The Coopers Tavern opened this week in the spot formerly occupied by Sucre on the Capitol Square. The buzz on this gastro pub has been immense (search “poutine” on Twitter to see what I mean). I’m curious as to how much business it will siphon from Brocach and the Malt House.
It’s so popular that my friend and I came in at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and just beat the rush by less than 10 min. For the next hour that we ate, there were always people waiting for a table. I heard dinner is this way, too, and I’m very happy for the owners of the restaurant.
The food (I had the brisket sandwich and poutine) and beer were good, and I’m looking forward to returning for subsequent meals, especially once it expands its dinner menu (in a month or so). The Coopers Tavern also will add happy hour as early as next Monday.
In the meantime, it does have some kinks to work out. Our poutine (fries with melted cheesecurds and gravy) came at the same time as the entrees, so as we tried to eat both, the fries/gravy/cheesecurds got colder and colder. Also, the bar ran out of one craft beer and blew the keg on another, all within the second day of being open.
I’m eager to sit in the snug, a private room with a window to the bar. The manager told me that it’s first come, first serve, though patrons may call ahead to see if it’s being used.
It’s probably premature to say this, but I think The Coopers Tavern will be successful enough that it should buy the upstairs floor (previously the second floor of McDonald’s), which it could use for more seating (the main restaurant is tiny) and for private events.
