A Former Burger Powerhouse...

Copabanana

344 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19147

www.copabanana.com/ 

My fiance and I needed a quick bite before we hit the road to Boston for my brother's graduation weekend, and we had a dining out card to use for Copabanana, so we walked over on a Friday evening. They used to be the powerhouse of burgers back in the days before they were retired to the City Paper hall of fame and before Philly was a city swimming with gourmet burgers on every corner, so I was excited to see what they offered up. 

My fiance and I ordered some cocktails, a Hurricane for me and a pink lemonade cocktail for my lady. Both were very tasty, although mine was almost too sweet. It was happy hour when we arrived, so the drinks prices were cheap and really enticing. They had a ton of burgers to choose from, and I wound up going with the Wild West burger, while my fiance ordered the Gyro burger. We also ordered the Spanish fries to share. 

The fries were definitely a big disappointment. They sounded delicious, but the execution was not all there. I guess we should have added cheese to bring it all together, but I felt like the jalapenos and onions were just kind of tossed in and didnt really become cohesive with the fries. Again, maybe it would have been different with some cheese.

My burger was spot on. The bison meat was really lean and had a fantastic char on it. The chipotle ketchup had a bit of a kick, but I thought there was room for a bit more. I loved the onion ring on the burger. It had a great crunch factor to it and the batter stuck to the onion really well, allowing nice bites to be taken without ruining the integrity of the onion ring.

I wasnt as impressed with my fiance's gyro burger. While it was ok, it really didnt stand out to me as a Gyro in taste. The burger was definitely lamby, but the Gyro spices and flavoring seemed to be missing. The tzatziki definitely could have been improved as well. I wouldn’t order it again, but there were plenty more options to choose from.

Two pints for Copabanana. It is definitely a good spot for an affordable burger and some great prices drinks during happy hour. Its not going to blow your socks off by any means and its not the best burger around, but its good value for money and good quality for the price point. Give it a try if you are in the area. Cheers!