Ratings: (out of 10)
MAP ITThis friday, The Kopper Top grill (and bar) on Grand Rapids' polish west side (just down the street from the historic St. Adalbert's Basilica) had me saying "Ahh the ambiance of a time gone by...." No, I'm not talking about the 19th century, or even the Rockwellian depictions of the post-war baby boom. The Kopper Top brings you back to a different time, when bell bottoms were in (oh wait, they're in again), kids grew their hair over their ears (oh wait, they're doing that again) and the youth was the counter culture that sought to overthrow a conservative government (ahhh, there's the difference...the youth of today don't care). That's right, I'm speaking of 1970, and if the Kopper Top has redecorated since 1970, I'll eat my shorts (well, not really).
This quaint, establishment actually opened in 1971 (according to their menu) and specializes in
Polish food on Wednesday nights, beers just about all the time, and copper decorations (copper tea pots hanging from the wall, copper christmas trees, copper music boxes, copper light fixturesetc.). Even the top of the bar is copper. It all gleams too. How they polish all that copper is beyond me, but it must be someone's full time job. I've also heard that to eat there during the Christmas Season is akin to a visit to Bronner's of Frankemuth...decorations everywhere.
The food is relatively standard pub fare, but the ambiance more than makes up for any shortcomings (their cottage fries were only so-so). Their burgers were great, the waitress called me "honey" and 2 seperate groups of people wandered in looking for the funeral parlor next door (one guy stayed for a drink), providing ample entertainment.
In short, if you've ever been to one of those bars that offers great burgers, fat fries, horrid iced tea but wonderful beers (I assume) and stumbled back out into the daylight wondering when it got so bright outside, then you've eaten at the Kopper Top (under a different name, possibly). It's a neighborhood tavern at its finest....and unlike some places, it's not done up to feel dated...it just is dated.
Feel the love, enjoy the K.T. Burger like me (Ranch dressing, burger, shaved ham, lettuce, tomato, bun) and the decent cottage fries (soaked in beer prior to cooking). You can't go wrong, and you won't be sorry you went.
