Capitol Cider House

Capitol Cider House is an amazing place with wonderful cider, perhaps the best we have had. My wife and I have been here twice and have gotten from their pop-up at the Dupont Farmers Market as well. The staff is friendly and the ambiance is great with games to play. They do not have food but there are plenty of good places to eat nearby.

I am a cider lover. When I travel, I am always looking up cider houses in the area. I was excited to learn that there was one in DC. Things to note: * Street parking is pretty tough. Wear comfortable shoes just in case you have to park a little ways away. * The ciders are purchased based on 3 oz and 8 oz pours. * There is a small menu for food. The options are more like small bites. Pros: * The cider house atmosphere is really airy, bright, and inviting. * It was packed so I grabbed a seat at the bar. The staff were very attentive in ensuring everyone was served. * I ordered the empanadas; two beef and one veggie. These we amazing and filling. They sell these 3 for $11. Definitely worth every bite. Cons: * They dont have a cash register. If you pay in cash, they will not give you change. Its very very weird. * The cider menu is non-descript. Its hard to determine what the cider actually tastes like. They use descriptions such as "juicy," "summery," or "bright." I am not sure what any of that means. * I tasted six ciders. I intended to write out each flavor and what I thought of them but there's no use. I didn't like any of them and that's saying a lot. They tasted pretty similar - crisp, dry, semi bitter, and beery. None of them were sweet or had a distinguish taste. Even the cider, "life is a peach" wasn't peachy. I didnt finish most of my tastes. Below are the ciders I tasted: #2. CAPITOL ROSÉ #5. LIFE'S A PEACH #8. POM POM #12. ROSÉ SANGRIA #10. JUICE WITH THE FLEUR #7. BRUNCH FEB '22 I do not intend on returning. It's just not my cup of cider. If you are a person who likes beer, check this place out. I think this place would be more your speed. For those who are new to cider and are interested in a nice crisp, sweet (no sugar added), bold, non-beer flavor, go to your nearest Total Wine and purchase Ace Ciders. Their flavors include pineapple, mango, and pear to name a few.

I love checking out various cideries. This one had very limited seating but we were able to find a spot on the patio. They had some very interesting flavored ciders, so we wanted to get a flight. They do have a preset but it didn't have all the flavors we wanted. Building your own flight adds up quickly as there's no discount for getting a flight. The hot damn strawberry was fine, lightly sweet and spicy. The mulled spices and honey was meh. The peach one tasted like straight up vinegar. Couldn't drink more than one sip. Also got the gold rush pommeu, which was quite strong and sweet. Their ciders tasted nothing like the descriptions and was overall very poorly executed.

I went to CCH one evening to try the cider flights and check out a comedy show. It's a nice place to meet people for drinks or just otherwise hang out. You can choose four from a list of ciders. I'm not a big cider guy but I did my best to describe the tastes of the flight I chose. 7. Airy. Light with a hint of apple. 4/10 3. Bitter. Sour citrus. 4. Slightly less intense version of number 3 8. Orange whisky 9. Water It gets four stars because it's a nice place, some of the ciders are extremely flavorful, and there's always something entertaining happening.

For my first time out in DC during this pandemic, I wanted to try out this cidery I heard about pre-pandemic. As a local cidery, they had a large selection of different types of ciders. My friends and I each ordered a flights which was the move. Highly recommend carpooling there or Metrobus.

Terrible. Children are crawling all over the bar which is inappropriate. This is a cider place, not a daycare. Speaking of the cider, or piss water, it's severely lacking. The best thing in there is the etch-a-sketches, which are reminiscent of simpler times when bars were for adults and apples were for eating.

One of my favorite places! The staff is always so friendly and helpful, the cider is delicious, and the prices are super reasonable (especially their happy hour deals). Plus they always have fun events like trivia and live music. 10/10 would recommend!

