Guests will find a variety of casual and upscale dishes to satisfy their tastes at the Down Pour, which recently took over a formerly popular spot for nightlife at 119 S. Main St. in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Chef’s Table spoke about the restaurant, which opened Nov. 14, with Josh Popple, who co-owns the eatery with Kaylee Macko.
Q: What is the history of the restaurant?
A: Previously, it was Bart & Urby’s bar and bistro. The previous owner also opened up the Other Side, which acted as a concert venue up until its closing.
Peppercorn crusted ahi tuna, wasabi mashed potatoes, sesame spinach and sweet ginger vinaigrette
Q: What type of food do you serve?
A: Upscale bar food with plenty of entree options. We offer four new specials daily to keep our menu fresh. Our head chef, Chris Austin, has been working in the industry for a number of years and is well known throughout Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. We had an idea of what we wanted on there, and he made it 100 times better than what we could even imagine. Austin did an awesome job at balancing our menu and making sure we have something for everyone.
Q: What are your most popular dishes and drinks?
A: Our Crab Florentine Risotto is our most popular entree. It has an arborio rice, spinach, asiago cheese and jumbo lump crab meat. A close second is our Duo of Pork, which is charbroiled prime pork chop topped with crispy pork belly (and) served with broccoli rabe, caramelized onion, roasted peppers and roasted potatoes. We also have a lot of people come for a casual dinner, in which our Fried Chicken Sandwich is the No. 1 hit.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: I would have to say our risotto dishes as well as our Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: We have bar seating at our two bars, along with a number of booths and high-top tables throughout the building.
Q: Do you offer catering, event space, etc.?
A: We do offer catering and event space. We tore down a wall in order to make the space bigger. That area contains a brand new cement bar along with hanging umbrellas and beautiful rain lighting. That is the room everyone wants to book for bigger events. We also have a private front room that can seat 10 to 12 people.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed?
A: As we move forward, we would like to start incorporating live music and entertainment, adding more fun and games to our back room, and eventually come spring, renovating and expanding our deck area.
Contact the writer: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228
The Down Pour
Address: 119 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre
Phone: 570-763-4739
Established: 2019
Owners: Kaylee Macko and Josh Popple
Cuisine: Casual and upscale dishes
Hours: Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, 4 p.m. to midnight; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Online: Visit the Down Pour on Facebook and @downpourwb on Instagram.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.
