Pop!

This place just didn’t POP! for me.
I’ll admit, I was lured in by the name, perhaps the graphics and that it looked cool from the outside each time I drove by.
Food is average. Not a ton of choices on the menu. Service was good.
This place just didn’t stand out for me. I wish it would’ve.

Me and my girl friend stopped in this place because it looked nice from the outside and at the time it was new. The décor was hmm ok. and the pulled pork was very good but not as good as the muddy pig. the selections of beer was bad and there liqueur selection was the standard stuff you would find at any dive bar. The service was very good and fast.

Loved the food, loved the atmosphere. We had the BEST waiter, Scott, who literally took us for a walk to our next stop after lunch. Now that’s what I call service.

more like ‘poop’. naa i kid… I went with my sister and her one year old baby; the atmosphere was perfect for her. there was new carpet, a high chair, and we weren’t disrupting other customers, cause there weren’t any. since my niece is only one, she didn’t mind the appalling décor or the mediocre food. it wasn’t a problem for her that our drinking glasses were empty or that the four of us were initially seated at an uncomfortably large banquet table more than an arm’s reach apart. on the plus side, the warm beet salad which didn’t taste right was gladly returned, no charge and no questions asked. the bill seemed fairly priced, we left full and modestly content, until I had a stomach ache for a few hours later in the night. (the portobello mushroom burger tasted great but beware)

I really don’t get the concept behind this place. It seemed to just be trumped up bar food with an atmosphere of a identity crisis between a casual restaurant and chic lounge. And the service was not very good.
Stopped in here for a burger & a beer on the way to a show at Roy Wilkins, as it was one of not too many choices in the area on a cold day. Granted I don’t spend much time in St. Paul so I don’t know what other options are around, but there must be someplace better than this for the items on their menu.

I was here with Lilly M and concur with her observations. For us, Pop! fizzled.
My Palomilla Steak Sandwich sounded great on paper, «marinated grilled steak, chimchurri sauce, queso fresco» but was just «meh» not very flavorful. Their signature «pops» (gourmet sodas) were cute, yet someone in our party ordered one of the more obscure options and it wasn’t available which makes me think… do they ever have it in stock?
Décor was unique to say the least, Lilly M’s husband explained it best, «I feel like we’re in a Japanese music video»

Wow, the reviews of this place are really all over the board. I can only speak for myself and I was not a fan. I wouldn’t go back or recommend it to anyone. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great… purely middle of the road from a food standpoint and the décor was certainly… poppy? but it didn’t work for me. The colors reminded me of an episode of Saved By The Bell. It felt dated, not Andy Warhol-​esque.
The menu is odd to say the least… most of the food seemed Spanish influenced, but then they throw in Swedish Meatballs and pizza? I was confused as to what they were going for. That said, if the food was good I would let the odd menu combinations slide, but everything our table ordered was just ok. With a name like POP the food shouldn’t be bland and it was. I ordered the pizza w/​green sauce, shrimp and chorizo and it was marginal. I’ve had better frozen pizza.
I hate it when I spend hard earned $$ to eat out and it’s a let down. We almost went to Brasa and should have. Oh well, lesson learned.

POP! is a newcomer to Wabasha St. in St. Paul — taking over the old home of Fhima’s. The colorful décor is complemented by a colorful menu. They put pride and creativity into every item on the menu — this is reflected in presentations of each dish as well. They have a great selection of local beers, infused vodkas, and novelty sodas — you can actually get a glass bottle of Jolt! I had the Pork Asado sandwich and we had the POP Fritters for an appetizer. The shoestring fries were fantastic; I actually finished them all before even touching my sandwich. The prices are reasonable, they have a great happy hour too, good value. They even comp 3 hours of free parking in the Lawson Ramp. Check out POP! if you haven’t already.

