Copa Bar & Grill

You may know Copa by several names over the past 25+ years it’s been on Congress Ave, but in my short experience with this gem, Copa has served as an educational institution in cultivating my ability to adapt to strangers and move as one. What an amazing space this has been to me.
This is where I co-​hosted my first Unofficial Unilocal Event to take advantage of their lessons for other Unilocalers. Edison C., myself and two other unsuspecting Unilocalers were the only ones to show. Regardless, it was magic.
This is also where I first ventured downtown with dorm co-​eds one Halloween to attempt to salsa in go-​go boots and not knock over that gentleman’s wings. It was all so adult!
This is where I will forever remember humoring first dates, coworkers, and out of town friends in their valiant efforts to learn something totally not intuitive to their feet, and sometimes hips. But this was where many a stranger humored my feeble beginning efforts to learn how to respond to each pressure point, slide and sway.
This is where I loved my beginnings. I certainly grieved its closing, but I understand the international and highly patient regulars are still here in Austin, they’re just doing the magical thing in different spaces.
For all you’ve provided and for all I’ve learned from you: thank you, Copa. I will always think fondly of you.

If you run a bar or restaurant, you should have figured out by now that you need to keep your hours posted on your website up to date. The site says happy hour starts at 5:00, yet they don’t open until 8:00 or 9:00. Too bad, because there aren’t too many places to salsa dance.

Went to Copa for the Puerto Rican Christmas Party 2012. It was nice. Nice crowd, plenty of great music, plenty of floor to dance, bartenders were great and speedy and people were friendly and respectful. Me and my wife had a great time. I drove from Killeen to enjoy the party and they didn’t disappoint me. Worth a try if you salsa, bachata, meregue.

Beautiful venue and romantic restaurant. I went there for the Sahara Nights belly dance show and I was very impressed. Delicious kebob plate and good drinks. I will definitely go back for other show and the salsa lessons… On a Saturday night we got there at 7pm and it it was mostly empty and then filled up by 9 :)

I was in for lunch. The place was pretty empty. The mexican food was excellent and the service friendly enough when I sat down but they were pretty focused on closing the lunch shift down so I felt a little unappreciated. It does sound like this is a place you come for the entertainment. I’ll try it again when there’s more going on.

Copa can do no wrong in my book. I’ve been here once to eat, and their fish plate was excellent! Wonderful sangria as well, always. But the best part about this place is the events! From flamenco to belly dancing, they represent world music & dance fantastically. Their Friday night Salsa is also a great time. Also very friendly & attentive wait-​staff & management. Drinks & food are priced appropriately for this type of venue. I will be back as often as possible.

I REALLY enjoyed this place. We went on a Sturday night around 8:30 for dinner and the place was empty. It was literally only our group (granted– it was a group of 15 – 20 or so) which pretty much filled the place. The food was pretty good and the drinks were better! They apparently have a «special of the night’ that they make in bulk so they come out fast (fast is good when there are 20 people in your party!). At around 10:00 the DJ came on and started the party subtly. It wasnt blaring in your face. I liked how considerate he was of us still eating and talking but once we got up to start the party he definitely cranked the music up. By 11:30 or so the place was full. That night they were playing reggae all night but it was good dancing music. There was a very diverse crowd but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
As soon as I posted pictures on facebook all my friends asked where we were because you could just tell everyone was having such a great time. All my San Antonio friends were sad to know it wasn’t a bar in San Antonio. Whoever the owners are — you should really open a bar just like that in Sa-​town. You’d make tons of $$$$$.
Great spot! We’ll be back.

