Somewhere in northeastern Pennsylvania, there is a restaurant shaped like a pirate ship, topped with a 45-foot lighthouse, and guarded by a giant rooftop octopus. Before you even think about the menu, the building itself stops you in your tracks.
I had heard whispers about this place for years, and when I finally made the drive to Scranton, I understood immediately why people talk about it the way they do. This is not a restaurant that simply feeds you and sends you home.
Every room tells a different story, every wall is packed with memorabilia, and the food is genuinely worth the trip on its own. There is a scavenger hunt hidden inside, a gift shop dedicated to a beloved TV show, and a whale hanging from the ceiling of one of the dining rooms.
Keep reading, because this place is even more surprising than it sounds, and I want to make sure you know exactly what to expect before you visit.
Drop Anchor at a Scranton Landmark
The address is 701 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18509, and the building announces itself long before you reach the front door. A red-and-white lighthouse tower rises 45 feet into the sky, and a full-sized pirate ship appears to be permanently docked right beside it.
Cooper’s Seafood House has been a fixture in this northeastern Pennsylvania city since 1948, when John J. Cooper opened the original restaurant inside a former Erie-Lackawanna Railroad passenger station built in 1887.
That historic train station still forms part of the building today, now home to the Grill bar and the Train Room dining area.
From a modest 50-seat operation, the restaurant has grown to accommodate more than 450 guests across multiple themed spaces. The phone number is 570-346-6883, the website is coopers-seafood.com, and the restaurant holds a 4.4-star rating across nearly 5,000 reviews.
That kind of consistency over more than seven decades does not happen by accident.
How a Train Station Became a Pirate Ship
The origin story here is genuinely fascinating. After World War II, the Cooper brothers came home to Scranton and repurposed a 19th-century railroad passenger depot into a seafood restaurant, a decision that probably seemed unconventional at the time but turned out to be inspired.
The 1887 station building did not disappear under the renovation. Instead, it was absorbed into the expanding structure, preserved as a dining room where guests now eat surrounded by railway history.
The Train Room is one of the more quietly atmospheric spaces in the building, offering a contrast to the louder, more theatrical rooms elsewhere.
Over the following decades, each generation of the Cooper family added something new. The pirate ship came, then the lighthouse, then the tiki deck and the rooftop octopus.
What started as a practical use of available real estate evolved into one of the most visually distinctive restaurant buildings in the entire state. The layered history is part of what makes exploring the space so rewarding.
The Rooms That Make You Forget You Are Eating
Most restaurants have one dining room, maybe two. Cooper’s has several, and each one operates on its own visual logic.
The most dramatic is the Whale Room, where a 26-foot replica of a great blue whale hangs suspended from the ceiling above your table.
Other areas lean into different themes entirely. Movie posters cover certain walls, vintage Barbies and dolls appear in unexpected corners, and porthole windows give the impression of being below deck on an actual vessel.
The memorabilia is not curated in a minimalist way. Every surface is used, and the cumulative effect is genuinely overwhelming in the best sense.
A moving train circles overhead in one section, which is especially popular with younger visitors. The restrooms even have their own themes, with one famously decorated in Beatles imagery and another styled as an Elvis tribute.
The Taylor Swift ladies room has become a recent talking point as well. Wherever you sit, there is something new to notice every few minutes.
The Crabby Pretzel Deserves Its Own Paragraph
Out of everything on the menu, the Crabby Pretzel generates the most conversation. It is a soft pretzel loaded with a cheesy crab dip made with lump crab meat, then finished with melted cheddar on top.
The combination sounds straightforward, but the execution is what earns it a devoted following.
When it is made correctly, the lump crab is visible and flavorful, not hidden beneath filler. The pretzel itself holds up well under the topping, giving you something to work with rather than something that collapses immediately.
It is a satisfying appetizer that manages to feel both indulgent and genuinely seafood-forward at the same time.
Girl Scout troops, families on road trips, and solo diners making the Scranton pilgrimage all seem to order it. The kitchen has its high-traffic moments like any busy restaurant, so arriving during a quieter service window tends to produce the most consistent results.
Either way, skipping it would be a mistake on your first visit.
Fresh Catches and Signature Plates Worth Ordering
The Maryland Crab Bisque has achieved something close to legendary status at this restaurant. Rich, creamy, and packed with crab flavor, it appears on nearly every table during lunch service.
The portion is generous enough to function as a meal starter without leaving you too full for what comes next.
The Maine Lobster Roll arrives with a proper amount of lobster, served on a toasted roll with butter. The jumbo lump Maryland crab cakes are hand-formed and built around sweet crab meat rather than breadcrumb filler, and the Cedar Plank Salmon offers a slightly smoky depth that works well with the fish.
Beyond the seafood headliners, the Cajun fish tacos have earned strong praise, and the New Orleans Catfish with blackened spice and crawfish sauce is a dish that surprises people who expect something more traditional. Buffalo scallops appear on the menu as well, and they tend to catch diners off guard in the best possible way.
The shrimp and lobster fondue is worth saving room for.
Why Office Fans Make the Pilgrimage to This Address
Scranton is the fictional home of Dunder Mifflin, and Cooper’s Seafood House is woven into that mythology more than most fans realize before they arrive. The show referenced the restaurant multiple times across its run, and Cooper’s leaned into that connection with full enthusiasm.
