The Copper Penny Bar & Grille

We went on our annual trip to Vandalia Amish country and wanted to patronize a restaurant before leaving. We actually visit a few times a year but every weekend prior to Mother’s Day is the annual scheduled trip from St. Louis. When we entered the Copper Penny more than half the tables were dirty. No one saw 4 people enter? Yah bartender saw us but he didn’t greet us or tell waitress we were there, so we told her. I went based on rating and discussions with chamber of commerce. Food served very hot and fresh but it took like 40 minutes for food. This is long considering we were one of three tables eating at 1PM. Everything but the fried pickles lacked flavor. Pickles were awesome. However everything else was dry (hamburgers also overcooked). Plain crinkle cut fries fine but skip the horrible parmesan fries, onion rings fresh but spicey. BBQ hog sandwich was nice & wet but just ok, the Shoe part of menu is just cheese fries on top of your burger but totally SKIMPED on cheese. Service was poor, one waitress one bar tender for a place with about 25 tables on a Saturday um no. Table next to us had to go to bar to get their own refills every time. We went for beers and had to flag down waitress for water etc. Waitress took another tables order before ours after we waited almost 20 to give it. She also lacked true knowledge of the menu but was nice. Long story short, we will be skipping this on our next trip and probably do that Mexican restaurant next to visitors center. Ok for fried pickles, fries, and beer but don’t venture passed that. Most reviews look like they might be done by friends of the bar since they don’t have many reviews etc which has created unearned hype.

I am bestie with below reviewer (and nicer… ha).
Food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I ventured out and tried the Horseshoe. Which is basically like an open faced Hamburger. bottom of bun, burger, fries on top, and smothered with cheese (which I believe is Monterrey cheese).
The cheese fries were pretty good, but the burger was ok. Not sure that I didn’t really know how to garnish it.
I agree below, the service can be better… I do chalk it down to small town service. It isn’t right, but is not uncommon.
I agree with Alicia, that probably would try another establishment… or just eat at the bar for better service.

Amazing!!! Great food and service. Everyone is polite and accommodating. Friendly atmosphere! I am not from here and used Unilocal to find this place… not a let down! Do yourself a favor and stop here nowhere else! Tim is a great guy here and is running around working hard! I never had an empty glass! The blue burger is great! If your nearby come here for sure!!!

We happened on this place on a road trip and I already want to visit again. The Shrimp Po-​boy was out of this world. Don’t forget to upgrade to the Garlic Parmesan fries!

This is one of our favorite places for a week night date. They have wing nights that make it affordable for wings and beer on Monday or Wednesday evening. Service is okay. Everyone is nice but it can be slow. Tonight was rough but the wings were good and I love the garlic parm fries! So yummy!

Good food, fish sandwich worth money and the wait.
Good drinks. Beers are real cold
Friendly service

Good bar food, drinks, and wait staff. Boneless wings, awesome salads, and wraps are some of my favorites. Bloody Mary’s are very good as well.

Really liked this place. Atmosphere, food, drink, service were all spot on. Great place to unwind and get dinner after a long day on the road.

Pulled off the highway to stop for gas and my pregnant wife was hungry. Of course I relied on Unilocal to find a good place for us to break bread. The Copper Penny had great reviews and was only 2 miles away. The drive through town was nice, very cool small town feel. Our server Diane was awesome! Fried pickles are a great starter and they have Sam Adams IPA on draft. Her grilled chicken wrap was tasty and my BBQ burger was perfect. The garlic Parmesan fries are stupid good!
Although I hate long road trips the Copper Penny will definitely be a stop if we ever pass through.

Excellent food and service. Great burgers and crinkle fries. Fresh meat and great toppings. Nice atmosphere as well. We’ll definitely go again.

Awesome wings! Best place in Vandalia to eat. I would definitely recommend this place.

This place would get 5 stars but the stools at the bar made is weird to sit they aren’t the right height at all– (it really bothered me) food was on point and service was very friendly. We would stop again if we are in the area.

