Cozy new bistro that I've now been to once a week since they opened. The food is delicious, the staff and management are attentive, the ambiance is inviting. Who doesn't love a byob with fresh food made to order and a warm vibe? read more

Popolari - Italian Near Me - Bloomfield, New Jersey

Excellent new addition to the Bloomfield/Montclair area. We've eaten here three times and each time service was excellent and food was fantastic. Casual BYOB. A very nice menu. Pasta all great so far. Great apps. Two different style pizzas. I'm really looking forward to going again. And has nice outside tables. A fun place and I highly recommend. Owner is always around and seems like a very nice guy. Also has a few non Italian dishes. read more

SO GLAD we stumbled upon this gem for lunch today! The Neapolitan pizza was delicious and the other dishes (zuppa di clams and arancini) were equally fantastic. The owner, chef, and server were friendly and highly attentive. I can't wait to return!!! read more

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Amazing! This food is so good! We loved every bite! The penne vodka was perfection and the Sicilian pizza was one of the best I've ever had! It's also a really cute place. You have to check it out read more

This place is amazing!!!!!!!! The food is incredible !!! They have an adorable outdoor seating area in the front and the back, and the best part is that I'm a vegan and they accommodated me and my food was INCREDIBLE! My husband got the pizza and he said it was the best pizza he has had in a very long time! Definitely recommend! read more

Fantastic meal here. Service was accurate, timely and most of all friendly and fun! Our table of four ordered selections from the salad menu, pizza, and pasta and we were all very pleased and agreed we'd definitely come back again. We sat outside and enjoyed the ambiance and the music. read more

Solid 4.5. We've been here maybe 4 times and never been disappointed. Great Italian gem. Everything tastes fresh and delicious. My go to fav is their Pappardelle Bolognese. Vodka spicy sauce yummy. Also their mushroom pasta so flavorful. And the pizzas can't go wrong. read more

Cutest little place! Love all the colors and decor. Staff is super nice, and Mido the owner is amazing! The food is INCREDIBLE! The Popolari pizza is to die for, and the pastas we got were all so delicious, such yummy sauces! . It's BYOB which definitely brings the price down (everything is priced very fairly) and there is a liquor store a few doors down in case you run out and order an extra pizza! Highly highly recommend read more

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Quite surprised this place doesn't score higher, but perhaps it's best to keep it a secret for the rest of us? We dined here last night and were charmed by the ambience of this quaint little restaurant. Wine by the bottle was very reasonably priced, and we both loved our entrees - my wife said her carbonara was the best she's ever had (better than mine, which is now in second place), and I really enjoyed the gnocchi with pistachio-basil pesto cream. Portions were ample, service was excellent. We're just sorry we don't live nearby so that we could try it all. read more

This restaurant is fabulous!! Sitting outside and starting with a nice arancini I felt like I was in a cafe in Calabria. The pastas and the pizzas we had were next level and the wait staff and owner could not have been kinder and more accommodating. This new place is the real deal and I can't wait to return. They were doing quite a great business on a Saturday night in July which bodes very well for them. They have only been opened a couple of weeks and they're were many returning customers all around us. So happy they are in the neighborhood but this place I would travel for. read more

We actually stumbled upon this place by accident, which happened to be the best mistake of our lives...the Neapolitan style pizza is fantastic and so were the other appetizers we tried (zuppa di clams and arancini)...they just opened about a month ago - definitely check them out! we don't live close but we'll definitely be back for this hidden gem read more

We had dinner at Popolari after an enthusiastic recommendation from some friends. It did not disappoint. Really less of a formal restaurant than a truly excellent Italian cafe. Great service and genuine Mediterranean dishes. Everything was delicious. This is a new regular spot for us. read more

I ordered the spicy vodka pasta and breaded chicken for take out and the food was delish. However, they really screwed up the order by not including the chicken. Instead of comping me or offering to give a new meal, they just kept fumbling. I wish they had better staff! read more

What a delightful place. Went here for lunch with 2 friends. The atmosphere is simple with an Italian cafe vibe. We each ordered sandwiches. The treat here, is that they are served on delicious homemade focaccia. The eggplant was done perfectly not to thick or thin with the perfect amount of cheese and sauce. The sandwich also came with a salad or soup. We all chose the salad. It consisted of arugula, halved cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan with a balsamic glaze. Oh how tasty! Yes, it takes a little while to be served but that's only because everything is made fresh. The owner stopped by to ask how we enjoyed our meal. He then offered complimentary zeppoli. Oh my - tasty nuggets of perfectly fried deliciousness. Will definitely return and recommend. Dining at night reservations STRONGLY recommended. read more

Food was good. However, too much balsamic glaze on everything. It over powered everything. Keep it simple, simple works.

