Which Copeland’s themed restaurant was your favorite?

Friend,

How could you omit Louisiana’s first restaurant with an oxygen bar: Sweet Fire & Ice. Where’s Copeland’s Social City? Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro?

It’s a most excellent question.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

P.S. Because you asked, TulaneLSU’s Top 10 Copeland Restaurants

10. Church’s Chicken — Mr. Al’s worst financial decision, and there were certainly some bad, sometimes blonde, ones. Is there worse fried chicken?

9. Sweet Fire & Ice — I never ate here, but it couldn’t be as bad as Church’s.

8. Wrap & Roll — Mother once occasioned to get me a PBJ wrap here, which I promptly discarded because those ingredients do not belong together.

7. Wholly Mackerel — I too enjoyed Greg’s reminiscences of this restaurant on The Food Show last week.

6. Super Popeyes — seems a Food Board favorite. It was okay. But if I wanted Mexican food I would have gone to Pancho’s.

5. Social City — I got all my meals there at no cost. Good small plates selection. Hornets ticket stubs were a free pass to enough free food to feed the heartiest of appetites.

4. Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro — it was essentially Copeland’s menu, poorly done and with over priced cheesecake. It’s now an urgent care. The one on St Charles Ave closed in 2018, ending a nearly 40 year run of Copeland owned restaurants on St Charles. Thanks be that Al Jr recently opened Nole’ at 2001 on the avenue. Chris Lusk leads the kitchen.

That building brings back many memories. Before it was Cheesecake it was Straya’s second branch. It was pink, gaudy and horribly Art Deco. Mother and I spent several weekends in 1997 and 1998 out front protesting its existence after protesting the women’s clinic on Magazine. I believe they called it a California Creole Cafe and Boutique Hotel. Mr. Al often parked his bright yellow Lamborghini, which clashed with the pastel pink, out front. I once was forced to restrain Mother, as she intended to vandalize it. What a confused and entirely unbecoming building it was.

3. Straya — certainly the best theme song of them all. I’m singing it now: “STRAYA!!!! Who’s talking about it STRAYA!!!!!” Al hadn’t made waves like he did with the St Charles Straya since his lights display riled his Metairie neighbors in the 80s. They were interesting times for us. I’m pretty sure that new Near Eastern restaurant, Shaya, had Straya as its inspiration.

2. Popeyes — the best fried chicken in America. And the red beans are beautiful.

1. Copeland’s — the blackened redfish with spicy new potato mash and an excellent old style Popeyes biscuit was a revelation to the people of the 80s. The first location, either 4338 St Charles Ave or 701 Veterans, opened in 1983. Whichever was first, it wasn’t alone for long as the second branch opened months later in 1984. The St Charles location sat vacant after Katrina for years before being renovated and opened by Superior Seafood. The Veterans location thrived before going through many failed manifestations as Sweet Fire & Ice, Social City, and now Ramsey’s Jewelers. I believe they are Kige’s cousins.

1984 saw Copeland’s third branch at 1001 South Clearview, which remains open, just as its 1987 branch at 1337 Gause in Slidell. Copeland’s tested the waters on the Westbank in 1985 with a spot at 1700 Lapalco. The same year, a location opened in Baton Rouge. 1987 saw the first non-Louisiana Copeland’s in Dallas.

Oh, TulaneLSU, please accept my apology. I sincerely appreciate your input.

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The Food Show

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Worked for a very short time at the Copeland's on Napoleon and St. Charles as a bartender in the early 90's. Kitchen was putting out some really good food. I don't know how many Crash&Burns I made, but it was a really good drink. Al came by one day for lunch. He had special champange glass in the back that he used, along with special champagne reserved for him. Parked his Lamborgini in front. Wished I could have made more money, but it was mostly service bar and I had to look for greener pastures.

Sweet Fire and Ice in Metry. Used to be the spot back in 2006, baw.

I thought Wrap and Roll was good, it may have been a little ahead of it's time though. And he wanted a ridiculous amount of money for a franchise

Is the one on Veterans still open?

the Wholly Mackerel on the westbank was the tits when i was a kid.

Straya and Super Popeyes ran neck and neck. 90s Metry was the Mecca.

Popeye