The Early Word: Pop Pub

Lauren Shockey

Outside Pop Pub

Pop Burger, the mini-chain that helped make mini-burgers a big hit, has sort of grown up, turning the focus of its newest spot, Pop Pub (83 University Place, 212-477-7574), onto beer. We stopped by one afternoon last week to check out the burgers and brews.

The space is cavernous and has a sort of Midwestern strip-mall feel, but not in a cheesy way. In fact, it's a kind of refreshing change from the glitzy, buzzy joints around the city. Sometimes you just want good ole middlebrow fare. Popcorn shrimp ($8), for example.

Lauren Shockey

Popcorn shrimp

Are these shrimp fancy? No. Are they delicious? Not really. But they are fried and have that artificial-tasting batter that you love to hate but love to love even more. They came with a sprinkling of cheese, which seemed superfluous at first, but then again, why not cover fried shrimp in cheese. Go big or go home!

Lauren Shockey

Pop burgers

Given that it's part of the Pop Burger brand, we obviously had to get the Pop burgers, which are essentially two cheeseburger sliders with lettuce and tomato. Perfectly decent, though nothing totally exceptional.