Popolari - Bloomfield — Restaurant in Bloomfield

I am not one to usually leave a review but my experience last night at this restaurant needs to be shared. My group was very excited for this restaurant as we heard nothing but good reviews. We were a group of 12 and sat in the main room. The air was not on as the window and doors were open and fans were going so it was a little uncomfortably warm in the restaurant. Once my whole group arrived we were not greeted by anyone for almost 20 minutes, we were not asked if we wanted water or any other drinks or asked if we need any of our wine open (we did have a wine opener ourselves that we used to open the wine). We also asked for ice buckets which we were told there was no more left so our chilled wine with the heat did not stay cold.

After about 30 minutes I had to ask a server who our server was. Once we got our server we asked for water and if we can put our apps in. Apps came out pretty fast and the food was good. We were not asked if we wanted more water the entire time we were there. We put our entrees in and waited over an hour for our food to come. There was fire works this night and staff were outside viewing the fireworks so I’m not sure if that had to do with why the food took too long. The staff did not check on us even though we did ask where our food was several times. Once receiving our food one of the meals was wrong. The staff was not apologetic and ended up bringing the meal about 20 minutes later and it was poorly made.

The owner/manager never came to our table to ask us or make sure everything was okay after complaining several times. Upon receiving the bill we were charged for the meal that was entered wrong and a 20% gratuity charge which we kindly asked to take off as our experience was not pleasant. They did end up taking the gratuity charge off but kept the meal on the bill.

We ultimately decided to tip the 20% in cash even though we did not feel it was 100% deserved. We paid the bill with card and had the tip in cash on the table. As we were leaving we heard the staff and the manager/owner openly discussing how rude we were to not leave a tip and saying other names about us very loudly. We ended up trying to explain the tip was in cash and although we didn’t feel like they deserved it we did in fact leave one.

The owner/manager did get loud with us and did use inappropriate words while doing so. It was very unprofessional and rude. He also told someone in our group who is about 25 years old to “meet him outside”. We did see this owner/manager openly drinking alcohol throughout the night.

We will not be coming back to this restaurant as it was a very unprofessional and unpleasant experience which is a shame because the food was good.

No owner/manager should be yelling inappropriate words at customers who did everything right in a very bad experience. We just wanted to enjoy a meal for a birthday and this had to happen....

I have mixed feelings about Popolari. We were a party of 9 that came to celebrate a birthday on Friday 12/8. We made a reservation of course, but were never told we would only have a certain amount of time to stay in the restaurant. If you have never been - it's really cute inside - but NOT when you pack three large parties plus smaller tables in a space clearly not designed for that volume. This is neither the fault of the floor staff or the kitchen. Any time the service in the dining room starts falling apart - it's the dining room managers responsibility. Working in this industry my entire career - I can pinpoint the moment control was lost that night. Towards the end of our dinner - our server privately spoke to the birthday girl telling her our party would need to leave because they needed our tables. We gathered the cash to pay our $500.00 bill as the waiter stood on top of us asking us if we were all set. They were cleaning the table as some of the guests were still sitting -clearly letting us know - we were in their way. We were not able to have dessert/coffee or celebrate with the cake we brought. For that alone I would never go back. How you feel when you leave a restaurant - is reflective of the entire experience. I felt like - "what just happened" - I have never been asked to leave a restaurant. If the restaurant rules are that you can only stay for a certain amount of time - Popolari needs to clearly communicate that. They did not. We would have chosen another restaurant had we known.

While the food was good - amazing -no - good yes - expensive for what it is - I thought so - but the food was good. Service was good and then sporadic and then - well. Again, not the fault of the wait staff - the dining room manager - manages the dining room. If you pack a dining room with more guests than the space and staff can handle - you have chaos. The dining room was in chaos. Some minor things - 2 appetizers came out toward the end of our meal because they were forgotten. One guest ordered a pizza for dinner. The remaining guests were halfway through their entrees before it came out - after being asked about twice. So, I don't really know if the service is normally good and tonight it was just taxed beyond its capacity - or this is the norm. My first visit here and with that " bad experience" feeling a day later - I really would never go back.

PS - The gratuity was added to the check and not that I ever mind a restaurant doing that when I have a large group - some large groups do not tip the correct amount - I get it - but when it's included - and the restaurant fails to deliver that "cost of service" they charged for - leaves a...

Last week my family and I decided to go to Popolari to celebrate 3 birthdays, my husband's 25x2, and my nephews’ 16th and 11th. We had the best time! The staff went above and beyond. Oscar and Kiera were well organized, attentive, and very friendly. Oscar took our reservation and made sure all our requests were confirmed with the head chef and together they accommodated every request. We have kids with severe allergies and family members who are vegetarians. The chef also made a special vegetarian Arancini and it was so delicious it should be on the menu regularly. The chefs were quick and adapted to our many requests while producing phenomenal dishes. They kept sending out amazing food for each course. The food was very delicious, fresh, and unique. The presentation of the food was elevated and amazing, and the taste was even better! A few more items of note. The place is very charming, eclectically designed with nostalgic reminders of the past. Retro-chic and so much fun! From the deco up front to the music playing inside, it all puts you in the mood to celebrate. It’s a cozy place that makes you feel warm right from the start. Love that! Next, it would be very remiss of me if I did not mention my favorite food in the world, is Pizza! This pizza crust stayed soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, the sauce was so tasty that it did not need any extra toppings, and enough cheese for the cheese-lovers without having to ask for extra-cheese. Another plus was that the pizza tasted really great the next day (a true test). My new favorite!! Our reservation was for an early dinner around 4:30pm and we had their full attention, which was the best suggestion Oscar had for a party of 14. Lastly, but definitely not the least…the grand finale was the Birthday Celebration and surprise! I just thought they would come out with 3 desserts and a candle and sing happy birthday. Well, we had fireworks, literally, and a band! They came out with three chocolate dipping desserts with a huge sparkler on each dessert while singing and playing instruments for a spectacular show. They each played the tamborine, maraccas, wooden agogo, and the accordion. It was an awesome end to an amazing dinner! We had vegetarian arancini, the homemade focaccia, burrata salad, the pizzas, Mafaldine E Fungi Truffel, Popolari Gnocci, and more. It's going to be hard to decide what you will eat here…you’ll just have to go back multiple times to experience the flavors of Popolari! Thank you to the entire team...