Popolino Roman Trattoria

Had dinner there tonight, FANTASTIC! The menu is delicious, everything from the first to last course awesome! The antipasto, tasty, yummy, lots choices and flavors to chose from. The pasta selections are plentiful. First course choices just as plentiful, the grilled shrimp with mozzarella, roasted peppers and fresh herbs, wonderful. I had the chicken for my main course and it was scrumptious! Perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned. Fresh herbs accompany most dishes and made a wonderfully fresh presentation and taste! Can’t wait to go back again!

I came here on Sunday for the tasting menu, it was some of the best and most unique Italian I’ve ever had. Amazing inspired dishes with new and interesting flavors like nothing I’d ever experienced. I will always recommend this place to local friends and out of town visitors alike.

Everything was delicious. Attention to detail was impeccable. The crepes and fluke rocked my world. The staff made us feel like family. We will be back again and again.

One of the best journeys my palate has experienced! Our party of three experienced a delay in seating of about 30 minutes even though we had a reservation, but the staff apologized multiple times and opened one of our bottles of wine to enjoy while we waited. Once we were seated the service was very attentive and personal. The manager was our server throughout the meal and made some great recommendations!
We went with the turista menu, which is essentially the same concept as the identically named option at the better known sister location Modo Mio. For apps, the star was the Mozzarella In Carozza which was absolutely phenomenal. For the pasta course, the carbonara was amazing as was the lasagna. We went with two of the whole fish specials and one order of Involtini for the main. All were delicious although I’d definitely want to try the porchetta on my next visit.
Overall, Chef McAndrews continues his success from Modo Mio at Popolino and I’d argue does an even better job here. The turista menu along with BYO makes this place a «must-​visit» destination for anyone seeking a fantastic Italian dining experience that fortunately doesn’t wreak much havoc on the wallet!

I was looking forward to my meal here but left disappointed… Went with my parents and the man friend around 8PM on a Saturday night. The place wasn’t packed but the staff seemed very busy, running around, kind of chaotic. We were hungry and cold and it smelt delicious so we decided to stay.
The highlights: BYOB & $ 40 for four course tasting with plenty of food to eat. I really enjoyed the appetizers, angolotti and the little amuse bouche of beet & ricotta crustini.
The lowlights: most of the dishes were waaay oversalted, our server (who recognized us from the previous restaurant in the space) spilled our wine (and did nothing about it — not even comped a $ 6 side dish which cost less the the glass he spilled), we waited over 25 minutes between the appetizer and pasta course, we were never offered the complimentary Sambucca at the end of the meal, the toilets did not flush in the bathrooms, and the water refills were few and far between (especially needed with the oversalted dishes).
I probably will not return, and I love me a good 4-​course meal for $ 40 and a BYOB. The service was just not worth it. And the salt. I wish people would let you salt your own food (especially when ingredients like pancetta and proscuitto and cheese are already in it). If you do decide to go and experience it for yourself, you do not need to get additional sides if you do the tasting. There is plenty of food to eat. We ordered 3 additional sides for 4 people who ordered the tasting and maybe finished one.
It’s sad because I love McAndrew’s Paesano’s and have always wanted to try Modo Mio but am unsure now after this experience…

