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    Front & Cooper

    3.7 (115 reviews)
    ModerateCocktail Bars
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Front & Cooper Cocktail Bars Photos

    Business Info

    FRONT & COOPER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Front & Cooper

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    Green chartreuse
    Annabelle R.

    Located inside Abbott Square Market, we hung out at this bar before having dinner this past Sunday. The bartender was friendly and provided excellent service, even gave some recommendatiins for chartreuse cocktails. My bf preferred the green chartreuse straight, though I wasn't a fan. I stuck with the juicy juicy which had the perfect combination of flavors for my liking (strawberry vodka, lemon, and peach). We also got an old fashioned, which was made well. We thought the drinks were pretty good and had decent alcohol content. And the bar setting was appealing, with a modern look, an outlet right in front of my seat (so I could conveniently charge my phone), and the side wall was used as a screen with a projector (since they don't have a TV there).

    people at the bar
    Maruko X.

    Ambiance: the Front & Cooper has two sections in the market, one near the entrance is for cocktails and the other further inside is for beer and wine Service: fairly fast once you place the order, although the line is not always organized Drink: standard and specialty drinks NIÑA FRESA - *** mezcol, requils, sirewberry guoile Pineapple, lime, orgeat, bold smokey taste Price: each cocktail costs about $14 before tax and tips

    Old fashion
    Aly A.

    We were in Santa Cruz Abbott Square Market we had lunch and went shopping here . We wanted a drink and realized they had a full blown bar at Front And Cooper there is a side just for beers and one side of the bar . The bar area is elegant they have a menu I love menus for drinks. The menu has a lot of options to choose from with quality ingredients. The service was amazing they were very friendly and attentive . We got some good drinks and took them with us to grab more food . This is located when all the food is at so u can grab a quick drink and find seating anywhere or sit at the bar . Overall this was a great bar in the middle of the market and close to all the shopping . We had a great time we would definitely be back .

    Rossana C.

    All cocktails that I've tried at this place tasted fantastic. I always like to hang out with my friends at Abbot square and I highly recommend trying any cocktails out there. The bar is very beautiful, as well as the cocktails. I love the aesthetic and atmosphere. The service is always good even if it gets busy. I also recommend checking the days that there's live music at abbot square, so it's perfect for whoever wants to have a great time having delicious cocktails.

    I was looking for green juice and found the next best thing... hard kombucha
    Shannon S.

    On a weekday stroll downtown, I really was not looking for alcohol. But... I came across hard kombucha here and had to stop for a drink. I was on vacation arterial. The server was nice... my friend and I returned for dinner a couple nights later and ordered beer from here. This location is good to visit is visiting Abbott square or the mah. And they have accessible seating at the bar.

    The Dragonfly & Pennyroyal Tea
    Alisa B.

    A friendly bar located in the back of Abbott Square Market! They have a big variety of affordable cocktails to choose from. Many fruity ones, some gin & tonics, non-alc options, etc. I tried the Dragonfly cocktail. I was surprised to see a cocktail with lychee in it! It is a fairly rare find in such a westernized-bar. It was served in a pretty coupe glass. The cocktail itself was VERY strong. I didn't taste any lychee (besides the garnish), but that bourbon definitely shines through. This drink got me feeling quite buzzed to say the least. I also tried a sip of my friend's Pennyroyal Tea cocktail and this drink was more refreshing & light~

    Dragonfly & Pennyroyal Tea ($13 each)
    Juliet T.

    Seems that this spot can get busy fairly quick, but luckily my friend and I came in before the line built up! The drinks we ordered: *Dragonfly ($13): I feel the urge to get any drink that has lychee as one of their ingredients LOL. Definitely was strong in terms of flavor, you can taste the bourbon in it. *Pennyroyal Tea ($13): I recommend getting this drink if you're unsure of what to order. This drink was refreshing and had two different types of ice, crushed ice on top and cubed ice on the bottom! I couldn't really taste the alcohol in this until I kept sipping on it. The drink had a ginger candy on top that was good. It tasted like ginger but not overwhelmingly tasted like ginger, if that makes sense.

    Black saint and cactus flower I think... it was a spicy margarita and very delicious.
    Dulce G.