I came by myself because I've been wanting to try it for a few months now but never made it out. They're open during COVID, so why not? I sat inside by the window, immediately was given a water, picked out 4 cider options as my flight and ordered a chicken empanada to fulfill the policy. I noticed a lot of the ciders were barrel aged, which is great for me but may not be as favorable to others. I was impressed by their apple brandy/cider mix options, and they offer cocktails as well. Customer service was great, talkative when I wanted but left me alone when my book was out, so they were attentive! Staff wore masks, as did all the people coming in until they were seated. They have a patio but also 4 tables inside that were well distanced. Inside towards the patio is a bit messy with typical brewing stuff but they also had just canned the day before. While the empanada was good, I felt that their food menu options could be better. They also offer some great delivery and pickup options! I saw quite a few customers come in to pick orders up. In fact, I ended up grabbing a 4-pack of Life's a Peach cider to go! I'll be back!

Nice set up and a lot of options. I didn't love any of the ciders but I always have a good time trying new ones. When we were heading out they were setting up for a comedy show. It's cool that they hold events in the space.

Not really a cozy place to hang out. The staff were transactional; not really inviting. The cider (CCH + DLC Dragons Blood) was average at best. The seats weren't that comfortable... Overall, it's just not a place I wanted to hang out at for too long. I wanted to like it, I really did, but this just did not work for me.

They were great but sadly they are closed for good. They are packing everything up. All the tables are gone.

This review is for Capitol ciders New Years celebration. The New Years package came with access to an open bar from 9pm to 1am and with taxes and online fees totaled about $65. This is pretty cheap for a New Years celebration with unlimited drinks. When I first arrived there were only two bartenders at the bar, so it was a little bit of a hassle to get a drink. As the night went on they had more people actually make the drinks though. They also decided to implement a "you can only order one drink at a time" policy as the night dragged out. I tried a variety of the drinks and my favorites were the pink lady, wild honeybee mead and the Virginia peach cider. All three of these are on the sweeter side and though I enjoyed the honey bee mead you definitely don't need a full glass of it as it's extremely sweet. Overall I would give this place a 3.5 out of 5.

Cider's been my choice of drink before the cider wave hit. I've had cider from all around the world and have tried every cider imported into Washington, D.C. over the years. When I heard about Capital Cider House opening in Petworth, I had to be one of the first in line and I'm glad I was! To be honest, when I first pulled up, I was disappointed to see it's in the bottom floor of a new apartment building. However, once inside it feels more like a cider house with barrels of cider throughout the showroom. The space itself is large with a bar and plenty of tables for groups. All their cider is from within 200 miles of the US Capitol Building. They have around a dozen on tap from semi-sweet to dry cider and even a mead and beer (DC Brau) on tap. They do flights for $15 for four ciders. In addition, they have bottles and can cider. They also sell empanadas (veggie, beef, chicken) for $4 per empanada. They give free tours. They also have a little play area for kids!

Really enjoyed this cidery! Everything I sampled was good. I particularly liked the concord! I also enjoyed some grub. Surprisingly, the chicken nuggets really hit the spot! The space is fun and they have board games, which is always a nice addition. Plus, it is walking distance from my house! Safe to say, I'll be back!

First time here and they have great drinks. The house punch, strawberry cider, and life's a peach were amazing. They also do stand up comedy on Friday's which was entertaining!

Horrible service. Took over an hour to receive the dip tray I ordered. Horrible customer service. Did not compensate me.

Not sure how I stumbled upon this place but once I heard I could a flight of cider I was sold! They have 12 ciders to choose from and I enjoyed the ones I tasted. When we compared the price of the flight to the individual ciders they came out to be the same so your not really getting a deal. However, I still appreciate that this place has enough ciders for you to actually get a flight. They also have a shelf of games you can choose from so this would be a great weekend spot to relax and catch up with friends. There's also a small selection of food. I tried the empanadas and they delicious and served their purpose so overall a great experience!

Really enjoy the cider here. The $12 flights are unbeatable. At this point of the pandemic, there's outdoor seating. If you sit down, you're required to order food - however the food was just ok. We tried the empanada (small portions) and berry turnover for desert (was still cold in parts, meaning it seemed like it was just reheated). Would drink here again, but would not count on eating here - not sure if their menu is different during more precedented times.