Popolino has been on my ‘must try’ list now for quite some time, so you can imagine my excitement when my girlfriends bachelorette party dinner was slated to be here. We arrived as a party of 8 on a Saturday night at 7:30p and sat right down. The décor of the place is clean and beautiful. We came armed with many many bottles of wine, which our waitress promptly opened. We never had a second without an open bottle of wine… a sentiment i much appreciated.
Due to the fact that we were a large party, we did the ‘menu turista’ $ 40 price fixe 4 course tasting menu. As the token vegetarian, I had plenty of options. I confirmed my choices with our waitress who might have been slightly over-​helpful, but much better than a bit bite of something icky. We also had a gluten-​free cohort who our waitress took good care of too.
Upon placing our orders, we received bread and olive oil with ricotta cheese and lemon. It was decadent to say the least, but the bread was just too big for someone with no self-​control (me). It was too delicious, and unfortunatly, I comitted a fatal flaw of eating the whole thing. I wish i knew what was coming or I would have contained myself.
For my first course I ordered the antipasti. It came out as an awesome meadly of grilled vegetables, cheeses, capers, etc. Everything was so fresh and flavorful, but the most notable was the blue cheese on the crostini. I threw some grilled veggies on there, and was blown away by the flavor profile. That will haunt me in my dreams.
My second course was the gnocchi di castagne. The plate arrived, and it really looked bare and kind of ugly. No pride in presentation here. The discription made me think it would be tomato pieces in a white wine sauce, but the sauce was in fact red, with chunks of tomato. The taste was good, but really really salty, and the texture of the gnocchi was mealy/​gritty which sure isn’t what I’m used to. The good news was that the serving was small.
My main course was the eggplant parmasean. I wish i had more room to enjoy this. It arrived looking like a piece of lasagna, but the dish was cooked perfectly, and had tons and tons of cheese, which is just how i like it. The red sauce was also a bit salty, but delicious thru and thru.
Finally, we got to desert. The restaurant had run out of everything except tiramisu (yawn), flourless chocolate cake (yawn), 3 salted carmel puddings, and 1 berry panna cotta. I managed to snag one of the 3 puddings… but when they got to the end of the table, nobody even wanted the chocolate cake or the tiramisu. They’re just kind of past their prime in terms of excitement/​worth the space. A bunch of us did get cappucino which was pretty tasty, and necessary.
Also worthy of mentioning is that a few of the people I was out with had a tough time eating a few dishes. They may not all have the most refied palates, but everyone was commenting that the food was really really salty.
All in all, i had a lovely meal. The service was top notch. I’ve never seen such responsiveness when making a reservation. Our server was phenomenal! They were so great in catering to our bachelorette party. My meal, while salty, was good. I’m glad I had the chance to try this place, but I’m not sure I’d go running back. I’d definitly like to give it another shot… but I won’t be running…

Dear everyone, get here for brunch before another one of my favorite places goes out of business. I’m baffled that this place is nearly empty on Saturdays and Sundays.
Popolino serves up a lot of good food. And on weekends, you can eat as much of it as you like. For THIRTEEN dollars. Think fritatta, pasta, meats, pizza, antipasti. Choices for vegetarians as well.
The service here is great. And if all of this hasn’t convinced you, it’s the same owners as the always raved about Modo Mio.
Bottom line: a top contender for my favorite brunch spot in Philly.

I wish I could give Popolino more than three stars but sadly, I can’t. I’ve eaten there three times and each one was a very different experience.
The first was a great night start to finish. The service was fantastic, the food was delicious and we left happy, full of delicious pasta and a bit tipsy. The second time, the service was good but the food was almost inedible. They had put so much lemon into the brown butter sauce with the special sweat bread ravioli that I made a sore face with each bite. After saying something to the waiter, he said that it was normal… hmm. I didn’t end up eating it and that was that. The third time, the service was spotty. We waited 35 mins to sit down for our reservation. Once we sat, it was chaotic from there on out. The food was very good. The carbonara was top notch! We also enjoyed the mussels in a spicy red sauce and the mozzerella grilled cheese with anchovie butter was awesome. Loved it.
So basically, I’m right in the middle on this place. I love modo mio. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. I’ve also enjoyed Monsu and completely love Paesanos! I’m hoping that with time, Popolino will find its groove and move up to 4 stars for me but as of now, it’s not there yet.

As a fan of Peter McAndrew’s Modo Mio and Paesano’s we wanted to try his other restaurants starting with Popolino. The experience at Modo Mio was so amazing that we went in with really high expectations for our meal. And while the two restaurants have many things in common including the menu tourista, it ends there. Even though many of the items on the menu closely reflect those offered at Modo Mio– the quality of the food and service was definitely not the same.
At the center of this BYOB restaurant was the Tavola Calda, a ‘hot table’ selection of room temperature antipasti Roman Style ($ 10). As one of the starter options, diners could walk around and choose from all the different dishes.
We tried the hot table, Mozzarella in Carozza, Arugula Salad and complimentary bruschetta. Amongst it all the mozzarella in carozza dish stood out as the most delicious: a large stuffed Italian bread, egg dipped, pan friend and served in a creamy anchovy caper butter.
Only one person from our party tried the menu tourista as it really is an abundance of food. For the mail meat dish, our friend ordered the Porchetta. A crispy roasted suckling pig served with coriander, goccia, porcini and provolone gauzetto. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy every bite, ranting and raving about the experience. As for the rest of us, we looked forward to our dessert.
The desserts at Popolino are standard desserts available at most Italian restaurants. Amongst our orders were the Panna Cotta, tiramisu and chocolate cake. While they were all good, none stood out as being outstanding and memorable.