Copa is no cabana! We came on the wrooong night! I did use Unilocal to find a new place to eat or have a drink in Austin and we decided to try this place out… it’s not hard to find but once we got inside, it just felt a bit tacky. I love the whole attempt of the ambience of some Spanish plaza although the large ass fountain in the middle with nope, not water, but blue marbles in it just didn’t set the mood for me. There is an adjacent dance floor area but unfortunately we didnt hear any music that night… there was some kind of meeting/​presentation/​book club thing going on so all throughout dinner we just heard the guest speakers talk about their book. Although we had reservations, our waitress acted all surprise that we were there in the first place and said umm just sit anywhere lol… ummm ok… and while waiting, we didn’t even get water or anything… they finally gave us some chips and salsa and it was honestly just chips and salsa nothing quite exciting about them… We decided to give this place a chance and at least order their tapas. we tried the sampler that had mushroom and poblano quesadillas, beef croquettes, chicken skewers and chile con queso. I was thinking the portions would be huge but damn, they were so teeny weeny and they all tasted ok… I’ve had better from the HEB frozen food section I could have microwave’d at home. Their drink menu was ok, not too extensive like other restaurants, and they had some fairly good cocktails… it was just so damn expensive. After finishing out tapas and drinking our one drink, we decided to just pay our bill and head to another bar and get food at the food trucks afterwards. Again, I hate knocking them down just cause we did come at the wrong night, but I don’t see this bar being any more than some crazy salsa bar on the weekends… I’ve lived in Miami so yeah been there done that.

The spicy shrimp dish that I ordered was awesome. It tasted great, and had just the right amount of spice. I tried my wife’s mole enchiladas, and they were great too.
We’re not into the salsa scene, but there were people dancing and they looked to be having a good time.
My only complaints would be that we stood around up front for several minutes waiting for the hostess to come around, and also the portions were a bit small for the price. I give Copa a solid 4 stars.

This is a very elegant and sexy dance bar for salsa aficionados. Their bar selection is also quite extensive.
I think they also have salsa classes once a week.

to the bartender:
–do you have any specials tonight?
he says nothing, he fakes a smile and then laughs to my face
youre ugly bro and your bar stinks.

Cosign w/​Dej M.‘s review – almost exactly, in fact. It’s not simply a coincidence when two strangers experience the exact same problems at a place, i.e. ridiculous charges for water and cover.
From the website: Salsa lesson at 8:30 ($ 5). Latin night at 9:30. $ 5 before 10PM and $ 10 after. We were informed upon arriving at about 9:00 that we had to pay $ 10, but that we could join the lesson. Uh… ok. But we already missed half of it. The woman at the door told us «it’s $ 10 all night, not $ 5.» Great! Whatever. At least we got half a lesson.
I was willing to pass that, since the lesson was good, until I needed some water about an hour later. I was told at the bar «we only have bottled water for $ 2.» Um. What? Like every other bar in town, you can easily dispense some tap water into a cup. Where I’m from, not serving free water is illegal. Shame on you for taking every single opportunity to milk your patrons for money.
Third strike: some dude in the bathroom whose job it was to squirt soap into my hands and then offer me a paper towel after I had washed them. We are not in NYC and this is not 1930. Sorry dude, but I’m more than capable of washing my own hands. I imagine in the future there will be a sign on the bathroom mirror requiring people to pay a fee to wash their hands.
Even for Hollywood or NYC this place goes too far, especially with the lack of free water. I will not return because of this alone, but the rest just confirms it for me. It’s too bad, because the salsa lesson was good and I had fun in spite of these irritations! It’s just not worth it for me.

This place was such a blast! My friend came to visit from Connecticut and we were looking for a good time (we’re both under 21… not a lot of nighttime fun to be had here in Austin!)
We Unilocaled Copa and decided to try it out as the reviews were mixed but mostly positive (as you can see…). Neither one of us knew any salsa, and by the time we got all dolled up and downtown we had missed the salsa classes *sigh*. It was a slow start, we got there fairly early and were nervous we had just wasted $ 10 ($ 5 each for cover). Then all of the sudden we looked around and the place was HOPPING. The staff was so friendly and the dancers are of all ages, races and talents. You don’t need a partner as you will be approached by guys in a friendly manner, most will teach you as best they can… and laugh with you when you fail miserably (as I did… lol)
The music was awesome. There was no lull where they played slow songs that you couldn’t dance to or anything of that nature. they even threw in some reggaeton =]
As far as the setting of the place… I thought it was cute. The dance floor was fairly large (though it did fill up) and there were convenient tables, but only a few — so I would suggest to get there early if you plan on needing a rest or are wearing high, high heels. There are also nice brick arches that really add to the ambiance. The bar looked nice, though as I stated before, we’re under 21 so we didn’t really hit that up. There is another room, it looked cute on my way out, but I did not venture in.
All in all it was a perfect way to have fun in Texas with my friend who is out of town. It was good, clean (well, kind’ve sweaty) fun. Copa left my friend and I saying, «That was probably the best $ 5 I’ve ever spent.»

