Popina
Italian · Brooklyn
Authentic Italian Flavors on Atlantic Avenue
About Popina
At Popina, we bring the warmth of Italy right to the heart of Brooklyn. Situated at 127 Columbia St on Atlantic Avenue, our restaurant offers a charming and authentic dining experience that pays homage to traditional Italian cuisine. With a rating of 4.5/5 based on 381 reviews, our commitment to qua...
At Popina, we bring the warmth of Italy right to the heart of Brooklyn. Situated at 127 Columbia St on Atlantic Avenue, our restaurant offers a charming and authentic dining experience that pays homage to traditional Italian cuisine. With a rating of 4.5/5 based on 381 reviews, our commitment to quality ingredients and skillful cooking is evident in every dish we prepare. Our menu features a delightful array of classic and contemporary Italian favorites, from hand-tossed pizzas to handmade pastas and hearty entrees. We offer various dining options, including intimate private rooms for special occasions and a cozy, welcoming atmosphere that encourages you to linger over conversation as much as over your meal. Discover the unique flavors and warm hospitality that make Popina your go-to destination for Italian culinary delights in Brooklyn.
What Customers Say About Popina
Popina is a cozy neighborhood Italian spot known for its delicious pasta, excellent wine list, and attentive service. The backyard and patio are highlights. Some found the space tight and portions small for the price.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Dine outdoors in the heated patio for an excellent dinner, and don't miss the chocolate chess pie.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Popina
Popina is located in Brooklyn, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Religious Buildings
- Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (A 212m) — Catholic church in New York City
- Second Unitarian Church (A 544m) — church building in Brooklyn, United States of America
- Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes (A 553m) — Synagogue in New York City
Parks & Gardens
- Human Compass Garden (A 290m) — park in the United States of America
- Van Voorhees Park (A 341m) — park in the United States of America
- Mother Cabrini Park (A 427m) — park in Kings County, New York, United States of America
- The Amazing Garden (A 466m) — community garden in New York City
- Cobble Hill Park (A 470m) — park in Brooklyn, NYC
- Adam Yauch Park (A 564m) — park in Brooklyn, NYC
- The Backyard (A 567m) — park in the United States of America
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Popina
Popina Brooklyn Reviews
Excellent local spot in Cobble Hill, we did a great lunch for Valentine’s Day here for their private event, couldn’t have been better. Pepperoni pizza with Arancino and champagne. Fantastic service, couldn’t recommend more.
Popina is constantly in my rotation. I love the atmosphere and staff — super cozy, comfortable and welcoming. The food never misses and obviously the wine list is to die for. Great neighborhood spot.
Fantastic! Beautiful backyard! Very delicious menu. Everything we had was excellent. Also great wine choices!
Had a really lovely time here. The bartender was super friendly and really helpful when it came to picking wine. The food was good and the atmosphere was cute. I’d definitely return.
Not many restaurants make me want to move so it can be my local go to but this does just that. Lived in this neighborhood 22 years ago and this is a welcome change. From the bread to the Basque cheesecake every dish was a "I'll be back". Service was standout, drinks were spot on. Ambiance was perfect casual. Well done.
What a wonderful neighborhood gem! I've bike ridden past this place many times on my commutes to/from work and always wondered about it. Thankfully my roommate & I decided one afternoon to go for dinner. We started with the sourdough, a massive piece of sliced bread served with olive oil. Hint- get the butter with fennel pollen add on, it's divine. This was the perfect thing to dip into the straciatella, absolutely creamy and delicious with peas and favas. The "romaine" felt more like a traditional Caesar (not a bad thing), with a nice dressing punch to the taste buds. Both of us had the pork chop, a wonderfully tender and juicy hunk of meat sliced nicely into bite sized portions. Thankfully they left a good amount of meat on the bone, as that's my favorite part. Sadly, my roommate doesn't eat meat on bone and tried to cut it with a fork and knife, missing out on flavor greatness. As we were discussing where to go next, the server convinced us to look at the dessert menu, from which we ordered the cheesecake and panna Cotta. Rich, luscious Basque style cheesecake, so plain looking, yet so full of flavor and just enough sweetness, and the panna Cotta was properly creamy and refreshed ng. So many other dishes on the menu I want to try, including the rigatoni, papardelle (we didn't get pasta this visit), arancini and bronzino; the Mon-Thurs happy hour menu has some appealing choices like pasta carbonara, pasta amatriciana, $10 negronis and spritz's, and a few other things not available on the dinner menu. You can be sure I'll be back very soon.
I went here a year or so ago and had the hot chicken Milanese and have thought about it ever since. So when I found myself in the area the other night I knew we had to go there for dinner! I hadn’t been to the outdoor space before which is spacious and really lovely. All of the food was yet again really great and presented beautifully. Love that they have a really classic wine list. Honestly one of my favorite spots. Highly recommend.
Had my wedding at Popina in August - it was absolutely spectacular. Popina is not only an incredible gem of a restaurant - but they also have an amazing events program. From our first outreach to the day of the event, Gretchen and James were patient, super responsive and answered all of our questions (even if we asked the same ones several times!). We felt that we were in good hands and never had a worry in our mind about our special day - and on that day, it couldn't have gone any better. The staff were so kind and helpful - the food was delicious and we've received so many compliments. I cannot recommend working with James, Gretchen and their team enough. Popina will always have a special place in our hearts - and we will continue to be going there for dinner regularly as long as we are in the City!
