Popkin Tavern

I played here once back in 2010 with a few friends doing a jazz ensemble during First Fridays and the joint was jumpin. I haven’t seen it filled with people since. Not even halfway.
I tried going back one other time when a Groupon came out. My boyfriend and I stood at the front entrance for no lie, 20 minutes and weren’t even awknowledged. The bartender seemingly had his three friends at the bar and there was no waitress or waiter to be found. Never been back since.

The food here is good (truffle fries! pizza!), and the drinks are even better. They’ve got lots of local beers on tap and their specials are usually unbeatable. In August they had $ 3 Virginia craft brews, all day, all night! Cray.
This place is sooo spacious. Huge ceiings, plenty of tables, Multi-​level building. Bathrooms downstairs. Pool tables in the loft area. But the very best thing about this place is the huge windows. Love it.
Now, this place would be much more popular with me if they could only get some better service. That goes for the bartenders, and the waitresses. Every single time I’ve been here, they drop the ball somehow. Once I accidentally spilled a beer at the bar and the bartender handed me the dirty rag and told me to clean it up myself! Last time, we had a large group of people and the waitress tried to take my credit card first without giving me a receipt to see what I was paying for! What?
I just can’t deal with this on a regular basis. There are other sports bars where the staff is competent. Such a shame because this place has so much potential.

After a successful wedding reception and hotel bar aftermath a good grouping of the wedding crew and I were looking for one last destination to imbibe upon before bidding the incredible evening adieu. Fortunately it led to an impressive goldmine in Popkin as they celebrated Belgian Independence Month in style. And while it didn’t give me a chance to sample upon a (better than) typical beer menu for the Tavern or indulge upon their impressive looking food menu; it did set a perfect precursor to future Richmond journeys and showcase how this bar handles special occasions.
For Belgian Independence Day Popkin had an offering from every single timeless Belgian brewery imagianable on tap for $ 3! Whether it was Delirium Tremens, Duchesse De Bourgogne, an offering from Chimay, St. Bernardus, or an even raer tripel or quad; it was there and ready to imbibe upon. Along with such decadence I was able to try a Fireball slalom, or rather doing a shot of Fireball whiskey with 3 others as the glasses were connected by a long ski (fun yet dangerous times if done in excess), and make note of the flawless service and pristine wooden décor that the place had to offer. And for that I’ll be back one day!

Great selection of beer and delciious beer

Great vibe and beer selection. I loved that there was an open layout with pool tables and varying areas to sit in.
The beer was great, a large list of beers on draft with good happy hour deals and good draft prices outside of happy hour. For appetizers we had the beer tots, popkin fries, calamari, and crab cake. They were all good but not amazing, I had the steak salad for dinner which was really good but I wasn’t a huge fan of the ratio of olive oil to balsamic in the dressing, it was a little too oily.
But overall, a great experience, amazing service, good food, I would go back. Plus they were having a Unilocal deal.

Great place to play pool and enjoy a libation during happy hour.
I live right around the corner and must have passed this place a million times and never thought much of it. The place just seemed to cater to the yuppy downtown types and I refuse to be a part of that, but I gave it a try. It’s located in an old furniture factory, complete with high ceilings, large bar, wood floors and an upper loft area.
My first visit I got a really good cheese pizza that was gooey, crisp on the edges and better than expected, so I will definitely order that again. The other people I was with were not impressed with their orders but loved my pizza. I don’t know if I just out ordered them or if pizza is really the only thing they can make great. I’ve been back since to play pool and plan to get the pizza again soon but refuse to give them more stars until I crush the rumors that this place sucks.
On my second visit it was for fun instead of food and must admit that I really love the happy hour –the pool is free and drinks are half price until 7pm. I had 3 Devil’s Backbone beers for under $ 10 which is unheard of. They have both DB’s German lager and the stout on tap which tempts me to be an alcoholic. The tables and cues were mostly in great shape and the atmosphere was yuppy but a mixed crowd.
I ran the pool table on my buddy, knocked back a few cold ones and walked out with most of my cash. Stellar.

