Copper Dome Restaurant

Happy with the new ownership (Fall 2013)! I went there a few years ago and had a so-so experience. I went back a few weeks ago and had a great experience. New owner is getting a machine that accepts credit cards, he is cleaning up the place, and sprucing up the menu...keeping the cooks, so they can keep some of the same great tasting food! I'd highly recommend. more

Horrible experience more

I enjoyed my service and food until I had to pay. I never have cash on me and didn't notice a very small sign in the entry until after I left. They offer an ATM but prompts you to accept the transaction fee of $1.50 which will go to the Copper Dome. So, for a $7.65 meal the restaurant tries to get an extra 20% out of me instead of paying a merchant fee of 2.5% at the very max? I don't think so! The 'old lady' that some people talked about wasn't very friendly but I don't it was on purpose. Although I did ask how much the ATM charge was and she first told me she doesn't know. So I check by swiping my card and cancelled the transaction, used my iphone to find my bank. While I was searching on my phone she finally told me she ""thinks"" the fee is $1.50 - she knew what it charged the whole time and didn't tell me because she knows it goes in her pocket and is not a good business practice. I told them I'd rather drive to my bank a mile away and get cash for free. To the owners - get a merchant account and a used processing machine and instead of charging customers to get cash, give them a 2% discount if they use cash instead of credit card. Not sure how ATM machines work but it must be leased, or rented out - do the same with a credit card machine and avoid upsetting modern customers. By the way, why accept personal checks without a way to verify funds but not accept credit cards? You are welcoming bad customers who will write bad checks and never come back. Better take no checks, but offer credit cards so your good customers won't have to pay a 'fee' to pay the bill. Accept credit cards and I would give a five star. P.S. I found this restaurant on City Search and planned on reviewing before I went so I am not the loud minority here, things could have been very different. Pros: Sour Cream Burger was great, waiter gave excellent service. Cons: doesn't accept credit cards more

My family has been customers of the Copper Dome for several years. The service has never been much to be desired especially by the older lady (part owner). She is rude and does nothing to make you feel welcomed or comfortable. In the past we have overlooked this in exchange for good food at a decent price. We decided to introduce the place to my husband's family a while back. It was a Sunday and though they don't take reservations we thought it would be nice to put in a ""courtesy call"" to let them know that we were coming in with a party of 12. The rest of us waited in our cars while my husband went in to put our name on the list --the older lady said that they were too busy to seat us and would not accomodate us unless we wanted to break up into small groups and sit all over the restaurant. My family has owned and operated a local restaurant for 40 years and we have NEVER refused service to a party for being too large. We have had walk-ins of over 20 people and done whatever neccesary to accomodate them just as if they were a party of 2. That was nearly 2 years ago and we have not been back since. Pros: good, cheap breakfast Cons: rude servers more

My GF and I are trying out new breakfast places on Sundays and thought we'd give Copper Dome a try. Big mistake. When we arrived, we gave our name to the person up front, had to stand around because all of the seats were taken, not entirely bad, but then the guy calls our name and there were other people who obviously had been there long before us. He quickly seated the other people and took care of it, but it created an awkward situation, but that was the only thing that went even remotely well. A few minutes later, we were seated at a table near the back corner and were given menus. Waiter took our drink order, then disappeared for about 10-15 minutes. He reappeared, took our order. I ordered Bacon & Eggs (over easy), which also comes with 3 buttermilk pancakes. My GF noted that you have to ASK for real butter otherwise the serve margarine. So we were treated to a small plate of nearly frozen butter. About 15-20 minutes later, our food shows up. I added a pad of butter to the pancakes so it could melt some, then dug into the eggs. The eggs were over hard (or well done), they didn't even run a drop of yoke, they tasted like a hard boiled egg they were so over done. The bacon was tough, I don't know how this was possible, but it was difficult to eat and didn't finish it. The pancakes were the only thing that were not screwed up, but even I can make pancakes. Waiter was basically no where to be found the whole time, I managed to drink though my glass of water and my soft drink, after I was done eating he finally appeared and asked if I wanted a refill... kinda late don'tcha think? My GF had coffee and they brought her a container of it, however, it was very bitter and they only had non-dairy creamer to cut the bitterness... so I guess they didn't screw up the sugar packets at the table. But as she attempted to use a spoon at the table to mix the sugar, we both noticed that it was a dirty spoon, bit of dried lettuce or other green had stuck to it. The waiter disappeared again. Another person came by and cleared our table of dishes and about 10 minutes after that, the waiter showed up with the check... He should think himself lucky that I left $1 for a tip. Oh, and just to validate that this waiter was slow, the booth where a couple had been seated just before us was already being served food for the NEXT group of people to sit in the booth. As for the food, I've eaten at several other St. Paul restaurants for breakfast on Sundays, you can go North, South, East, or West of this place and do better for about the same money. Pros: If you can stand the bad service and food, this is a good pl Cons: Staff, food, just about everything more