We hosted my baby shower at Popina and it was fantatic! Gretchen was super responsive and helpful with the planning piece, and the day of couldn't have gone better. The covered side room was perfect for mingling and snacks/drinks and then the backyard was a beautiful setting for the brunch, with the large tree and umbrellas providing shade and the string lights an added touch. Food and wine were delicious. The kids loved playing in the bocce court. Highly recommend!
Great spot with a chill neighborhood vibe. I really appreciate the flavors of their pasta. We got the fettuccini with ramp, basil and breadcrumbs. Since ramps are in season this was a really good choice. Next is the orecchiette broccoli rabe, spring onion, anchovy. I can definitely taste the anchovy and all the flavors mixed well together and nothing is too overbearing. The hot chicken milanese was definitely "hot." It was cooked very well. (tip: If you can't handle "hot/spicy" ask for extra lemons) I asked so that i can eat it. For apps we also got the pimento cheese. They gave a lot of serving which was nice. Overall the experience was great. The service was also great, they were very attentive in refilling our water which was nice. I will definitely come again to try other food on the menu!
Great little spot, little out of the way for most people (its next to a port) but worth the trek. Really comforting combinations of southern food and italian classics, well exemplified in their hot chicken milanese which is one of the best breaded/fried things i’ve eaten so far in 2023. The “pizza bianco” is really just foccacia with a side of either olives, mortadella or anchovies. Works well as an upgraded bread course however. Solid drinks. Nice mezcal negroni which i always appreciate. Desserts are no slouch either. Chess box pie!
Small but delicious menu. Loved the pasta with smoked cheddar, mushrooms, and creamed corn the night we went. Also the arancini in saffron honey was incredible. Always a reliably good meal at this cozy neighborhood spot with fantastic, helpful service. Never had the chance to sit in their garden but I hear it's great
After gifting my husband the cookbook of 'The Magic of Tinned Fish' by Popina chef, Chris McDade, I was the one who became enthralled with the book and the place. My husband has a penchant for buying tinned fish and mollusks - no matter which country he's travelling to but what he doesn't do is use them in time before their expiry date. So the 'Tinned Fish' cookbook by McDade, was one of intrigue. I therefore took it upon myself to make a few dishes from this extraordinary cookbook, and then learned that there was a restaurant I could visit which played on the themes from the cookbook. But adverse, tinned fish folks, be not afraid! Popina is not a place entirely of tinned fish - it's Italian more than any kind of fish. Food: Five stars I had the 'new' celery and fennel salad to start, complete with anchovies (yay!), ewe's blue cheese, and walnuts (delicate mint leaves folded in). If it came in a large size salad, I would have easily devoured it. It was SUBLIME!!! For my main, it was the Rigatoni with the guanciale, in a delicately-spiced pepperonata sauce. A generous portion of pasta I'm told by the staff, from all the pastas on the menu. So if you want lots of pasta, get this one. For drink I started with a Nebbiolo rosé wine by the glass and then with my pasta I moved to a 'chilled' Valpolicella red. Both were excellent in quality and paired well with the dishes. I couldn't make room for dessert sadly. There were only two choices but each would have put me over the edge. Service: Four stars Seemed a bit of confusion with the staff sorting out the seating and walk-in diners when I arrived for my early dinner booking. Or just my impatience? As I was only a table for one, and had pre-booked, I was seated at the bar, as not to take a table from diners who were 2 +. Atmosphere: Three stars Humid October night in Brooklyn. But the air conditioning inside the restaurant was pumping. Thankful for my jacket which I had to put around my shoulders for most of the night even after the air conditioner was turned off. Popina is located on a busy street and whilst the window looking out is generous if you're sat near it, there isn't much to look at but the fenced-in Pier 9, and many cars. But it's not noisy, indoors. Also I cannot comment on the outdoor garden space as I did not sit there, nor did I visit it.
Came on a Friday evening with my husband. We made a reservation earlier that morning. Very tight space (we sat inside) with a nice, minimal ambiance. Too a minute for our waitress to get to us and then the bartender came by to get us drinks. Super nice dude. Also a tight menu but with a number of things that looked interesting g. Got the pimento cheese and potato rolls, which were great and came served with some pickled relish. I got the mafaldine pasta with pepper and pecorino. I was in the mood for something like cacio e pepe and this definitely hit the spot. The pecorino made it slightly sharp and salty, which I loved. Hubby got the hot chicken Milanese, which was also very good but definitely spicy, even for him who can handle spice. He washed it down with a can of IPA beer and I with a really good, funky, orange wine. Will definitely come back but will plan it during a time where I can visit their back garden.
Good food, but nothing memorable. I tried the anchovies and gnocchi. The anchovies came with too much potato. I enjoyed the complex flavor in the gnocchi, but I didn't enjoy that the guanciale was chewy. Someone ordered the pie for dessert; it looked good, but I didn't try it. The service was quick and friendly. Expensive for what it is.
4.14.20 - Surprisingly great food. The butter anchovy pasta was balanced and savory. The chicken cutlet was very well done, although my half was not as juicy. The seafood appetizer was very nice and robust with the legumes. The only gripe I have is the portions are less than what the price would ask for. Nevertheless, I would go back for the anchovy butter pasta. There's a back yard with a bacci ball field, a few tables and chairs and a lot of standing room.
The waitress was impossible-the appetizers were ok. The entrees came out many moons later except my wife's whose cane out long after everyone had finished. Great space-I hope the next inhabitants know what they are doing
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About Popina
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127 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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127 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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