A decent place for a beer and a bite, certainly. I’m not a beer drinker, but they have a few cocktails [My Oregon Hill was refreshing but… sort of small for a 10 $ drink] and a decent wine list, plus solid Happy Hour drink specials.
I ordered the fried goat cheese for a nibble while the rest of the group arrived, expecting… Well. I’m not positive what I expected, but what I –got– was about a pound of goat cheese divided into five large balls [not remotely bite-​sized], breaded and deep-​fried with honey. I ended up asking for a spoon to eat it with and sharing the stuff with the rest of the group, because as much as I Love goat cheese, it was impossible to eat alone. We put some on pizza crusts, ate some plain, poked at it with fries… Craziness. Don’t get this appetizer unless you have a serious need for goat cheese or a lot of people who want some. Someone else had the cheesy tater tots which were much easier to consume and thoroughly splendid.
I ended up going with the chicken tacos– uncertain if I was hungry enough for the shrimp and grits, though that sounded Awesome– and they were quite tasty– mostly meat and cheese with some small lettuce leaves wrapped in. The chips that accompanied them were acceptable but nothing to write home about, and there wasn’t a lot of the mango salsa, which is too bad, because it was good.
The service… oh, bless them, the poor dears. It’s so, painfully obvious that this place is understaffed [or was tonight], even without the hostess admitting it when we came in. So, so obvious. The two people bartending were struggling to keep up with orders and the handful of waitstaff were scrambling to serve everyone, which sadly led to forgotten questions and missing glasses of water and the occasional attempt to deliver food to the wrong table. It was a heroic effort, but I generally have to be –really– impressed to eat in a bar not a proper restaurant and ultimately there are just too many truly wonderful places in Richmond to bother with spots that aren’t quite up to snuff.

I went to Popkin Tavern for a VCU alumni event (Saturday night). It’s been a year since I last visited Popkin Tavern. The menu changed since my last visit to Popkin. I ordered a couple of appetizers. I chose the fried calamari and crab dip. The fried calamari was solid. I only had a few pieces of the calamari .I’m not a big fan squid but I wanted to try something outside the box. I don’t know how Popkin’s calamari stacks up against other restaurants since I’m a newbie at eating calamari. The crab dip was tasty. The crab dip had good flavor. I order a VCU special black and gold drink. The drink had a unique taste which I enjoyed. Popkin Tavern has some pool table for customers. I enjoyed shooting pool which was free. The layout of the restaurant is cool. The service was solid. There are some televisions throughout the restaurant. The parking is hit or miss. Popkin Tavern is a solid choice for pool, drinks, and appetizers. I give Popkin Tavern a 3.5 rating.

If you’re looking for a pretty chill restaurant and aren’t tight on money, then I recommend checking it out.
The place itself is gorgeous and HUGE. The décor is nice but I especially love the large windows that surround the front and side of the building. Good for people watching if you’re into that.
The service has always been pretty attentive and helpful. They definitely aim to please and well, I’ve never had a bad experience with that
The food has never been disappointing. The mac and cheese is by far my absolute FAVORITE dish that they have. i know a lot of you are thinking «mac and cheese? really? i can make that home». You should try it before judging too harshly. Seriously. But if you must have another recommendation then their cajun chicken pasta is pretty mouth watering as well.
Bar wise, go for happy hour. Their specials are pretty on point! Awesome beer selections and they have beer school on Saturday for all you beer lovers out there.
I’d recommend this place to everyone! :)
Happy eating!

Despite the many recent negative reviews, I went to Popkin anyway, because it was withing walking distance, and they had trivia. Although the experience wasn’t awful, I wouldn’t go back again for dinner. I would possibly sit at the bar, but definitely not get dinner. The food was dismal. Not awful, but nothing really good. Definitely overpriced for the quality.
Service — terrible. I waited 10 minutes for my drink, and when it was brought, it was the wrong one. Then I waited almost 20 minutes for the correct drink, and to order dinner. This was a Tuesday night, and there were only 3 other tables in our section. Later in the evening, we ended up asking the bartender for another drink, because the server wasn’t paying attention to us.
We stayed for trivia, which was fun, but not super exciting. There were only a few tables participating, and at the end, there were only two tables left. We won second place by default, and although the DJ kept saying there was no prize for winning, we did get prizes at the end. I guess that’s the reward for sticking it out the whole time? The winning table received a gift certificate, and we received a Jagermiester party pack — tshirts, hats, sweatbands, etc. I’ll never use the stuff, but it was a nice surprise. The trivia was a little strange though. The categories were weird and difficult, and it definitely was not made for a younger crowd.
I feel like the place really has a lot of potential. It’s large, in city center, so it’s right in the middle of First Friday art walks. The service just needs a push in the right direction, and they need a decent chef.

