Boston has become increasingly serious about cocktails lately (see Woodward and Drink), and the popular South End spot Pops Restaurant has joined the club since reinventing its main dining room as a cocktail lounge in late January.
A three-seat bar has been replaced by a roomy black leather booth, and a longer, 14-foot white bar has supplanted a row of tables. Pressed tin ceilings and patterned wallpaper help craft a sophisticated, speakeasy-style vibe, as do a long list of handcrafted cocktails like Absinthe Horchata (cinnamon schnapps, absinthe, almond milk, and orange blossom water).
Including the new bar, the dining room seats 28 and can be reserved for events, with a number of tapas, canape, and multicourse group menus available. The new dinner menu features an array of small plates such as fried oysters with bacon jam and port-braised short ribs.
The changes at Pops left in place the all-glass "greenhouse" private dining room, which overlooks the private garden and seats 18. For larger events, the entire restaurant can be bought out for 48.