Definitely a 5 Star Establishment.
I came here on a Friday night with Aaliyah P, Christian L, and Jaime and my sister. Aaliyah P did all the work, made the resos (last minute) and gave us the rules (cash only, don’t be tardy for the party, byob).
I went with the Tourista Menu, and I am glad that I did. It was an excellent value, and I was able to taste everything that I wanted to (kind of…). I had a pasta with pesto for my first course and chicken piccata for the second. LOVED my choices. Chicken was perfectly cooked, and the pasta was perfectly seasoned.
Highly recommend as a date location. It’s quiet, and I don’t feel like you would run into a ton of people to interrupt you, etc. The service was also top notch.
I’m confused at the other reviews because we did not have any of these issues that they described so beware of the haters.

Monsu is where you take your wife, Poplino is where you take your foodie mistress.
Everything about this meal made me smile, from the attentive server Scott («with two t’s» he said when he saw me check in on Unilocal), to the incredible meal from start to finish.
Please don’t be deceived by the shotty corner this restaurant sits on it is one of the best italian meals I’ve had (outside of Italy). The atmosphere is warm and inviting and though its a small space they do a great job with the seating and tables.
Be warned its cash only and a BYOB. Im not mad about that because I was told when I made a last minute reservation these were the rules. Our party arrived a few minutes before our reservation and were seated right away. With copious amounts of wine for 5 our server chilled the white and opened the red. The amuse bouche was a small sampling of the amazing things to come. A little slice of tasted bread topped with a chickpea purée and some sun dried tomato, it was delicious. The tourista menu is usually the way to go and the boys in our crew opted for this option. You get your choice of antipasti, small pasta dish, main course and dessert for $ 40.00.
Obviously the girls could not eat that large quantity of food so we shared the spicy mussels, broccoli rabe, the chestnut and ricotta gnocchi’s, cannelloni and tuna. The mussels came out first and were plump sweet and satisfying. The spicy red sauce was just an added bonus and the addition of the peas made me think i was getting in the 5 food groups. My gnocchi’s were a little denser than I’m used to but really good none the less and i would order that dish again. Dessert was the best way to finish the meal, I sampled the chocolate budino and it was just sweet enough. The creamy chocolate pudding like dish was just the right size to share between the ladies. We wrapped up our meals with complimentary lemoncello. I will for sure come back here, its a great place to take a date (hint hint to single peeps out there).

My boyfriend and I first went to Popolino about a week after it opened. It was awful. The food was bland and unremarkable, and the salted caramel dessert thing we ordered was so salty that it was literally inedible. We were sad. We walked out the door certain that the place wouldn’t last long.
But it stuck around. And other people seemed to like it. So a few days ago we went back. And it was GREAT! The food was interesting and tasty. We both ordered the turista, and everything that came out was above average. The service was good, and the ambiance was cozy.
I’m glad we gave the place a second try. We will definitely be going back.

I have been a fan of Mr. McAndrews for a while now and was happy to hear that he was opening yet another restaurant (and close to my house too!). The family and i had dinner there this past Saturday and Popolino did not disappoint.
The antipasti spread was beautiful and the menu had a nice balance of «safe» meals as well as items for the more adventurous. Between the six of us we got most of the items on the menu and there was not a complaint among us. Only one of us got the antipasti and honestly, the plate was big enough for a dinner in and of itself. I personally had the mozzarella to start, followed by clams and spaghetti, then the trout and ended with tiramisu. Thankfully I had eaten light during the day!
Since we were a party of six, we were told we had to get the menu tourista — the portions were reasonably sized, but I was a bit surprised at the $ 40 price tag. I thought that was a touch steep. But the food was good.. .
I loved the slow pacing of the meal. There was a nice break between courses, which lent itself to drinking more wine and more conversation. We were not rushed at all.
The décor was simple and subdued. Soft grays and white. The only thing I would change would to be to add some soft surfaces to dampen noise.
I’m looking forward to a return visit sometime.. .

