Coppervine

Closing on Vday… Thank God!!!
The service was God awful, our server and we won’t mention his name other than he was very tall and thin had absolutely no personality and treated us as if we were bothering him by coming in… Now it is restaurant week but there menu selections just seemed a tad bit boring as if they didn’t want to participate… The food was so so the ambiance was chic and cute the cocktails were great the wine was well… Wine… Overall not worth the value save your money go to summer house… Wait this place closes soon so chances are you won’t waste your money…

Lets just say, I would have been happy enough just to sit and sip my Modern Women’s Manhattan (adapted special for me) and watch the creative cocktails flowing from the mixologist in this very cool atmosphere. That is not to say that I stopped there.
It was Restaurant week in Chicago so I had a little of everything! I love eating like this. I have a seafood allergy do the chef substituted out the lobster mac for the homemade scallion pasta with a quail egg. Very good! I then had the Root to Stalk Beat Salad yum! Yum! I loved the short ribs but by this point I am so full I can’t finished them. The desert was like a deconstructed pie with bourbon poached pear, a very little, gelato and some other little things to add to the pie taste. Sorry this one was only so, so. I did sneak a taste of my husbands Chocolate Chip cookie and it was outstanding! It had lots of chocolate with a little cookie and was served along with some warm milk that was like the milk we use to get when we were kids. What’s not to like?
Our waiter was a little new and we had a hard time communicating with him because he also didn’t seem to speak english all that well. He did have a big smile that somehow made it all alright.
I can’t wait to go back! Maybe Valentines day?

We ordered the house salad. It was amazing. We also ordered the beet salad. This was mediocre.
The steak was awful. Not top grade by ANY means. It was chewy and rubbery. We ordered it medium rare and we almost choked trying to chew it and swallow it. Way too gummy.
You would think that for $ 45 you woukd get a great juicy steak. The size of the steak was around 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. It was precut when brought to the table. When u tried to cut it with the steak knife it was very stringy and gummy.
The wines were ok.
Our server was very good and the service was excellent. Just the food was not worth the high price.
I don’t mind paying top dollars for amazing, delicious food but the steak on this place was a joke. A really bad one.
Everything else was pretty good. Just don’t order the steak until they upgrade their suppliers.

Had dinner here and nothing about the food was impressive. Everything was under-​seasoned and dry. Some of the items seemed to have been cooked in the microwave, including the chocolate chip cookie dessert.
They had a decent cocktail/​wine menu; however, nothing special.
I won’t be going back, and with all of the other great restaurants in Chicago, I wouldn’t recommend anyone else going here.

We were visiting the Chicago area and went to our trusty Unilocal app to find some good food, and heres is where we found Coppervine. My family and I absolutely loved this place! They do all of the hard work for you in having suggested pairings with every entrée. Beautiful interior design, with an upstairs that features its own bar and private dining events.
We started with the Mac & Cheese which I paired the cocktail with the Brown Butter old Fashion, and the wife had the wine a buttery chardonnay… Both were AWESOME and the pairing were spot on! We also had the Pesto Flat bread that was definitley way better than the pizza place next door. Then we went straight to entrees, Fried Chicken, Duck, Wagyu Steak and my son had the prime burger. ALL were PHENOMENAL!!! I paired cocktails and my wife paired with wines. Their beverage program is second to none as all of our pairings went perfectly with all of our entrees.
The fried chicken had a great crunch on the outside and was super tender and juicy in the inside. Comes with mashed potatoes which were awesome as well. The Duck you can tell is just quality, super tender, perfectly cooked, you can tell the Chef takes pride in where they source their products from. And the steak was just out of this world! Perfect sear on the outside and just melt in your mouth tender in the inside. My sons prime burger was absolutley delicious too. Definitely made for adults as he couldn’t finish it (Which is is good thing).
I highly recommend Coppervine!

