Capitol City Brewing Company

Bonne bière brune avec un délicieux Simply Chicken assiette. Bön poulet mariné et grillé avec un bon riz à la coriandre et des bons légumes, carottes, brocolis. J’ai bien aimé l’atmosphère genre sportif. On est arrivé tôt un samedi soir (17:00) et il y avait pas mal de monde. Je le recommande pour la bonne bière artisanale et de saison.

Solid bar and happy hour; I would hit this place with colleagues when I worked on G St NE. Wide variety of seasonal beers and good bar food (Loved the duck tacos with plum sauce when they were around) and across the street from the Metro station. What more can you want? Lots of booths to sit in and the bar is big and you can sit on all sides. Bartenders are pretty busy so they aren’t around for conversation, but what do you expect at happy hour?

I recall a visit to this place and truly enjoying it, was planning a return visit with some friends, but to my understanding… the union station location is done.
Ill just stay in VA… for my next visit!

An elegy for Cap City: Closed circa 10 – 2011.
While Cap City wasn’t what I would call ‘good’, it was convenient. I work in the building, but still I very rarely (maybe once per year for the last 9 years) visited. The food was mediocre, always and even more damningly, the beer was just as mediocre. The latter was what killed Cap City for me: the beer wasn’t that good. If you were going to call yourself a Brewery, the beer MUST be good. Really good. And it never was really good. Only pretty good at its best.
So RIP Cap City, 2 Mass Ave. location. I knew thee well, but was never impressed.

Get their jalapeño cheese dip. Your taste buds will thank you as soon as you dip a soft pretzel into this cheesy delight.
They have awesome beers and great entrees too.

This is the type of restaurant that I always go into with very low expectations and they did not disappoint. Tasteless, bland food, and bad service.
We ordered the flat iron steak and fish and chips because I figured they can’t mess that up but I was wrong. The steak was over cooked and the fish bland and watery.
If I had to add something nice I would have to say that in spite of the lackluster service the staff were quite friendly and nice.

In summary — Good food, good beer, nice bartender.
We had the grilled chicken wrap — I liked the veggies included, not just the standard LTO, and the tuna burger — beautiful
The bartender was quick to let us sample their draft selection to be sure we liked what we got.

The food is mediocre at best. If that is not enough to dissaude you from coming here, read on.
I planned a law school function and decided on Capitol City as the venue, as that’s where we held the event the previous year. We had a budget within which we had to work, and although a large one, Capitol City was unwilling to work with us at all on price. When I first inquired and let the events person know our budget, he said he would be able to accommodate us for the size of our group. But every time I proposed a way to reduce the costs that they advertise for group events, I was rejected. E.g. «No, we cannot reduce the cost of a beer from $ 6 to $ 5, because $ 6 is what is costs us» (REALLY! You sell your beers at COST? FALSE).
After three weeks of emailing back and forth with the contact person, yes, three weeks, of negotiating to nowhere, I was stuck with Cap City as our venue as it was too late in the game to find somewhere else. I agreed to their advertised prices for group events.
The event went well; I cannot complain about that. There was plenty of food and beers were served quickly and staff was helpful.
Then it came time to pay the bill. The events person brought me the bill. I should have looked more carefully. It was slightly over our budget but I expected that might happen. He had a credit card on file for us, and he ran that card, but it was declined. He says he’ll go plug in what we ACTUALLY ate and drank. So what was the amount you previously presented to me? What we hypothetically ate and drank? In any event, he came back with a bill that was close to $ 900 less than the original bill. We were supposed to be charged for what we actually drank, not what I anticipated we’d drink. So that is shady right there.
A couple days after the event, I noticed that he charged us 23% gratuity. However our contract called for 20% gratuity. Another shady practice.
In sum: if you are planning a large party/​event, do not come here. These people cannot be trusted to charge you what they say they will. They are not flexible at all on price. And they are also non-​responsive to emails and phone calls. When I tried to confirm our event three days before, I had to email twice and call twice to actually talk to someone. Where is the customer service!
Bad news all around.

I can’t speak to anything other than Happy Hour since I’ve only been here once but I can tell you, it was über cheap for DC.
The service at the bar was great. The beers were pretty good, not great, nothing I would buy if it were in a store or crave after work, but okay for what they were. I agree with other reviewers though, the Amber was a bit hoppy but I don’t mind a hoppy beer so we were good there.
The happy hour appetizers are pretty good and very reasonably priced. $ 5 for pretty decent, yet standard, fare. We did the nachos, hummus platter and some southwest egg roll-​type dealie. I enjoyed my food a lot. The only thing that wasn’t finished was the last of the 3 mentioned above. It just wasn’t worth the calories.
This place was hella busy when we got there, around 5:30p on a Friday which is to be expected. The crowd overall was significantly older than my 30 years but since we were there to catch up with each other, and not meet people, we were set.
I probably won’t come back because there are so many other places to check out in DC.

