The Copa Lounge

I always enjoy hanging out at local bar. And Copa is one the best bar in lincoln park. Unfortunately they open the bar only on Friday and Saturday. The bartender is also local and he is very friendly.
Every time i come here the drinks and service are top notch.

I love this neighborhood bar, it is cozy and the bartender is very friendly. Last two weeks i came here on friday night, but they were closed. I came again on other friday and there are closed again. What kind of management is that. They are only open for two nights a week, but they can not keep their door opened for even two nights. Hope they stay in business!

This spot I feel is up and coming, not too many people and kind of boring. Drinks are reasonable and if its your birthday you drink for free all night.

Before you walk 30 minutes here with your dog, be forewarned that «dogs allowed» really means «dogs allowed sometimes when we feel like it.»

I’ve lived in the Old Town area for a couple years and always past by The Copa but never tried it out until last night. I was actually not quite sure if it was open or not but it is. Only on Fridays and Saturdays for now. I’m glad I tried it out! Nice, casual place — not too big but big enough for a group of people. There is a full bar, TVs, booth seating and board games.
Great place — if you haven’t been, you should try it out! Matt, the bartender will take good care of you. Perfect place to go after a dinner at Uncle Julios or a show at Steppenwolf.

Matt the bartender is a very cool dude, always nice to me and my bandmates when we stop in after rehearsal. Cool place!!!

This place has really changed… for the better! No more sketchy DJ. The bartender is really cute & knows his stuff. Stop in after work. On your way from the Clybourn L stop or the Apple store. It’s more of a neighborhood bar now, and welcomes everyone including your dog.

The head bartender (possible daughter of owner) is, no joke, severely mentally challenged. At one point, my friend and I had to scream «For the love of god can we please buy another round?» One round literally took 35 minutes to get. I was gone so long, my gf actually called to see where I was 30 minutes after I left.
She (bartender) is crazy, and has the attention span of a 3 day old puppy with ADD.

Here we go.
Although I swore I’d never step into this place again.
I stopped in for a good friends birthday, to literally buy her a shot and leave.
Let me give you the Prequel.
Memorial Day weekend I had a business deal to throw a party the sunday before.
The bartender was new that night and moving at the speed of a three toed sloth.
I saw her put a lemon wedge on a drink and then LICK the lemon juice off her fingers and continue making drinks.
The manager that night was an English guy, he completely disregaded me, yelled, and was very aggressive torwards me.
I spoke to the owner that night and he did seem very sincere and apologetic that I was treated that way, he also seemed shocked.
Ok let’s get back on track.
When I walked in I was surprised to see the English guy still working there.
I couldn’t help but fight the sick feeling in my stomach because I couldn’t believe how rude he really was to me.
I’m sure he recognized me.
My friend heard him say «IDS? As long as you got em come in»
PS. I think they had another new bartender who made me a BOMB in a 1oz shot glass… with ice.
Meh I think not. I’m sorry Copa, just can’t do it.

I loved the décor, which is very retro and very cool — just the kind of cocktail lounge you would see in a film noir movie. They also seemed to have a nice selection of premium liquor behind the bar. I had a glass of chardonnay which was fine, but what clinched this place as just okay rather than good was the DOS EQUIS my husband ordered. Even on tap, a DOS EQUIS shouldn’t look and taste like a Bud Light.

Is it a dive?
Is it a club?
Is it in Lincoln Park?
Is it in Old Town?
Not really sure.
Sorta dark ‘n small. But, with a DJ. Retro theme… or is it just old? Who knows. Mirrored/​paneled walls… friendly enough bartender that served us $ 8 cocktails. Oh yeah, no specialty cocktail list. I feel a place like this needs a few offerings of something special… just to kick it up a notch. Otherwise, what it is? Well, that’s how I started when I walked in… and that’s how I left.
Some patrons did offer us some «tots.» (no food served at Copa)…
$ 8 vodka cocktails, but they were double sized glasses. Not bad. But… pretty basic/​watery. They do take credit cards, despite the appearance.
Yeah, hmmmm. Nothing tempted me to come back. I suggest coming up with some cool cocktails, and resisting the urge to blast dance music for 3 people sitting at the bar and an empty room. But, that’s just me :) It has true potential, but I figure this «is what it is» and so… I’ll probably skip it!

