Popei's Clam Bar — Restaurant in Town of Babylon

Popei’s was the chosen spot to have a celebratory birthday dinner. The restaurant has two entirely different personalities: A lively and popular bar, and a quiet area with tables and booths. There’s an overflow seating area directly behind the bar. The large barn doors do a great job of keeping the bar atmosphere from drowning out the other seating areas.

Our waiter promptly greeted us and brought glasses of water for everyone at the table without us having to ask. We ordered the Thai chili calamari and had the option of having the sauce “tossed” on the calamari on the side. We chose to have it tossed but next time would get it on the side since the calamari loses its crispness from marinating in the sauce while at the table.

I ordered a penne dish with shrimp in vodka sauce and substituted linguine for the penne. The dish was served in a huge bowl that one of my dining companions could be used a bicycle helmet. The sauce and pasta were great. The one downside was the extremely bland shrimp. In addition to being bland, they ended up overcooking in the bowl. I would actually get this dish again but would ask for the shrimp to be blackened and would move to the surface of the bowl to hopefully stave off additional cooking.

One of my companions also ordered a shrimp dish and theirs was equally bland, but the ricotta sauce was great. The dish also contained crab, but it’s finely shredded, so if you’re looking for juicy, tender chunks of crab, this isn’t the dish for you.

The Ultimate Chicken Parm received rave reviews. The breading was done well and all of the flavors blended nicely.

Speaking of bread, guests receive complimentary garlic bread and it’s warm and tasty. Try not to eat too much if you’re planning on finishing your meal because the portions are Cheesecake Factory sized.

This is just my opinion but it would be nice if Popei’s offered lighter portions of their entrees (2/3rds the size) but includes a side salad for the same price as a regular entree.

The birthday person received a complimentary slice of cheesecake complete with candle and a Happy Birthday serenade by our waiter and another employee.

It wasn’t the best experience, but we’ve eaten here a few times and are pleased with the overall food quality, so we will...

Would have given negative 5 stars if it were an option. Ordered for pick up. When we received the order not everything was wrapped. The mac and cheese leaked and since they give paper bags the bag broke and the mac and cheese ended up on the floor. Also was given the wrong order of the shrimp scampi entree which mind you we asked if it came with linguini and was confirmed it did and a salad. The problem was not that the order was wrong it was that when we called they gave a very stank attitude and told us we were lying. The girl that answered the phone was very nasty and also told us to bring in the mac and cheese to prove that it has in fact fallen. When arrived at the restaurant again greeted like an animal had me show her the mac and cheese which they complained again that it was impossible that it had fallen. Also wanted to get a refund on the shrimp scampi because it was switched to penne a la vodka, due to the different prices you would think they would understand. Was told no and that when we placed the order was not told it was an entree which we confirmed on the phone it was.After being treated like a dirty wet dog the girls upfront had the nerve to hand me menus and said quote on quote " here are some menu's since you don't know whats on it and it will help you order next time". Told them no need to worry I will never be ordering from here again. Maybe management should train their staff not to be complete butt holes. Called the manager to complain that the staff was rude and was told nobody was rude. Told them I would be writing a review she begged "please don't do that", now she cared, I can see where the staff learns their manners from the management!!! Save your money and go somewhere where they learned how to act. I have also eaten there a few times the waiters are nice and I still couldn't believe how incredibly rude they were when placing orders for pick up. Guess the waiters have different managers that don't treat you like farm animals....

Food was really really good. Decent prices. Drinks were terrible. I don’t think they put even a half a shot in the mix. Plus we asked for salt on the rim of a mojito. Couldn’t even get that the first time.

When we were first seated the couple near by was outside smoking a cigarette. (Little did we know) Bus boy comes while the woman’s pocket book and sunglasses are still there and clears their food off the table. All of the plates had at least half of the food left. The couple comes in and are shocked their food is missing. They handled it very well. Manager told the waitress to tell them he’s only offering a round of drinks or free dessert for the mistake. The couple then Asks for the manager. He comes over looking very annoyed and like he couldn’t be bothered. He doesn’t even apologize for the mistake to the couple! After the couple speaks to him. He offers 20% off the bill after all the food they wanted to take home was thrown out. They are once again shocked. I felt the need to step in. I stated what we saw happen and then he decides to offer 50% off. Then he changes his mind and says he will have them make them 1/2 a plate of everything ordered. Finally something at least fair.

The “manager” is unprofessional. There is no better way to put it.

To top it off the bus boy who did it then has an attitude towards us and the plates on other tables. He throws our bread down and starts slamming stuff at the other table while cleaning up. When leaving he gives my girlfriend a dirty look and then started speaking in Spanish to another employee. Another unprofessional employee.

2 stars for great food but With a new manager and a bus boy who isn’t temperamental this place would...