I ate here while I was visiting St. Paul for a conference.
The décor was vibrant and colorful. The logo reminds me of the Corn Pop cereal. Does anyone else feel this uncanny similarity?
I ordered the Portabella Sandwich. I was disappointed that it was fried. I mean really could it have hurt to have just grilled it? It wasn’t listed on the menu how they were going to cook the Portabella and I have to admit that I made the assumption that it would have been grilled. I mean come on. Fried foods lead to higher rates of cholesterol, blood pressure and the like. I can’t say that I even enjoyed it even though it was fried! Fried foods are usually a guilty indulgence for me. Because it was fried portabella mushroom, it was an odd chew.
The queso fundido was really good though — probably the only thing worth eating on the whole menu. I also have to give them credit for the vast array of bubbly nonalcoholic beverages that remind me of my childhood (80’s — in case you were wondering)

This is a place that I’ve wanted to check out for a while. Based on other reviews and newspaper write ups, I thought that I’d like it. I wish that I had come sooner. I actually loved this place.
The art and colors in the restaurant put me in a great mood. It was dreary outside, but bright and lively inside. For a few minutes I forgot that it was winter outside.
Their menu is traditional comfort food, a lot of sandwiches, and salads. They had tons of beverage options, Tab, Orangina, Crush, Yoohoo, any bizarre retro drink you could imagine.
I ordered the Swedish meatballs and was very happy with my meal. I think that it was the most expensive item on the menu at $ 10.75. Most meals were in the $ 8 – 10 range. The meatballs came with mashed potatoes and gravy and hard bread roll with lingdonberry jam. The bread and jam were great and so were the meatballs with gravy. The mashed potatoes, were a little dry for me, but still decent.
My friend ordered a soup and salad combo, that I was actually contemplating myself, but didn’t want to order the same thing. The salad was a warm beet salad, with arugula, spinach, walnuts, and feta. The soup was a black bean soup. They both looked pretty good.
The best part of the meal was dessert. They have $ 3 smaller individual desserts or $ 6 – 8 larger desserts to share. I split a crêpe filled with dolche de leche and vanilla ice cream. For $ 6 you got two scoops of ice cream drizzled with dolche de leche and 3 slices of crêpe filled with the stuff. There was a sugar glaze on top. This was one of the most satisfying desserts that I can remember.

This is so not my aesthetic I appreciate what they are trying to do, and if you love Andy Warhol it’s great… but it was so bright it gave me a head ache. They aren’t primary colors as have been suggested, it’s more the rejects from the crayola box that you could never find a home for. Well, you could color this restaurant. If you’re into that, cool, but it was too much for me.
The food was tasty — I was there for a sample circuit and they did a beyond excellent job. Food was cooked well, layout was good, and service was attentive (none of these are a given). However, I don’t quite ‘get’ the menu… mostly Latin American/​Spanish influenced (ceviche, patas bravas, dulce de leche) and then, um, swedish meatballs. It was just odd because the latin influence wasn’t announced officially, but was clearly present, and then there would be something truly random.
Pork sandiwcih = delicious, polenta = just as good. Patas bravas = not the best. Chocolate tres leche cake = disappointing (especially after eating 112s). Crêpe with dolce de leche = go there just for this alone!!! so good.
Still, I’m a happy camper. Just not sure how I can go back without blinders.

I love frugality. Pop used the leftover furniture from Fhima’s that went bellyup. It fits pop art perfectly. The music didn’t. Pop might be a stretch, but VELVET UNDERGROUND could work. The cheeseburger was good, nice crispy, matchstick fries, a nice, light color. I was talked into trying the mac and cheese, a specialty, not listed on the menu. Seven cheeses in a corkscrew pasta with big chunks of broccoli, and thinly sliced ham. They really should list it as pasta C. All those cheeses actually made it quite loose, nothing I’d equate with a mac and cheese. It was tasty enough, but spicy, possibly between the pepper jack and an over abundance of black pepper. If you want m&c, I just happened to have it the day before at TGI FRIDAYS. Half the price, and OMG. I wasn’t turned off to the place though. They have a really eclectic menu, that I look forward to trying. It’s a good fit for this location.

