POPOLO — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Popolo is able, but not willing - to make modifications for dietary requirements. I have coeliac's disease so I am used to being turned away from places that may not be able to accomodate making things gluten free. Popolo however, had every ability to accommodate but refused to do so "due to a stubborn head chef." My partner and I reviewed the menu before reserving a table and were delighted to see many gluten free options, (for an extra +$3 etc) and statements to say they will do their best to accomodate any dietaries. When we got there, we were interested in purchasing their "Il Banchetto" banquet for $69pp. The banquet was made up of regular menu items, not exclusive dishes, and even though all of the dishes we selected were labelled "GF/GFO" on the menu, they said the chef would not do them gluten free for the banquet. Mind you, it was a Monday night and there were only two other tables with patrons in the entire place. If it was a Friday or Saturday night, I totally would have understood, as a lot of places can't accommodate when it is busy, but to be told they couldn't accommodate my autoimmune disease first because the system wouldn't allow it, then because they "have a stubborn chef who doesn't allow modifications," was hugely disappointing. We didn't want to modify anything, we chose options that said they were GFO and were happy to pay extra to cover the gluten free ingredients. There was no note to say no changes could be made, or any disclaimer to say they couldn't accomodate dietaries, in fact, it only says on the menu that they will try to accommodate dietaries, but in my experience, no effort was made whatsoever to even ask the chef on this quiet Monday night. "No Modifications to this menu" is written under the other 'Chefs Table' banquet option, but nothing is written for the 'Il Banchetto' banquet (photo provided). The manager we spoke to was polite, but unwilling to even try to help us. Having coeliac's disease is hard enough because I miss out on a lot of things and dinners with my friends and family due to it, but when there were plenty of GFO's available, it is really disappointing. We would have spent over $180+ at an otherwise dead restaurant on a Monday night. Until disclaimers are written on the menu, customers would expect you to accomodate....

Went to Popolo’s on the 14th of April. The waitress was absolutely sweet and kind, the food was perfect and that says a lot considering most of my party are picky eaters. The atmosphere was cosy and relaxing, right next to the river. I would give it a 10 out of 10, but the only complaint from my group was about the terrible hostess. She was rude from the moment we arrived. No smile, no “hi” or “how are you,” just a blunt “Booking?” like we were a problem to seat. After taking us to the table, she asked for ID — which is totally fine and the only part of her job she actually handled properly (we’re all under 25, so that’s expected). BUT here’s the thing ... My ID clearly shows two things: ● I don’t drive (it’s red), ● It was my birthday. Guess which one she commented on? She made a rude remark about me not driving: “Isn’t it time for you to learn to drive?” I gave her a look of disapproval (Not everyone holds a driver’s license, and often, the reasons are deeply personal and varied. To make light of it is neither kind nor thoughtful.) , and she just followed it up with “Maybe not then.” No apology. I get that she was trying to make a terrible joke, but making a negative comment to the birthday girl? Not it. In hospitality, you never mock the birthday person and as we know, first impressions hold great importance. Rather than feeling welcomed with warmth and thinking, “What wonderful service this place offers,” I found myself silently hoping, “I truly hope she is not the one serving our table.” (Thankfully, she was not.) I can’t stress enough how lovely our actual waitress was - warm, welcoming, and everything you want in a dining experience. The food was amazing and the vibe by the river was just beautiful. At the end of the day, I would still 100% recommend Popolo’s for the food and the wonderful waitress — but the hostess really needs some training in how to be friendly and...

Tucked away from the heart of South Bank although nestled near the water and grass made entertainment area.

When it comes to Italian cuisine I’m pretty damn fussy. Especially after living in Sydney for 9 years having created friendships will tasteful Italian people. You know you’re in a quality Italian restaurants when served the best Italian food with unrivalled quality where the staff are proud to serve fresh food prepared from freshly brought ingredients.

There’s nothing worse than tasting anything that has been sitting in the freezer for a considerable amount of time and you’re paying a high price for it. I’m happy to say Popolo is not that restaurant.

All Italian dishes are curated in such a way that every ingredient has something to add to the flavour. Basically, you’ll have different flavours exploding in your mouth when eating quality cuisine from this authentic restaurant.

The attendant upon arrival created the atmosphere because she immediately made us you feel comfortable and relaxed. Our waiter for the majority of our dine in experience with a kiwi accent was well-mannered and deliver an exceptional service. He was down to earth and laughed with us. You don’t always get this at some restaurants so for us that was refreshing.

One rule of Italian cuisine which I’ve learnt from my friends is this —- if there’s too little food on your plate. It’s not an authentic Italian restaurant as food portions need to be precisely perfect in size and if you leave still hungry not to go back there again. Popolo is not that restaurant.

Popolo had a great selection of dishes to choose from with decent portion sizes. Therefore, you can expect you’ll be getting good bang for your buck if you choose to dine here.

Our bill came to $442.13 our orders were made up of 8 cocktails, 2 entrees, 4 main meals.

Would we visit again. Yes we would....