Fifteen years ago, I learned something important about CopperTop Tavern.
At the time, I thought I was just meeting friends for a quick dinner and a couple of beers. I had discovered the fish tacos there the week before — uniquely delicious and absolutely monstrous in size — and I was determined to introduce my friends to them.
This isn’t a blog about the fish tacos. I’ll save that for another day.
This is about what happens when you gather around a table long enough for a place to become part of your life.
I texted my friends to meet me at CopperTop. They assumed Camillus. I assumed they knew I meant North Syracuse.
So there I sat. Two extra menus across from me. Ten minutes past our meet-up time. The waitress gave me the polite but skeptical look — the “are you sure they’re coming?” look.
Then my phone rang.
“Hey, we’re here. Where are you?”
“I’m here too,” I said. “Booth in the corner.”
We were not in the same corner.
They had gone to Camillus. I was in North Syracuse.
They jumped back in the car and made the drive over. In the meantime, I enjoyed probably one too many pints of Guinness.
Eventually they arrived. We ordered tacos. We ordered more pints. We stayed longer than we planned.
And by the end of the night, they agreed — the fish tacos were worth the confusion.
But more importantly, the night was worth it.
So why am I telling you this story when I’m supposed to be talking about CopperTop’s St. Patrick’s menu?
Because no matter what’s on the menu — whether it’s fish tacos or corned beef — CopperTop has always been a place that makes it easy to gather. Easy to sit. Easy to stay.
The St. Patrick’s menu just gives you another reason.
The Dublin Pizza: Corned Beef, Swiss, and Crisp Crust
The Dublin Pizza is one of my favorites. It starts with Swiss cheese, then gets layered inch-to-inch with thin slices of corned beef, sauerkraut, mozzarella, and a drizzle of Russian dressing. It sounds heavy — but it’s balanced. The crust has that proper crisp with an airy edge that tells you the dough was treated with care, not rushed.
Hand-Sliced Corned Beef Still Matters
And then there’s the traditional corned beef and cabbage. Because what is St. Patrick’s season without it?
One detail that genuinely impressed me is that CopperTop still hand-slices their corned beef to order. For a larger operation, that’s not something you automatically expect. But they’re doing it. In-house. Intentionally.
That matters.
More Than Seasonal Specials
So yes, go for the St. Patrick’s specials. Go for the Dublin Pizza. Go for the corned beef and cabbage.
But mostly, go because places like CopperTop aren’t just about menu launches.
They’re about the nights that turn into stories.
And if you’re lucky, 15 years from now, you’ll still be telling yours.