I greatly enjoyed my experience at Copper Dome. It was my first time there. It was on a Wednesday morning around 10am, however, but the place was full. We were seated, serviced and fed in a reasonable amount of time. The almond syrup is my favorite! Pancakes were hot and fresh. The spinach, tomato, omelette with provolone cheese was excellent! Nice young waiter. Give it a try but I would suggest not on the weekends. Pros: Great food! unique selection of food, smalltown atmosphere! more

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, and after a late night, I am always excited to go out to one of the many breakfast places in the Twin Cities. I have been to many of the establishments, and was looking forward to the Copper Dome which had been recommended to me by some of my friends. I was very excited to try out this place, hoping to add it to our rotations of restaurants. (It will not be added). We went on New Years Day, and it was not busy, and we still had to wait for a host to acknowledge us and seat us. We sat, and waited for someone to take our drink and food orders. We were quite hungry and it felt like we waited for a while. Somehow we had acquired a new waitress, who was unbelievably rude to us. She yelled at two of us for laughing at a picture from the previous night, and told us to be quiet because it was so busy in there. It wasn't. We waited WAY too long for our food, which when it got to our table, was cold. I inquired as to the whereabouts of my English Muffin, which had not come out with either round of food, and the waitress' reply was ""It's not there yet. I will bring it when it's there."" I didn't know exactly what this meant, there? At the Copper Dome? Did someone have to go get one from across the street? I waited for what turned out to be a very burnt English Muffin. In the amount of time that it took to get my English Muffin, my friend noticed that there was a black hair (that belonged to none of us) cooked into her food. When she alerted the waitress, the waitress did no believe her until my friend pointed out the hair, and took the food back. Now I work in food service, and in a situation like this, my friend's food becomes TOP priority. I mean come on, isn't it the Dome's goal to get its customers to return? Fifteen minutes later, the waitress returns, and asks my friend if she even wants her food anymore because it will take a really long time. I can't fit everything I want to write. Terrible food and service. Pros: Milk tasted fine. Cons: Where do I begin? more

Everything tasted horrible... Basic things like eggs, milk, jam... Things that even I couldn't screw up that badly... I couldn't figure out what everybody else was doing there... Did I mention the service was horrible also? Long wait and rude. If you want good breakfast go to Hell's Kitchen in dwtn Minneapolis more

