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| - My first experience at Hoppin was with a large group of friends prior to their official grand opening. It was already insanely busy, there were no available seats, and the line was extraordinarily long to get in.
However, every member of the staff was nice, helpful, and informative. They ask if you have been there before, and if it is your first time, they will guide you through how the operation works.
There are plenty of selections of beer, lesser amount of wine but still enough. You have about one selection of every "popular" wine category. Nothing unique or out of the box on the wine side. There were a couple of beers out as well at the time of our arrival.
My friends who had been prior said they had a food truck outside the first time they came, this evening there was not one. So I assume it is not a regularly scheduled thing as of yet to have one.
They keep the seating area clean, bathrooms clean, and they constantly come through to bus the tables and counters to ensure all dirty glasses are removed, etc.
The vibe of the place to me is nice, but not exactly warm or overly inviting. It is a large space, you have to yell to have a conversation due to volume produced by the sheer enormity of people, and you have to be vigilant and/or stealth to get a table (after waiting). Add the large TVs going on top of it and you are battling for a cozy vibe. They have a nice upstairs seating/overlook area but it was closed for a private event when we were there.
Overall, Hoppin has a concept that is fun, can be budget friendly if you are smart about how much you pour, and is unique to the area. It is not the place to go if you want to be intimate or have a girl (or guy) night out that you are hoping to chat your night away to catch up.
I would definitely return with a group of friends and may up my stars on the next go round.
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