Restaurant in New York City, United States
Seasonal Italian that justifies the trip to Red Hook.
A Michelin Plate-recognised Italian from Maialino alumni on Brooklyn's Red Hook waterfront. At $$$, the pasta alone justifies the trip, and the seasonal, concise menu punches above its price point. Book a week ahead for weekdays; the small room fills quickly on weekends.
If you're weighing a Brooklyn Italian dinner and your first instinct is Via Carota in the West Village, Popina is worth reconsidering. It earns a Michelin Plate (2025), holds a 4.5 on Google across 365 reviews, and sits on the Columbia Street waterfront in Red Hook with Italian-leaning cooking from alumni of Danny Meyer's Maialino. The food is seasonal, the menu is concise, and the pasta is the reason to come. At $$$ per head, it costs less than a trip to Ai Fiori or Babbo and delivers a more relaxed, neighbourhood-scale experience. Book if that trade-off suits you.
Popina sits at 127 Columbia Street in the quieter reaches of Red Hook, a waterfront stretch that keeps the room feeling removed from the density of Manhattan-facing Brooklyn. The space reads as small and intentional: a compact dining room where proximity to other tables is part of the deal, not a compromise. If you are coming for a date or a low-key celebration, the intimacy works in your favour. If you need space or privacy for a business dinner, the room's scale will feel constraining. Think carefully about group size before booking: a table of two at a corner seat will feel considered; a larger party should confirm availability and layout in advance.
The kitchen is led by chef Orel Kimchi, who trained at Maialino, the Roman-inflected trattoria from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. That lineage is evident in the approach: the food is Italian in spirit, grounded in seasonal produce, and built around a short menu that changes with what is available. This is not a kitchen chasing complexity for its own sake. The progression of a meal here follows a familiar Italian arc — something light to start, pasta as the centrepiece, a protein or vegetable course to follow — but the execution reflects genuine training and restraint rather than formula.
Pasta is the dish category most consistently cited in recognition of Popina, and it is where the kitchen's Maialino roots show most clearly. Roman pasta technique favours precision over elaboration: the interest comes from the quality of the ingredient, the accuracy of the cook, and the sauce-to-pasta ratio. If that style of cooking is what you are looking for, Popina delivers it at a price point well below what comparable technical standards cost in Manhattan. For context, Altro Paradiso in Hudson Square covers similar Italian territory at a comparable price, but operates in a larger, louder room. Ammazzacaffè targets a similar neighbourhood register. Popina's waterfront location and the intimacy of its room give it a slightly different character from either.
The seasonal framing matters for timing your visit. Popina's menu is built around what is current, which means the experience in late autumn or winter will differ meaningfully from what summer on the Columbia Street waterfront offers. If you are planning around a specific dish category or want the full benefit of the room's relationship with its surroundings, the warmer months are worth targeting. Michelin's 2025 Plate recognition confirms consistent kitchen quality, but the menu you encounter will be shaped by the season you visit in.
The Opinionated About Dining ranking (Leading Restaurants, #497, 2025) places Popina in documented company for a restaurant operating at this price point and scale. OAD rankings are crowd-sourced from frequent diners and critics, which means the score reflects repeat visits and category knowledge rather than a single inspection. For a $$$, casual-register Italian in Brooklyn, that kind of recognition is meaningful. It suggests the kitchen performs reliably, not just on a good night.
For special occasions, Popina works leading as an intimate dinner for two rather than a group celebration. The room's size, the menu's focus, and the general register of the experience suit a date or a quiet birthday dinner more than a large table. If you are planning a milestone dinner that requires a grander setting or a longer tasting format, look at Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg for structured tasting menus with more theatrical progression. Popina's value is in doing something focused and well-executed at a human scale, not in ceremony or spectacle.
Getting to Red Hook from central Brooklyn or Manhattan requires planning. The neighbourhood is not directly served by subway; the closest options involve a walk or a ride-share from the Smith-9th Street F/G stop. Factor that in when timing your arrival, particularly in winter when the waterfront walk is less pleasant. The trade-off is that the location contributes to the room's calm: Red Hook does not generate the ambient noise and foot traffic that follow most Brooklyn dining destinations.
Booking difficulty sits at moderate. Popina is not a same-day option, but it does not require the weeks-out lead time of higher-demand Manhattan rooms. A week's notice should be sufficient for most dates; weekends will fill faster. For the wider Italian dining picture across New York City, see our full New York City restaurants guide. You can also browse hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences across the city for trip planning. If Italian at this level of seriousness interests you outside New York, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto offer different reference points for the cuisine's range internationally.
Address: 127 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Cuisine: Italian. Price: $$$. Reservations: Moderate difficulty , book 5–7 days ahead for weekdays, more for weekends. Dress: No stated dress code; smart-casual fits the room's register. Awards: Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants #497 (2025). Google Rating: 4.5 (365 reviews). Getting there: No direct subway access to Red Hook; plan for a ride-share or walk from the F/G at Smith-9th Street.
See the comparison section below for how Popina sits against New York City's wider restaurant field.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popina | Italian | $$$ | Popina is a casual and friendly spot on the waterfront in Brooklyn with terrific Italian-leaning food from Maialino alumns. Although small, the menu is thoughtful, seasonal and fresh. Pasta is a stand...; Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #497 (2025) | Moderate | — |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in current data for Popina. Given the room is described as small, walk-in bar options are likely limited. Book a table in advance — weekdays need 5–7 days lead time, weekends more. Don't risk showing up without a reservation.
Popina is a casual, waterfront Italian spot in Red Hook at 127 Columbia Street — not a neighborhood you stumble into, so plan the trip deliberately. It holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and comes from Maialino alumni, which sets the floor for pasta quality. The menu is seasonal and concise, so expect limited choices done well rather than a sprawling Italian-American list. Book 5–7 days ahead for weekdays.
A tasting menu format is not confirmed in the venue data. Popina reads as a à la carte or limited seasonal menu operation — if a tasting format matters to you, verify directly before booking. For structured tasting experiences in NYC, Atomix or Eleven Madison Park are the reference points at a significantly higher price tier.
At $$$, Popina sits in the mid-to-upper bracket for casual Brooklyn dining, but the Michelin Plate recognition and Maialino pedigree back the ask. For that price range, you're getting seasonal, thoughtful Italian with a strong pasta focus — not a white-tablecloth production. If you're comparing dollar-for-dollar against Manhattan Italian at the same tier, Popina's waterfront setting and quieter room add practical value.
The small room and casual format make Popina a reasonable solo option. Whether counter or bar seating is available for walk-in solos is not confirmed, so book ahead even for one. The relaxed atmosphere from Maialino alumni means it won't feel stiff dining alone — this is not a formal room.
Popina is described as casual and friendly, so leave the dress clothes at home. Think put-together casual — clean jeans and a decent shirt are fine. It is a waterfront Brooklyn spot, not a Midtown dining room, and the room tone reflects that.
Pasta is the standout category at Popina — the venue's own description flags it as a strength, which aligns with the Maialino alumni background. Beyond that, the menu is seasonal, so specific dishes will rotate. Focus on pasta as your anchor order and build around whatever is current on the seasonal menu.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
