Ah, Copper Top Pub, the beloved watering hole that once graced Fowler Avenue in Tampa, Florida. It was a place where University of South Florida students and alumni could go to forget their troubles, drown their sorrows, and maybe even make some bad decisions.
Copper Top was famous for many things, but perhaps its most notable feature was the cheap beer. The happy hour special? All you can drink beer for $8 from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM, a godsend for broke college students who had blown their last dime on textbooks.
But the beer wasn't the only draw. The pub also had some of the best chicken wings in town. They were crispy, flavorful, and just the right amount of greasy. If you were willing to wait the 30 minutes it took to make them, you were in for a treat. And if you were lucky, you might even snag a small table by a dartboard or pool table, where you could engage in some friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition with your buddies.
Of course, Copper Top had its quirks but that's why we all loved it. The décor was, shall we say, eclectic. The walls were adorned with a mishmash of beer signs, sports memorabilia, and random knick-knacks that had no discernible connection to anything. But that was part of the charm. You never knew what you were going to find at Copper Top.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Copper Top closed its doors in 2017. The ultimate reasons for its demise are still unclear but the changing times and surge of chain restaurants may have been too much to keep up with. Perhaps the students of USF had moved on to more upscale watering holes, or perhaps they had just gotten tired of the same old thing.
Whatever the reason, the loss of Copper Top was felt deeply by many. It was a place where memories were made, lifelong friendships were formed, and a good time was always guaranteed. So here's to you, Copper Top Pub. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.