You know what I love? Microbrews. American pub fare. Historic architecture.
This place should have been a home run.
I love this building, I love the renovation — it’s a spectacular setting for a restaurant, especially the second level overlooking the bar and Mass Ave. But that is where my satisfaction ends.
I’ve been here a few times since bopping into the District two years ago, and I have yet to be wowed. Service is eh, food is bland and unspecial. Prices leave little to rave about.
But what’s really the kicker is the beer. I can’t drink their home-​brewed beers. I feel like the brewmaster tasted each draft, decided it Needed Something, and threw in a few handfuls extra of hops in each. I can’t really tell the difference between their house brews — except each is too hoppy without any other great flavor profiles.
So sad.

I’m not much of an alcoholic, so read on if you want to hear a riveting tale about root beer.
Food: I went the social welfare route and pretty much just pigged on out their soft complimentary pretzels (
) while everyone else downed beer after beer. So I wouldn’t look like a total loser, I got a drink, a root beer float (
). The ice cream was the right consistency. They even had the foresight to give me an extra glass full of the bubbly if case I ran out.
Atmosphere: Hopefully they get a lot of customers on a regular basis because this place is huge and right next to Union Station. I’m sure the rent is astronomical. A giant safe door sits by the entrance (
). Not sure if this place used to be a bank or if it’s just for decoration. There are a bunch of stills in the middle of the bar with cleverly named brews (i.e. Prohibition Porter,
).
Service: Pretty good. When the bar was closing, we asked the bartender for recommendations on where to go next. She gave us several suggestions with a smile.
Synopsis: Not big on bars in general, but this one is ok.

In my hundreds of trips to Union Station, I have been getting it all wrong. Instead of making do with lackluster options in the basement cafeteria, I should have headed outside and crossed the street to the Capitol City Brewing Company. The improvement in quality and ambiance is amazing.
It’s located in a federal building which also houses the National Postal museum. I know that doesn’t sound cool, but the airy space and the old feel to the place actually makes it kind of nice — an excellent place to grab a pint or two.
Before dinner even began, I was brought out a complimentary hot pretzel with, oh my god, was that a little bit of beer at the bottom of the basket? This was delicious, and a great way to begin. I ordered the Brewmaster burger which weighed in at a whopping half pound. This was served open faced with red onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickle served on the top bun and a bounty of fries on the side. I additionally opted for blue cheese. I was pleased that they prepared it medium rare at my request and found it to be juicy and delicious. The bun was substantial enough to hold up to the massive burger and the fatty cheese. Even the fries had nice texture and proved to be tasty. In short: solid bar fare which paired with the craft beers readily.
For the beer, I tried my hand at the Capital Kolsch and the Amber Waves Ale. The Kolsch was a German style ale that has previously won both silver and gold at the American beer festival. This was pretty decent. The Amber Waves was even more decorated, but less interesting in taste by comparison. Nothing standout here, but I was happy to try a couple of new beers at affordable prices in a relaxed environment. Recommend.

Seems like reviews of Cap City (especially this location) are mixed, and I can see why.
The Good: The beer! Their core four (a light beer, two ales, and a porter) are ok, but the good stuff are the specials and the seasonals. They have crazy French high ABV beers served in goblets, a Cherry Blossom ale, an Octoberfest, and the list goes on. Ask for the beer list or look at the chalkboard and try one of those. Never been disappointed.
The Bad: The food! Just about everything is lousy, and they’re overpriced. I try to make it a point never to eat here. Some of the happy hour apps are ok, including the pretzels, but beyond that I’ve always been severely disappointed. My go-​to item now when stuck eating here is the mediocre veggie pizza — the way I see it, it’s not horrible and it provides leftovers all for $ 12.
The bartenders are hard-​working and friendly, the atmosphere is cool what with the fermentation tanks and such, but don’t expect this to be much more than a BREWERY (it does say that on the sign outside). If you are in the area, sign up for their email list — they use it sparingly and they send coupons.

Came here for a drink and some chow after my Chinese class that I started taking. Bottom line is that the bar is wide open and you don’t feel crowded at 10:00pm on a weekday. Not sure how it is on the weekend but I can imagine that the Capitol crowd will fill this place on the off hours.
Get the wings and the pale ale. You won’t be disappointed.