I rarely write reviews, but this place deserves an honest review from someone that eats out often and is generally somewhat disappointed with either the food, service or atmosphere. My husband is a fantastic cook, he makes homemade soups, pizza's, you name it, what ever he touches is over the top delicious. With that, we go out with family or friends just to be with them. So this storefront pizzeria/italian restaurant blew us away! Our waitress was super sweet and attentive and each dish she delivered was DELICIOUS! We ordered 2 salads, L'Italiano and the Mediterraneo....both were outstanding. Fresh greens, superb parmigiano reggiano with the perfect dressing on each salad. Next was the pizza, cooked to perfection, totally delicious, great crust. We also ordered the meatballs, cavatelli and broccoli, pork chop and peppers and the mafaldine e fungi truffle pasta dish, I could go into detail how terrific each dish was but trust me, each dish was prepared and cooked by a talented chef. Whatever they are doing there is done with their heart and soul. It's a true gem! I can't wait to go back! read more

We had a wonderful time last night. We made reservations in advance which I would recommend for weekends. The decor is charming with exposed brick and nods to Italy and Mediterranean. The restaurant was definitely busy with tables full and brisk takeout business. Our group wanted to try the spicy vodka pasta as a starter to share. Great flavors with an creamy sauce that had a nice kick. I usually add chili flakes to my pasta so I appreciated that this prepared with spice in mind. We loved the napoletana pizzas. We ordered the margarita, 4 cheese and funghi. Crispy crust and great flavors. My favorite was the funghi- it was cheesy and mushroomy with the right amount of truffle cream. Our sever was attentive and the owner was wonderful. I would definitely come back again. Next time we want to try other pastas/pizzas and their fondue! read more

Food is so good! Loved the truffle mushroom pasta and the carbonara is so uniquely delicious!!!

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this Italian restaurant with a Mediterranean flair. Service was very friendly and the owner kept stopping by to make sure everything was to our liking. If it's available, definitely order the fondue special with the grilled vegetables. We also had the gnocchi with pesto that had the extra special added touches of crumbled pistachios and burrata as well as the arugula salad with grilled calamari. Portions were enough to save some for lunch the next day especially after the fondue, and pricing was very reasonable. We will definitely return. And it's BYO with a liquor store conveniently located a few doors down near the famous Holsten's. read more

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I recently came here for the first time and I love it! From the appetizer to the entree it was delicious and fresh! I would definitely come back again! And to mention the owner was very attentive and nice! read more

Popolari - Pizza - Italian Near Me - Bloomfield, New Jersey

service was awful. 1-1/2 hours from order to salad. 35 min more til entree and only after we asked about it. one entree was like eating a spoonful of salt. overpriced. the owner/manager were more interested in watching the local fireworks outside than taking care of customers. not going back. read more

Please don't get drawn in by the exterior cuteness and go have a much higher quality Italian dinner at ZiZia's in Bloomfield, with lovely staff and at lower cost for the same dishes. I was greeted by a waiter who was odd from the get go. The complimentary typical tomato bruschetta was good. I ordered from a menu designating antipasto, primi (first courses) and secondi (second courses) - which means when you are done with one, the next course arrives. It wasn't a busy night for them. As an appetizer I chose zuppa di clams. The flavor was good, but there were two bad (unopened, meaning dead and rotting) clams in the dish - my family had had restaurants for years - when you are serving the clams, you remove those that are closed - topped with two pieces of toasted bread that were already getting soggy, versus bringing a basket of bread to the table - this is a cheapskate move, and typically it's shared, bread used to sop up the broth; the owner used to be a partner and part of the family in another local Italian restaurant run by children of Italian immigrants and knows better. For the first course I ordered spaghetti al pomodoro (usually fresh ripe tomato or strained tomato sauce); second course I ordered chicken Milanese. Yet, the waiter came out with the two courses at the same time. Once again, the same owner knows better - plus, I later found out when I called that he is the cook. I swear I was polite in pointing out the menu says first and second course; the waiter told me he would bring the second course back and they would even redo part of it, without me asking. The spaghetti had - I'm not exaggerating - a few bits of cheap salad grade not fully ripe tomato with no flavor, a pool of oil at the bottom, loaded with thick slices of garlic, which is fine if it's pasta with oil and garlic, and the texture of the fresh spaghetti was clumping together as though it had not been fully cooked and then fried a bit. Then the second course was brought back, the chicken topped with tomato salad, which I get is a thing now and was good on its own, but the sides were cold. I told the waiter exactly what I wrote here and could clearly hear him telling his boss about my complaints, sarcastically imitating me. I rarely say something is wrong at a restaurant, and most of my reviews are very positive; this place is not cheap in its pricing, and my complaints weren't unreasonable. The waiter came back and told me there was no one available to talk to me. So I left and called a few days later to talk to the owner, who said he remembered but lied and told me that he was just coming to talk to me but I had already left lol. I repeated everything that was wrong, and even said that the food could be better. He not once offered an apology, nothing, did not take any responsibility, offered nonsense excuses and even put down the waiter, saying it's hard to find good help, when I mentioned overhearing the way he reported my complaint. I basically told him what I think of him before I hung up. read more

