Just Pop In! — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Had a Circle City Savings certificate and decided to try this place for an early lunch on a rainy washed out July Sunday. There is street parking on both sides of Cornell Ave that runs north/south in front of the building. I believe they also have a parking lot behind the building available.

For seating, they have an L-shaped covered deck wrapping around the east and south sides of the building with exterior heaters and probably 8 tables for 4. Due to the weather though, we entered the front door to dine inside. They have dining spaces both to the left and right of the entrance along with bar seating to the left. We chose to take a booth to the right that was near sliding doors on the front that provided access to a 4 stool balcony for an additional outdoor option as well as stairs to lead to an upstairs space they use for special events such as a baby shower that was indicated by some signage.

We were greeted and waited upon by the owner of the establishment, who was wonderfully pleasant and engaging. We started with a popcorn flight ($12), which includes 3 of any of their wide selection. We chose the Sun King Cheese & Ale Pretzel, Spicy Cheddar, and 4 Birds Oats And Maple Cookie. The Sun King option genuinely has a pretzel flavor to it that I enjoyed. To be honest I am not a popcorn fan, so the biggest compliment I can give is that I truly enjoyed the Spicy Cheddar.

For meals, my wife ordered Tink's Tomato Toasted Mozz ($14), which was probably the best item I tasted, my son ordered Pulled Buffalo Chicken ($14), which was light on buffalo but very good chicken, and I ordered Spinach Artichoke Melt ($14), which was good and extremely messy as I seemed to have an entire additional order to eat from what fell out of my sandwich as I ate. The sandwiches come with pickles and a choice of chips, dressed greens, soup, or popcorn. Due to wet cooler day, my wife chose their tomato bisque, which was thick and wonderful (and actually would make a splendid sauce with some pasta). I went with more of the Spicy Cheddar popcorn and my son had the Spicy Cheddar Pickle popcorn, which was my wife's favorite flavor of all.

We didn't drink anything beyond water, but they have a wide selection of options available if that might be of interest. I imagine this place probably gets packed on nice weather days and nights between their outdoor spaces, unique combination of food and beverage, and extremely...

Overall: Definitely try Just Pop In for a unique spin on something other than just a typical pub or restaurant

The good: The main feature, the popcorn itself, is pretty tasty and akin to Garrett’s in Chicago, which is high praise. Some of the flavors are even similar, but there are also standouts like the chocolate popcorn. We got flights that featured 3 flavors along with 3 pairings of wine, and the flavors of both were great. The pairings went along nicely as well, and I’m sure the same can be said for the beer pairing. They also have a mid-sized menu of “normal” food as well. The beet/goat cheese sandwich that we got was interesting and tasted good, even if it wasn’t the most filling thing in the world. The décor is trendy and casual and the service was very friendly and accommodating with our baby at the table.

The not-so-good: The major downside is the price – popcorn shouldn’t be this expensive nor should the majority of their food menu. I get the audience that you’re catering towards probably has some extra expenses, otherwise they wouldn’t be there, but it was still too pricey to me.

Food/drink: 8/10 Atmosphere:...

This actually the best popcorn in Indy. The problem I have is that the quality is inconsistent, and has been since they stopped focusing on popcorn. Now, they have the bistro in Broad Ripple, and they obviously pay more attention to it than the popcorn products. There are days when they barely have any popcorn, especially the popular flavors. And when they do have some, it’s not always fully covered with the flavoring, and there are lots of crumbs in the bags. The airport location is even worse. I used to travel from the far southeast side of town just for this popcorn, but it’s just not worth the trip most of the time. I wish they would go back to focusing on the popcorn product, like they did several years ago when they even attached a...