Stopped by this boutique cider house. Tried two flights of ciders. Four three ounce drinks per flight. Left it up to the waiters' recommendations on cider choice. Glad I did because the flights were a good balance: tasty, fruity, and bold. Tried their veggie empanada, very good as well. Good service, pleasant staff, definitely go back!

We love the Petworth area and we love cider so we brought a few friends here to celebrate a birthday. Fun new joint with traditional cider as well as pommeaus, a sweeter kind of cider that is described as similar to a port wine, which I really enjoyed. Some of the cider sits in casks near the bar area so you will get that brewery odor. The snacks and games are ok. Decent priced cheese board, hot dogs and popcorn. They have a small private room for parties but of maybe 8 people. Check this one out. You can justify it as supporting a local, small business.

Was not a lot of space for sitting. I tried a flight. Also ordered an empanada but only comes with 1. The one I liked the best was brunch since it was the sweetest. Grape crush wasn't bad either. Sap happy was ok and wasn't the biggest fan of wolfbite. They also have cans to go which is great. Cool cidery.

I really wanted to love this place, but found myself very disappointed. The space is really cool and they do a lot of fun events, which I appreciate and if I lived closer I might actually attend. My first time visiting, I went to the bar to order. I opted for a flight, and asked the cider maker for help picking the flight, which on the menu is advertised as being $15. She picked a few for me and I drank them... Cider isn't my favorite and while some were better than others, I didn't really enjoy any of them. When I went to check out, the bill was $21. For a flight. When I asked why it wasn't the $15 that was advertised, they said "oh, you have to ask for one of the pre-selected flights," which is not what it says on the menu. It literally says "let the cidermaker pick your flight for $15" which is what I did. It felt very misleading and purposefully vague so as to entrap people into paying more (which is insane because their prices are already ridiculously high). So I ended up paying $6 more for no reason because they wouldn't budge the fact that it was misleading. Also, in order to get to the patio, you have to weave your way through the brewery, and get on your tippy toes to pass the random table shoved into the corner that blocks half of the walkway outside. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 is because we tried a sampling of 3 of their dips (herbed goat, Moroccan cilantro, and tandoori garlic) and they were very tasty. At $11 it still seemed a bit overpriced for what you get, but it was the one thing I actually liked.

Came here for their Harvest Festival...not exactly what we expected. They did not prepare for the amount of people coming. Even when checking the guy said, "We're going to get everyone in one way or another," which is nice only if you have the proper staffing and supply of food advertised. My boyfriend and I ordered a cider and doughnut each...after 10 minutes we still had not received them. Considering the doughnuts were already made, and the cider took just one pull of a handle, the wait time didn't make much sense. When we asked our waiter how much longer it would be, she genuinely forgot that we ordered anything and did not have the receipt to confirm our name. I can't be too frustrated with that, though, because the ratio of people she and her two other coworkers were serving was immensely large. The cider was delicious! And the doughnuts were perfectly moist and flavorful.

I feel really bad posting this, because we wanted to LOVE this place, but it was so disappointing. We live in the neighborhood so we stopped in for happy hour and wouldn't go back. The bad: - While prices are not unreasonable ($15+ flights of four 3 oz pours, $8-$15 half pints), even at happy hour it's an expensive place - I didn't know what type of cider I wanted to get a glass of and after getting a flight I asked for a small taste of the house cider that was not in my flight and was told no tastings and I had to buy the pour. This seems absurd as all breweries will give you a taste, and even bars will. - I ordered a glass, thinking it was a pint, and my glass wasn't even half full (look at the glass BEFORE I drank it) The good: - huge selection - cool decor - tons of games

Yesterday was my first time trying this spot. I'm still learning ciders but the concept of the restaurant is great. Ordering and paying at the bar is super convenient. They have board games for all ages which I found accommodating for families. You can view where they house the ciders and the flight option was great. Food/Drink: I tried the curry chicken and it was tasty. The popcorn was also a good pairing with the ciders. Can't wait to return in the fall when the weather breaks. :-) great vibes here.

