The Copper Hen

Great, fast, friendly service. The Farmer salad is amazing! Also sampled hubby’s bee pizza which was to die for. The crust was fresh and perfectly chewy and crispy.
The ginger molasses cookie also delish, chewy, and a nice post-​salad indulgence.

So much good food in this city and I stumble on the worst in my last night in town. Lackluster and pricy. You could literally eat at the Starbucks nearby and do better. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

I went for Sunday brunch. While the building was cute and the interior looked nice, there are as many tables as possible crammed into the restaurant which made it very, very loud in there – it was difficult to have a conversation. Definitely don’t bring anyone who is hard of hearing. It felt like I was in a bar on a weekend night. The food was ok, but nothing special.

I really really wanted to like this place, as I am a firm believer that bottomless mimosas are one of the best ways to start up your Saturday (or any other day for that matter), so the fact that TCH is getting 2 stars speaks loudly as to how disappointed I am.
The first star off was because of the food. I had the skillet scramble with bacon and feta ($ 12). As I chewed, I had to stop from time to time and move my tongue around to ensure I still had food in my mouth, as I could not taste anything. OK food was still there, either my taste buds were still asleep or this was the most blah skillet I’ve had in a while. Option B won. I had to add Tabasco and some mustard to get some flavor on it, and if you have to do this to a meal then you know it’s not worth eating it again. Ever. The pancakes were also very average, reminded me of the ones I make, in which case there’s no reason for me coming here and paying for them. The Farmer’s Brunch was actually pretty decent, with a very tasty toast.
The next two stars came off due to the terrible service we received. The place was busy so I could understand they were not Johnny on the spot; started off ok but went downhill fast after our waitress brought us the check without us asking for it. What is it with waiters constantly doing this? Does this mean you want me to leave and stop consuming, thus reducing the amount of tip I will leave you? When I’m ready for the check, I’ll ask you for it. Bringing it at any time prior to me requesting it will result in a hefty decrease in my tipping. In this case, we were pretty much done with food and were planning to focus on the liquid diet at hand, of which we still had about 1.5 bottomless hours remaining. By this point we were having to prod her constantly to keep us refilled, as she started slacking big time. The last time I asked her, 25 minutes had passed and she still had not come back. Irritated by the extremely mediocre service, I left a $ 0.05 tip plus a very detailed explanation for my actions. Then me and my thirsty group left in search of a better watering hole that actually cares about their customers.
Now I don’t know if this was an isolated event, but I get the feeling this place lures you in with the promise of bottomless mimosas, but as soon as you are done eating they bring you the check to get you the hell out and circulate more people through. Very disappointed, I’ll have to take my business someplace else.

N I C E !!! R E A L L Y N I C E !!!
What a pleasant, albeit a pricey, lunch. This is what I would call a trendy well planned restaurant. Very very Margueriteish. It is extremely suited for it’s location.
Even though it is in an older building (I assume), it is fairly clean. Although, the restroom is due for a DEEP cleaning before it gets worse…
I really was impressed by the décor. The chicken theme was repeated throughout, even in the design on the glass water jars. The wallpaper was perfect, and was just not on the flat walls, but strategically placed on plaster covering brick in asymmetrical patterns. I always love a huge blackboard on the wall, and today there was a darling poem about a hen. Again the chjcken theme.
The copper theme is also repeated a few times, even the hand sink in the rest room. Simply Charming, country charm.
I had the Americano coffee, which was amusing as we watched the gal walk it over step by slow step so as not to spill, which she didn’t. Of course, as soon as I lifted the over filled cup to my lips, splash! Good Laugh. We also tried a bacon old fashion, which was tasty, but left an odd aftertaste. Then, the $ 18 cheese board. Lovely presentation, could have had more. We just about lost it when our toddler stuffed her mouth full of cheese, chewed and then rejected it, twice. We all, however, thought it was divine.
Baby girl did fill up on chicken pot pie, which was incredibly flaky and flavorful. The cheddar ale burger was above average, and my turkey burger was satisfing and filling. The accompanying salad of assorted weeds (what other people call field greens), was the freshest I’ve ever had. Like night and day. Yummy!
To finish up our lunch extravaganza, we shared a CHAMPAGNE cupcake, and the boozy cupcake. Hallelujah. It might have been because of the name, but I swear I tingled from the champagne cake, and the gold sprinkes on top were an elegant touch. Then, the Boozy cupcake was beyond description. Pure heaven, enhanched by the adorable glass jar it was baked and served in.
The one thing I disliked was the fact that the gal that took our order didn’t write it down. I just hate that. BUT,
CHARMING DESIGN
CHARMING LOCATION
CHARMING AMBIENCE
CHARMING MENU
CHARMING FOOD
R U S T I C C O U N T R Y C H A R M

I went to the Copper Hen with a few friends and we loved every bit of it! The décor is adorable, and there is a parking lot across the street which is great for a spot on Nicollet! I had a pot pie and the Rosemary Ramos cocktail and they were both spot-​on. There were a few «this is so portlandia» comments, but I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a bad thing; it’s just pretty hipster/​trendy. It wasn’t too loud so that was a plus. We demolished their cupcake supply and were all happy with our selections. I’ll be back to try the Cheddar Ale Burger!

