Coopers

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £4.95 (soup and sandwich) Mon--Thu noon--4pm (set lunch)
   £12 (evening meal)
• House wine: £10.35 per bottle

• High point: Plenty of room for manoeuvre
• Low point: Not all dishes available as advertised
• Food served: Mon-Sat noon-9pm; Sun 12.30pm-9pm
• Bar open: Mon-Thu 11am-11pm; Fri/Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 12.30pm-11pm
• Private dining: Up to 60 covers
• Open since: 2005
• Also offers: Wheelchair access

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is taken from the 2007 edition.

Beneath the ornate ceilings and chandeliers in this rather grand establishment hang four large corner screens that regularly show football. But Coopers caters for a wide spectrum of customers: young beer drinkers and the occasional tea-sipping pensioner co-exist here rather happily. Perhaps it helps that the menu is extensive, if somewhat meat-dominated. Burgers or fish and chips are augmented by more inspiring dishes, all of which are ordered at the bar and delivered by a smart, perky staff. The smoked salmon tart features a tattie scone-like base with tender onion and flaky slabs of fish topped with a generous dollop of sour cream. The spicy chicken chorizo is complemented by crunchy French beans and sweet cherry tomatoes. Unusually, all of the bar's 22 wines - from a New Zealand sauvignon to classic Chateauneuf du Pape - are sold by the glass. For people-watching, seats by the big, street-side windows afford good views. But even if they're taken up, the size of Coopers generally means guests never have trouble finding a table.