Popolano’s Restaurant
225 S Calumet Rd, Chesterton, IN, 46304
Popolano’s Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Chesterton for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Chesterton for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Chesterton for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
225 S Calumet Rd
Chesterton, IN, 46304 - Phone (219) 926-5552
- Website https://popolanosrestaurant.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Pizza
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Jerry S.
Excellent Italian food! I had the home made ravioli, and it was superb. The wait staff were friendly and helpful. They even had live music on the patio. A return is definitely in order.
(5)Tina M.
My new favorite place for dinner after the dunes!
(5)Jeff A.
Simply awesome! Great service and fantastic food.
(5)Bill R.
We had a great experience here. Had the White Fish Vesuvio. It was excellent. Mushroom/Artichoke soup was also tasty. Service was professional and fast.
(5)Josh Z.
I would have given this place 4.5 stars when we first started going here about 5 yrs ago. The food was great, the staff was halfway friendly, the outdoor seating was perfect, and they even had music on sat. nights. This was my wife and I's favorite, for food, price and atmosphere close by. Now the staff changes every time I go, and they replaced the bread and olive oil w/ some tasteless rolls. The food is hit or miss and I keep going back hoping it was just a off day, but this place is going downhill.
(3)Mike G.
First time here. I ordered the stuffed chicken Parmesan, with chicken dumpling soup. First the bread rolls came. Very doughy, yeasty. Not much flavor. Then my chicken dumpling soup came. It was served cold. Sent it back for a warm up, came back a tad warmer. A person I was with also had the C&D soup and it was cold also. The waitress asked if I wanted potato soup instead. So I tried it, very watery and buttery. Not much flavor. Now my entree came. It was a mush of chicken sitting on a bed of noodles and water from the roasted tomatoes. Not much flavor, and to be honest not very good. The only good thing that might bring me back was our awesome waitress Jerica who tried very hard to please us and was very apologetic. Also the live music on the patio was very good. If it wasn't for that, I would have got up and left.
(1)Mike S.
It is with a heavy heart that I give this place two stars. I simply can no longer recommend popolanos. I'll explain. I first went there about three or four years ago. It was great! I took my family and friends there and everyone loved it. Then about two years ago, things started going downhill. The food quality started dropping rapidly. The staff has always been friendly and attentive, but I just cannot justify the high cost of the food. I could tell over time that the previous ingredients were being subbed out for cheaper alternatives. The chicken tastes over processed, the bread is not nearly as tasty as it once was, and instead of sticking with quality ingredients and unique tastes, everything is covered with bland sauces. This place has everything going for it; great location, good waitstaff, nice full bar... But the prices are above average and the food quality has dropped far below average. I have been back several times since the food quality began dropping and I see no improvement. Stay away. This place needs to make major changes to it's menu before I return and can recommend like I once used to.
(2)Cilla C.
My first visit to Popolano's, stopped in about 3pm to get something to eat. We ordered the spinach & artichoke dip appetizer, which was good. Then I ordered the Fish & Chips basket, unfortunately this was incredibly greasy. Beyond what would be considered "normal" & the flavor was just not there. Can't see me rushing back...
(2)Eric S.
Was with a group of 6. We sat outside and if you are going to do the same make sure to bring bug spray. Not sure if management needs to spray or something. The food was very good. However, the bread was very average for an Italian restaurant and we didn't receive any oil with our bread like the menu said. Overall an enjoyable experience except for the bugs.
(4)Christine S.
My girlfriend had to get her dish re-made here. On her birthday. Other than that, the food is decent.
(3)Levent T.
"A-OK" is a perfect description. Nothing was a "WOW" with flavors and the staff was very accommodating. Overall satisfying, however, their specialty of stuffed chicken was a tad greasy, pasta was over cooked (not a fan of angel hair for that reason) and was served the wrong sauce. Cute and quaint building doesn't make it good for larger parties. Bottom line...I'd go back only if I was in the area again and paying with my expense account.
(3)Gena B.