I’m going to echo the sentiments of my fellow Unilocalers Eddie. S and Christy. L. For the price point this place needs a reality check. And almost every plate we ordered was out! Who the hell is in charge of ordering food at this place??? This is Chi-​town with a serious Foodie Rep to protect. That said, I don’t know understand how this place keeps running out of food… But that probably wasn’t a bad thing.
So we started off with the Small Plates. Ordered the salad that looked good only to be told, ummm sorry but we ran out. Can someone explain how you run out of salad? Anyway the Server (who was really cool by the way) says well why don’t you try the beets. 50% of the people told him, we don’t like beets. He responded by saying that its a really different kind of beet. So what the hell, based on the guys recommendation we went for it. Let me tell you Unilocalers something. I was beat by the beets. Not impressed and flat out didn’t like it. Other people felt the same.
Then we ordered the Entrée’s. We ordered the Fried chicken and Steak Dishes. Now let me tell you guys something. When you can get better, more flavorful chicken at Chick-​Fil-​A, there’s a problem. I felt sorry Coppervine. The Steak was also unmemorable. 4 to 6 thin slices of Beef for 35 $ dollars??? Come on. I mean, if it was tasty I’d let it slide, but the meat had no flavor! So by this point, I was beat by the beets, the beef and chicken!
The only thing that was good about this place were the drinks. I hate to give any place the OPF stamp but Coppervine earned it. (Over Priced Food)!
You ever looked at someone’s resume and said, wow! Looks like they’ll be a great fit, all sorts of credentials and certifications, blah blah blah… then you meet them and you say to yourself WTF???
Well…that resume is Coppervines menu and the food is the candidate which utterly Fails.
And there you have it folks! Happy New Year and Go BlackHawks!!!

This restaurant has a great sultry yet modern ambiance. The food was organized by portions (portions as small appetizers to share, small, medium and large plates). To me this more of a place for drinks and small snacks rather than really wanting a full on dinner. Great bar and waitstaff was very friendly.

I had a great dinning experience here. The new chef has really elevated the food. The beverage program is also impressive with great cocktails and a substantial wine list. I also found the service to be spot on, very friendly and I never found myself wanting.
Thank you for the experience Coppervine, I look forward to being back!

A blend of creativity and traditionalism. Delicious food. Good vibes.
Chef Chip Barnes is a creative chef, and you can tell he came out of the Moto school of creative deconstruction. Tired of the usual beet salad? Try the root to stalk beet salad, with fried beet greens, beet bacon, beet pesto, and goat cheese. There are just a few places who does duck well, and Coppervine is one of them. The cryo-​seared duck (frozen in liquid nitrogen first before frying) was perfectly cooked and paired well with the duck pâté, while the marshmallow puff provides a unique way to balance out the dish without using acidity. At the end of the night, you can still sense that he has roots of a feel good traditional cook. Case in point, try his chocolate chip cookies to end your meal, along with some of the freshest milk you’ll ever drink.
If you’re looking to experience fine dining without the pretense of fine dining, then this is the place for you. Great place for drinks after work, or for a nice meal with your date. Come check out this spot if you’re looking to get away from the craziness of Fulton Market.

Delicious food in a lively atmosphere with a robust beverage program.
After my recent meal at Coppervine I left very impressed with the food. I had not been before the new Chef, Chip Barnes started so cannot judge how the food changed, but my suspicion is for the better compared with previous reviews. As a table of two we ordered 6 dishes plus dessert. The dishes were simple yet well executed, usually featuring 3 – 4 bold flavors in an upscale take on comfort food. Each dish was seasoned perfectly and I highly recommend the meatballs, hand made pasta, Rabbit bratwurst (probably only a fall seasonal) and the fried chicken (perfect crust, side of potatoes with creole gravy off on top was unreal).
Overall I think it offers an upscale restaurant with an adventurous menu to a price point in the neighborhood which is dominated by poorly executed gastro pubs and traditional fare. It offers a taste of adventure and fine dining in a fun and relaxed atmosphere without breaking the bank.
The beverage program offers a large selection of cocktails, beer, and wine. We did not have any cocktails, although they sounded delicious. My wife and I chose to pair wine and beer with our meals respectively and the pairings offered variety, although I thought a few could have been more expertly paired. But, as I said, I think the food is the true asset of Coppervine.
Highly recommended!
(PS took a sneak peak at their private dining room in the upstairs. Looked like a great spot for many sized parties and keeps the loud groups out of the main dining room)