    Stumbled upon Abbott square market on accident, went inside and found this cute bar. Ordered a few rounds of drinks. At first the bartender was not as friendly as we are used to but it's okay he was busy being the only one. As our time continued and two other bartenders joined the ambiance definitely switched around and ended great with all 3 bartenders. Overall, it was a great time.

    Jared S.

    This place is incredible . Spectacular drinks and customer service was spot on A little hard to find but worth it

    Katie R.

    Not only are the cocktails beautiful, but they're quite tasty as well! After another visit, and getting to try a few of the cocktails, I can truly say this place is has some amazing libations. The small details that go into each drink are so well thought out, and make each of the cocktails unique. The cocktail menu changes somewhat often so there is always something new and exciting to try. They also have a menu of gin and tonics that stays steady, so you can stick in your cocktail comfort zone if you know what you like. The bartenders are very knowledgeable in their craft and are great at making suggestions or adjustments for your tastebuds.

    Wine - don't recommend
    Rose G.

    I'd only recommend going to Front & Cooper for a drink if you're already at Abbot Square grabbing something to eat at one of the other restaurants or just there for the live music in the square. Otherwise, if you're just looking for drinks, I'd recommend skipping it and going somewhere else. I literally only go here if my friends want to grab a drink with some food from somewhere in Abbot Square Market. It's really one of the only places in there with alcoholic drinks that I've seen. I'm not much of a cocktails person, so I usually get sparkling wine at places, but their sparkling wine is absolutely terrible, so I just grab a beer if I'm there now. And it's beer...not amazing or anything...just beer. The customer service at Front & Cooper specifically is meh (not great, but not bad when I've gone), but the vibe at Abbot Square in general is fun when you're feeling like a night out. They have live music on the weekends at night that makes it a fun night. So overall, only grab a drink here if you're already at the square. Otherwise, go anywhere else.

    a glass of beer and a glass of beer on a bar
    Jon B.

    Really impressed with their selections of beer. Super friendly dude - great conversations. Nice place to enjoy your food from other parts of the food court.

    Gin and Tonic, with housemade tonic!

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    2 months ago

    The ambiance was great for a Friday night! The drinks were excellent as well. We ordered the juicy juicy and the spicy margarita.

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    1 year ago

    Very good overall! Smaller drinks at highway price points but I really enjoyed overall. Great milk clarified drinks too.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The cocktails served here are creatively-named and exquisitely-crafted. You will not be disappointed.

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    I've seen better and faster customer service from McDonald's. The wine bar next to it is much better

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    3 years ago

    Best bar in Santa Cruz. Fantastic cocktails, great service, good location. It's a bar, what else you want??

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    Front & Cooper Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Front & Cooper

    Are yall open this weekend 1/30/21? I tried to get a number to call but couldn't find any for yall

    Are dogs allowed?

    Yes and no. The inside space -where you'll get your drinks at the bar does not, but the outside patio-which you are allowed to take your drinks to does.

    Has this place closed? It seems to have been replaced by an office space (not the movie) and I can't find it anywhere.

    It's located inside of teh abbott square, so you've got to inside the museum thingy (which does kinda look like an office sort of) to get to it. It's totally open, unless… Read more

    Would you serve a growler of gin and tonic? To go?

    Nope. Liquor laws won't allow it.

    View All 6 Questions

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    THE BARTENDER HERE IS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First off, everything in this bar is sticky: the…read morechairs, the bar, the walls. No wonder everything is red, so you can't see the slime covering everything. Secondly, the bartender with the beard and glasses thinks he's cooler than a steaming pile of poo. I walked in with my girlfriend, and the bar was pretty much empty. They had three people behind the bar, but they didn't greet us for over 5 minutes. The bartender finally walked over and said, "What do you want?" I asked for a bar menu, and he said it was on the wall. I asked if there was a printed version; he said no, but I could get up walk across the long ass sticky bar and look at some half assed tiny writing on the wall that you could barely read, even if you were up close to it. Then he walked away to chat with his friends. At that point, I left. If I were the owner, I would be concerned that there is a bartender turning away business, especially when I hear the industry is struggling and alcohol sales are WAAAAAAYYYY down. Good luck. Honestly, go down the street to Ulterior; they are sooo nice!!! They actually said hi when I walked in and gave me a menu what a concept. I made sure to leave them a BIG and I mean BIG TIP!!

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    Out front looking towards the north down pacific

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    Front & Cooper - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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