellent. It’s too bad they don’t have any indoor seating and outside is just a few tables. It gets a pretty long line during the lunch rush, but the line moves quicker than you can go and read through the entire sandwich list.
Place rating: 4
Kingston, PA
Great sandwiches made with the highest premium meats.
A lot of great options and homemade soups. One thing many people don’t know is that you can get custom breakfast sandwiches, which are amazing.
Highly recommend for lunch or breakfast.
Place rating: 4
Wilkes-Barre, PA
This is a great place to go for lunch if you live or work in Downtown Wilkes-​Barre. Everything is microwaved but the sandwiches are always delicious and made with only the highest quality ingredients. The homemade macaroni and cheese is legendary but sells out fast. Call your order in ahead of time or you may be standing in line upwards of fifteen minutes. Lots of overpriced knickknacks and tchotchkes on the wall — creates a nice ambience even though I wouldn’t buy any of them.
Place rating: 4
Ithaca, NY
Not being from the area I was looking for a good sandwich for lunch. Well needless to say I found it.
The place is located in downtown. Easy to find and didn’t have a problem parking anywhere. Walking up it looked like a friendly atmosphere especially with having outdoor seating.
Huge selection of sandwiches. Probably well over 100. Even if you don’t find something you like you can build your own. Highly unlikely you’d have to do that but good for picky kids I assume.
Quality meat. Fresh ingredients I would definitely go here again. Only 4 state because no inside seating.
Place rating: 4
Wilkes-Barre, PA
I’ve been here many times, and brought some others there as well. Everyone has always been pretty happy with their orders.
Never had a bad experience, except maybe how long the lines can be.
Prices were a little bit high, but close enough to what you might expect.
Place rating: 2
SHAVERTOWN, PA
I am a 9th Level Hoagie Master. I don’t know what that means to you, but it means A LOT to me. I was at Circles twice. Once I ate outside with my roommate who wears the robe, and our friend Jessie — who can at times seem nervous and out of it. I did like the magnets, they have some of the best magnets and mugs around. Let’s face it though I didn’t go to a Deli for the magnets, I came for the subs and sandwiches. I got a Reuben (and yes, I do realize that my 9th Level Hoagie Master status does not apply to Rubens) The Reuben is a classic American sandwich, it was made in the 40’s, and eaten out of paper bags in New York. They microwaved mine. BIG MISTAKE! What else would these people do to a fine American Sandwich? — to American in General, would they use George Washington’s wooden teeth as a cutting board, would they use Ben Franklin’s cane as a door stop? I wouldn’t put it past them. I bet the Turkey is BALD EAGLE. The time I went with my girlfriend, who is very understanding, I got diarrhea in the car outside of Boscov’s… that could have been Boscov’s giving me the diarrhea, but I’m going to bet it was the sandwich. We ate in the car, because there are only tables outside, and it was cold out, and there was a guy trying to sell me Family Dollar Snack Cakes so he could go to music school… A real Wilkes-​Barre institution.
Place rating: 5
Mountain Top, PA
I love the food and vibe of this restaurant. They have a huge menu (that’s almost too hard to choose from sometimes) with great prices and friendly service. I love the daily specials at this place and all the cute items for sale to admire while you wait. Definitely a great addition to downtown Wilkes Barre! Try the mac & cheese!
Place rating: 4
Wilkes-Barre, PA
I like Circles but it’s just a bit pricey compared to my usual cheapo-​lunch options in downtown Wilkes-​Barre. The sandwiches are decently sized and most are worth the price even if they don’t reach the epic verticality of say, traditional NJ/​NY-​style deli. Not really anywhere else to go in downtown Wilkes-​Barre for deli either so Circles is worth your time and money. The people behind the counter are top notch and friendly.
Place rating: 4
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Great deli with awesome sandwiches, soups, salads, salad bar, pastries, chocolates, coffee, and breakfasts.
It is also a gift emporium with food items, soaps, incense, small home decorations, funny cards and the best collection of funny and obscene refrigerator magnets you can find.
There’s always a line for lunch, but they are well-​staffed with friendly workers that hustle to get you your lunch quickly.
Must try:
Thursday Meatloaf Sandwiches
Mac ‘n Cheese
Fresh Gazpacho (Summer Only)
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Place rating: 5
Taylor, PA
Amazing sandwiches, best deli in the area in my opinion! Their menu is delicious and extensive. If you don’t see something perfect for you on there (doubtful!) they’ll create whatever you want.
Lunch time line, but it always goes fast. Their gift shop is great too but a few of the expensive chocolate bars I’ve tried were stale. Overall excellent deli and their salad bar is great!
Place rating: 5
Melbourne, FL
Being a Wilkes-​Barre gal, as long as I can remember I have ordered and LOVED #41, the Steamtown Chicken. However, there are so many great items on this eclectic menu that I must give others a chance. The store/​deli has great funky, funny items for sale and are displayed all over the store so if you show up during the lunch rush, there are lots of things to keep you distracted — and smiling. I lived out of the area for about 10 years (and have since moved back) but when I was gone, I would crave Circles sandwiches and try to stop by when I was in town visiting family.
The only thing I would change about this place would be to find a larger location to include tables. Eating outside in W-​B is nice downtown or at Kirby Park in the summer/​spring and even fall but forget about the 4 months of coldness in PA… you have to bring these babies back to your work or home to eat.
Place rating: 5
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Great Mac & Cheese (if you’ve read my other reviews on here, you’d note that I’m a sucker for some mac) and a massive list of interesting sandwiches. The meat is fresh and high quality and, even though there’s usually a long line for lunch, the staff has a great system for taking orders and I usually speed right through — so don’t let the line scare you off!
They have a lot of cool magnets and NEPA-​esq gifts you can check out while you’re waiting in line.