South Bank favourite Popolo reopens with ‘pure soul food’

After a decade at Brisbane’s South Bank, this Italian institution has reopened fresh from a makeover with a new look and menu.

After a decade perched just a fork toss from the edge of the Brisbane River at the “flashy” end of South Bank, casual Italian eatery Popolo decided it was time for a freshen-up.

The relaxed restaurant with the kind of water and city views that add an extra zero to the lease closed in February, reopening last month to reveal a fresh new look it hopes will carry it into the next decade.

The rustic, almost grungy aesthetic of mottled walls and peeling retro posters is gone in favour of a sleeker, more sophisticated design.

The new-look Popolo restaurant, South Brisbane.

Though the physical changes have been kept to a minimum, the overall look and feel is lighter, brighter and more inviting. It also still retains its relaxed charm, making it the kind of venue you could walk into off nearby Streets Beach in your boardies and T-shirt, or get dressed up for on a Wednesday night.

The egalitarian approach extends to the menu too – a wide-reaching collection of Italian favourites that have been refreshed along with the fit-out.

There are a dozen “starters” that can either be shared or act as an entree, from truffled burrata with olive oil and toasted bread ($18) to fried calamari with caper mayonnaise ($22).

It is here that the kitchen’s talents are perhaps best displayed with the likes of impossibly light pork and veal meatballs in a bitey sugo sauce an undeniable crowd-pleaser ($18 for three), or the elegantly plated, classic combination of seared scallops with cauliflower puree and crisp pancetta ($22 for three).

Popolo’s veal meatballs.

Pizzas come wood-fired and traditionally topped and are some of the most expensive in town – no doubt that irresistible view pushing prices up. A prosciutto version ($30) is generously topped with the Italian ham and solid enough, but if you’re looking to carb-load, perhaps instead opt for a pasta.

The duck leg ragu ($38) makes for pure soul food as the tomato-stained meat collapses under the fork’s touch, entwined in wide ribbons of al dente pappardelle.

There are non-pasta mains too, such as Skull Island prawns with garlic, chilli, capers and a lemon butter sauce ($44), roasted spatchcock ($42) or wagyu rump ($44) that arrives perfectly pink to the table beside us.

The tiramisu at Popolo, South Brisbane.

The renovation has also brought an expanded list of Italian wines to rightfully accompany dishes, while local and Italian beers, and Mediterranean-inspired cocktails provide diners plenty of choice no matter their mood.

Service is well-timed and pleasant but could do with a little more polish on menu knowledge given the price point.

Dessert presents a trio of classic sweet finishers, with the tiramisu ($16) thick with mascarpone cream and intense with coffee from the espresso-soaked Savoiardi biscuits along its base.

With a vista as relaxing as a European vacation, without the expensive airfare, and a freshened up interior to match, Popolo continues to deliver a little slice of Italy in Brisbane’s South Bank.

POPOLO

3 Sidon St, South Bank

3846 7784

Popolodining.com

Open Wed-Sun noon-2.30pm and 5pm-9pm

Verdict – Scores out of 5

Food 3

Service 3

Value 3

Ambience 4

Overall 3