I was intrigued by the unique menu items offered on Coppervine’s menu when looking for a new restaurant to try Saturday night — particularly the unique spin on Prosciutto Flat Bread and the Grilled Wild Monkfish as well as an interesting cocktail menu. When we arrived and were seated, the server gave us some insight as to how their pairing worked, etc. We placed an order for cocktails, which took roughly 25 minutes to come out, and ordered the prosciutto flat bread. About 15 minutes later we were informed they ran out of the prosciutto small plate, so we ordered the alternative flat bread off of their «Small Plates» menu. I am no novice when it comes to restaurants offering different portion sizes, but when they say small plates they mean SMALL PLATES. It was the smallest flat bread I have ever seen — and nothing to speak of.
Our second round of cocktails came out sporadically, and again about 30 – 45 minutes after we ordered them and were completely forgettable. The Meat and Cheese Platter was good, but not worth the 40 minute wait it took to come out. We ordered the Monkfish, Burger, and Pork Chops for our entrees at the same time as the artisan platter. It came out over an hour after we received our meat and cheese platter.
While the Monkfish was tasteful, the Medium Plate was again significantly smaller than anticipated. The burger came out overcooked and the pretzel bun was so dry it was inedible. The pork chop was bland, overcooked, and dry. Had we not all been starving and tired of the entire situation, we would have sent the entrees back.
We left Coppervine three hours later, still hungry, and disappointed by the entire experience. I definitely will not be going back.

No complaints. The drinks were great, well matched with each dish and nice to be able to try a smaller serving of a drink pairing, ie: a 5oz wine…
Wagu beef was excellent and well cooked, fried chicken and potatoes are fantastic, extra crispy chicken, but yet super juicy. Flat breads were a nice starter as we’re the crab fritters. The smoky aioli that accompanies the fritters is amazing! Good service and a nice dining room with good sized bar make it good for any group or occasion.

The food was nothing special. We split the Mozzarella di Bufala flat bread, and it was fine. I had the Maine Lobster BLT and my boyfriend had the burger. They were fine — no wow factor. The BLT was heavy on mayo.
Our server creeped me out and was not good. When I asked for a vodka cocktail, he said there was only one. When I asked him to describe it, he appeared annoyed and said I’d like it. I should have delved deeper as the drink was way too sweet for my taste. We had to wait forever for our drink order (pet peeve on a Friday after a busy work week).
I love the drink pairing concept, but found the food unmemorable and the service mediocre for a restaurant at this price point.

Alrighty Unilocalers, I gave this try #2 and STILL didn’t like any of the food. Which is sad because I really wanted to!
Diver Scallops — Bland. Bed of peas the scallops rested on had no seasoning. The scallops were huge but without some type of richness (avocado garnish maybe?) this dish fell flat.
Tuna Tartare w Hen Egg & Crostini — One standout dish was this. Loved that they added hen egg (i.e. cut up deviled egg) to the ahi tuna chunks. They didn’t give you much tuna though (teeny chunks, diced up and spread atop heavy mayo) Also, the mayo would have been better on top of the dish rather than underneath. It was annoying trying to chase the Mayo around the plate with the toasted slices of crostini.
Lobster BLT — TOO RICH! The lobster was amazing but was totally overpowered by the butter slathering the bread. Why? yuck. The bacon was doused with grease. I mean come on, towel it off before you throw it in there, duh.
Green salad — Very bitter due to the fact that the salad was 80% radiocchio (the purple stuff haha.) Too much cinnamon in the salad dressing tasted weird rather than interesting. And finally, gobs of blue cheese nailed the coffin closed. Blue cheese is such a strong cheese it s/​b used sparingly.
So from visit #2 I must conclude that Coppervine isn’t worth the price tag as none of the dishes have been perfected. And this concludes this part of my dining history. Goodbye Coppervine it was not meant to be.

