Popina

brilliantly balanced dishes, everything we ordered - hamachi crudo, hot chicken milanese, ham hock papardelle - was stellar.

lovely ambience, fantastic service, and I'll always appreciate good hip hop with my meal

thanks, y'all...will be seeing you again soon!

My brother works in Brooklyn and had been meaning to try Popina for a while. The idea of fusing Southern and Italian cuisine intrigued him, and since I was off from work the other day we thought i was a good idea to meet up for dinner. I'm not too familiar with all that Brooklyn has to offer, so I was excited to check this place out.

Popina is unassuming from the outside, and the somewhat simple aesthetics continue after entering the restaurant. It's not a large space - there is a banquette to the left with tables set up, and a large bar to the right which has additional seating. I'm assuming there's a backyard area since some people were being led there after we were seated, and several reviews suggest so. There's a mostly grey color scheme with lots of clean lines and minimal decor.

The menu isn't large, but there's a good variety of apps, pastas, and mains. But first, drinks; I ordered a mezcal margarita which was smooth and had great flavor. For food, we decided to start with two apps: the arancini and the stracciatella. The rice balls were served traditional style sprinkled with cheese and came with marinara sauce on the side. They were tasty but their marinara was slightly too acidic for my taste. the stracciatella was good too - it was paired with asparagus, peas, and some light greens which complemented the creamy texture of the cheese.

I wanted to try their pasta as a main - the orecchiette stood out to me the most so I went with that. The dish was good - the pasta was served al dente and with pesto sauce and also contained fava beans. I admittedly did not get the most Southern dish on the menu, but there was definitely a good representation. My brother got the pappardelle with braised ham hocks which I tried a bite of and really liked. For dessert they only had two choices: cheesecake and panna cotta so we got both. The cheesecake was noting too outstanding IMO, but the panna cotta was great. When I attempted to order a coffee with dessert I was informed that they don't serve it - kinda strange and something to keep in mind if you're dining here.

Service was great, everyone was friendly and the food came out at a good pace. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Popina. I wouldn't necessarily hike it out to Brooklyn just to dine here - this is more of a neighborhood spot from my perspective. However, if you are in the area this is a great option with delicious food and a welcoming atmosphere.

Made a reservation for two people on a Wednesday evening for their outdoor area. Not overly decorated but a nice atmosphere nonetheless for a quiet dinner.

Concise menu of several Italian dishes, as well as a large drink list. Decided on the Hot Chicken Milanese ($28) and an IPA ($9). The chicken is flattened and thinly breaded - not dry, lending well to a bit of lemon juice. The side salad is overly bitter, not helped by the dressing. Had to order dessert as well, getting a slice of the Chocolate Chess Pie ($10). Incredibly rich, cut by a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Great flavor that's not overbearing in sweetness.

Service is good and the ambiance outside is welcoming. Nice spot for a slightly upscale dinner.

Came here with a group of friends. First off it's a little hard to get to but once here warm and inviting atmosphere. We started with a variety of cocktails, all of them were very nice. For first course we tried the crispy corona beans, a big hit with everyone. Winter chicories salad, had an excellent anchovy dressing, I would buy a bottle of that. Everyone went nuts for the charred prawns, great flavor and lastly the fish crudo, the sauce was amazing. Second course we had 3 pastas, all delicious, it's hard to choose a favorite between the spaghettini with clams, agnolotti with braised duck leg or bucatini alla gricia. Last course we tried the long island duck, cooked to perfection and excellent sides. Black garlic bavette was also cooked perfectly, we all really enjoyed the sauce and the side potatoes were fantastic. But I think the crowd favorite of the night was the whole branzino fish! We paired our meal with a wonderful red wine the waiter recommended. Then to finish we had cheesecake, rich and moist. The panne cotta was some of the best I've had, it was smooth, creamy and lemony and the currents added a little hit of tart. Great meal experience!

I had passed by Popina on the way back from Red Hook a few weeks ago. The cozy environs on an otherwise industrial stretch of Columbia Street appeared inviting enough for me to bookmark the address and suggest dinner here with a friend a few weeks later.