It seems since I work across the street that every time someone wants to go to lunch this is where we end up.
A group of eight of us got together to take the new guy to lunch. This included not one, but two of my supervisors. The other seven got there about 5 minutes before I did (hey, someone has to do the work around here) and since I was late, you can bet that the waitress pretty much forgot I was even there.
When I first sat down she took my drink order and I immediatly asked for silverware since I was without. She brings everyone’s drinks, takes the food orders and I mention again about the silverware. She comes back and fills everyone’s tea glass but mine. I am sitting at the head of the table and she walked right around me on to the next person.
Skip ahead a few minutes and viola, food is served. I assume everyone is enjoying theirs. I would enjoy mine but guess what? No silverware! Awkward! Ok, so here she comes finally with the silverware.
Food was ok. Nothing outstanding but it is reasonably priced and edible. Everyone finishes up and I ask for a to go box. Um, yeah, what was I thinking! She brings the check, comes back for the check, returns with the receipt, still no box. So I get up and walk to the bar. The guy at the bar sees me coming and says «you need a box»? Yep, asked for one a while ago. He asked how everything was and I said food was ok, service was not. He said «sorry».
I’m sure we will continue to go here as long as other people are making the decision about where we are going. It is not a place I would pick.

Well, well, well. If it isn’t my evil nemesis Cover Charge and your hooker companion No Water. We meet again. I thought that was you from a distance, wearing your plastic jellies and cut-​off shorts, looking for any way to scrounge a nickle off decent people.
Let me say this in no uncertain terms: if you charge a cover at salsa night, throw in some free water. Increase the cover a dollar if you have to, dang. An experienced dancer is probably soaked wet by the first 5 songs. There’s a good chance the last thing you want to drink is alcohol. You just want water. And when all you have is a DJ — no live band — $ 5 better get me some ice cold water you’ve poured from the tap into a gallon, or something. $ 2 for a bottle of water; shame on you. Ruta Maya charges $ 7 cover, with a live band, and provides free water all night.
As a dancing space, Buzio (the upstairs section of Copa) is decent. The floors were alright, and the setting was cozy. The scattered cement pillars in the middle of the dance space added an extra element of excitement. You might leave with a tasty bruise. There were at least 6 experienced male dance partners on a Friday night, which was a plus. I definitely got my cardio in.
Being that ladies were free until 11, and we made it just under the radar, I can’t be too upset about this whole cover nonsense. Except I am. And I will bachata-​bop you to death or never return if you don’t change the stupid water policy.

A few weeks ago I was «secretly» taken to this place for Salsa lessons. Meaning, I had no idea where we were going until we got to the place and only then did I find out where I was going. If my date didn’t look so stunning, I probably would have bailed.
It kinda bothered me that I had to pay $ 5 cover at 8pm, but I figured that $ 10 for dance lesson is probably very inexpensive ($ 5 cover, $ 5 for lesson per person).
When we first arrived, we were the only peeps there, so got a little private dance lesson. Our teacher was way cool. She called me out for being an awful dancer within the first 5 minutes hah. I felt a little emasculated, but I guess it’s better that I’m a bad dancer then too light on my feet.
Surprisingly, the salsa lessons weren’t as awful as I expected it to be. No one else who was taking the class knew how to «salsa», so I didn’t look terrible in comparison.
The crowd that arrived after the lesson was ridiculous. Perhaps the weirdest mix of people I have ever seen.
Cool place, but the mirrors on the wall would be a little weird for a happy hour setting. I may go back for more lessons, but only if I get duped into it again haha.