The gift shop inside the lighthouse tower is stocked with official merchandise from the series, including mugs, Dundie Award trophies, and various Dunder Mifflin branded items. Life-sized cutouts of Michael, Dwight, Jim, and Pam are positioned throughout the space, making photo opportunities almost unavoidable.
Cooper’s is formally listed as a stop on the self-guided Office Tour of Scranton, which means the restaurant regularly welcomes visitors who have traveled significant distances specifically for this reason. The clever part is that the food and atmosphere hold up completely on their own merits, so fans who arrive expecting a novelty experience tend to leave as genuine converts to the restaurant itself.
The show brought them in, but the crab bisque keeps them talking about it afterward.
The Lighthouse, the Octopus, and the Outdoor Decks
The lighthouse tower is not just decorative. Its 45-foot height houses multiple levels, including an upscale bar area at the top that offers a distinct perspective on the surrounding neighborhood.
The structure was designed to potentially project a beam of light into the night sky, functioning as a literal beacon for the city.
Outside, the Dock Bar and Lighthouse Bar open their decks during warmer months, providing open-air seating that adds a breezy, relaxed dimension to the dining experience. The outdoor areas are popular on pleasant evenings, and the nautical theme carries through seamlessly from the interior.
The rooftop Tiki Deck features the giant octopus sculpture that has become one of the most photographed elements of the entire building. Its tentacles spread across the patio in a way that is genuinely hard to describe without sounding like you are exaggerating.
Between the pirate ship docked at ground level, the lighthouse rising above, and the octopus presiding over the rooftop, the exterior of this building functions as its own attraction before you ever open the front door.
Scavenger Hunts, Arcade Games, and a Fortune Teller Named Zelda
Families with restless kids have fewer problems at Cooper’s than at most restaurants, and that is largely by design. The arcade room holds a collection of vintage games and classic claw machines that provide genuine entertainment, not just a distraction.
An old-fashioned fortune-telling machine named Zelda occupies a corner and draws curious visitors of all ages. It is the kind of detail that feels lifted from a movie set, which fits perfectly given how theatrical the rest of the building already is.
The scavenger hunt adds another layer of engagement. Guests are invited to find secret plaques hidden throughout the restaurant as part of the Cooper’s Code challenge, with a prize waiting for those who crack it.
This transforms a dinner into a full activity, encouraging people to wander through different rooms and pay attention to the details they might otherwise walk past. For groups, it provides a shared mission that keeps the energy up across an entire meal.
The peanut butter pie at the end makes a strong closing argument for staying until dessert.
More Than 200 Beers and a Draft List That Earns Attention
The beverage program at Cooper’s has been voted Best Beverage Menu in multiple local reader polls, and the selection backs up that reputation. The restaurant carries more than 200 options across its bar offerings, ranging from craft selections to familiar standards, with something available for virtually every preference.
The in-house brews on draft have drawn specific praise for their quality and variety. One visitor noted that the draft list was extensive and top-notch, adding that they genuinely wished the house brews were available for retail purchase in the gift shop.
That kind of enthusiasm for a restaurant’s own production says something meaningful about the consistency of the program.
Multiple bar areas exist throughout the building, each with its own character. The main bar carries the full selection, while the outdoor bars and the lighthouse bar offer more curated choices suited to their settings.
The Guinness onion soup, which uses the stout as a cooking base, has become a standout item that bridges the kitchen and bar programs in a way that feels intentional rather than coincidental. The beverage selection alone justifies a longer visit.
Awards, Rankings, and the Recognition Behind the Fun
Behind the pirate ship facade and the rooftop octopus is a restaurant that has earned serious recognition from the culinary industry. Cooper’s holds a consistent ranking among the Top 100 Independently Owned Restaurants in America, a distinction that places it in rare company for a regional establishment.
The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association named it Restaurant of the Year, which reflects the esteem it holds among peers and industry professionals statewide. Local readers have voted it Best Restaurant, Best Seafood, and Best Beverage Menu through the Electric City and Diamond City Readers Choice Awards on multiple occasions.
These accolades are not purely based on atmosphere or novelty. The food quality, service consistency, and overall guest experience are what drive the ratings.
With nearly 5,000 Google reviews averaging 4.4 stars, the numbers reflect a broad consensus rather than a passionate niche audience. The Cooper family has built something that functions as both a beloved local institution and a destination worth driving hours to reach, and the awards reflect exactly that dual identity.
Practical Tips for Planning Your Visit
Cooper’s is open seven days a week, running noon to 9 PM Monday through Thursday and Sunday, with extended hours until 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant does not take reservations for general seating, but larger groups benefit from calling ahead at 570-346-6883 to arrange accommodations.
Free on-site parking is available, which matters more than it might seem for a restaurant of this size in an urban setting. The lot is accessible and spacious enough that arriving by car is straightforward.
The building’s exterior makes it nearly impossible to miss, so navigation is rarely an issue.
Children are genuinely well accommodated here, with a dedicated kids menu and enough visual stimulation to keep younger guests engaged throughout a long meal. The scavenger hunt is a particularly useful tool for families who want to channel that energy productively.
Budget-conscious visitors will find the pricing reasonable relative to the quality and portion sizes. Arriving slightly before peak dinner service on weekends tends to reduce wait times without sacrificing the full atmosphere that makes this place worth the trip.
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