Brian Poppas Corner Market

I swung by here to get some pop when the Mr Pizza did not have the varietals I needed to go with my to go order. My moms no caffeine no sugar rule makes buying anything but water interesting to stay the least. I had options for her at home but nope, she needed a diet fizzy drink.
Its not glam and yes it could be termed as a bit sketchy. They had something that worked for my mom though and that is all that matters to me. Kevin is right though, I think this is where all the alkkies in Belleville hang out. I like liquor as much as the next gal but I’m not out buying rotgut pints in the midafternoon.
No one was unfriendly but I doubt I’m gonna make this a hangout.

This is a pretty standard party store, and probably the closest to WCCC and Grace Lake Corporate Center. The layout is simple, the selection of inexpensive brands is extensive, and the magazine rack with porn appears the be the only consistently-​maintained section of the store.
Anyway… I had no idea there were so many day-​drinkers! I usually come here around lunch time to get a Coke and some 2-​for-​$ 5 calzones, and it seems like there’s always a steady flow of liquor sales. Should you venture over to anything with an expiration date, check it carefully. It only took me a couple of «Oh man, this expired eight months ago!» near-​misses for me to learn my lesson.
If you’re getting a «this place is rough» sort of vibe, you’re probably right. I don’t know what passes for a «nice» party store in Belleville, but I’m guessing this isn’t it.
Having said that though — and I realize how ironic this may sound — the food is pretty awesome. The calzones are stellar, and at 2-​for-​$ 5, dirt cheap. The steak and all-​meat breadstick things are similarly good. (Tip: stay away from the chicken. It’s mysteriously full of pepper, and has made me sick twice.)
They seem to do pretty decent sales on the food, and I’m 95% sure it’s made there, so what you’re getting is at least reasonably fresh (again, the chicken, probably not so much), and hasn’t been sitting around forever.
The people who run the place seem pretty nice, and they’ve never hassled me about using a credit card on smaller purchases. And even though you might run in to someone gruff-​looking who wants a fifth of «whatever’s cheap», I don’t think I’ve run in to a customer there who hasn’t been at least pleasant.