Was excited to try it given Chicago Mag’s ranking it on the March hotlist but confused is probably a good word to sum up my experience. Dined here last night (Friday)… Started with a wonderfully crafted cocktail — the Brown Butter Old Fashioned — at the bar and we were off to the races. Menu looked delish so was really excited.
Server came over and explained the menu placing particular emphasis on how each dish had been «perfectly» paired with your choice of wine, beer, or cocktail. Very excited again but unfortunately, didn’t live up to the hype.
We started with the lobster Mac & cheese paired with a Chardonnay. M&C was very good but could have benefitted from a little more seasoning. The Chardonnay was totally unremarkable on its own and didn’t add anything to the dish.
Next was grilled octopus. This may have been the standout dish — perfectly seasoned and cooked. It was paired with a Tempranillo (I think) which should, once again, tell you how I felt about it. Meh on its own and added little to the dish.
PEI mussels with Chorizo were next. Also very, very good. Mussels were very, very small but the white wine and chorizo paired very nicely together. My wife paired with a Pinot Gris and I paired with a stunning cocktail — Four Grapes — which had pisco, passion fruit and a cranberry ice. The Pinot Gris was probably the best wine we had and the cocktail, while adding to vs. balancing against the heat of the dish, was also very good.
We concluded with the fried chicken. Absolutely terrible. I mean awful. The batter was hard and over seasoned. The skin on the chicken inside was milky white and flabby. It came with a Cajun Mashed Potato which is pretty much all we ate from this dish because the chicken was so poorly prepared. The cocktail this was paired with the WWPSD which was served in a flute and was a jalapeño, grapefruit, sparkling something or other that was quite stunning.
We opted for the cheese plate for dessert which was very good but VERY small (the piece of triple Crème we got was the size of my thumb). I chose a rose off the menu which was very nice.
In any event, it was a disappointing experience as it didn’t deliver on the concept («perfect pairings») and the food, while a very nicely constructed menu, missed on a couple points including our main which was an epic fail.
Maybe just an off night and I’d consider giving it another shot but I probably won’t go out of my way to do so.

We visited Coppervine for Chef’s week. We hadn’t been and wanted to try something new. Overall, it was nice. Our waiter was fun and informative. It was very loud and hard to have an intimate conversation. I feel the atmosphere was young and trying to be sophisticated. We were also surprised by our bill when received, watch the prices or you will be surprise.
I enjoyed how they have constructed their menu with drink pairings for each dish, either a full glass or just a taste. I further enjoyed that it’s not just wine pairings. They have several dishes with cocktail as well as beer pairings. Whatever goes best.
We opted for the chef’s menu as it was pretty much similar to the main menu and what we would have ordered.
First course: We stared with the Organic White Popcorn with parmesan and Thai chili oil. We devoured it. The parmesan softened the kernels and the chili oil and lime gave it a great surprise kick, although subtle. I ordered a full glass of wine. My boyfriend went with the tasting pairings for each course. The popcorn with the pale ale was fun. The beer was light and refreshing. Although as brewers and beer enthusiasts this isn’t our favorite style.
Second course: We both ordered the Main Lobster Mac-​n-​Cheese on the waiters recommendation as it is probably one of the more popular dishes. I was pleasantly surprised with the portion. The mac comes in a small cast iron dish filled to the brim. This would have been a enough for me. There were great chunks of lobster nestled in the gooey cheese. Just my preference, but I don’t like crumbs on my casseroles, but just a preference. I would order without. The tasting choices, my boyfriend had the cocktail paired with this dish. The Brown Butter Old Fashioned. It was a great presentation and he loved it (I am not a fan of dark rum, therefore not an accurate critic for this drink).
Third course: We again both ordered the same dish, Grilled Striped Bass. (Keep in mind we were only working of the chef’s week menu and this was the only non-​meat dish). I was stuffed from the mac-​n-​cheese but did my best to enjoy this dish. I wasn’t completely happy with the soft skin on my piece of fish and the brown color. I really enjoyed the surprise gnocchi tucked away in the dish. The sweetness of the tangerines was a great touch and surprise factor. For the chef’s menu we got to taste a white wine from Santa Yenz. Pretty tasting with the fish, my boyfriend didn’t like it just on its own.
We managed to save room for the desserts. We ordered the Wine Poached Pear and Crème Brulee. They were both delicious.
Overall, it was a fun place to try. It’s very loud when full. The décor is hip but the restaurant overall does not live up to the image it is trying to project.

