Cooper Pub & Restaurant

Went here around 4 in the afternoon while waiting for a movie at the nearby theater.  Location is in the West End area near lots of shops and walking distance to other places.  The parking situation can be a little bit of a headache in the parking ramps.  

I had the walleye sandwich and it was a pretty big sandwich.  Food tasted good and was quick to the table.  The ambiance inside seemed a little off for a Irish pub but either way the food was good and the prices were alright.  

Cannot say that I was amazed by this place but I wouldn't avoid it either.

My wife and my one-year old daughter and I got into town after a 6 hour drive, had checked into the Doubletree and we were hungry. We try to avoid the chain restaurants when we're on vacation as they're just not that much fun. In doing a Yelp search for local restaurants, we found that most of the non-chain restaurants had "Good for kids" listed as NO, including Cooper's. We gave it a shot anyway since it was across the street. It was a Thursday night around 6pm and we were able to get seated as soon as we walked in. I asked for a high-chair and they brought one right out along with crayons and a kids' menu. So much for being kid unfriendly.

The restaurant is gorgeous and we were seated at a booth amongst the normals rather than relegated to a "kids' korner". The place was pretty noisy from patron chatter - my wife and I had to speak a little louder than normal to hear each other, but on the bright side this meant that people nearby couldn't hear my daughter's babbling. She started to fuss towards the end of the meal and no one seemed to take notice. We came back the next day for lunch and there were 5 other families with kids eating. Maybe I misinterpreted "good for kids" on Yelp. It's certainly not a McDonalds or Applebees with kids running and screaming everywhere, but it's not bad for kids. We came back the next day and had a similarly pleasant experience. There were four or five other families with kids.

As for adults, the food was excellent. I had the sausage and mash at night and the Two Gingers chicken sandwich for lunch - both were superb. The beer menu was great too, with I believe a dozen craft beers on tap. Brooklyn Brown, Tallgrass 8-Bit, and of course, Summit EPA stuck out for me. I would have certainly enjoyed a Two Gingers whisky as well, but it wasn't that kind of day.

In summary, not kid-hostile with great food, great drinks, and a great atmosphere. 5 well-earned stars!

Every time I come to this place I'm disappointed just a little more.

Bar... I usually don't like commenting on service in my Yelp reviews (I hate when others do it and they've only been to a place once), but I feel like I've been here enough times, and have gotten the same level of service each time to form an opinion on it.  The bar area service is terrible. The actual bar itself is incredibly long, which is cool. But they always seem to be understaffed, so it takes forever to order a drink. Also, because of the layout, it can get really congested in that area which makes ordering a drink that much more difficult.  

Food... I've had a few different dishes here. They were so unmemorable I can't recall what they were. I just remember one thing... It was all incredibly bland.

Noise Level... In the main area, this place is always incredibly loud (definitely more so than other similar places).  I really have no idea why.  If you're looking for some peace and quiet they have separate rooms off the bar area.  Go to that place.