Last night that place was chaos!!! Food was good but management was struggling to juggle a party of 25 or so, the patio and inside seating. We were told a 5 minute wait (while they closed the patio) that ended up being 20 minutes the hostess was newbie so we can't blame her. We were watching the craziness all the while looking at 3 open tables. When finally seated in another area, our waiter struggled the whole time. He had 4 two tops eventually but kept getting his tables mixed up. He kept trying to give us another tables stuff the whole night. I had to ask for a refill 4 times before I got one. This place is banned. We don't need this kind of chaos when we try to have a nice dinner out!
(2)Tonia O.
The outside of this gorgeous little Victorian home is very picturesque. The owners did a phenomenal job! But you can't eat exterior right? Unless your a termite and the home is made of delicious grade A cedar. I had high expectations of Popolano's after tasting their food at a wedding expo. I ordered exactly what I had taste and I was somewhat disappointed to put it mildly. The pot roast meal was HUMONGOUS, which is good...but not great if your not really diggin' the food. The "homemade-mac n cheese" wasn't very good and it wasn't very warm. Which tells me that it was a heat-em-up eat-um-up. I didn't enjoy the seemingly all-purpose brown sauce poured over the entire meal. I prefer meat in its natural juices and using said juice as a garnish if need be. The carrots would have been great (I LOVE carrots), except they put a sweet glaze over it and they were over cooked (see mushy). I couldn't tell if I was eating sweet potatoes or not. My dates meal was Lake Perch, but it looked more like a box of children's fish n chips. I dunno, I think the presentation could have been a lot better. The waitstaff/service was great. A note to the woman who must of been a manager that night: if your going to thank someone for dining at the restaurant, acknowledge everyone. I was blatantly ignored. I'm definitely willing to give this place another try...down the road. P.S. The restaurant was pretty empty. Why on earth would they seat two women with a baby behind a couple on a date??? (there were 30+ other seats available).
(3)A. S.
I loved Popolanos in Lansing and since it closed decided to try this one...totally not the same! All we got was pizza on our first visit (maybe our last) and while I love sauce I don't like it dripping out of the pizza when I bite it...it's just not that good and it cannot compare to Lansing. Outside is cute and so is the front room but the back room is overly cliched Italian with a mural painted on the wall and fake plants everywhere (aka dust collectors)...don't think I would come back here for the pizza but maybe for something else.
(3)Theodora H.
We ordered delivery. It arrived faster than we thought, which was good! The employees seemed very nice, too. As for the food, first, let me say my mom, who is from out of town, really liked this pizza. We ordered one with a lot of veggies. As for me, I didn't care for it too much. There was a lot of sauce, and it was very sweet. The peppers and onions were kinda raw, which other people might like but was not my favorite. I may have liked it if were just cheese pizza, but the other people in my party wanted toppings so toppings it was. The crust reminded me of a saltine cracker with less flavor. Sad to say, I probably would have liked Pizza Hut better.
(2)Darin V.
Quaint little spot. Brought my kids and ordered pizza, which was very good. Outdoor and indoor seating was available. The stuffed mushrooms were awesome, and there was a wide selection of beers. I'm from Hawaii, so my judgement on pricing is skewed, but it seems like everything was a fair deal for the size of the portions. Definitely recommend it, whether a family night out or an intimate date.
(4)G G.
I had a delivery order and got a basic cheese pizza and some "pizza bites". (Pizza bites are little crusts of pizza and you dip them in pizza sauce if you were wondering.) Although you can't really enjoy the dipping sauces if they don't include them in the order. The pizza was edible and no different than the Joe Schmoe type pizza take out you'd find anywhere. But definitely not Pizza Pizza or Papa Porta-Potty's. To put it in more perspective, we got a extra large pizza to feed 8 kids ages ranging from 5-14 and they didn't finish it. And it was thin crust. They weren't thrilled with it either. The girl that took the order was accommodating and even delivered waters and extra plates since we were at a baseball game down the road. She did a good job. Also I ordered a 2 liter of Sierra Mist but she stated it was warm. Why would you deliver soda warm? I've never had dinner at the place but I wouldn't go unless it was absolutely necessary.
(3)Norman B.
