There is no question that Philadelphia is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, beer-centric city’s in America and in the World. However, Norristown, PA, located just 30 minutes outside Philadelphia, barely makes a blip on the radar. So it may come as a surprise to many that one of the world’s best beer bars is located here in Norristown, right on Germantown Pike.
Capone’s Restaurant attracted a lot of attention a few years ago when it was ranked #6 on BeerAdvocate’s list of “Best Places in the World to Have a Beer,” (ahead of any Philadelphia-based beer bar) and in 2009 when it was ranked the #1 Beer Bar in the World by RateBeer.com. The question became, “what does this place offer that the others do not?” According to the owner and operator Matt Capone, it’s his personal dedication to customer service. Absolutely nothing outranks the consumer experience in Matt’s eyes.
“I try,” Matt says. “I’ve always been the kind of guy to help people get what they want or what they are looking for. Pleasing a customer is what it’s all about, sometimes even more than your bottom line.”
From the outside, Capone’s is quite unassuming. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to miss while driving down Germantown Pike. Even the sign out front shows a cocktail glass without a mention of beer. Inside, the “cocktail bar” theme continues, with pictures of wine and Italian bistros hanging on the walls. There aren’t even standard tap handles; just short unmarked black knobs. It isn’t until you see the draft list, or wander into their take-out section that you realize you are standing in a beer nirvana.
The Bottle Shop, featuring The Greatest Beers of the World
Thirty rotating taps that frequently feature the rarest, world-class brews; growler fills from $15 to $30, depending on the beer; and a take-out section that has over 300 different rarities, including rare vintage beers and “impossible-to-find-anywhere-but-Capone’s” beers. Matt takes pride in being the go-to guy when looking for a specific beer. When he sees you, the customer, walking around in his store, he wants to know what you are looking for. If he doesn’t have the beer you’re looking for, he will take down your phone number, order the beer, and then call you to let you know when it has arrived. He will even hold the beer for you for up to a month. No one else has the same kind of personalized service! Capone’s regular Jack Horzempa says “this friendly and outstanding service is something to truly appreciate! I believe that Matt is very passionate about his beers and this shows in his willingness to go that extra mile to please his customers.”
This type of friendly experience does not just apply to beer aficionados; Capone’s Restaurant is welcome to everyone. Matt strives to avoid the pompousness that comes with your typical high-end beer bar. So whether you want to drink a gin martini, a glass of pinot grigio or a Rogue Double Dead Guy, you know that no one is judging you. Matt cultivates this atmosphere because he knows that he owes the success of his restaurant to those customers who have been coming to the restaurant since his father opened it in 1973, long before it was a beer bar.
Matt Capone with friends
As if a world class beer bar needed a reason to visit other than the incredible variety of brews to choose from, Capone’s Restaurant frequently hosts awesome beer events, like “Black Friday” or “Sweet and Sour.” Matt takes these simple broad concepts and develops a unique draft line-up that draws crowds every single time. At this past year’s Black Friday event, where the biggest, baddest black ales are put on tap, Matt opened his doors early at 9:00am to let in the hordes of people. “It wasn’t early enough,” Matt said. “We should have opened up at 8:00 and we still would have been packed.”
And believe it or not, beer is not the only attraction here; the food is incredible. Some must-try items on the menu include the Turkey Garden Special, the Bee Sting Wings (Mondays only) and the Tuesday All-You-Can-Eat Jumbo Snow Crabs.
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