Pops Trattoria — Restaurant in Audubon

We recently dined at this restaurant and were pleased with the quality of the food. The appetizers we had were calamari and mozzarella sticks. These were well-prepared and flavorful. The calamari was crisp without being overcooked, and the mozzarella sticks had a satisfying crunch with gooey cheese inside.

For our main course, we tried a variety of pastas, and the standout dish was the beef rigatoni. The sauce was rich and hearty, and the beef was tender and well-seasoned.

While the food met our expectations, the service experience left room for improvement. It was clear the staff was doing their best, but the dining room was noticeably understaffed. There was no host or bussing support, which led to long waits for table clearing, water refills, taking orders and general attention throughout the meal. These service gaps affected the overall experience, even though the staff on the floor worked hard to keep up.

With the addition of even one more staff member, particularly a busser or host to assist with the basics, I think the flow of service could significantly improve. Best of luck to...

As an Italian Food Snob I have to say, overall outstanding, the Calimari was fresh, tender and tasty with the perfect crunch. The peppers that accompanied it were all Flavor and not too much overpowering spice which lead to a perfect bite after bite ... the penny vodka secondi was delightful with pancheta cooked to perfection, the muscles Red were plump tender and delicious and I had to ask the waiter for 3 baskets of bread for the addictive sauce. The chicken Marsala was tender flavorful and perfect, my only critique would be more of that delicious marsala wine sauce ... the Truffle cream sauce pasta was like melted Truffle butter on the palate, I was tempted to order another for desert and probably should have ... desserts were ok ... but everything else 5 Star including Lucas our server, attentive and accommodating as well as friendly but never over bearing, absolutely perfect 👌. I can't wait to go back ! Highly recommend this Italian...

Food was mostly great. Pellegrino was room temp and we were not offered ice - we did ask for some and got one small glass of ice each, they did not have lemon or limes for water either. Calamari was very good - though the peppers didn’t add much. Clams casino spaghetti was amazing as was the chicken parm. The desserts were not that great… they were not cold, tiramisu lacked sugar and the chocolate ganache was thick, hard and basically fudge.

Service was great. Vibe was a bit off, very quiet for a Saturday evening - there seemed to be tension between the front of the house staff. The inside was uncomfortably hot - maybe they were having problems with the HVAC and fridge.

Would come back again but...