Awesome food! Great atmosphere! Service has been outstanding every time I've been here. I recommend the rigatoni and spicy chicken! Also the name is a kinda deceiving it's not a hot type of spicy but a well seasoned type of spicy.
(5)Alexandru A.
The place is a bit better than just OK. They accommodated 12 ppl in with 20 min notice, and it looks pretty cute. The patio looks nice as well, and the Italian (or old American) music was really nice. I started with the stuffed mushroom caps which were more than enough as a starter to share, and were pretty good, though I didn't feel any of the goat cheese, nor did the sausage taste similar to any Italian sausage that I know (more like regular sausage). I also had a cup of mushroom cream soup with artichoke, and it was delicious. The main course was white fish with baked potatoes, and it had a delicious garlic-rosemary-butter sauce. The fish was unfortunately overdone, so it was too soft. All in all, decent food for up to $30 for one, plus wine, could've been better, but to be fair, I didn't try what they claim to be their best.
(3)Jon N.
Tonight we had a wonderful dinner at Popolano's! Here's why I loved it... first, the company was amazing! Fun to be with a friend from California to show her around. Second, the yeast rolls are crazy good, especially because they came out hot. All of us had the handmade ravioli and we were not disappointed. When pasta is handmade it has that thick chewy texture to it that, in my opinion, makes the dish. With a bit of pesto sauce on some and marinara sauce on a few others, I was completely satisfied when I was finished. Excellent meal and service!
(4)Vanessa F.
Very cute area, love that the restaurant is right next to an antique store (shopping!). Husband and I went for dinner, wanting pizza. Tried their Italian Chili, was really good :D. Ordered pizza with all the fixings, extra crispy. Love that they make their own pizza dough. Our server was very nice, talked with us and very attentive. The only tip i would suggest is that you request a table away from the front door. Being in Indiana in February, the cold air whooshed right in every time the door opened. I was sooo cold that I kept my jacket on the whole time.
(4)Ken M.
We chose Popolano's because it was one of the few restaurants open on New Year's Day. There weren't many people in for dinner. Service was not expert but not bad either. Our first course was the Italian Fusion appetizer which is toasted bread with olive tapenade, goat cheese, and tomato bruschetta. Toppings had a sweet undertone I couldn't place. The bread was not oiled, grilled, or rubbed with garlic; it was simply toasted to the point of hard staleness. We also tried the stuffed green pepper soup and it had some kind of formed meat in it that neither of us could identify. Two dinner courses: cavatappi and lasagna. Presentation of cavatappi was dismal: it looked like mac and cheese with a couple green dots. Menu describes this dish as having asparagus but it only included a few limp pieces of stalk. Chicken was ordered with it as well and it was also sparse. The lasagna was also missing a couple elements, the most glaring was ricotta cheese. Menu calls this entree Eight Layer Lasagna and that's what it is: eight layers of pasta. You might as well order spaghetti. On a positive note, the bolognese sauce was passable. There was nothing freshly made and you could probably create higher quality food at home which is what I'll do instead of eating at Popolano's.
(2)PJ O.
We sat outside on the front porch on a glorious summer night; nice atmosphere in all al fresco areas. I had the "bus tour" dish (you pick there entrees and get a BIG portion of each. ..yunmy!). All three were tasty; the eggplant one was steaming hot, two were lukewarm. My friend had chicken stuffed w/ 4 cheeses.
(4)Dan N.
Halfway through a 50 mile bike ride with my parents and little sister (yes, I'm a 28 year old man and still go on bike rides with my parents), we decided to make a pit-stop at Popolano's in Chesterton. It was a nice Saturday afternoon, so the outdoor patio here was the ideal choice. To be honest, I didn't even step foot inside the restaurant, so I couldn't give any input on that, but I will say it's one of the nicer patio's that I've experienced. We ordered a few appetizers and drinks. I would HIGHLY recommend the Tequila Lime pizza, as skeptical as I was going into it, it was utterly delicious. We also ordered the Beach Bread and the Calamari--both of which were good, but the Tequila Lime pizza was definitely the star of the show. And yes, the 2nd 25 miles were MUCH harder than the first.
(4)Michael And Eliza D.