I really have to disagree with the 5 star reviews. This isn’t for the ‘sophisticated palate’ and I don’t think the pairings or the wine in general was all that great. I think this place trying to be high end but really isn’t there yet.
The atmosphere is really cute and it’s not a huge place so it will get packed quickly. We were hungry and we had to order a lot of food here and our bill ended up being quite high. The menu is separated into small, medium, and large plates. Let me help you… the small plates are really really small.
We started with the ahi tuna tartare (small plate), pot pie (medium), and the lobster mac and cheese (small). I’m not joking, I laughed when the food came out. Imagine seeing three itty bitty pieces of fish in the middle of a massive plate with a bit of sauce on it. That’s what the tuna was: a joke. The pot pie was really just marginal, it was nothing special. The mac was plain. I actually forgot there was lobster in it. There was one teeny piece of lobster but no taste of it at all.
Since I was still hungry I ordered the shortrib (medium plate) and it was hands down the best thing I had there. Really nice. My friend ordered another plate too and a small dessert. We were both shocked to see that our bill was $ 142 before tax despite what seemed like little food. We each had 2 glasses of wine, but the wine was nothing special. Our service was fine.
We were there the first rainy night since they opened. When we got our coats back from coat check they were quite wet although we had been there for 2 hours. All in all, I think there’s some kinks to be worked out but I think right now it’s overpriced for what they offer.

The namesake copper vine twines along the ceiling, making an incredible statement as you step into the newest restaurant to hit Lincoln Park.
Open for only about 2 weeks at the time of my visit– I was impressed by the level of service, the beautiful, tranquil décor and the great food and cocktail pairings.
First the décor. Done in shades of gray, your eye is immediately drawn upward as you walk into the space a a copper vine with crystal leaves sparkles along the ceiling. It is truly beautiful and a wonderful complement to the dark, textured walls, light gray cushions and dark wood floors.
We were seated at a cozy table for 2 at the banquette that runs along the wall underneath the vine sculpture. Our server, Victoria, was over in a flash, handing us our menus, explaining the concept but also keenly observant that my friend and I were doing some catching up so she didn’t want to intrude. She was everything you could want in a server– attentive, knowledgeable and friendly…so nice that she was a perfect «face of the restaurant».
The menu is interesting– small, medium and large plates with an array of items to choose…from flatbreads and cheeses, to full size entrees. But what makes it interesting is the pairings that go with each and every item. While many places have a wine pairing for an item, at Coppervine, they up the ante and provide a wine, cocktail and beer pairing for everything on the menu. The theory here is that the food and drink both will taste better when properly paired.
While many of the items sounded amazing, we went with a few of our favorites– the ahi tuna tartar, the grilled octopus, the mussels, and the short rib, all accompanied by the sides of fries with aioli sauce and Brussels sprouts with bacon. All were quite good– although if you like classic tuna tartar– know that this is quite a bit different as it is a beautifully plated dish with a small portion of tuna, hard boiled eggs, radishes and aioli sauce. Unusual enough that we probably should have been alerted by the server that it was not a «classic tartar «at all as the menu stated.
But the rest of the food fared better. The mussels were steamed in white wine, the short rib so tender it melted in our mouths, the polenta that accompanied it smooth and creamy. And the grilled octopus? Perfectly cooked and served with some tomatoes and greens that complemented it beautifully.
As for dessert– there were many choices and we landed on the owner’s suggestion of the Molten Lava cake and trust me it did not disappoint!
Speaking of the owner– I love it when the people that are behind a new place in town are actually in their restaurant and asking for feedback. Don (one of the partners) came to our table several times welcoming us, seeking feedback and inviting us back again. A perfect way to encourage my business!
Given the newness of this place– it was a nice surprise that there did not seem to be any of the «new restaurant misses» that you often encounter. The pacing was perfect and the staff seemed to want to help each other out. The only suggestion I would make is that the bussers be a little more mindful that people are still eating as I felt we had to hang on to our plates a few times to finish up.
And ladies– while the restrooms are lovely, the lighting is very low over the sink so know that there will not be a lot of primping going on there!
Dinner for two with dessert was about $ 100 although we did not have any cocktails on this visit. If you drive– there is valet parking next door at Summer House for about $ 13 as street parking is a bit of a challenge in this neighborhood.
All in all a lovely experience. I can’t wait to go back and check out some of those cocktail pairings on my next visit. .. .just remind me to call a cab when I leave as they all sounded amazing!

