The Copper Room

by Adrienne R.

This place deserves to become the "hip" spot in San Pedro.  Modern decor, a menu with tapas, a bar... For starters we had the crab cakes, the meatball with polenta, and the shrimp/sausage skewers, all very good.  For dinner they had a filet mignon special with a gorgonzola sauce.  It was awesome.  The desert menu was tempting but too many appetizers meant we were too full to indulge.  Oh well, now we have an excuse to go back.

by Dave and Krystal S.

there were 11 reviews we saw before going here...10 were positive, one wasn't. we should've listened to the 1.we went expecting some cool vibes, a drink or 3, and some snacky tapas eats.we had the crabcake, it was a 1/5, we had stuffed mushrooms, they were horrendous, and the chicken satay skewers...3/5.the hip house drink, the moscow mule, was $9 of well vodka with lime.OK so the food and drink sucked, what else is new? but to confirm scratching the joint from our list we had to endure 4 country music yodels followed by some vintage AC/DC--all blaringly loud.umm...not a good experience for what should have been a chill Wed night.as a basic bar, yeah OK, but as a tapas bar or restaurant...go across the street to the italian joint.

by Debbie Y.

You would not expect to find a place like this in San Pedro. The interior decor is very cozy and mellow, with a nice ambiance. We weren't very hungry, so we went in for drinks and a couple of tapas -- we came out an hour later happily buzzed and quite satisfied with our meal. Definitely try the seared tuna with the soy wasabi sauce and mashed potatoes. Damn it. I'm drooling as I type. Anyway, they have a small but very nice wine selection. The jukebox alone is worth yelping about.

by Michael K.

I am surprised by a few of the negative reviews because this place is a diamond in the rough in San Pedro. I have no experience with the bar/lounge aspect sicne we only go here to dine. The tapas are fantastic and the entree's incredible. Try the chicken satay, crab cake and ceviche and on the entree side..the filet and sea bass melt in your mouth. rattlesnake burger is high on my list as well. If I had to change anything I would work on their wine list. Not very exciting which is why we bring our own.UPDATE: As of February 21st the Copper Room is no longer in business, a sad victim of these harsh economioc times. I will miss this place as it was a great place to dine and meet up with friends in San Pedro. Good Luck in the future Tom!!

by gabriela m.

ah...the copper room.  a little bit of port life in a port city.  simple, warm and modern decor, a longshoreman and his wife eating serrano ham in the booth next to me, hipsters at the bar, a group of ladies who you know watch oprah at the opposite booth sipping wine out of stemless glasses, and a family reunion on two tables across the room with kids enjoying hummus.  yeah, what a mish-mash.the menu is TINY, but the wine list is decent.  i have no idea what their cocktails are like, because i came here for dinner.   We were in the mood for tapas but, as it would happen, i'm the only one who ended up ordering tapas.  typical.  from the outside, copper room is almost as flashy as j trani's, the italian restaurant across the way.  HUGE neon lights spell out "THE COPPER ROOM" across the entire facade.  i was expecting something closer to the village inn when i walked in.  you know, red vinyl booths and cheesy mosaic glass candle holders.  nope.  the copper room is decorated in a very clean, modern fashion which completely clashes with the outside facade.  their only decorating faux pas?  industrial carpeting in the dining area.the servers start you out with a little bowl of hummus and pita.  while we munched we ordered beer and wine.  i chose a delicious pinot noir from new zealand, who's name i can't recall.  i remember the beer list being not-so-impressive, because philipp ended up ordering something he only drinks when the choices are limited.the restaurant pretty much filled up between ordering our drinks and ordering our food--which might have to do with the fact that we were being indecisive.  the server was very patient, however, filling and refilling our water glasses as we perused the menu.the entrees are on the pricey side, though the tapas are more reasonable.  we ended up ordering the cal-med salad, a crab cake (i kept referring to the order as crab cakes, but the server kept correcting me: 'crab cake'), salmon on penne in alfredo sauce (the meat choices that night were chicken, salmon and shrimp) and a bbq bacon cheeseburger.the cal-med salad is absolutely divine.  and i never say divine.  it is a nice mix of greens, goat cheese, julienned green apples, candied pecans and cranberries.  kind of simple, but oh-so-good.  i lingered over it so that it would never end.  salads are $6.at $11, the bbq bacon burger is the best deal.  it is juicy, prepared to your preference, huge and served with a side of delicious potato wedges seasoned in magic dust.  seriously.  we tried replicating them at home a week later and...well...no dice.the crab cake--it is ONE crab cake--is huge.  about 4 inches in diameter and a couple of inches tall.   they serve it in a tangy sauce atop a bed of fresh greens.  it's not enough for a meal (i misread the menu and was expecting two or three crabcakes), but would make a good tapa to split with another person before a meal.  it was delicious, however, and i kept picking at everyone else's food to make up for my little meal.  the biggest disappointment was the pasta.  it was sort of philipp's fault for ordering overpriced pasta (pasta should never, ever cost more than $10. it costs so little to make). but, when you have not been overwhelmed by a small portion of cubed, grilled salmon smattered over penne in plain alfredo sauce and then realize that your underwhelming pasta cost you $17 (it read $13 on the menu, but apparently the meat is extra--we were not informed) you start to feel a bit deceived.  the sauce was decent--it was not greasy, oily or cheesy, and the parmesan only started to come to the surface towards the bottom of the plate--but it was not up to par with the rest of the food.that said, priscila got the best bang for her buck.  she ended up full and happy in a restaurant she thought had great "ambience" (and ambience is key!) for under $15.  i was still savoring my wine to the bitter end and philipp was kicking himself for not ordering the burger, instead.  we will go back, because no one tried the patatas bravas or the ceviche.  and ceviche in a port town is a must!  also, i hear they make a delicious drink in copper mug using ginger ale.  and it has the name of a mule in there, somewhere.  intriguing.copper room, anyone???