Nice cozy place with great food. Live music outdoor eating nice friendly staff. Highly recommended close to downtown.
(3)Brandon S.
I ordered the rustica pizza. The toppings were good, but the sauce was a little bland. I ordered a mojito. It lacked flavor. I am not sure what was left out or mis-measured. My complaint comes from how slow the service was. Every step took far too long. Our server was friendly, but simple things like bringing the bill were tedious.
(2)Chantelle O.
Dining alone. Seated at a table under a freakin spotlight. Hoping food is worth the uncomfortable seat....waiting......waiting still.....verdict is in, it's good! Wait staff was less than terrible but the food great.
(3)J R.
If you love dining alfresco, you will love Popolano's. I visited with family on a Sunday evening and food was excellent. Free warm bread, butter & olive oil dip Here's what we ordered: -Tequila Lime Pizza, very tasty. -Bleu Cheese Burger w/Sweet potatoe fries, yum yum Prices were excellent! Both entrees were under $10 each! Menu is extensive with pasta, pizza, burgers, & fish
(5)Kurtis K.
Great Food - really love the outdoor dining in the summertime!!!
(5)Joel C.
I have eaten at this restaurant multiple times and I have always had excellent service and great food. The prices are always reasonable and the outside seating is great too.
(5)Geoff M.
First of all, before getting to the important stuff, the food here was really good. I had one of the specials, which was marlin with a coconut risotto and a mango salsa. All were extremely fresh and flavorful. The chicken dumpling soup and the very yeasty bread served along with my meal were also terrific. The pizza my son ordered and the eggplant strada my wife had were also quite good, and none of us left hungry. My wife and I had the sangria to drink -- which was quite good and refreshing. But the best things about this restaurant, and the most surprising to me knowing nothing about Chesterton, were the ambiance and location. First of all, I had never heard of Chesterton -- I simply wound up there because there happened to be a Hilton Garden hotel there near Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. I figured we'd wind up having to eat at some form of chain restaurant. But as it turns out, there is a very cute little downtown Chesterton area that has not one but multiple nice-looking restaurants, several with large, attractive outdoor seating -- perfect for a beautiful late-spring evening! Second, the ambience of this place in particular was quite nice. Very large outdoor seating area in the front of the converted house, full of fountains and bistro tables. People of all ages -- couples, families with young children, babies, etc. Next door was a very nice house that had been converted into an antique store. To summarize, the high points of this place are: - lovely downtown Chesterton location - great outdoor seating for nice weather - fresh tasty food - family-friendly -- the staff was terrific in dealing with our 3 year-old The low points are: - not particularly cheap -- but this isn't really a low point.
(4)Jack M.
Went here on a date with my fiancee' and was very pleased with my experience. The atmosphere is nice, plenty of family chatter to keep it relaxed but not terribly loud. Also, the Tequila Lime Pizza is to die for! (at least for me :) Good place for a relaxing meal with friends and family.
(4)Jon P.
For a really long time I had no idea what this place was. I must have passed it at least a couple hundred times before really thinking about eating there. I have no idea why though. It might be the building. From what I can tell, it looks like a converted old house, and it has an absolutely huge outdoor eating area facing the street. Not that these are bad things. The location and building are probably the best part about the joint. I had takeout once from here, but yesterday I finally sat down and ate there with my dad for dinner. We came kinda late, so it was pretty quiet. I would have liked to eat outside, but it was maybe one or two degrees below the perfect temperature, so of course my dad said it was too cold. The patio is really nice though. The inside isn't too shabby either. There's a nice bar that doubles as a lobby/entrance area. The dining room is surprisingly small though. I wonder what's in the upper levels of this place... Anyways, the waitress we had was very nice and accommodating. Nothing but good things to say about her. I ordered the rigatoni and chicken and my dad ordered some sort of beef sandwich. We got bread and oil and I got a cup of chicken dumpling soup. Both run-of-the-mill. The meals themselves were pretty disappointing. My pasta had a good flavor, but the chicken... man, that chicken was rough. They are chunks of white meat, but a lot of the chunks have tons of fat running through them. My dad could tell just by me trying to cut through it that something wasn't quite right. I didn't try his sandwich, but at one point during dinner he did say, "this is the worst beef I've ever had." I've never heard him say that before, so I have to assume it had to be pretty bad. Popolano's seems like it would be a great place to have a drink outside, but to go there for a meal, eeeeh. I left feeling like the place was more flash than substance.