The space is really cute, rustic.
Went for brunch, wasn’t overly impressed — and we had to wait a lonnnng time to get in.
The breakfast scramble w root veggies was very meh — not much taste. I’ve had a better hash with similar type root veggies. Friend got the eggs benedict — it was pretty good, but the pork belly with it wasn’t that great — kinda limp and not too tasty. We got the pretzels with cheese sauce and that is one thing that I would definitely go back for but otherwise pretty underwhelmed by the experience.

I’m a little torn about this place right now. It was my first visit and New Years day brunch. I expected it to be busy (which it was) but that did not prove to be a problem. I had made a reservation and we got seated promptly on our arrival. Our server was very friendly and attentive. She obviously seemed very busy, but she was still very professional and helpful during our visit. The atmosphere was delightful. Adorable and cozy. It’s the type of place that would be perfect for tiny dinner parties with family and friends.
I ordered the pork belly eggs benedict and a single cornmeal pancake with bacon with a chai tea latte. The benedict was very disappointing. The flavors weren’t that strong and the pork belly was waaaaay too crispy. Most of it was actually burnt. I’m actually surprised they served it like that. Regardless, the flavors just seemed a little weak. The bread crust was a little too hard and as a whole the meal was underwhelming. I also ordered it with salad but it was served with potatoes instead. Not a huge deal because I mainly ordered the salad just to make it slightly healthier, but the potatoes weren’t great either.
The chai was lukewarm when I got it, but the flavor was good. Fairly mild spices and not overly sweet, which I enjoyed. I would have preferred it to be warmer though.
The pancake though — awesome! Loved it. I’d certainly come back here if I was craving some tasty pancakes. That was my favorite part of the meal.
We also took home two boozy cakes and they were okay, but not great. A little too dry for my taste and the frosting was too sweet. But a great idea with the booze added in!
I’m not sure if I really like this place yet, but I’d come back again to give some of the other food options a try. Plus it would be nice to try some cocktails.

Copper Hen is the star of your Instagram dreams. No filter needed to make their interiors look more ‘barnyard chic’ — it already is. The cupcakes, cookies, scones, and other baked goods are ready for your discerning camera — I mean palate. I’ve been to Copper Hen a couple times now, mostly to pick up some cupcakes after I get my to-​go order from Phở 79. Who says broken rice combo meals and boozy cupcakes don’t pair well together? I’m particularly in love with their breakfast cupcake, with its moist, blueberry interior, streusel topping, and bacon. I also sometimes get the aforementioned boozy cupcake, with a pipette of liqueur sticking out of it so you can choose to add the booziness or not. Hint: DO IT.
Their brunch game is strong, of course. I don’t remember the specific dish I got since it’s been a while, but I remember thinking I would definitely come back here for the most important meal of the day/​best portmanteau in the world.
I also had dinner here recently, which is when Copper Hen’s hipster farmhouse vibe gets TURNT to an 11. Like, seriously, where’s the wedding reception with the bluegrass band and the loopy cursive name cards? We had the soft pretzel for starters, and I wish there were more pretzels in the basket because that beer cheese sauce was plentiful and delicious. We did have to save it for the next course because it was that yummy. For my main, I got the burger, and I thought it could’ve used a little more salt, but that’s easily fixable. My friends got the Harvest Turkey sandwich, which was basically thanksgiving on a plate.
Overall, CH is a solid place for a low-​key dinner, a brunch meeting with friends, or a quick pitstop for delicious desserts.

The atmosphere at The Copper Hen is warm and inviting. The staff is knowledgeable and welcoming. The portions are huge.
We had Grandma’s grilled cheese on toasted baguette with melts gruyère and Brie cheese and red wine poached pears. We opted for the farm potatoes instead of a salad and they were buttery crispy bites of deliciousness!
The chicken pot pie was packed with shredded chicken and veggies in a creamy sauce and topped with a light flaky crust.
The mac and cheese was in a creamy cheesy sauce and topped with buttery bread crumbs.
For dessert we had a scrumptious triple berry hand pie and a champagne cake in a mini mason jar. Delicious!!!
We’re so glad to have stumbled onto The Copper Hen!

