Copper Bistro

It’s CLOSED.
So sad.

I’m giving it 5 based on the overall experience. I went on Valentine’s day and proceeded to get a parking spot directly in front of the restaurant. We were greeted at the door by the manager who proceeded to tell us that the restaurant’s dining room was closed because of a ventilation problem. They took us across the street to an art gallery where they had all the tables set up. I was a little worried but all was flowing well so far. I ordered the venison special, again, going for something different. I can’t remember the rest of my meal but I know it was all very, very good. They brought everything over from the kitchen across the street, managing to keep it warm with tin foil and quick feet. It ended up being a perfect evening; they managed to turn around a potentially terrible situation and make it a great experience.
The gallery featured newly inaugurated President Obama artwork, which was timely and fit well in making Valentine’s day a little less about the commercially romantic aspect of the day. Among other things, it made the day about sharing an experience with someone you love rather than the lovey, dovey image of white table cloths, bottles of red wine and constant hand holding and smooching.

Heartbreakingly, I hate to report that one of my favorite local BYOB is closed. Another victim of this downtrodden economy. So long, farewell, Copper.
First the Man in the Mirror and now this.
I don’t know if I can take it anymore.

Amazing BYOB. Went last night and we were lucky enough to eat outside in the beautiful spring weather. The wait staff was very friendly and the food came out relatively fast considering the place was packed. We started off with a cheese plate and some vegetarian spring rolls as an appetizer. Spring rolls rocked and were a lot bigger than what we expected. the cheese plate had 4 different cheeses and came with some tasty strawberries and blue berries. Had the halibut special with asparagus and pinto beans… very very tasty. My girlfriend had the scallops (which were huge) and they were delicious as well.
Overall a great experience. highly recommend it. it’s a place you have to try.

Copper is the first byob I’ve tried in Northern Liberties and it set the bar pretty high. Standard Tap and North Third are the mainstays of this neighborhood and have great food, but they can always fall back on their ample beer menus. Copper has to prove itself with food alone and this position is made quite obvious by the placement of the open kitchen in the center of the dining room. Copper has a small amount of tables but there is a room in the back that can accommodate a large party.
My girlfriend and I split a cheese plate and a vegetable napoleon for our appetizers. This worked out well since the vegetable napoleon had a longer prep time (which our very friendly waitress warned us about). Before our cheese plate came out, they served us some delicious warm pita and hummus. The cheeses included a gouda, goat cheese, an interesting bleu cheese, and some strawberries. The napoleon had a base of delicious hot polenta, a nice mix of vegetables, and was topped with pesto. Our waitress spoke highly of this dish and I’d also recommend it. For our entrees, I got the special which was an Alaskan Halibut served over white beans with asparagus. The fish and asparagus were cooked perfectly and well-​flavored. The fish was topped with pesto, which I found to be a somewhat unnecessary ingredient and it felt a little redundant after the napoleon topping. My counterpart got the pork chop which was just huge, very thick. She found the meat to be cooked well, but preferred the accompanying sides: yukon mashed potatoes and braised cabbage.
I couldn’t resist getting their homemade chipwich: two big chocolate chip cookies with a generous portion of vanilla in between and drizzled with chocolate. I was hoping this might be a life changing chipwich, but I think it would have been better if the cookies were a little softer. Still, I polished this thing off and was quite happy. My girlfriend got the cheesecake, which was a much smaller portion than the chipwich, but was really good; not overly sugary.
Copper had great friendly service, a good atmosphere, and a solid, classy menu. The prices were a little high (our meal came out to a bit shy of $ 120 with tax and tip) but you’re certainly able to save money here by virtue of it being a byob.

I think I was predisposed to love the Copper Bistro. First I call at Noon on a Saturday for a 7:00 PM that night. Done. Then we pull up as I’m bitchin’ about how impossible it is to park on Second Street in NoLib. Bingo, directly in front, my new best friend is pulling his Miata out. Zip in. Incredulous. How can the food be good? Can’t be. Walk in. Warm, inviting, beautifully lit. Can we wait a few minutes? Of course. Now if we can have that elevated table in the window. Funny how piggish I get so soon after a few gifts. This way sir. He’s not aiming for that table in the window? He can’t be? He can and was. What’s going on? I didn’t know and the three of us didn’t care. Food was very well prepared and service was casual but excellent. Lighting and noise level perfect. As perfect a low budget restaurant visit as I’ve ever had. Nice people and they can cook. My problem is, I will expect that same parking space and that same table next time or feel a bit let down. Humans are so demanding and unreasonable, or is it just me?
’