Came here the first time and it was excellent. Service was great, food was really good. The chicken francaise was tender, lots of lemon flavor, best I ever had. Pasta was so good. This time the chicken was not pounded thin, tasted a day old and lost the lemon flavor. Margarita pizza had no flavor. Consistency is key. We will try again because of how good it was the first time. Would have had 5 stars if it wasn't for this experience. Worth trying again. PS: Waitress was a bit off, I think she was high. read more

I've been to this restaurant a few times and really enjoyed the food. I raved so much about it that on on my birthday, my family did a surprise dinner for me. My sister, called the owner to plan the night, a deal was made where we will have dinner from 7:30-9:30 and at 9:30 we would have the place to ourselves for cake and dancing, we also had to guarantee 12 appetizers off the menu. When we arrived, the tables were not set up. After waiting, when the tables were finally set up, there was not enough room for everyone, and people had to sit outside. Appetizers started to come out (which we didn't order, it was news to us that the apps were prefixes). We ordered our food around 8:00, we were totally aware that the food would take some time due to the amount of people and the freshness of the orders. Around 9:30, the owner came over to apologize for the wait and sent out some pizza (which was burnt). When the food finally arrives at 10 (there are still people at the restaurant after he said it would be "private"), half the orders were incorrect. When they mentioned it to the owner he proceeded to say, "that's what they ordered" (which it was not what they ordered). After dinner, we had the place to ourselves for about 30 minutes (not the hour and a half mentioned prior to booking). At this point everyone was so annoyed, so we got the check. But, when we get the check, my sister went over to the owner to check to see if her deposit was deducted (it wasn't) from the check and the owner said "I can only take venmo or cash". Uhhhhh? What? Extremely unprofessional as this should have been brought to my sisters attention during the booking. Seems like large parties cannot be accommodated and it should not have been agreed to. A huge part in running a successful restaurant is customer service. The food is good, but unfortunately it was all ruined in one night, I will never give this place another penny. This all could have been avoided if he respectfully declined a party size in which he could not handle. To the owner, I really don't want a response to this review, I want you to take this corrective feedback, professionally and change your customer service strategy. I can no longer stand by the 5 star review I previously gave during my first experience. read more

We had been wanting to try this restaurant since it opened, and I'm happy we did! Food was great. We started with a neopolitan pizza as an app and then each had a pasta entree which consisted of homemade pasta! The atmosphere is unlike anything in the area. The weather was iffy when we went for dinner but next time we will definitely ask to sit on the back patio; Just walking through it to leave i felt like I was in an Italian cafe or on a balcony somewhere. Patrick was our server and he was so friendly and made the experience that much better. We will definitely return to this new neighborhood gem! read more

I give this a 3 star for the great service and the nice ambiance of the place. However, the food was just ok. The burrata salad was decent but how can you really messed that up. My penne pasta dish (eggplant & shrimp) was way over cooked where the pasta was falling apart as I tried to pick it up. Not sure what the hype is with this place when there's so many other great Italian places near by. Plus some prices just didn't make sense such as $15 for a plain pizza pie which was small enough to consider it a personal pie. read more

Great service and the best tasting pasta I've ever had! They make their pasta from scratch and you can definitely taste it. I have been here twice with friends and all have been impressed by the food, environment, and how friendly the staff is. read more

Popolari - Spicy Vodka Pasta and Linguini Pomodoro - Italian Near Me - Bloomfield, New Jersey

Excellent food and ambiance! My sister came to visit and she said the food was excellent !