«Hello, Terrible Restaurant Consulting. How can I help you?»
– «Hi, I’m calling from Capitol City Brewing Company.»
«Oh, wow, we had our company dinner there this year!»
– «Yeah. Listen, I need some advice on how to make my restaurant as bad as it can be.»
«That’s what we’re here for.»
– «Okay, first. What would be the best way to ensure that the many people who come here because they need to eat lunch quickly during the workday have a miserable experience?»
«Well, I would start by making your restaurant a giant industrial warehouse with enough tables that each server is way overburdened — but make sure there’s always inexplicably a long line to get one of those tables.»
– «Oh, good idea. Should we then have it take a long time for the server to actually show up?»
«Well, yeah. But the real trick is to make it take at least 40 minutes for a chicken salad and a pizza to arrive.»
– «Right! Then people will have lots of time to come up with excuses for why they’re late for their meetings.»
«Now you’re on the trolley. So let’s talk about food.»
– «Yes. Well, that chicken salad is pretty good. It’s got pears and this blueberry-​pomegranate –„
“Wait. Pears? Are they canned?“
– „Well…yeah.“
“Okay, good.»
– «So, it’s got this nice dressing, and, well, it runs the risk of being delicious.»
«Hmm…try undercooking the chicken.»
– «You guys are brilliant! But how can we screw up pizza?»
«Well, canned vegetables, obviously. And undercook it.»
– «Oh, man, that’s great. Our customers will have to cover it with red pepper to make it taste like anything.»
«Why are you providing red pepper?»
– «You’re a genius.»
«So, let’s see. We’re gonna make it take forever to get terrible food in an industrial warehouse environment. Excellent. That sounds really awful.»
– «I can’t thank you enough. Now our customers will lurch out, feeling vaguely dazed and thoroughly disgusted, late for their after-​lunch meetings, with nothing to cling to but the mints they grabbed on their way through the hordes of interns on their way out. Thanks!»
«Oh, one more thing — make those mints cinnamon so that no one will enjoy them.»

Stopped in here while touring the city. Sampled 6 of the 7 beers they had on tap, and also took aim at their half price appetizers. I would say half price beers (3.50) and half priced appetizers won over an extra star. The wings (orange sauce?) was pretty good, it was like bbq with a hint of honey mustard, and I really enjoyed them, being a bit of a wing snob.
Their light beers were very good, and one of the bartenders helping us needed a swift kick in the butt, but the other was very courteous and made up for the other. Less than 20 $ we had 6 beers, wings and chicken strips. Pretty good snag for being in the city.

Made a pit stop here for lunch. It was too hot that day so we elected to sit inside. The booths are a little cramped for space, but it wasn’t too bad.
We started off with beer and pretzels (mmm…Capital Kolsch…) and for my meal I got the Pentagon Pear Salad, which was amazing. It was sweet and crunchy and tangy and a lot of other things that made my taste buds do a happy dance. Man, I’m kind of craving one right now.
The service was okay, though our waiter had an excellent knack for stepping in and interrupting our conversations at just the most awkward moments. I wish they were a little quicker with bringing out our meals, I mean does it really take 20 minutes to prepare 3 salads?
The happy hour menu looked great, I only wish I could have stayed in DC longer to experience it. Next time!

When I sat down for lunch I noticed they had a pretty good menu and good beers. After about 10 minutes of waiting and being totally dehydrated and hungry since I had just gotten off a bus at Union Station, I went up to the host who had sat me to ask when I was going to be served. I ended up getting a cool waiter who was nice and even gave me a free beer because I had to wait!
I ordered the black bean burger which was a bit spicy and I liked it. It came out in about 4 minutes so that was really gross. I kind of wondered if it had been reheated, but I guess it’s quick to make since it isn’t meat.
Good experience despite being forgotten in the beginning. I guess I should have worn a suit to not be overlooked at that place since everyone there looks like they work for some type of government or political firm.

The service was not the friendliest here but for some reason I like it. In fact I just like the whole general atmosphere of the place. I had the Amber Chicken Sandwich which as tasty with the caramelized onions, which gave a nice added flavor, and onion rings which were not too doughy but I wish had more batter on them. The food was good but not over-​the-​top special when I tried it, however I will note that it was late and the music from the neighboring business was giving me a headache at the time.
Speaking of which, as a short warning: the club or whatever it is on the other side of the wall can be a bit distracting if not a headache trigger. I don’t know how often the music is that load but I hope the two places will try to make some kind of compromise about that.

I like the space, tall ceilings & restored buildings that get transformed into something magical. This is one of those places. Now let me just be brutally honest here, I’m NOT a beer person, I’m a Vodka-​rum type of girl… so for me to actually enjoy downing a freshly brewed dark BEER, says A LOT about this spot.
I’ve come here on several occasions and have ALWAYS loved my experience. The food is really REALLY good, their burgers are well done and fresh. The bar tenders and servers are exceptionally great at their jobs and are very easy to get the attention of. All around, this is a good time and place for that special American guy or gal. God Bless America, my home sweet hooooooome!!!

If you go, go for the homemade root beer… ok that is if you are pregnant! They have vegetarian options which was surprising but unfortunately the bean burger was spicy — and I don’t do spicy. But I Had a nice garden salad that was filling and the onion rings were wonderful! The service was mediocre and the drinks were good.
All in all a decent stop if you are in the area. They give you pretzels instead of rolls before your meal, and that was a treat.