A very cool modernist restaurant in downtown St. Paul. There’s pop art (get it?) on the walls and the color scheme is bold primaries. Furniture is what you’d get at a place like Design Within Reach. We only had dessert, but based on that alone, I really like this place. For less than $ 3 per dessert, we got a butterscotch sundae and chocolate tres leches cake topped with chocolate gelato. So good, and the portions are generous for the price. We also tried a cocktail touted as being like a slice of warm apple pie in liquid form, and it was dead on (but QUITE strong at the bottom). We didn’t see a full menu, but the specials listed on a card at the table sounded effing awesome: Mac and cheese with six cheeses and bacon, bison burger, and other stuff I can’t remember now. We are definitely coming back.

Pop! is quite an amazing restaurant.
Pop! is really easy to find in downtown St Paul. You can’t miss it, just look for the big windows with neon-​pink light emanating from them.
I started off with the Queso Fundido, a cheese and pepper fondue served with various breads and vegetables. I was a little skeptical at first, but it was one of the more satisfying appetizers I think I’ve ever found. It was very tasty, not greasy, and didn’t fill me up before I even made it to the main course.
My Spanish Burger was very tasty, and the French fries that came with it were fairly standard. The only thing that sticks out in my mind that could be considered undesirable is the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a small half pound burger before.
I tried the Pork Asado sandwich, and must highly recommend it. It was fantastic, and way more than I could ever eat in one sitting.
Our service that night was great and I left with no complaints.

It’s a 3 versus expectations. With a name like «Pop» we expected more. The décor was great, it lived up to its name. The food, not so much. It was good, don’t get us wrong but the flavors didn’t jump out as the name would like you to believe.
We had the Cuban sandwich and ½ soup and and salad (chicken satay and the black bean). The cuban and the salad we would return, the soup is a do-​over.
The service was great, our waitress kept the glasses full and was friendly. If you are looking for a great lunch spot in downtown St. Paul, POP is the stop for you, if you are expecting it the food to be an explosion of flavor, there are other options in St. Paul.

oh POP how i’ve abandoned you?! how could i possibly have forgotten a review of my favorite haunt? because you are so ingrained into the fiber of my being that i forgot to acknowledge your presence.
and now you have two? j’adore even more.
basil pineapple martini– xo 2 u

I have to say. I am always creeped out when eating establishments are carpeted. But since this place just opened, it is still spill and stain free.
They have really cute chairs and the décor is bright and colorful. Which I dig. For some reason they have those battery operated massagers on the tables, which is a little weird. Ours was dirty, which I only realized after rubbing it all over myself. Do you really want a vibrator of any shape or form on your table?
The waiters were leechy… they wouldn’t stop talking to us about boring stuff and the woman who boxed the rest of my sandwich had to interrupt my conversation with my mom to show me how she boxed it. I don’t care. Whatever works.
But the food was good. I had the portabello mushroom sandwich which was slightly battered and delicious. They also have Sioux City Sarsaparilla, which I haven’t seen in a million years.
They have all sorts of crazy sodas that you can’t get anywhere else.
They also have a creative drink menu. I felt, as a vegetarian, that there were enough options for me.
I probably won’t be back, only because of the location. I never go downtown St. Paul, even though I live nearby. It’s weird.
Plus, it’s really hard to find the door to this place. Like it’s not really labeled.

Though I have never tried the northeast Minneapolis Pop! (with one exclamation point), I was excited to check out the new Pop! (two exclamation points) in the old Fhima’s space in downtown St. Paul. I was not disappointed by my experience. It’s a huge space but they’ve managed to fill it with a lot of neat stuff – all of it brightly colored and modern furniture with great lighting. You just can’t help but feel happy when you are in there. It was very nice.
I had the Thai chicken satay salad which was good… it had 3 chicken skewers on it. They were a little burnt but it was still tasty. My dining companions had «Pasta A» and «Pasta B.» It wasn’t anything out of this world but it was good and the portions seemed big enough for the price. Their wine selection is huge. They also have plenty of beers and specialty drinks. The service was nice and we chatted with our waitress for awhile.
I don’t make it to downtown St. Paul much but I would make the trek to go to this place again. As a bonus: each table has little hand-​held back massagers – kind of a fun touch!