Came here for my parents anniversary, and had an absolute gem of a dinner. Popolino is an awesome establishment, with an intimate setting and attentive staff that made us feel right at home. My gf is gluten free and the waiter not only went through the menu to show her which items were OK for her to eat, but even provided her own gluten-​free bread!
The Turista price fixed menu is the way to go here, $ 40 for any antipasti, pasta and secondi. with desert! If you can manage that!
The Tavola Caldo antipasti is what you notice upon walking in the door of Popolino. An array of cooked vegetables like broccoli, carrots, beats, red peppers, etc. There are also chickpeas, fennels, cucumbers and mushrooms. All cooked specially with their own tasty twist. It’s all very tasty and healthy! We also tried tripe with eggplant, and it was fantastic! The red sauce that it was cooked in was great.
For pasta, I would highly recommend the Carbonara. Just delicious, and you will not be disappointed. The nice thing about Popolino is that the serving sizes are not overdone, and allow you to get a good taste without being overly bombarded by a huge plate. The gnocchi were also very good, and they are made from chestnut flour, which was very different. My spaghetti were also very very good. The carbonara def stole the show though.
Secondi was a true delight, as we sampled the lamb, steak and porchetta. All were delicious, no kidding here. One of us even tried the tuna steak and raved about it. These were really good dishes, and again not overbearing in size.
We were a big party so had the opportunity to try a little bit of everything and boy was it great. I simply cannot point to one thing that I had at Popolino that wasn’t satisfying. Great staff, great food and great prices. This could easily be one of your staple restaurants if you fancy Italian cuisine, so do yourself a favor and check it out. I dont just give a 5 star rating for anything but people. It’s just delicious, BYOB and the price is right. I walked out thinking I just found my new favorite restaurant in Philly.

Gave Popolino a second try and it was pretty darn tasty. Everything that was wrong last time was definitely corrected.
The boyfriend and I decided we would go with the turista since it’s a pretty good deal and would give us the option of ordering a bunch of items to try.
For the most part, the food came out perfect — not too salty! woo hoo! and delicious. I ordered the skate special which normally is a very salty seafood dish but they cooked it just right. There was also this other special that I enjoyed, I forget what it was called but it had what I believe was squid ink in it. So yum. Dessert still needs a bit of work but they’re getting there.

This is a «different» kind of Italian restaurant — meaning — you have to be a little adventurous in your menu choices because this is not your Sunday Gravy — Veal Parmesan kind of place. We went for the «Touristo Menu», meaning 4 items at a total of $ 40 per person.
Everything we had was delicious, from the veal tongue appetizer (as well as the «differently prepared» fried squid) to the various homemade pastas. We tried that night’s special, the slightly spicy ink-​squid pasta with crab as well as the sweetbread-​filled tortelloni and both were very very good.
The Skate-​wing (fish) was perfectly cooked and served over amazing baked white beans. The Stuffed Pork Chop was the only slightly disappointing entrée, although it too was good.
Finishing up with a Mascarpone cheese cake and a Panna Cotta and coffee, the bill before tip was around $ 92. (Remember — BYO — Cash Only)
Well worth another trip because you build your own menu and the choices are fairly substantial. All the servers were very friendly and helpful and the noise level typical of a Philadelphia restaurant — loud but not overwhelming.

I had dinner here the other night with a party of 15. Our 2 servers were very attentive, warm and friendly. We never felt rushed even though we were there till about midnight. The servers made sure to tell us that the gratuity had been added so we didn’t accidentally overpay.
I had the following: to start, seared lamb carpaccio on a bed of arugula and pecorino chunks. This was sooo good. A surprisingly huge portion of tender, ever so slightly seared lamb. Next came the Bucatini All’amatriciana: wonderfully spicy, salty al dente hollow spaghetti with chunks of pancetta. I was FULL but next up were the Involtini di Manzo: beef rolls braised to tender perfection.
They brought out a bunch of desserts for us to share. The marscapone cheesecake was by far my favorite. The chocolate budino was good but VERY thick and rich. Tiramisu and panna cotta were delicious. There was one other dessert that I didn’t care for, some sort of nut tart.
A few criticisms: As other reviews have pointed out, some of the dishes are on the salty side. My Bucatini and Involtini were both fairly salty, but I like salty food. It made me THIRSTY though… like there wasn’t enough water in the place to quench my thirst. Service was a bit awkward. It’s rough serving a large party, but there were a few slip ups with the wrong food coming out, having to come back and ask what one of us had ordered etc. There are a few inconsistencies. For example, my appetizer (and many at the table) was huge. My boyfriend’s shrimp appetizer had one shrimp though. He was finished in 2 bites and I was still chowing down on a big plateful of carpaccio.
Tips: If you have a large party, they’ll only take reservations for very early in the evening (5ish) or late (after 9pm) and everyone must get the Turista Menu ($ 40 for your choice of 4 courses). It’s cash only and byob. They are VERY accommodating to gluten free peeps. Even though the gnocchi is gluten free, they used a separate pot of water to boil my friend’s gnocchi so it didn’t mingle with any gluten tainted water.
You get a lot of food for the money, be prepared to eat!