I was so so taken by this spot. I went with the husband last night and were seated right up near the front window, so we had a great people-​watching spot for the whole restaurant and everyone wandering by.
Copper is just beautiful — everything I love about Philly. Exposed bring wall, byob, glass mosaics, great seasonal/​local food. I had the scallops which were over a really sweet potato latka. Husband had the pork chop because the waiter recommended it so strongly, and it was really pretty good. They served it with this honey mustard sauce that had a little bit of a kick, which he referred to as «gourmet McDonald’s nugget sauce» — but in the good way.
We also had the homemade tagliatelle with littleneck clams and that was awesome. I don’t think you can go here without trying the tagliatelle.
And then of course, they had homemade chocolate chip chipwich ice cream sandwiches (two cookies, warm chocolate sauce, rich vanilla icecream). It was quite awesome. The boy was totally won over.
The servers (only two) were very attentive and that perfect mix of chatty & professional. I was won over.

I’ve been here several times now and have had excellent food as well as service.
The restaurant itself is simple and cozy, and has an open kitchen. There’s also a garden out back which I have yet to take advantage of, but must be nice in the summer.
The food is simply prepared but I think they do a great job of finding the right spices and flavors to complement the fresh ingredients. They focus on using seasonal items so the menu changes often.
One disclaimer is that I’ve only tried seafood here, and never had any of the meat options. The scallops I tried recently were simply amazing– 3 large sea scallops, seared and served with mushrooms, on something that resembled a potato latke (yum). My dining companion was not as enamored of his trout served on lentils, which didn’t seem as complex or flavorful compared to the scallops.
Desserts were good but not outstanding.

Ended up walking around No-​Libs and passed by this little place hunting for food. The restaurant is fairly small and cozy, and the kitchen is right there in the dining room so you can watch your food get made. It’s kind of like a hibachi grill except you don’t sit around it.
The problem with this was that there was a mild haze to the room as the smoke didn’t clear out. It would be a nice touch to the room, except that it meant that all my clothes smelled like food when I got home.
On to the food… we had mussels as an appetizer, which were well prepared and downright tasty. Then to the sirloin, which was prepared medium-​rare per the chef’s preparation. Now, it wasn’t the greatest steak I have ever eaten, but it was juicy and did its job well as a steak. We ordered a side of Yukon potatoes, which could have used a little more butter. Dessert was their cheesecake, which was surprisingly good. Soft but not too heavy.
All in all, good experience. Nothing wow, but this would make a great date spot.

After reading all the good reviews, I was excited about this place.
I got the set menu with mussels, sirloin, and cheesecake.
The mussels were delicious (white wine broth, tomato, and basil).
The sirloin, unfortunately, fell flat. While the taste was good for the first few bites, it quickly got old. I didn’t even finish it, and I’m a huge steak fan. We ordered a side of Yukon Gold purée with it, and that too, wasn’t that great. Mine were better, and I’m not even joking! =P
The cheesecake was good, too. It was fluffier than most cheesecakes I’ve had, but the flavor was great!
Overall the experience was good (our waiter was really cool as well), but I didn’t appreciate the roller coaster my taste buds were on!

decent meal with family here. would recommend to others.

This is a great little BYO in Northern Liberties. It’s tastefully decorated and is cozy and intimate inside. The wait staff is professional and friendly, and the food is just wonderful. I had probably the best sea scallops of my life there not too long ago, and I really want to go back. It’s a little pricey, but worth it (especially if you go on a business dinner, like I did, so you don’t have to pay your own money). All of the food, from the appetizers to the dessert, was delicious and perfectly portioned.
This place would be great for a date or a quiet dinner with friends.

I dined here on their Price Fixe night. The food was fine (no vegetarian options unless you ask them to make the mint tarragon linguine without panchetta), but it was pedestrian. This place is definitely trying to sell a lifestyle instead of cuisine. I know they are a very new restaurant, but their menu needs to expand and they need to concentrate on the quality of the food rather than the quality of the presentation.
I had the linguine I mentioned above. It lacked the vegetables that the name promised and was basically pasta covered in a lot of green, minty sauce. My boyfriend had the pork and he didn’t complain, but we both came away from the experience knowing we could have made the same food in our kitchen with more flavor and spent far less.
Possibly the best part of the evening was our waiter, who was easily the human equivalent to Troy McClure.
The atmosphere is relaxed, but fancy, and I’d probably eat there again. For what it was, it just seemed overpriced and over styled.
I don’t think it’s a great addition to the community, but it’s a nice alternative to Koi or the Abbey.