My husband and I brought our friend from San Francisco here to end a few days of Twin Cities sight seeing. This was my first time at Copper Hen so I was hoping it would live up to the hype. The décor and vibe of this place is spot on. I was actually sitting at the table wishing it had been open before I was married because this would have been the spot for me! It’s rustic, simple, bringing in elements of nature.
We shared a full order of the Farmers Potatoes to start. Wow! I haven’t been so pumped about a dish of well seasoned potatoes and a sauce before but the tarragon crème fraîche made the carby little orbs refreshing and creamy. I was less than thrilled with my main course choice. I went with the toast bar with wheat toast, tomato jam, two scrambled eggs, and bacon. I was looking forward to a lighter meal but it just flopped for me. The scrambled eggs were overly runny and wet so I asked for them to cook a bit longer. I mean REALLY runny. The toast was terribly hard and actually hurt my mouth to eat. I admit I could have ordered something a bit more exciting but even toast and eggs can be delightful if done right.
I do want to come back to try something else on the menu — or to just enjoy the beautiful space.

It might just be me (probably is just me), but I tend to think of The Copper Hen as Pinterest IRL. That dedication to Faux-​mey (faux+homey) Country décor and presentation screams Pinterest DIY to me. Thankfully, Copper Hen is more than form!
The food is very good. I’ve had hand pulled mozz on baked polenta, cassoulet, ratatouille, sandwiches, the blueberry bacon muffin, and various cupcakes. Interestingly, the dinner entrees are better than the desserts and way better than the sandwiches. Still, none of it blew my mind, but everything tasted solid and a hop-​skip and away from home cooking by a cook with very good taste.
I keep wondering why I’m unable to rave about Copper Hen, and I think it comes down my inability to shell out for cozy. The food is portioned so you can fit a salad, dinner, and dessert in one sitting. Each of the individual items cost two or more dollars than average, so that means Copper Hen is not your daily restaurant, and for the neighborhood, it’s probably not your weekly stop. If the focus is good food and good feel, then I think the only way I’d be happy with Copper Hen would be to bring a large, but not too large, group of my coziest friends for a meal on the hipper side of rustic in a faux-​mey country restaurant on gentrifying Eat Street.
…Then again, maybe the opposite is true. Maybe I’d be happy with Copper Hen if it was just me and myself, and I’m looking for something warm, comforting, and yummy.

I’m a huge freak for desserts and my sweet tooth knows no limits. I try to stop in here at least once a month to get their boozy cupcake, which roatates flavors monthly. I’ve thought about ordering other treats, but always end up with the boozy cupcake, because go big or go home. I’ve never had a bad one, but I think last month’s was the best yet! It was espresso tres leches flavor. Love the mini mason jars that they come in. The bacon blueberry breakfast muffin is also awesome, but they only sell them on the weekends now, which is a HUGE bummer.
Service is usually good, although sometimes can be slow. However, it’s definitely worth stopping in for their amazing baked goods. They are on my brunch list, but haven’t made it in yet to try it.

The restaurant has a great bright space
Came on a Saturday morning
Were seated right away
Great service
Got a boozy tres leche espresso cupcake in a mason jar ((amaziiiiiing)) infuse the cupcake with a shot of liquor and its to die for
Also got a blueberry bacon cupcake but my daughter wasn’t a fan lol
Thought it could of been more moist but still good though
Coffee was nothing spectacular

This review is for dessert only.
Made dinner reservations for Eat Street Social but ended up parking right in front of The Copper Hen. I said, «Hey, I’ve heard good things about this place,» so we stopped to read the menu posted outside. As we did, a party exited the restaurant and said, «Oh my gosh, the food is amazing, you MUST try it.» I love real-​world recommendations and we were tempted but kept our original mean plan and decided to swing by The Copper Hen for dessert on our way back to the car.
So very happy we did that.
First impression… loved the rustic, open look and the restaurant smelled just like my grandparents’ kitchen when I was a kid. I am dying to bring them so I can see if they think the same thing.
We found many options awaiting us and ultimately settled on a blueberry hand pie and Boozy Cake. If you couldn’t guess, the Boozy Cake has a little plastic syringe-​ish thing with, well, booze. Must be 21+ to enjoy. Ours was, I think. A Vanilla Tres Leches boozy cake and it was fantastic. The application of the booze is a little inconsistent so some bites are more alcoholic than others but the cake itself, served in an itty bitty mason jar, was moist on its own and topped with a delicious, rich frosting.
The hand pie — not at all boozy but no less incredible. I’m not a huge fan of pie because I honestly rarely like the crust. But this crust was tender, flaky, buttery and not at all dry. We asked for our hand pie to be warmed up and it was one of the best decisions of our lives.
Looking forward to returning for a proper meal one of these days, the rest of the menu looked great.