Popolino offers roman peasant-​esque fare.
I’ve visited for both lunch, brunch, and dinner. Each time I was very happy with my visit.
The Tavola calda (room-​temp antipasti) is delicious, fresh, and creative. It is available for all 3 meal periods. This is a must try.
The lunch buffet is a steal at $ 13/​pp! When my party of 6 arrived on a Sunday morning around 12:00PM, there was a 0min. wait. WHY? Maybe not enough people are aware of it’s glory? Anyways, it didn’t bother us any because we got free range of the place. Some of the food items included: 2 x frittatas, 2 different pastas, suckling pig, roasted potatoes, fresh mozz and arugala, a variety of olives, and a fresh made margherita pizza. Everything was delish!
For our dinner there we did the Turista menu in which you get to choose a antipasti, a pasta, a main meat dish, and a dessert. The Canneloni is to die for, the oxtail was scrumptious, and the desserts were good but fairly average. As terrible diners that night, my date and I did not BYOB. It was embarrassing, but they offered us each a glass of their house wine… on the house! I was taken back by their kindness and generosity. I’m sure that wine didn’t break the bank, but it was a nice gesture. We also happened to be seated right beside McAndrew’s mother and she left us her nice imported Italian pinot grigio when she departed.
Service was great. They were polite, knowledgeable, and accommodating. McAndrew’s comes out to check on everyone in the dining room which is also nice.
The venue itself is pleasant. Exposed brick wall, high ceilings, chandeliers, etc. The huge windows that line the restaurant are a nice bonus. There are also some small two-​top tables outside for fair weather days. I’ll have to admit when I walked in wearing a t-​shirt and brightly colored sneakers, I did feel a bit under dressed. Seems like a place where business casual is probably more appropriate.
Note: It is BYOB! So bring along a bottle of wine!
Also, they are cash only, so come prepared.

Peter McAndrew’s newest offering cements the Irishman’s position as the undisputed king of Modern Italian in this city.
Thats right I said it.
Sorry, South Philly. Step up your game and get outside grandma’s recipe book.
That goes double for Vetri and clan. The Main Liners can have them (and pay double as well).
Paesanos already makes the best sandwiches in a sandwich town, Monsu has pioneered Siciliano Nuovo, Modo Mio blows up your idea of a Red Gravy place, and now Popolino does a fresh take on what they are calling «Roman Trattoria».
You’ve got to get the Tavole Calde — the antipasti bar that dominates the dining room. Much more nuanced in terms of flavors and textures than I was expecting.
The Calamari fritti were exceptional with notes of Ginger and Mint !!! I was floored.
The Spaghetti Carbonara is typically a layup… but I have certainly had better… the best pasta at the table was their special lasagna w/​crepes instead of noodles, creamy spinach bechamel, and a rosé sauce.
Everything was made up for by the Involtino de Manza, which is code for «The Best Braciole you’ve ever had».
Dolce and Coffee felt like and afterthought and could use some work.
The meal had ups and downs, but the bright spots won by a mile. The Antipasti are clear winners, and I might consider coming back simply to try them all.
Piece of Advice: You don’t need the 4 course «Menu Turista». They will tell you it’s the only way to dine with them. Don’t get me wrong, the food is amazing, but you will eat every bite of those 4 courses and you will roll your fat ass out that door. Just pick 2 – 3 things and come back again (and again).
Trust Me.

Since I love Modo Mio, Paesanos, and Monsu, I was sure I would also love their new restaurant Popolino. I was not wrong. I was so happy to hear that they were opening a new restaurant in my hood.
The food here is SO GOOD. Amazing. I am a vegetarian and there were plenty of choices for me. I started off with the antipasti bar. So many choices! I had roasted beets, carrots, broccoli rabbe, olives, and many other delicious offerings. The focaccia bread and oil with peppers were light and delicious.
Gnocchi castagne — light and fluffy gnocchis made with walnut flour, covered in the sauce from the gods. It’s an amazingly yummuy tomato and wild mushroom ragout — I don’t know how they pack so much flavor into it. It was topped with 2 types of grated cheese by the gracious waiter.
Eggplant panza… something. Two eggplant rollatinis filled with cheese and simmering in a second exquisitely delicious sauce. The eggplant slices are thin and soft and the sauce was a thick tomato sauce with some bits of greens and a touch of cream. Heavenly.
The service is extremely warm and friendly and attentive. It feels like you are visiting the home of friends.
This is the type of place that everyone will like — your parents from out of town, your friends who are picky with food, vegetarians, and foodies alike. They even have gluten-​free gnocchis, pasta, and other dishes on the menu, so you can take your friends with Celiac disease too! I will totally be back.