I’ve always been to Popkin in the past with a larger group and loved their pub apps (mmm they used to have Poutine and I’m a sucker for it), but we took advantage of our Groupon last night and mixed it up with a quiet dinner for two early on Tuesday night.
The atmosphere is nice with GIGANTIC windows for watching activity on the street. Service was great and happy hour specials made me happy with a bottle of house wine for $ 10 — take what you don’t drink with you. Music was great and I hear they have Trivia Tuesdays — sounds like fun.
We were seated right away and excited when our server answered our questions knowledgeably about their menu like it was a four star restaurant, and the entrée descriptions looked great. We took his advice and started with the Bangkok Shrimp — the spicy curry sauce was delicious but was not the spicy cilantro garlic described in the menu. I really don’t get the odd number of items in an app — five shrimp only works well for one — or — five people. I’d love it if someone could explain this to me.
The fish and chips entrée was okay — the fries were great and the fish *looked* amazing, but it was very bready (brown and crispy outside but white and mushy inside). The fish was eh-​okay, like frozen cod that’s been fried. The malted tarragon garlic aioli was more of a creamy, thick, nondescript sauce.
Crabcakes — I LOVE a good crabcake. These two large irregularly-​cooked numbers were underwhelming both in flavor, temperature and quality. The crab seemed canned. The chipotle aioli was chipotle-​ish and also sweetish — it was odd. The grits were good and the asparagus was grilled and warm, but that’s all — no butter, no sauce, just overcooked asparagus.
All the food was delivered in great time which is important to note given the other reviews. I think had we ordered and enjoyed burgers or just apps, I’d probably add a star, but the disappointing entrees took it down to two.
Bottom line — come here for the apps, drinks, view, service, and fun. I bet their burgers are good, too.

Nice atmosphere with the huge windows. The service was not good at all. Our waitress brought the wrong bottle of wine to those who were drinking at the table and then they brought the wrong food order to us. Drinks were very watered down. Then in fall, they turned on the air conditioner. The food was ok. They made my order wrong after waiting almost an hour to be served. Music was great. Maybe this is just great for a hang out spot for the bar and the music. If you are looking for great service and food, please pick another place.

After another day volunteering for the G40 around the 100 block of Broad, I left the Metro Gallery and went by Popkin Tavern for dinner. I had shared a sandwich with my mom there once right before going to a play at the Empire Theatre. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy, just some food nearby basically. I went in and sat at the bar.
I ordered the turkey burger with caramelized onions, provolone, and balsamic glaze with a side of tots. Pretty simple. It came out fairly quickly. The banter of the bartenders with the guy next to me was kind of amusing, but even though I chimed in a few times, they neglected to actually engage me in conversation. That was kind of lame, since part of sitting at the bar is getting to talk. Oh well.
Bathrooms: Men, Women. The smell of the bathrooms hits you as soon as you start to descend the stairs, a good 12 ft above the hallway where they are located. It’s an overpowering urinal-​cake smell covering a mildewy-​water smell. In the Men’s, a couple urinals and a stall.

I’ve been to Popkin Tavern one time when it first opened. Huge, beautiful space and nice staff, but otherwise, it was not a particularly stand-​out experience dining-​wise, and I walked away wondering how in the world they’d stay open for business. Fast forward many years, and they have managed to do just that. I always give a place a second chance, and I’ve been meaning to, but I just have found other places to go.