The first time I went to Copper Penny I was impressed with their drinks, I found them to be very good. However I wasn’t impressed with their food, but it must have just been a bad day for me because my 2^nd visit to Copper Penny was just great.
I can’t talk about the drinks the 2^nd time because I didn’t have any, but I’m sure they were just as good as the first time.
Food:
Foodwise I ordered their Smokehouse burger, I made it a double and asked for a fried egg in it. That burger was absolutely delicious. It was just done right, it was juicy and tasted very good. The first time I also enjoyed the same burger, but I got the single version without the fried egg and while I enjoyed the flavor, I felt the burger was too small. So, maybe the extra patty and the egg really made a difference.
Service:
Service is a big thing for me and this last time we had Paula (I hope I got her name right) as my server and she was doing an amazing job while maintaining a great personality. I believe we came on a Thursday around 6PM, the place wasn’t packed but there were a few tables and it seemed she was the only one taking care of them, so the fact that she still managed to keep a smile on was a plus.
Final:
Overall I can say I’m a fan of the Copper Penny. Good food, good drinks, haven’t seen it be too full yet. There is an area that looks like a stage, not sure if it is, but I haven’t seen any live music going on there. I’m not from the Area so I don’t know what they use it for. From my personal experience I’d say it’s worth it.
Update:
I just made this review today and when I came down from the hotel the guys wanted to go to Copper Penny, so I went again. Once again, fairly empty, just a few tables, only one waitress for everyone but she was pretty nice also, didn’t get her name.
I got the Blue cheese Burger, double again with fried egg, it was delicious, but I had to finish it with a fork because it was a bit messy. Not complaining though, it was good.
I forgot to mention the Garlic Parmesan fries on my review, I had them again today, they are very good, may be a bit too salty for some but for me they are great.
My only issue today was with my drink, I ordered a Mojito and I’ve just had much better Mojitos, but it was certainly drinkable, just left a bitter aftertaste.

Honestly I do not have much to say about this place, good or bad. From the outside and inside, what you see is what you get. My coworkers and I recently went here for Saint Patty’s day celebrations. The bar/​restaurant was your typical divey irish bar. Two rooms were separated by a wall. One of the bar area and one for the dining area. We sat in the dining area. They had high top tables as well as regular square dining tables. There were TVs to watch sports at the bar. The bathrooms were not pristine but not dirty either. The wait service was very down to earth and straight forward. The food was fried and of your typical bar food. The menu was decent and did offer some unique foods such as fried wontons and a cranberry salad. The food was good and the beer was cold and green. The beer menu was not extensive but the prices were very reasonable. The most impressive part of the night was that the waitresses had to serve about 20 of us. They did a very good job of taking all of our orders correctly and handing them out fairly close to each other. If you are looking for a decent place to dine and drink in Vandalia (which is very limited in its choices) then jig on over to the copper penny.

Awesome food cool little place! Very exciting to find a nice restaurant less than a mile off 70 that isn’t a chain.

If your driving down 70 off exit 63 make this stop a priority. Good folks cold beer and one hell of a fish sandwich. «Like»

Some of the best Onion Rings I’ve ever had. I can’t believe I was scooping up the crumbs. Everything looked like it tastes great. Comfy casual place. Plenty of beers on tap. Wish I could have had one. Good thing I don’t live near here; I’d be gaining weight with so much good pub grub.

Love coming here. Food is excellent. Service is great. Portion size is almost more than I can eat. Almost always take home left overs. Paula Mae is an awesome waitress! Definitely will be back!

Hidden gem! Strong drinks and slammin food! Nachos for an appetizer and the sandwiches are off the chain! Fresh food

Beer was cold! Staff was friendly! Food was good! I also my first experience with a «Horseshoe» burger. Being from Ohio, I had never had one. I have to say it was very tasty! Theres also a good selection of beer on tap. Next time I’m passing through I’m going to definitely stop by!
Beer was cold! Staff was friendly! Food was good! I also my first experience with a «Horseshoe» burger. Being from Ohio, I had never had one. I have to say it was very tasty! Theres also a good selection of beer on tap. Next time I’m passing through I’m going to definitely stop by!