I've been to Copperdome probably 5 times, &the service has always been a little slow. Our last (and final!) visit on 11/01/08 was absoutely unacceptable. We had a group of 4, & when we arrived there were 3 girls ahead of us waiting to be sat. They got a table, & I waited up at the hostess stand for literally 8 minutes & nobody said a word to me! They walked by, almost every one of them, & couldn't even say hi, or stop to write my name down. I understand even though there were clean tables that we would still possibly have to wait, but someone could have atleast stopped to write my name down, so I could join my 3 guests who were sitting on the bench. The gentleman finally came to the host stand his first words were ""how many?"" No hello, or anything after I had been standing there for almost 10 min.! He got us a table, & we waited another 5 min. without any awknowledgement before one of my guests stopped a bus boy to ask if we could get some water. It took another 5 minutes for our server to come(we had to ask for her too.) She took our order - 4 simple breakfasts (eggs, bacon, toast, omelettes) Almost 40 minutes had passed & we still hadn't received our food! One of the cooks came out & observed the restaurant 3 times during our visit, yet we still hadn't received our food. We arrived there around 12:30, & it was almost 2:00, & still no food. We noticed the 2 ladies that were behind us to get sat were getting up to leave. We thought they were getting upset about the wait, as we were, but we peeked over & noticed dirty plates on their table. They arrived after us, had already eaten & were on their way out before we even got our food? That blew my mind! So after getting irritated - we noticed the 3 girls ahead of us to get sat, they looked irritated as well. My guest put his hands up (they were across the restaurant) and one girl said ""an hour & a half!"" Stating she thought it was crazy... cont. Pros: good hashbrowns Cons: horrible service, loooong waits more

I have tried on more than one ocassion to like this restaurant because the menu is interesting, but each time come up disappointed, mainly because of the spotty service. One of my favorite items was the cornmeal pancakes, but one time I took a bite into a rather sour tasting pancake. When I informed my server, she didn't believe me. I was unable to eat the rest of the plate, so there it sat on the edge of the table. To top it all off, I had to pay for my uneaten plate of sour pancakes. I returned to the restaurant on another time thinking that maybe the server had a bad day, but again my party ended up waiting for our food way past the time that the people around us, who had seated after us, got their food. We weren't offered an any acknowledgment or apology. So disappointing! I have more unpleasant encounters at the Copper Dome, but not the time to list them. more

Your eyes will pop out when you see the selection on the breakfast menu. We kept asking the server to come back, for we could not make up our minds! The scrambled eggs weren't anything special, but the pancakes were delicious. My friend had some sort of potato cake/omelet dish, which she enjoyed. With such low prices and variety for breakfast, you can't go wrong. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by...but check the hours first. We came in right at 2 pm and they sent us away! We were very disappointed, because we love their food. It has a nice, small town atmosphere I just love. Pros: Breakfast fare, pancakes, service, atmosphere, quality, price Cons: odd hours more

I've only been to Copper Dome once, but I'm looking for an excuse to go back again! It has the largest and most unique breakfast I have ever seen! The meal I got was outstanding and I can't wait to try some of the other things on the menu that I was debating over. It's the neighborhood breakfast joint with that home-style cooking and fantastic service. I would totally recommend the Copper Dome to breakfast lovers! Pros: Awesome breakfast food! more

So this may not be the best food I've ever had, but it is good. It's a great place to get together with an old friend, or share with a new one. You're not going to get the service you get at some of the chain restaurants, but that's not why I go here. It's simply a relaxing place to have some good food, escape from the everyday rush, and have some good conversation. more

There are too many great breakfast places in town to ever try this place again. First time we waited for 25 minutes for a table for 2 when there were 4 open tables for parties of 5 or more and the host refused to seat any parties smaller than 5 at these tables. Finally got a table and the food was fine but certainly not worth the wait. Waitress was cold and brusque and not polite at all. Months later we were in the neighborhood again so we decided to give it a second try. Same story, we were a party of 2 and there were 4 additional couples ahead of us. I walked around the restaurant and counted 4 open tables that held parties of 5-6 and again the host would not seat any of us. I even asked what if in the next hour you never get a party of 5-6, will you just continue to leave those tables empty while we all wait and she just shrugged her shoulders and said ""that's our policy"". We turned around and walked out the door. I can understand holding 1 table for a group but 4 when there were multiple parties waiting? Ridiculous! I guess if you have a party of 5-6 and you're not looking for anything special and you don't mind a waitress who was wishing she was somewhere else, then this is the perfect place for you. I on the other hand, will not be going back! Pros: can't think of any Cons: poor service, long wait, disappointing food more