My wife and I read about Coppervine and randomly decided to try it last night. The concept of pairing everything with a drink is an interesting and fun one. Despite that, I was not in the mood to try out the pairings, although my wife did. The menu features small, medium, and large plates.
We started off with the cheese plate, which was well done but could have used some different bread options other than the included raisin bread. My wife loved the recommended wine pairing.
For our other two plates, we went with the chicken pot pie and the ribeye. The chicken pot pie was wonderful and hit all of the things that you want with a pot pie, although this wine pairing didn’t seem to go as perfectly as the previous one. The steak was incredibly tender and juicy and cooked perfectly, but unfortunately, it was lacking flavor and was a little fattier than anticipated. The concept seemed great with the mushroom and onion sauce, but the sauce was missing something, perhaps some more seasoning. We got brussel sprouts as the side instead of the usual potatoes. They were smokey and cooked very nicely, but I felt they were missing salt.
The atmosphere and décor in the restaurant were great, very warm and inviting. The restaurant wasn’t full when we were there, but had it been, we were both sure that we would have felt that the tables were too close together and likely would not have had as enjoyable of an experience.
If I was only rating the food, I would give this place 3 stars, but the impeccable service brought it up to 4 stars. Our waiter (Dean I think) was great. He was very attentive and clearly cared that everything went exactly how we wanted it to. The manager or owner came over to check on us, and even the chef stopped by. Both of these individuals impressed me with their enthusiasm and friendliness. I unfortunately did not mention my issues with the steak directly to them, and I probably should have, but I didn’t think about it when the manager came by, and we were having such a great talk with the chef that I didn’t want to ruin it.
We will be sure to try this place out again, and from what I saw, I believe they will bring their food up to the level of their service and I will be able to update this review with 5 stars.

A unique and fun menu where every item has a suggested drink pairing. Whether you’re feeling Ahi Tuna with an Apple Orchard cocktail or House Made Beef Sliders with a Boffo Brown Ale, Coppervine has got you covered.
I tried the mushroom flat bread, pork shoulder and tuna all of which we’re pretty darn tasty. I didn’t pair my drinks cause I went with a bottle of wine but some of those cocktails sure sounded tasty. If you’ve got a pretty sophisticated palate this place is sure for you.
The inside is chic but the atmosphere is casual so don’t worry if you don’t have your going out shirt handy for here. The service was extra friendly although seemed a tad unfamiliar with the full menu. Totally fine since they we’re only open for a day before that.
Overall an awesome new experience in Lincoln Park.