Capone's Restaurant

Stopped in the beer shop first, wasn't overly impressed with their offerings. Very small. Went into the restaurant from there, sat at the bar. Vibe and decor are ike a more upscale Bennigans. Tap list was nice, Trillium, Russian River, Hill Farmstead. Can't beat that. Had some chili, hit the spot. Service was great. Very quiet for a Friday afternoon. Go for the taps, not the bottles.

Not a bad place to enjoy a small snifter of Pliny the Younger!

This bar and restaurant has a little bottle shop attached to the back end to supplement the beer geek cred it's earned in the area, but the draft list is the main draw. We stopped here at the start of a long beer road trip and quickly found ourselves amongst like-minded folk. The bar is really cool, almost a full oval circle, with four corners that allow for great conversation with friends or new acquaintances--everyone rooting for LeBron to come to Philly made it all the more interesting!

The taplist was remarkable, not just because Younger was on tap, but a lot of high visibility brews that had just come out around the country were available as well. Having two very limited annual release beers on draft like Pliny the Younger and Hop Juju next to each other is not something I ever thought I'd get to enjoy!

The service and planning was well implemented, with pours of Younger ready to grab as soon as you walked in, and additional pours of whatever you wanted, such as Elder for a side by side, ready and waiting for your order. Food was okay, but not the primary focus, especially on such a momentous occasion.

food was damn good, got a great sandwich here

being IPA day for their Philly Beer Week celebration the selection was amazing. Pliny, Sole, etc was fantastic

the bar is setup somewhat weird but the food and beer were great

 

Finally had a chance to visit this longtime beer landmark. The setup inside is a bit odd yet charming. I happened to go the afternoon after a Deschutes event and they still had an array of their beers on-tap (which are not available to me in NJ). After seeing that The Abyss was still available I naturally had to give it a shot, so there I was starting my afternoon off with a 12% barrel aged imperial stout, albeit a 5.5 oz pour. Followed by two other beer not often seen on-tap, Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen and Rodenbach Alexander; the latter of which is extremely hard to find and hasn't even been brewed in the past 15 years until now. The service was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Texas Gold wings which were very tasty despite taking a long time to come out of the kitchen.

After my time at the bar, I ventured to the bottle shop towards the back of the building to make some bad decisions. The bottle selection is well-curated, but expect some sticker shock coming from NJ. That being said, I walked out with some goodies that I can't get in my home state: a 6-pack of Deschutes Black Butte Porter, a Russian River Damnation, and a 2012 Hair of the Dog Adam. Matt was there to help me with whatever I needed and was very kind in mentioning what he had that I might not find back home, be it rare or widely-available beers.

With a top notch tap list, friendly vibe, and a small but quality bottle shop, it's easy to see why Capone's has gotten such acclaim over the years. A classic joint to feed your inner beer geekdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handles are always the best-of-the-best. Great food. Drive an hour and thirty minutes once a week for the unbelievable - most excellent - beer and pasta dishes.

Great spot for hard to get beer. Prices are high compared to some of the other similar establishments. 6 oz pours of "rarer" beers can be had for much less at Pinnochios. I don't go often as it's a bit of a drive for me. Nice spot though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I've not been to one of the Special Events/Release Tastings Capone's organizes I have stopped here a few times for the beer shop. This review is pretty much to echo what most other reviewers have said. This is one of the places outside of Philly to visit when looking for a "few good bottles." The selection is large. Freshness is usually good. Service is helpful and knowledgable. Value is reasonable given they are located in PA.