The Copper Dome is the best breakfast place in the Twin Cities. Hands down. The staff is friendly and helpful and the service has been fabulous. I take my family and friends each time they visit the city and each have agreed that the Copper Dome has great home cooking, good coffee and an approachable wait staff. The menu is nearly overwhelming with all of the options for pancakes, eggs, steaks....if you like steak and eggs or pork chops and eggs for breakfast, you won't find a cheaper place with such high quality. Whole wheat pancakes, banana chocolate chip pancakes, philly cheese steak omlettes...I haven't found a place with such variety anywhere else in the Twin Cities. Pros: Amazing menu choices Cons: no credit cards accepted more

I went here with a group of 9 and expected to wait forever to get in, but was seated right away. While I waited for the rest of my group, I was given coffee until they all showed up.. When they did, they promptly took our order and had our food in no time. Honestly it took us longer to read through their extensive menu to order than it took them to bring our food. The food was reasonable and healthy portions, the service was friendly and the atmospher was nostalgic. Pros: Lots of Choices, Country Feel, Nostalgic more

This past Sunday we went to the Dome for breakfast. We arrived at lunch time on a Sunday so expected a wait. We waited for 40 minutes and all this time there were empty tables. One was visable from where we were waiting and was empty the whole time. Finally seated the waitress was polite. The food came in a reasonable amount of time. The eggs in the cajun chicken omlet were like rubber. Half way through I found an inch long piece of chicken neck bones which speaks to the quality of the chicken used. The pancakes were cold and did not taste good. Don't bother! We go for breakfast every Sunday and this was without a doubt the worst breakfast I have ever had in a cafe. There were other people around us sending their food back and complaining as well. In a word ""lousy""! Pros: Polite waitress Cons: Long wait, Bad food, Bad food more

The food is amazing and the restraunt is very interesting. The only major downside to this wonderfull restraunt is the service. There are not enough waitresses working here. If you go expect to wait a long time to have your order taken and expect not to see your waitress again untill the food comes. We used to go every Saturday morning during our daughter's art class and spend about $20 on breakfast and tip. It is the best food in the area and the worst service. The waitresses are nice but overwhelmed. We would spend about 30 minutes waiting for someone to take our order then another 30 waiting to get it. Pros: Food Cons: Service, Cash/Check only more

After seeing the 9.7 rating and the positive reviews on Citysearch, I looked forward to having breakfast at this place. It was 11:00am on a Sunday; the parking lot was almost full and the place was very busy, which we interpreted as a good sign (wrong!!). Upon walking in, there was no one to seat us (or even acknowledge we were there). When we were finally seated, my husband asked for orange juice and was served orange-flavored Tang. As we waited 18-20 min for our food to arrive, we overheard another patron saying he'd had to ask twice for his water. When the food finally arrived, the toast was cold and hard, the pancakes were tough (as though they had been frozen and freshly *nuked*, not even reheated in an oven), the hash browns were greasy, and my coffee was bad. Bad, bad experience overall. We are never going back. Pros: quaint decor, cheap, varied menu Cons: bad food, poor service, only take cash/check more

I like greasy spoons like this place. Even though this place is a little nicer and more vintage than most dive breakfast joints. Seated right away on a Sunday at about 12:30. Service was great. Better than what I expected given it was a busy time. Food took less than 10 minutes to arrive. I ordered your normal breakfast staples: eggs, sausage patties, hash browns, wheat toast, and 3 flap jacks. All for under $7.00. Had a nice varity of syrups. The menu is huge. Open it up all the way and it looks like a org chart at a Fortune 500 company. If in the mood for your typical meat and potatoes joint, check it out Pros: Sausage, Service, Decor more