(2)John H.
After waiting over a 45min for a table, hoping that the food was worth it, we were finally seated from a waitress that was crying because the manager was yelling at her in front of everyone, (she was doing nothing wrong, besides telling people that they might have to wait for a table, and some people ended up leaving because they did not want to wait) The manager was a very rude women who didn't seem to be doing her job very well at all. We found several small little fruit flies in our vinaigrette dressing! the manager (which was the same one yelling) gave us a very different vinaigrette that tasted very funny and was not what we had previously. My son also had hair in his sprite. They got my daughters drink order wrong, and their were flies buzzing around our heads the whole time! the fettuccine Alfredo was bland and It lacked flavor, the sauce tasted chalky. My wife had the eggplant which was ok. The beer was actually pretty good and the bloody mary's were a bit spicy but not too bad! i would not go back to this place!
(1)Rob O.
Popolano's is a nice place with an upscale burger and pub menu. What sets it apart is the location. Popolano's is located in a beautiful old house in Chesterton, Indiana. After a day on Lake Michigan, it's a wonderful place to stop for a drink and a good sandwich. The food is a little hit or miss--like all pub food. When we were there, I had the club wrap. It was decent, but not amazing. As usual, the bacon in a club controls and Popolano's uses a solid applewood smoked bacon. It was a wonderful, tasty and crunchy addition to the turkey--which tasted okay and the avocado that was pretty much flavorless. Best part of the meal: the sweet potato fries. They are not to be missed.
(3)Lisa J.
If you are up for waiting FOREVER to get some service then this is the restaurant for you! Once we sat down we did not see the waitress for over 12 minutes. I had my 4 yr old with me so once the waitress got to us I ordered the entire meal at once and informed the waitress that my daughter was very hungry. Close to 15 min later we got our drinks and then nothing....no bread, no water. We arrived at 6 pm and did not leave unt 8:15! This is not Italy people its Chesterton, Indiana....we dont want to sit forever to eat!! The owners have got to get on the kitchen staff and the wait staff....unacceptable. Food was medicore at best, I'm not sure about the other reviewers I can't imagine telling anyone to order anything but the pizza...
(1)Jacob J.
My plan was to hit up Butler Winery for wine tastings and then do some noshing at Popolano's. Alas, Butler winery inconvenienced my schedule by an unscheduled closing! Well, since the two businesses are so close in distance, we headed right over. It must've been around 5 pm on a Friday and it was packed already. With, you guessed it the early evening crowd, mostly elderly peoples. I happened there with a smoking hot cougar, so we got lots of looks from this crowd. Maybe it was the cougar or maybe me, the recent addition of color to the already bland crowd. We were told that there is a Friday fish fry special which starts at 5 pm, so some people got there earlier to get in on the deal. The special is under ten bucks (m/b) for all you can eat Perch, fish and chips, shrimp and more. Most tables ordered the special. Since we were just two, we scored an enchanting booth nearer to the rear of the restaurant next to the handicapped entrance. There they have a few plush booths and single tables for two against a picturesque view of the side of an older Italian building with flowers and greens hanging over a balcony. The opposite walls depict a garden view and each one of the tables in the cozy area; has a table candle lit to add to its ambiance. The restaurant is set inside an historic, over one hundred year old building and was converted into this restaurant from an ice cream parlor. For real! This is a big building for an ice cream parlor. Just for the sake of saying Popolano's is NOT a chain restaurant, it's a family owned restaurant with two locations and some history there. Since we were winery hopping we ordered a few appetizers, one of the all you can slam fried shrimp & chips specials and more wine. The house offered a special on sangria, I had hoped to have one of their signature (fresh fruit) pina colada's but they were out of fruit. The special sangria was okay and had a nice buzzing punch to it. Food was good, fried butter flied shrimp with waffle fries and the toasted ravioli was perfect. Crisp outside with a tasty ricotta (?) cheese filling. Two strange tidbits, the sauce for both the ravioli and the shrimp were so cold I feel as though it's refrigerated in its serving cup. The taste is great but the consistency is so chunky it's hard to get a good dip. Second strange tidbit, the waitress was dumbstruck when I said we were only having drinks and appetizers. As if every patron always orders an entrée. Later that evening at our next destination I would realize this is a norm around here, everyone orders an entrée. Good food, decent drinks, a bit pricey but looking forward to a return maybe with a group so I can see another area of the restaurant. Reservations are necessary. Groups expect a thirty to forty-five minute wait during rush hours.