So I haven’t been to any other salsa bar in town. So in my mind, I am comparing this to other downtown/​date type venues.
This place has a pretty sexy vibe inside — lots of brick, red lighting. Patio was cute, and i wish the upstairs was open.
I went for the salsa lesson at 8:30 on Friday and was a little nervous because there were only three of us. However, more folks showed up (both couples and just people flying solo) as we got started until we had maybe 20+ people. all wearing nametags and for the most part, having no clue what we were doing. It was fun! The husband and wife team teaching were great, had personality and made it simple. We learned a couple basic steps then alternated around the room and practiced. I do aerobic salsa at the gym but found this to be challenging cuz it was different. (i.e. Real)
It was neat because most of the people stayed afterwards. So when you looked around the dancefloor there were a bunch of people you «knew.» they also were not particularly skilled which made it really comfortable.
There are some pros there for sure — pretty sure The Most Interesting Man in the World was in attendance. I got to dance with him. I was terrible. I laughed the whole time. Whatever.
I have always wanted to try this and so glad I finally went. My date (whom I surprised) might not agree, but I would go again — even make it a regular thing so I could get better!
I may have read it wrong but i was thinking the website indicated that we could pay $ 5 for a salsa lesson, and that there was no cover until 9 or 10. But we were asked to pay $ 5 for the lesson AND a $ 5 cover. That’s $ 5 too much in my opinion for a DJ. If there was a live band I would be more forgiving. Oh well. It was a unique experience and despite my bitching about the bucks, I will likely return.

This. Space. Rocks.
I can’t comment on the food, the bartenders are fine but again, I’m pretty sure I’m not getting the full experience since we basically rented the place out and we aren’t heavy drinkers by nature.
But any place that is an integral part to me being in a state of bliss that carried over into the next day and has me crying tears of joy and thankfulness for the richness in my life deserves 5 stars by default.

Maybe Copa is more of a night spot than a lunch place. I am definitely interested in checking it out some time, even though I am not a good dancer. Don’t get me wrong, my food was good, but I think the atmosphere and layout might work better as a club than a sit-​down restaurant. The front of the restaurant looked classy, a bit like a lounge, but for some reason, we were seated at a plastic conference table near the exit to the patio. The hard walls and floors throughout the building made the environment a little bit loud, even in a far back corner. The lighting was not bright overall, but one track light shone directly into my face, which was slightly annoying. Had I not been with a group, I might have asked to be moved. An observant server would probably have noticed this problem, but mine did not. He did, however, get everyone’s order correct and delivered our meals promptly.
I definitely recommend the Green Chile Pechuga ($ 8.95) a chicken breast smothered in onions, peppers, spinach, tomato and queso (I left off the mushrooms and gave away the avocado). Aimee C. and I shared this entrée and I thought the portion was ample (no split plate charge either). I can’t vouch for the charro beans, but the rice was pretty ordinary. Fortunately, I had a little extra queso and onions from my chicken, and those helped improve the rice considerably.
Since Aimee and I split a meal while our friends had their own meals, and some people had soft drinks while others did not, we took the time to write our names and the amount we wanted on our credit cards on the back of our receipt. Well, the waiter disregarded this and split the bill evenly. This inequity was minor, but I did end up paying about $ 1.25 more than I would have otherwise. But later, I found some money in my car, so I feel like in the grand scheme of things, the universe balanced out that day.

Copa is still cool… however, they have nuked dancing from the upstairs ‘Buzios’ room, which I always liked better than the downstairs. It appears they want to make Buzios a posher drinking-​and-​cavorting-​only type place (although they were often crammed full of dancers from from 11:30 to close up there, so I was uncertain what the problem was. Dancers don’t drink enough?)
So I went and queried one of the barmistresses up there, and was told something similar to the following: that they are doing this to boost the $$$-endowed status of the upstairs clientele, in order that hopefully newer and plentiful upstairs power-​patrons will help them fend off developers looking to nuke the building or the tenants like they did with Las Manitas (
).
It’s hard to argue with wanting to do what’s necessary to save your business. Still, I am a bit sad, as I felt that Buzios — despite the continued existence of the downstairs dance area — was the last place left in Austin with the cool vibe of the salsero in a space, albeit small, specifically constructed with that purpose in mind.
Don’t let that stop you from going to Copa to dance in the downstairs though. It’s still plenty good, just not quite the same.