Cooper Mill — Restaurant in Alexandria

This place has been open a few weeks so this will be an initial review. I try not to review places the first week they are open because it's not a fair shake. Will post an update in late Spring to highlight any changes.

First, the building is beautiful and in a fantastic location. Nice mix of table and bar seating, is clean, and well organized. Management might want to remove a couple chairs from the bar area because it was pretty congested. The other area they could improve was the TV volume which were too loud for the space.

Appears the upstairs is being reserved for an event space, but it's beautiful. Definitely a contender for work events if the price is right.

Next, the bar service was solid. Drinks were prompt, although a few items were out. Again, part of being a new business so I can cut them some slack.

Food was delivered quickly and was hot. The garlic knots lived up to their early reviews and were fantastic. Also ordered a large salad and an assortment of slices. The salad was dressed perfectly and the portion appropriate for two people or one for a meal.

The individual slices were good with a nice balance of toppings. They could have been a little hotter, but the flavor was there. One miss was the lack of seasonings available, but that could be an easy fix.

This place is going to only get busier, and better too if they make a few minor adjustments. Great walk-ability, atmosphere, and food...nice addition...

MANDATORY 22% Gratuity? Are we seriously at this point now? You don’t even see that in Miami beach, what gives? The service was actually not good for our group of 50+. It may have been a new bartender just learning, I was still going to tip but 22%? To be fair, when speaking to the manager, he did ask if it needed to be changed, but I know he was already annoyed by me for asking literally valid questions. I generally tip 30%+ but to AUTOMATICALLY be charged 22% I have never seen in my life.

Edit: in response to the owner’s reply.. how can it not be mandatory? How am I going to change the bill? The manager seemed to be very upset about it when asked. So yes, 22% automatically applied gratuity is unethical and borderline illegal. Next time I have to come here I’m making sure my group doesn’t pay for anything. The audacity to not even advertise this to customers is outrageous. We had bad service! It was not a bill for a large group, I bought a few beers and pizza that was extremely slow and the bartender asked me 3 times what I wanted like they forgot.

Additionally, if the place closes at 10, and they have 4 pizzas sitting out at the kitchen, why would they stop selling at 9? And to be rude about it too? The whole experience was just ridiculous, and I generally give...

The garlic knots are my favorite part of the whole menu! We also ordered the pepzepp because it was highlighted in an instagram reel review and looked tasty but not really worth it for me. Probably great for a picky eater (child) though. It just seemed more like pepperoni smothered in cheese than anything. The sauce is imperceptible which makes sense but me sad. We also got 2 slices: the piece de resistance which was a vegetable slice and the hot honey (not spicy). They were both good but not much flavor dimension. Next time, I would order garlic knots and a few slices. Cool space to be in and service was friendly. Very reasonable price. No reservations are possible so we decided to suck up the long wait time. It turned out to be half the time they quoted - we went to the store and came back with just enough time. In warmer months the long wait time can be used to...