Worth the Wait

Smooth seafood and history reward Cooper's diners

Gene Padden

Some restaurants don't want you to know that when you visit during peak hours, there's a chance you might have to wait for a table. That's because most of the time, you have to stand around for an hour while you sweat up your winter coat in a subdued mosh pit of hungry shoppers and cranky folkies.

And you know, you might have to wait a few minutes when you go to Cooper's on the Waterfront. The riverside Pittston seafood house won the Best Overall Restaurant category once again in the diamond city Readers' Poll, so it's no secret scores of new and familiar faces will head down for some holiday good times.

Unlike many chains, however, Cooper's is adept at handling the crush. All it takes is a friendly staff, some chairs, and resourceful use of ample wall space. You won't find toy wagons and rusty signs cluttering up the bulkheads at this seafood joint. Rather, Cooper's displays dozens and dozens of historical newspaper pages, and many a glimpse into the history of Pittston.

The stories about Babe Ruth, the flood, World War II, and so much more do their share to pepper your conversations, and even if you don't have to wait to be seated, we promise you a trip to the bathroom will take a few extra minutes for the curious.

"The decorating comes from my father and my uncles, because they collected that stuff for years," said Ryan Cooper of the owning Cooper family. "The next thing you know, people donated, and some will even request to sit at tables near their articles."

The memorabilia is but a complement to the famous dining experience that has become Cooper's. Owned by the Coopers since 1992, the restaurant has become a Pittston landmark famous for its seafood and massive beer menu.

Birthday diners receive a menu of free entrees to choose, as well as a waterfront view in a dining room that resembles, well, an enchanted forest.

"That room needed something, and I don't remember whose idea it was, but we just loved that wooded area along the river, and we wanted to expand it," said co-owner Paul Cooper. "We threw in the gnomes and fairies and all that for the kids. It's always about the kids."

The Cooper's of today is consistently rated in the top 100 independently owned restaurants in the country, and was voted Restaurant of the Year by the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association. The Pittston location recently added a few upgrades to keep with the popularity of the Scranton location.

Cooper's Cabana was an instant success, and readers in the d.c. poll awarded it wins in the Best Deck/Patio and Best Saturday-Night Hot Spot categories.

"We have the Crab Shack up here in Scranton, and people loved it during the summer," said Ryan Cooper. "We started it as a deck, then covered it in case of rain, and our bartender out there, John, pushed for a tropical, tiki theme, and it was great.

"We're actually going to expand it next year and make a patio down to the river."

The Cooper's menu is family friendly, and features an endless beverage menu, land entrees, and seafood specialties like coconut shrimp, crab bisque, Seafood Newburg, colossal crab legs, and Brazilian Rock Lobster Tails. Cooper said his family always appreciates the recognition from readers.

"We love this, because we do the very best we can for each single customer," Ryan Cooper said. "We try to impress everybody. We have a well trained staff and entire families who work here. It comes through in everything we do."