This is simply a great restaurant. We went today to watch the Italy/England game and the food was unbelievable. The staff was super attentive and the atmosphere was amazing. I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for a great evening with great food. read more

It was supposed to be a pre-Mothers Day Saturday evening celebration. The ONLY exciting part was when we arrived at Popolari, other than that, it went downhill from there. Our reservation's at 7pm, we didn't get our appetizer until 8:15-8:30pm, by 9:41pm, we've asked for the manager. After having a "COLORFUL" talk with the manager/owner and chef, our food finally arrived, right at closing time 10PM . We are grateful for the discounted receipt, and dessert, albeit delayed. read more

Only come here if your party is 4 people or less. Given that we had large party, I understand that there can be a wait for food. However, we waited over 2 hours for our meal. It was an awful experience. Our kids were starving and tired by the time we were served. I've had much better dining experiences at other local establishments. read more

They take reservations, but that is a actual joke. After waiting over an hour past my reservation time and watching 4 parties arrive after me and get seated at tables that would have accommodated my party size, we left. I should also mention that we were told to stand and wait outside in the cold next to the outdoor heater. When we finally gave up on this place, we wound up at Vesta Wood Fired in East Rutherford where not only was the food amazing, but the service and hospitality were unmatched. read more

Came here for my date night with my girlfriend and it was great! Hospitality of the staff was amazing and the food was even better. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone! Ambiance is a 10/10 will definitely be coming back here! read more

Popolari - Italian Near Me - Bloomfield, New Jersey

Awful service. My husband placed a pickup order for two pies. We were told 30 minutes. He went into pick it up and they claim he never called to place an order. He showed them the phone log. He placed the order again while there and was told 30 minutes. He went back for pick up and something made him check the boxes. They gave him somebody else's order! The owner told him he'd make two new pies immediately. My husband took the pizzas home and one was a soupy mess and the margherita pie was burnt, had very little cheese and way too much sauce. All in all $30 for two very disappointing pies and really terrible service. I really want to love this place so please get it together. read more

Came here after seeing a video on TikTok talking about how good it was. I made a reservation and when we arrived the manager tried to seat us outside even though it was raining. I had specifically made a reservation for indoor seating but he said I did not and was very baffled as to why we wouldn't want to sit outside, though it was raining really hard. We were finally seated and no one really brought us water or waited on us for a very long time. When we did put our food in our entrees came out before the appetizers and we just felt very rushed. The food was good but I think it's very expensive. Overall i don't want to go back because it seemed unorganized and everyone was kind of rude. read more

we went there for the first time. our waiter was Mattao. he was personable, recommended delicious entrees, and an asset to this establishment. the food was delicious and when they came out singing happy birthday to me and my in-law-that was the icing on the cake. I highly recommend everyone dines there, you won't be disappointed! -- Bea M. read more

Had a fantastic meal at La Popolari! Ordered the arancini rice balls, popolari meatballs, and a Cesar salad for an appetizer, all were delicious. For main course the mushroom mafaldine pasta, chicken francese, and popolari pizza, all recommended and none disappointed! Will definitely be coming back, a very trendy, BYOB with great food ! read more

My son invited us to try a new restaurant. From the moment we arrived without a reservation we were impressed! The staff is amazing & accommodating. The owner is genuine and has deep pride in his restaurant . The food was fantastic and there was an amazing vibe!! I look forward to enjoying the Pizza Garden and will definitely be dining here on a regular basis!!! Anita V. read more

we really enjoyed the food, service and ambiance at Populari. our server was victor and he was amazing. everyone should try Populari!

We have been to or ordered takeout from here 5+ times and have NEVER had a good experience. I thought that maybe after they established their business, they would be able to operate as a functional food establishment but the incompetence of the manager and staff on all occasions is truly astonishing. As someone who worked in food and hospitality for years, the level of service provided to customers is so piss poor. It's a shame because the food is actually good but we have never ever waited less than 1.5 or even 2+ hours for a single entree. No matter the capacity of the restaurant. It's not worth it. There are much better restaurants in Montclair and would gladly give my money to la Rocca or salute instead. read more