New Rochelle’s East End has no shortage of breakfast options, but one tiny counter on Huguenot Street has built something bigger than coffee and eggs. ☕
Pop’s Espresso Bar opened in 2014 as a tribute to a father everyone simply called Pop, and it has spent more than a decade turning strangers into regulars.
Behind it all are brothers Giovanni and Peter Cucullo, whose family already had deep roots in New Rochelle’s dining scene.
What started as a small espresso counter has become one of the most beloved breakfast spots in Westchester. 🥐
How Pop’s Espresso Bar won New Rochelle’s hearts
Giovanni and Peter Cucullo didn’t just open a coffee shop; they built a living memory of their father.
Peter had been running Fratelli Pizza & Pasta since 1999, and when the idea for a new concept came together, the siblings decided to honor the man who shaped their work ethic. 👨🍳
Pop’s Espresso Bar opened its doors in 2014 on Huguenot Street, just steps from Fratelli, with a simple mission: roast organic coffee with care, pull clean espresso shots, and serve honest breakfast and lunch to the neighborhood.
The bar grew one conversation at a time, and today the official Pop’s story notes that favorite orders have earned their own nicknames among regulars who now treat the counter like a second kitchen.
Westchester Magazine highlighted Giovanni and Peter as the brothers behind three booming businesses on a single block, pointing out that Pop’s leans into a more modern, health-conscious menu compared to their family’s other spots–think avocado toast and kale and eggs rather than classic red-sauce fare. 🥑
What makes Pop’s stand apart from typical breakfast counters is the balance it strikes between comfort and creativity.
The menu still has the ham, egg, and cheese roll that diner regulars expect, but it also has dishes like braised pork belly with salsa verde and truffle ketchup that feel more like something out of a Manhattan brunch spot.
That contrast, familiar but a little unexpected, is exactly what turned a small espresso counter into a hidden gem locals now consider essential. 🔥
Food Highlights
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Avocado Toast: Multigrain toast topped with pickled onion, chèvre, pepitas, chile, lemon, and cilantro. 🥑
- NR Future: Egg whites, avocado, goat cheese, and tomato jam layered on multigrain toast. 🍳
- Kale & Eggs: Two eggs paired with Vermont cheddar, pickled onion, and tomato jam on multigrain toast.
- Pop’s Chicken Sausage: House-made chicken sausage, American cheese, and folded eggs finished with Pop’s Hot Honey on a toasted English muffin. 🍯
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Pork Belly & Egg: Braised pork belly and runny eggs finished with salsa verde and chipotle aioli on a seeded Bronx roll.
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HEFFE: Ham, eggs, and fontina cheese topped with a cheddar frico and truffle ketchup on a flour-dusted hero.
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Salmon Toast: Smoked Norwegian salmon, pickled beets, yogurt-cream cheese, red onion, and dill on multigrain toast.
- Breakfast Burrito: Spicy chicken tinga, cheesy eggs, white beans, and pico de gallo wrapped in a spinach tortilla. 🌯
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Cinnamuff French Toast: Cinnamon muffin French toast finished with maple syrup, custard, and fresh berries. 🫐
Atmosphere
Pop’s feels like the kind of place where the espresso machine never quite stops hissing.
The counter setup keeps things fast and casual, but there’s a warmth to it, the kind that comes from a genuinely family-run operation rather than a chain trying to fake intimacy. ☀️
Regulars get greeted by name, and new visitors tend to leave feeling like they’ve been let in on a neighborhood secret.
It’s cozy, unpretentious, and built for grabbing a quick bite before work or lingering over coffee with a friend.
Bottom Line
Visit for the award-winning avocado toast, the brothers’ genuine family story behind every cup, the unexpected pork belly and truffle ketchup combos, the house-roasted organic coffee, and a neighborhood vibe that makes every visit feel personal. ☕🥐
Address:
7B Huguenot St, New Rochelle, NY 10801
📞 (914) 278-9533
🕔 Open Mon–Sun, 7 AM–3 PM