One of the things I really like about my neighborhood is the variety of restaurants. The Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Live” said it best, “It’s not just the number, variety, and quality of restaurants that make Boston’s South End a mecca for food lovers; it’s also the array of specialty purveyors, such as the Five Seventy Market and South End Formaggio.”
Unfortunately, not all restaurants in this neighborhood are worth visiting. Such is the frustration I have with Pop’s Restaurant. This tiny little restaurant has so much going for it. First the service is consistently friendly, second the place is so cute (esp since they remodeled their bar), and third they have arguably the best patio for people watching in all of the South End.
The problem with Pop’s is its inconsistency. One meal can be good and the next a disappointment. Such was the case with breakfast today. After staying away from Pop’s for the past couple years, we opted to go in for a Sunday brunch last month. Our food was delicious…So today, when we decided we would like to have breakfast al fresco, we thought we’d give Pop’s another try. Both of us ordered the same exact meal we had the month prior but the food bore little resemblance to that previous visit. My order Pop’s breakfast: 3 eggs any style, potato hash, toast and side of ham was far more salty this time and plated very differently. The last time the presentation was so visually engaging I actually took a photo and tweeted it. Sergio’s order BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich was also significantly saltier and the bread this time was pressed making the sandwich both difficult to eat and not to his liking.
When the food served is to your liking the prices make the restaurant worthwhile with the average breakfast meal $9-$10; lunch items $12-$14 and dinner entrees ranging from $15-$25. The problem is the odds never seem to work in my favor and I’m not much of a betting man. There are simply too many other restaurants that are consistently good in this neighborhood so my suggestion would unfortunately be to keep walking.
Pop’s Restaurant is located at 560 Tremont Street in the South End.
Reservations are a good idea for dinner.
BosGuy 