text: I was really excited when the Coopers Tavern opened but after a few visits I am a touch underwhelmed However they still have fairly good food and beers at a convenient location with a beautiful view of the Capitol I might add so while I do not crave it I will probably return for beers and a bit every now and thennnThe interior is really small crowded and loud I purposely avoid the place when they have live Irish music because it is completely deafening and makes it impossible to talk to anyone There is often a line on busy nights and there is not much room inside for it to grow so I avoid it more during the winter In the spring and summer there is a large pleasant outdoor patio which is a significantly more enjoyable area to have a meal and drinks The bathrooms are clean and wellstocked If you are going with a group of friends see if you can use the snug it is like a tiny barwithinabar that is walledin and much quieter with seating for up to about people There is a tiny window that opens onto the bar making it really easy to place drink orders with a bartender It is a much more pleasant experience I notice that their website says they have opened up the second floor ThursdaySaturday midnight when there is not a private event so maybe this will help with the crowding and noise issuesnnThe staff is friendly helpful and knowledgeable about the menu They are prompt and attentive and make sure to check that you are enjoying your food and drinks Nothing but kudos all around for those guysnnThe tap beer list is seasonally rotated and extensive it is full of great beers from local microbreweries as well as some other notsolocal yet delicious beers The bottle beer list is as long as my arm and full of some fantastic choices I have not had wine or mixed drinks here though the beer selection is always too tempting to pass up The food is really hitormiss The Belgian frites with malt vinegar aioli are crispy and hot with a good hit of salt and the aioli is a perfect compliment of acidity with a smooth edge The poutine although very salty is a great winter dish but far too heavy for a summer evening The roasted bone marrow is extremely rich The overriding taste is just pure fattiness I like fat as much as the next person but I had to ask for more bread because it is difficult to eat in large quantities at once It works better as a shared dish The mussels du jour are a crap shoot since they are prepared differently every day I steer clear of the days when they are steamed in beer especially Guinness because they taste extremely sour to me They used to also have a chips and chicken curry plate which I loved but it seems to have been taken off the menunnOverall if I am in the area and it is not too busy it is worth the occasional stop but with so many other good restaurants in the vicinity it is definitely not an overriding favorite