(4)Danielle F.
Friendly service. The lasagna is almost as good as my sister's, and that's pretty damn good!
(4)Nikta P.
We were here on a beautiful day for a late lunch and sitting on the patio was so nice. Our server was friendly and not fake and over polite. Her recommendations were spot on and our prime rib and pot roast sandwiches were delicious. We liked it so much we ordered pizza from them that night. Toppings were yummy but the thin crust wasn't as crispy as I would like and it took a little longer than they said it would but it was a good price and made for a good breakfast the next morning!!
(4)Richelle B.
I didn't know it was a multiple location restaurant until I read the other review. Makes a bit more sense now I guess. I had mediocre food and mediocre service. I will probably not go back on my own free will. I expected more out of this place. When the servers are dressed in vests and dress pants and shirts, that's the quality I thought I was also going to get in my food. Wrong. Went there for lunch after the European Market with my bff's. They had been there before. My sister-in-laws baby shower was catered by them, and I was less than impressed than, but I thought maybe it was just the mass producedness of the food that lead to my opinions. So, I was open to trying again. We sat down and the server asked us if we wanted any drinks. I asked what beers they had. He blankly stared at me and said, a lot. What do you want? If I knew what I wanted, I wouldn't have asked him to tell me, I would have asked if they had it. I ended up having to go inside to the bar to look at the beers. They only had about 12, so the fact that the server could not tell me this, was a bit annoying. The first beer I asked for (that the bartender said they had), they were out of. Anyway, we order our food, and the server brings the wrong dressing with my salad. I asked for two different ones, so I didn't say anything as at least one of them was ok. I ordered the 4 cheese pizza, and my friends ordered entree salads. I had no idea the pizza was going to be the size of a large english muffin. I looked up the cost of their to go pizza's, and this was more than their 12" small pizza, but was maybe 4" total. If I was starving I may have been a bit upset. I asked for wine with my meal, and by the time I got it (after reminding the server about it), I was almost done. My friend ordered her dressing on her salad on the side, but it was on it. And my other friend didn't have any dressing at all. When he asked the server for dressing, the server said, oh no it just comes with the drippings as the dressing. A. Chicken really doesn't produce much "drippings", B. That is a horrible way to describe it. If our server had been extremely busy, I wouldn't have minded some of the mistakes, however he only had one other table of 4. I hate to see how the service is on a busy day/night. All in all, the food was eh, soso. I know that this is a small place in a small town, but the decor and ambiance they (attempt to) create leads one to believe that the food and service will match. At least I can check this off my places to try list, and now i'm done with it!
(2)Henry C.
I had a bad experience here one time. My girlfriend and I got there one Friday evening and they were pretty busy, I've seen busier, but it was busy. Anyways, we waited, and waited, and waited, which wasn't so bad until the hostess seated two other couples ahead of us even though we were there first. I know, why didn't I say something right away? Well I blew it off the first time because I really liked the place, but the second time I spoke up. The woman must have been having a bad night and was kind of rude with her apology. Well, we walked out. I am still going to give them a good review, however, because I really like their food and as the last reviewer said, the prices are good. I forgive the hostess as she was in fact probably having a bad day and I can't be a great judge for that moment because I was really really hungry, and then really really pissed off. I've been to another Popolano's in Lansing, IL. many times, but this one blows them away by far. Again, they do get busy so if you are going, go well before you are about to pass out from malnourishment! Check out their site here: popolanosrestaurant.com
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