I came here with an open mind and eager expectations, despite low Unilocal ratings and because of a decent microbrew list, respectively.
Both are deserved, respectfully.
I did enjoy my food — two types of modern American tacos (fish and chipotle chicken), though the presentation was a little stale, as the beans and rice came out dry on the outside as if they’d been sitting under the warming lights a bit too long. But the veggie burger was unavailable, as were all of the pizzas.
And our server was very pleasant and helpful, with adorable dimples that made her smile even more personable. I liked the diversity of the clientele, too.
The beer selection, though not extensive, was well chosen. I overpassed the Dogfish Head 60-​Minute IPA (the hoppy beers being my usual favorites) for the seasonal Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale and the Southern Tier Crème Brulee Stout. Oh, so divine!
The setting is full of personality, and Popkins has great potential. I hope they can pull themselves up out of the low ratings and reach the heights that their expansive interior projects.

Gave this restaurant another chance on a Friday night due to a Groupon that had been previously purchased and was soon to expire. In light of my first experience at this restaurant, I was tempted to just let it expire. However, I had heard decent things about their fish tacos, so decided to give them one last chance for the sake of trying their tacos.
They have 4 different types of tacos (pork, chicken, tuna, and tilapia) and I decided to try one of each. The Ms. decided to get a chicken salad this time. The tuna taco was overcooked, and the tilapia taco had too much mango for my liking. The pork and chicken tacos were really good, but be aware they are both spicy. They are pretty decently priced for a restaurant at $ 3/​per and all had a decent amount of meat in them. My Ms. said that her salad was very average and the chicken was very bland and lacked any real taste or seasoning.
The verdict is we would go back just for the pork and chicken tacos.

I really like this place. I always eat here on Thursdays because of the $ 5.00 pizza special.
The service is pretty good. I have never really had an issue.
The interior is really nice. It’s a good place to eat at during First Friday’s. (However, be warned that it will be PACKED on a First Friday night and there won’t be any tables available. But then again, which restaurant on Broad isn’t packed with people during First Friday’s?)
Overall, it’s a good place to eat – make sure you go on a Thursday to get a five dollar pizza, it’s delicious.

If this place could talk it would say, «help me… I’m having an identity crisis!» After that it might say, my service & food kinda sucks.
Stepping in this join the first time; before they opened; I thought to myself, «Finally, someone is going to open up a cool place witha cool bigger-​city vibe»… yeah, I was wrong!
The great décor is where it comes to a screeching halt.
From the bad music choices; oh that is when they don’t have sports blasting instead of music; to the average bar fare, this place is sure to please if you’re really looking for a let down. And the service, umm well, not horrible, they are friendly; when tey actually come to your table.
And while I may seem a little harsh, just look at the place, before you actually go inside this joint walk/​drive by 27, Tarrants & Comfort… now ask yourself why these places are all busy even when it’s not 1^st Friday art-​walk in the ghetto and then this place has crickets chirping inside.
I believe if this place could actually figure out WTF it wants to be… hipster lounge… an 80’s bar… another sports bar (because Richmond needs another sports bar you know); they could probably find their way into penetrating the market. But that’s the problem, if you don’t know who you are than how are we supposed to know who you are Popkins?

Popkin Tavern is a new restaurant/​bar housed in an old furniture factory building. The name references the furniture company. The building is newly renovated, and it’s one of the nicest, biggest places to hang out in the downtown/​Fan/​Museum District area. There’s a big bar, pool tables, places to sit and eat and several different balcony rooms. There’s also lots of flat screen TVs. The interior is clean, contemporary and modern with bits of furniture memorabilia on the walls.
My company has held several work events here. They let us settle in one of the more private balcony areas and give us a dedicated waitress. Service is always friendly and good, even though we usually only order a few appetizers, some drinks and some sodas. They’ve even given us TVs with computer or DVD hook ups when we wanted to show videos.
The food here is fine, but not amazing. We’ve ordered fries, pizza and other simple apps. Everything has sufficed, but nothing has been great. Same with the drinks. But I come more for the atmosphere. It’s a place to hang with friends, not so much to enjoy a fine dinner. For what it is, I like it.

Interior– beautiful, very neat
Food — not neat, totally half-​assed
Drinks — decent beer selection; I know they have a $ 3 rail happy hour from 4 – 7
**stop in for a drink, eat somewhere else