So what did I come here to get? Coffee and some cupcake. I left the place with a red velvet mason jar cake, dogwood drip coffee and a bag of Chris B. Bacon caramels. Here’s my take on the cupcake in the mason jar. The icing was good but the cake itself was dry and rather dull. I am used to moist and airy cupcakes and this just fell short of expectation. I am a huge cupcake fan and it looks like I’ll be going somewhere else in pursuit of better cupcakes. Perhaps their regular cupcakes are better.
The coffee was meh. It wasn’t even hot. I hate luke warm coffee and that’s exactly how it was served. What a disappointment. I’ve had better coffee at Dunn Bros.
The bacon caramels though were off the chain. They’re like crack. I treat myself to one every day. The bacon bits are so awesome in these caramels.
I went there late afternoon on a weekday and they were not busy at all. Perhaps, coffee there is better at a busier time. I’m going to give them a try again but that cup of coffee really left a bad taste in my mouth.

«The Copper Hen»… it just screams «rustic» (and I love it). The only other appropriate name that could top it is «Hip Farm-​to-​Table Wood-​Beamed Rustic Taste-​Bud-​Party and Eddison-​Lightbulbed Cupcake Fun Fest».
I came here recently for a late lunch during the weekday, and was happy to find a free street parking spot out front, regardless of their lot across the street. I walked in and was in awe of their décor — high ceilings, wood beams, stringed lighting, gorgeous dark hardwood floors — basically it is the loft I’ve always wanted but will never have. I browsed their menu and ordered The Perfect Marriage charcuterie & cheese board.
The night prior, I had taken «The 5 Languages of Love» quiz for funsies, and I got «Words of Affirmation». Well I don’t know if this waitress knew this, because she was so kind and affirming when I was ordering. Like, «Don’t worry, take your time!» and «Oh wow, really great choice!» and «You are so smart and great at ordering off of a menu, you must be some sort of genius! Can you sign my apron?» I might have made one of those up… but let’s just conclude that the service was impeccable and spoke to my heart. Annnd of course, the food did too. My server came over with a wooden board laden with a stunning display of a vegan’s nightmare. She knew what each component was called and where/​how it was sourced. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like. The strawberry jam was amazing on everything, and I loved the cheddar/​blue cheese (best of both worlds!). Oh, and prosciutto!
Things were going so well that I added the smashed potatoes to my order and a red velvet cupcake to go. The potatoes could have been cooked a little longer to add crispiness, but the flavor was there and the potatoes were tender. But unfortunately, I thought my cupcake was dry. I’ve also had their cupcakes before when they catered a party I went to and those were on the dry side too. I think my 6^th language of love is «Moist Cupcakes» (I tried to find a better word than «moist» but I couldn’t in this case. I am sorry.).

Great service
Great, rotating baked goods
Great food
And a pretty great atmosphere.
Salted caramel chocolate cheesecake. And you even get to keep the mason jar it’s served in? Yep. Damn good.
The chicken pot pie will make a rainy day a beautiful one. Love that crust.
The Little Piggy is in the top 5 for best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve ever had. Blueberry BBQ sauce? Hell yes.
Biggest negative: I had to add it to my already-​too-​long list of places to try everything on their desserts menu.

Creamed kale. Red velvet cupcakes.
They have awesome red velvet cupcakes and the most delicious and filling creamed kale.
Ok, so the place is inconveniently on Nicollet. There is a little parking available in the lot shared across the street (seems to always be full) and then there is street parking… and if you are anything like a typical midwesterner, parallel parking is not fun on Nicollet. Sometimes you can get lucky and score a spot where you can just pull-​in but that’s rare.
The décor is rustic with exposed brick and cute wood tables. I think it’s adorable inside. The bakery items deliver on so many different levels.
I have had a few different items from the menu and generally steer towards brunch here. I’ve had the creamed kale twice now and it’s probably my most favorite side. If I could just get this to go, I would.
The customer service is good and they accept brunch reservations (big plus). I highly recommend Copper Hen for brunch to anyone looking for something savory and then finish off your meal with something sweet (red velvet cupcake).

The Copper Hen is so charming! I stopped in just for the baked goodies. The woman behind the counter was super helpful and answered all my questions. She wasn’t irritated or annoyed even though you know she must answer the same things over and over every day.
I settled on two cupcakes. Blackberry lemon boozy and a champagne cupcake. The boozy cupcake is insane! It comes in a mason jar and has a thingy mabob sticking out the side full of some kind of liqueur in it. Haha, it’s a 21+ cupcake! You’re suppose to infuse the cupcake with the booze and then eat it. It was good, but not GREAT. The overall cupcake was sorta dry and we couldn’t really taste the alcohol too much.
We really loved the champagne cupcake! Super great frosting, not dry at all. Yummy yummy in my tummy!