Pop's Kitchen — Restaurant in Maryland Heights

Chicken so hot it melted the containers before I got home! On the upside they are actively addressing the containers issue. Plenty of flavor too. Waited about 15 min to get order, from start to finish with about 7 other orders ahead of me. Very reasonable. The pile of french fries in each container helped absorb some of the grease too.

The seasonings. Not bad. But cannot quite put finger on it. Something to get used too.

The critique: I ordered the Butterfly Shrimp, Chicken Strips and Cat Fish. I wanted to try a little of everything. I also often get the chicken bowl. The butterfly shrimp, a salty sweet soft crust. The shrimp were I think bigger than Red Lobster butterfly shrimp. I could tell they had been de-veined. But, unexpectedly they were chewy. Maybe it's normal for really big shrimp but the chewy and strings were not expected. Maybe freezer burned? Have to pass on them a second round. Maybe the smaller shrink will be better?

Edit: I have tried the large shrimp several times and they are always the same. However try the regular shrimp. Much larger than say popcorn, but juicy, soft and flavorful just as a shrimp should be.

The chicken strips massive and juicy. Again the seasoning is bit different. But I have otherwise enjoyed and will probably come back for more. Nothing unusual for chicken strips.

The Cat Fish. Ordered for my wife. But tried a few. Heavy on the breading and light on the fish. Maybe a little overcooked not sure. I am not as much a cat fish person. Though I wanted to like them. I intend to try a fish mixture another day. I was also thinking they were heavy on the onion seasoning until I realized there was a actual slice of onion in the container!?

Edit: My wife asks for the cat fish every time I order.

For a everything fried place this place does not disappoint and they were sure popular with the locals. -Edit: so far the only ones I have seen that don't like this place have a major attitude. You can find them pretty easily. Nothing they report is even kinda close to reality. The food is good, if you like fried food. Some folks complain about seasoning. I have literally seen people ask for more then complain it was too much, so I will ignore them.

Wait times? About 15 min as it takes to load the up the fryers. Helps to place order over phone or online. You might have a longer wait on a large order or if any are ahead of you. They sling this stuff out...

I used to come to this location and I had pleasant experiences, but this time is the LAST time I will give them my service. I showed up around 7:30pm on a Saturday and placed my order for 2 $13.99 Combos 2 Pc Tilapia/ 4 pc Chicken Wings, 2 pc Catfish/ 4pc Chicken Wings and 1 oreo cake and 1 strawberry cake (mind u they didn’t give me a receipt) they told me a 20 minute wait. (No problem) I finally come back after 20 minutes they have the order ready tied up in a white bag. I drive home which is 30 minutes away. I get home around 8:00 shortly after I opened the bag there’s no cakes😐 ( mind you there hours are 11-8 Monday-Saturday). So I couldn’t call Sunday so I went back up there Monday and the “boss” said because he didn’t take my order and the other guy did that works there I needed to come back up tomorrow after 4 which is today (Tuesday). Which didn’t make sense because if you are the “boss” you should make sure the customer is taken care of not giving the customer the run around over 2 cakes that they paid for and didn’t receive. I came back today and of course the other guy doesn’t recognize me and asked for my name (which is redundant). Anyways, after dealing with their bs for 10 minutes they finally tell me they have the strawberry cake but not the oreo cake even though the “boss” knew I was coming back to get my cakes smh. So not only did I waste my gas and time but not having the correct items and I had to compromise for something else which is ridiculous. They should’ve given me something extra for inconveniencing me🤷🏾‍♀️. This place sucks now. Ps: GET ORDERS CORRECT THE FIRST TIME ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE ALL ITEMS...

Because there aren’t many convenient carry-out restaurants in Maryland Heights/Creve Coeur I typically come here a few times per month when we aren’t feeling like cooking. Been coming here since they opened and as you can imagine I’ve spent hundreds of dollars monthly and have referred many of people. I’ve overlooked many things and I’ve given them grace after receiving poor quality food before. However, I am definitely done spending money with this establishment now after being sold Swai today that was passed off as Catfish! You can get Swai for pennies on the dollar compared to the more expensive Catfish. So, restaurants have started passing it off as catfish because it’s a similar looking white fish. I called the owner and I told him that he sold me Swai but advertised Catfish, and instead of him being honest and confessing he tried to gaslight me by telling me that he doesn’t sell catfish filets here, he sells Swai. But, CLEARLY it’s on the menu and CLEARLY they are lying and ripping off the very community that keeps them in business. I am a LONG TIME Serial Entrepreneur AND a Chef (hence how I knew exactly what I was eating) and people respect my opinion and suggestions. So naturally I will be telling all of my friends, neighbors, etc. to take their money elsewhere. And to add insult to injury my chicken was over cooked, and fried in old grease (the grease should be changed daily and I could taste that it wasn’t) I am...