by Elvis B.

I would love nothing better than to have something to review on the Copper Room, but instead I will write a gripe about my attempts at a visit.After reading the reviews I had decided to have my birthday dinner here.  I loved the idea of the jukebox, the tapas menu, etc.  I put together an invite on mypunch bowl and invited everyone to join me at the Copper Room.I wrote an email and left a message for the owner to please call me or reply and let me know if I could reserve a section of the bar.  All I wanted was confirmation of whether this was possible.  If it wasn't, then I was prepared to go there early and hold a chunk of space as I had 15 people coming.No replies to direct email and/or voicemail.  As the days pressed on I wondered if my business was at all important.  If a 2 minute phone call or a few clicks of the keyboard are not worth the new business of 15 patrons (none of my friends had ever been), then it wasn't going to be worth it to me to give them said business.Never heard back, moved birthday dinner to the Meat Parade (aka Green Field) and sent out a new invite.  I guess I'll never know what this place is like.

by Bella A.

West Hollywood atmosphere with dockworker clientel.  This place is awesome.  It is really relaxing and there is no end to the people watching.  You will not get your typical anything at this place.  So sit back relax and enjoy the tapas and drinks.

by Angela Y.

We frequent the Copper Room, well, frequently. They have a dinner/theater package with Little Fish Theatre that's worth checking out. Their Caprese salad is really tasty, as is their roasted bell pepper soup. My boyfriend and I have tried many of the different tapas and entrees and have not been disappointed yet. And he swears that the Moscow Mule is the best drink there. Try it, it's yummy.

by Dan C.

Nice ambiance, friendly staff, and very good martinis, however, I found the food mediocre, at best. If you go, go for the atmosphere, and some damn good martinis . . then maybe order some food, It'll no doubt taste better after 'tossing a few back'.

by Quimo J.

Went for the 1st time 08/02/08 for after party after a wedding reception...and was pleasantly surprised that in such an assuming exterior surrounded by other business... is this jewel of a place =)Their signature drink Moscow Mule is def. different and good...However, more surprisingly was the FOOD!!!  I felt like I was eating 5 star restaurant quality food... the BURGERS were so juicy and is even called Juicy Burger and tried sister's Salmon and it was tasty.Appetizers provided by bride/ groom was Hummus which was spicy and very good, salami and pepper jack cheese was deelish =)