Popei's Clam Bar — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

First off I want to say that this place has great food, which is the literal only saving grace of this place, The food is great, that is not the issue with this place.

The issue with this place is that they have horrible employees and staff and they engage in pretty shady practices, me and my family have been to this place twice. The first time I came with my mother and some friends, they ordered some alcoholic drinks off the menu, the waiter didn't bring back what they ordered and instead brought them a much more expensive drink that they did not ask for, I believe it was titos vodka, that they did not order, and they where obligated to pay for much more expensive drinks that they literally did not ask for.

The second time was worse, we went there at a not so busy time and there was plenty of open seats for a party of 3, the waitress literally CHOSE to sit us at the end table near the kitchen, where the employees are constantly walking by, I could understand if it was busy, but it wasn't. So I could literally feel every employee stomping and walking past the kitchen area roughly every other minute. It's not like I came in there with a grumpy attitude, they literally just chose to do this, for no reason.

The waitresses would literally see we're ready to order and needed refills and such and would just ignore us, despite trying to get her attention, or we would request something and it wouldn't get fulfilled, it often fell on a worker that would have to pick up the slack of the employees around them, making that one employee have to work twice as hard, I forget his name but he definitely deserves a promotion.

After we where done eating we got the bill, which was about $110 including all the tax and charges and stuff, the worst part was, when we gave the waitress our card, we found that the price of our bill had changed from $110 to $124 with no valid explanation on the random increase or a reason as to why our bill had suddenly increased 14 dollars and it didn't appear on the itemized bill. We still tipped well despite terrible, and shady staff.

There is no valid reason for a bill to magically increase from the time it enters the waitresses hand to the time it gets to the table, absolute zero, so I can only assume that they added some random extra charge. I literally couldn't make this up if I wanted to.

I hate to nitpick and complain, since these are all first world problems but I refuse to continue to give money to a business that treats their customers like this, so despite enjoying the food,, I won't be returning or...

I would hardly classify this restaurant as a "clam bar". In my forty years of dining experience (after I moved from my childhood home for the military), such venues were rustic at best with the day's catch brought from the boat dock into the kitchen. Popei's is an overpriced "feeding trough" at first glance of the menu choices. However, that is the near farthest from the truth. ("Farthest" is an extreme word with no discernible measure.) Hence, it applies not here.

The atmosphere is casual and the noise levels low enough to speak softly and be heard by your dining partner. The patrons and surroundings create a comfortable vibe and fantastically aromatic fare wafting in from their stove made me think of volunteering as a sous chef there and requesting a sautee pan and some fIame. My lady requested I sit back down. Bummer.

I had found some justification for their price point based upon the large portions they serve. My lady and I requested the remnants of our meals be packaged to take home. The next day I had my delicious selection in a part two lunch reenactment which totally justified the cost and made me think of two things:

These folks must make a living during this COVID destruction of our economy The preparation, quality, service, and portions were above are far above average

These two assessments makes Popei's my new neighborhood restaurant. The portion sizes divided into four meals between the two of us created a second worthy experience the next day for our lunch and again cerebrally reinforced the quality of the gastronomic fare.

If I attempted to consume my entire meal in one sitting, then the memory due to price point would have been focused on what a lobster and Angus steak dinner would normally be priced in a Manhattan or Paris venue without white tablecloths.

Four stars for price. Five stars for the remaining service, preparation, quality, and...

Oh, how I've missed this place! Moved to Queens years ago and I've yet to find a better seafood joint. Feel free to enlighten me anyone, please.

Popei's is not to be confused with a stuffy, upscale city restaurant. This is what the name suggests, a clam bar. You come here when you want fresh and delicious seafood and you are ready to chow down. Portions are giving, everything is fresh, service is accommodating and down to earth, food is so damn good and the prices are fair.

Last weekend, the wife planned a trip to the farms on the north shore and on the way home I slyly slipped in a scenic route along 25 and, well, whaddaya know? Look, it's Popei's! Who's hungry? Wife and daughter both on board. Yes!

I ordered way too much for the three of us but didn't care because I was happy to take some to go. We started with Broccoli Rabe, Sautéd Scungilli (a must), Chopped Salad with seafood and a bucket of Mussels white wine style. For dinner, we continued sharing plates which consisted of a large Clam Bake (a must) and a mixed seafood tri-color pasta dish in vodka sauce I forgot the name... maybe Sea-Tastic? Whatever. We were enjoying our delicious food so much I think our neighbor table may have thought they were watching a scene from Animal Planet. Who cares. No room for dessert. We were all so satisfied I dropped 25% and then proceeded to the dingy bathroom to wash up before hitting the road back to Whitestone.

Decor: meh. It's a clam bar. Though it's actually nicer than many I've been to. Daughter was impressed by sharks suspended from above. Food: amazing Service: fantastic Parking: plentiful Price: worth it

Hey honey, ya know, I saw you really enjoyed that farm's vegetables. Maybe I'll take you back there next week before the...