Compared to most chic Italian restaurant in the area that claim some garbled Brooklynized "Roman" heritage, Popina offers a seemingly unique Southern influence, with appetizers like a pimento cheese dip and potato rolls, or the arancini made from Carolina gold rice. These were the less tasty but more unique and intriguing constituents of our meal.

In contrast, I found both the kale paccheri and Gorgonzola tortellini decently tasty, if a bit uninspired. With a bit more funk in the latter, I think this dish could really be a home run.

Great vibe, excellent cocktails. We visited when there was a visiting chef and the several dinners we've had there are very good. My wife raves about the duck though I haven't had it. Would recommend. Get a reservation to guarantee a spot--not many seats.

3.5 stars for what I thought was a good, but pretty average, Sunday dinner. Of the notable things, they had one of the best glasses of chilled red wine I've had in awhile. So good that I actually wrote the name down for later. Additionally, the egg & anchovy toast was a sleeper hit. Tangy, creamy, herby, spicy, salty, sweet... it had all the flavors on top of a very good slice of bread. The lemon posset dessert was also solid, a nice light palate cleanser. The fettuccini with ramps was glossy and saucy and best when you got an actual bite with ramps. Then of course we had to try the hot chicken Milanese (it was fine) and the arancini (sadly they tasted like hot rice and that's about it).

So, all in all, it was a decent meal, and I think has the potential to be really good if they perhaps stray away from the items that have been on the menu forever and allow themselves to create and innovate a bit more.

All the dishes we got were tasty. Beautiful restaurant, great service. Definitely recommended sitting outside in the back.

The rest of the backyard: 20 somethings that were born with more money than I currently have.
Us: Two mid-30-somethings with a gift card.

The vibe here was snobbier than I expected, and although the backyard was telling me it was casual dining, it felt like it was an oversight that led me to be invited to this party. Although we had a reservation and it wasn't a busy Saturday night, the hostess first tried to sit us next to the kitchen and air conditioner. The table service was excellent.

The appetizers were overpriced (3 arrancini for $12 and a small panzanella for $18), I'd skip the arrancini if I went back. The hot chicken milanese staple on their entree menu was a fun spin on southern cooking. I'd reccommend going here with someone who likes to share, so you could try a couple different dishes. (The hot chicken is a big dish, easy to share). I also enjoyed their Chocolate Chess Pie, which hit sweet and salty.

But for me, this falls in the middle ground of Italian restaurants in gentrified Brooklyn neighborhoods. And the prices are pretty high/similar to others. It's a nice place to go if you want somewhere fancy and off the road after walking through Brooklyn Bridge Park - sit in their backyard with a Spritz and expensive pasta dishes. But I probably won't be returning any time soon.

Fantastic dinner at this unassuming little place- don't let the scary wolf/dog logo scare you, the food and atmosphere was warm and inviting with amazing Italian food with a Southern touch.

Our group of three was seated outside on the patio behind the restaurant (while it was a warm evening when we went, they had the heat lamps situated and ready to go.)

For appetizers, we ordered the arancini and anchovies. The arancini's crunchy exterior with the warm, rich center of rice-y goodness were delicious- only one per person though so savor it! The anchovies (filets of anchovies served atop a potato in cream) were delicious, kindof like a deconstructed anchovy gratin but I wonder if the cream took away from the anchovies a little?

For our mains, we are decided to get PASTA! We ordered the gnocchi, maltagliati and spaghetti. Everything was cooked to al dente perfection of course, and the flavors really packed a punch but in a subtle way. My spaghetti had bits of kabocha squash in it, and was surprisingly very hearty.

Dessert was a slice of chess pie and olive oil cake shared between the three of us. While the olive oil flavor was a bit too strong for me (I mean, what did I expect, right?) so it wasn't my favorite but the chess pie... divine!

Service is very friendly and attentive.

Curious to see if any more tinned fishes (Chef McDade's specialty?!) make more appearances in future dishes.
Sardines spaghetti? Some smoked mackerel? More appetizers featuring anchovies?! yes please!