Copper Top BBQ — Restaurant in Bishop

The staff are amazing, from the woman taking orders and especially the guys manning the pits. To me, this, and the overall cleanliness of the place, suggests excellent management, and that is appreciated.

For a first timer, the system was a bit confusing. In summary, one orders at the window that faces 395 and the pits. Then, one needs to go inside via the glass door and listen for your number, to fill beverages, and get some BBQ sauce. Once your number is called and one has their order, you exit the building and find a table outside near the pits or inside the mini pavilion where there are maybe 10 sharable picknic style tables.

This place is very, very clean, including the pit area, the pickup area, the table areas, and the restrooms. Each picknic table has a 2 gallon tub of cleaning wipes, something anyone that eats BBQ will appreciate. I used three wipes at least!

I had the tri-tip sandwich with everything, and it looks like there was some upcharge for going beyond meat on a bun. The sandwich came with two rolls and a side of slaw, with the meat atop of sort of a pretzel looking roll....the later being a surprise to me. The slaw was very good, with just enough moisture. The rolls were the sweet variety and were wrapped in foil and were quite crushed, but tasted like King's Hawaiian Rolls, so not bad, just crushed. The BBQ sauces were excellent, both the Regular and Spicy, with the latter preferred.

The Tri-Tip sandwich was a disappointment. The meat appeared to have been sliced with the grain and placed sparingly on the bread. The problem with cutting the meat this way is when one takes a bite, an entire slice of meat pulls out of the sandwich and one needs to use their hands to tear the meat into a chewable piece and then put the torn off part back onto the bun. I would have expected a BBQ place to better know how to cut meat for a hand-sandwich.

I'm torn on the overall score. I'm going with 3 Stars and hope that the owner and management get the meat prep for their sandwiches dialed in to match their 5 Star staff, ambiance, and cleanliness.

Suggestion A lot of plastic was used for my order. How about moving to a more recyclable option for "eat here" orders....maybe washable and reusable mini...

I cannot say enough about how impressive this place is. We were coming back through after a trip up to Mammoth. I saw it on the way up and said that we needed to stop on the way back down to L.A. we got there just as they opened so our spot in line was fantastic. The line builds up very quickly because of the popularity, and I definitely see why after this visit. We ordered a variety of things from the pulled pork sandwich to the tri-tip sandwich... Mac and cheese and ribs. I am from Memphis, so I know barbecue... That said... This is one of the best places that I've been to outside of the South. My wife ordered a burger and they said that it was going to take a little while, but we were prepared for that because they make it clear in the menu. As they were just getting started for the day it turns out it was going to take a little longer than the expected, but the owner came out himself and apologized and asked if there was anything that he could do. She ended up deciding to get the tri-tip which she really kinda wanted in the first place It was fantastic. He was also nice enough to bring her out more than she asked for along with some of their delicious apple cheesecake. Food, the atmosphere and the personal touches are what make this place special, but the thing that really sets it apart from me is the heart. They have a vending machine for some of their specialty items and there is a sign on the outside that says please don't break the glass, if you really need what's inside call me and I'll bring it to you for free. Then a number is listed. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and on the indoor section there are two monitors that have various pictures of feeding dogs that have visited the restaurant which shows me another version of them having exceptional heart. I live in Los Angeles, but in all truth told... I would drive from LA to this restaurant just to eat and have a good experience and then drive back. It is that good. Do yourself a favor and stop into this place. It has a personal touch and attention to detail that is lacking in so many places these days. If I could give more stars, I absolutely would. Thanks for the...

Wr have driven by here many of times, but never stopped as it wasn’t in the travel plan. It always smelled so good because the cooking is all in the outside along the road and the barbecues are always blazing.🔥

We stopped for lunch mid week. The reviews say, it gets crowded fast, we were there 10 minutes before opening and we were second in line. Walter was already at work, preparing the ribs for the pending orders.

We parked in the spaces on the north side of the restaurant and walked up a ramp to the order window. Once your orders, place you proceeded inside where you can get some sauce as you wait for your order to be called. At that point, you can walk outside for the outside seating or walk down to the barn which is a little more protected with heaters and TVs

We ordered the ribs with a side of mac & cheese. And these are St. Louis ribs, which were different than baby back but even more delicious. The mac & cheese was as cheesy as it looks and did not disappoint. You can see from the pictures that have an ample supply of wipes to get clean on every table.

On our way out, we noticed they had a vending machine that contain prepackaged ribs that you could take with you. Seems like a novelty, but what a great idea.

When we ordered, we were greeted by Lorena, she was bright and cheery . She answered all our questions on the proper protocol to get things done, meaning our food as soon as possible. We talked with Walter for a few minutes and he is a great guy and really loves his job. He made the lunch morepleasant his conversation.

If you’re looking to satisfy your barbecue fix, I highly recommend this restaurant. I could tell you this won’t be my last time having those St. Louis...