Last time I was here, we ended up being the only people in the bar around midnight, at which point the DJ just started yelling at us for requests. It became a really fun night, but honestly… this joint is thisbig and when it was busy, the crowd wasn’t too fun. In a place this small, you’d hope that more people would want to mingle and chat up a bit, but no.
Points for the fact that they always have some movie playing that I haven’t seen in ages… last time it was Blow, the time before that, Never-​Ending Story.

Color changing lights amuse me for some reason, and they have REALLY good Bloodies, and I don’t usually like Bloodies…
Cool bathroom too. If you’re the vein type who likes to stare into the mirror, you might want to skip this place. You’ll go blind (anyone who’s been there knows what I mean).

I had never heard of Copa until a birthday party a couple of weekends ago. For $ 30 it was 3 hours of open bar including premium liquor and martinis. Decent deal? Yes. Recipe for a beautiful disaster? Absolutely.
I got there about 45 minutes into the open bar and the place was already packed… with about 20 people. This place is TINY. The size wasn’t even really the issue, but more the layout. The length of the bar where the booths are is so narrow that those of us who were in the back of the bar never ventured toward the front and vice versa. Consequently, I didn’t even see one of the two birthday girls until I was on my way out of the bar to go home, so she probably doesn’t even remember that I was there.
The funniest part is that Copa smells like a hair salon. Two of my guy friends and I, completely separately, commented on the fact that it smelled like hair chemicals. Weird, but who knows. And even weirder that my (straight) guy friends pointed it out.
It was pretty easy to get drinks and the bartenders let people order more than one – whether it was because they were ordering for a friend or because they just wanted to get *that* drunk. This was appreciated, because I have been to a lot of bars w/​wristband deals that stick to their one drink per person guns.
However, the bartenders were a little standoffish, which surprised me in a place like this. Typically in more dive-​y, small bars, the bartenders are a bit more interested in getting to know the clientele. But maybe it was just the fact that this was the first time more than ten people had been in the bar simultaneously and they were overwhelmed.
I didn’t notice the music, because I was in «drink as much as possible before the open bar ends» mode, and reuniting with long lost friends from college. But if I didn’t even notice it it must not have been incredibly awesome nor horrible.
Oh and the bathrooms totally reminded me of the bathrooms at Sidetrack. Very random.
I think there is a reason that no one I know had ever heard of this place before that fateful Friday. Sorry, Copa.

I warmed up to it but still did not stay for more than an hour. Though I like the booths and even the annoying lights; the music had no variety and was strictly… i dont know what to call this genre but think slipknot and nickelback — which doesnt get the night started for me. It was kind of hip, a little seedy, maybe the décor is overambitious in trying to be more hip than the place really is. It’s a small place and everyone seems to know eachother so there it’s a friendly atmosphere. If you are not hoping to get pumped up to dance and rage, Copa might be okay.

I always feel like I’ve stepped into some strange underground Las Vegas dive club when I’m at The Copa. They have cool, big, round booths that would be right at home in a scene from a Scorsese movie. The low-​hanging color-​changing lights can be a bit frustrating at first. But for some reason, as the night goes on, you fall in love with them, and the strange mirrored walls, and the bright «C» light in the bathroom mirror.
I love The Copa. Yes, I have only been there on Wednesdays, but who needs the other days of the week? It doesn’t get much better than Karaōke Wednesdays at the Copa. It’s a very laid back, and you’re sure to get your song in. Very friendly, cheap drinks, radical atmosphere. It’s not for everybody, but it’s definitely for me.

I met some girlfriends here for martinis before going out. It was pretty dead in there… I think it was 10 o’clock…it was 5 of us girls, one boyfriend and 4 girls who got off their shift at VIPs. The interior could use a makeover– it was dark on dark on dark with candles. But, their martinis were good and half priced too.

I got there very early… like 9:30 and we were the only patrons. Be sure to come late. Also, there is a tricky step down into the bathroom… beware. Oh and if cleanliness is your thing… skip this place!

Came here with girlfriends to start our night. The décor could use a lot of help, but the drinks were great and the music was even better! Interesting crowd, young and ecclectic, but pretty hip. I would definitely come back with a group of friends. Not ideal date spot.

Great drinks and even better music. DJ Dream (?) was awesome the first time I went playing dancable, downtempo bossa nova.