A great indoor spot to drink cider and hang out with friends. I went with a group of friends on a Saturday afternoon and there were plenty of tables. They have board games, so you can relive a little bit of your childhood while playing Candyland. We each got the flight and they give you a really good variety. The staff were super friendly too! The space has a great DC vibe with a very cool mural behind the bar. The only downside is that there is no outdoor space, but I would definitely still recommend!

Cute decor, tasty drinks, and a great game selection offer lots of appeal here. If money is no object, you'll undoubtedly have a five star time. But I just freaking can't with the prices. DC prices in general whopped a huge sticker shock punch for this Midwesterner, but this spot took the cake for me. For starters, draft ciders come in your choice of 3 or 8 ounce pours and run a minimum of $1 per ounce, so the least expensive pour would be $16 per pint. I'm accustomed to $4-8 per pint prices, so even the entry level fare here is roughly three times higher than what I see back home. Then we ordered a stronger cider from the right side of the menu, and noticed the pour seemed super light. The bartender mansplained that these ones were only 2oz pours because they were a higher alcohol percentage. I am a homebrewer so I'm well aware of the higher ABV of barrel aged beverages (and also aware that an extra ounce of cider -- no matter how strong that cider might be -- isn't going to be a deal breaker when you're pouring half-full mini snifters to begin with). He also noted that I wasn't the only person that day who expressed dismay that the fact that these particular ciders pour at a different size, which is not listed anywhere on the menu. This simply seems like fraud to me. Even the rarest Unicorn Tears beers and ciders run under $1 per ounce at the shmanciest ultra-award-winning breweries back home so I'll stick with my Michigan libations.

Rode my bike up to Petworth for the first time... and came here because my husband is gluten free (not by choice) and he very much misses the craft beer brewery scene. This place had great relaxing vibes on a Saturday afternoon...filled with 30 something friends with babies strapped to their chest and a bachelorette party in their private booth. It's sunny and has light music playing and has that sit-down-and-settle-in energy that you can only usually find out in the breweries in Leesburg. We started with the tasting flight, which was 15 dollars. This was only really made worth it by the very expensive cider that was only sold by the 35 dollar bottle, everything else chosen for us were basically the cheapest things on the menu. I wish e had just chosen our own samples. Their selection of ciders are INSANE... I loved it, there's something for everyone. My husband was super pumped that their food was almost all gluten free. We got the cheese platter (my choice), which was okay, the buttery Brie with honey was pretty good. What was mouth watering good was the gluten free empanadas MMMM we ended up ordering more after our first round! We played scrabble and relaxing with our ciders... until the babies started screaming, which was our cue to leave. Until next time, Cider House!

Capitol Cider House hosts an adult spelling bee every Sunday (when the city's not under quarantine). It's an uproariously good time after a few glasses of cider--or better yet, pommeau. It's a special French variant on cider that Capitol Cider House makes themselves, and is well worth the try if you've never had it before.

Went for a kid concert on a Sunday morning. Do this if you have kids. What better morning can you have than entertainment for your littles and some incredible cider all before noon. I tried the butterscotch cider... wow. I'm not a fan of bourbon and I still loved it. It smelled like bourbon (the only part I like!) but was smooth and rich and apple-y. I am a huge cider fan and now need to go back and taste them all.

Cool inside area and GREAT tasting ciders. We were the only ones in the whole place the day we went so the mandatory mobile ordering seemed a bit much but it's probably way more effective when there are more people there. Would still recommend to anyone

What a cool spot to grab cider! Always a good selection here. Join their fan club to find out about cool deals and events. The outdoor seating area here is a little small and on the street, but still a cool vibe. Good selection of board games if you need more entertainment than a good cider!

Great local neighborhood spot! Friendly staff and delicious ciders. I liked the Blueberry Peach cider best. Lots of board games and a fun hangout spot. Nice and air conditioned with lots of natural light. They said they have kid events on Sunday mornings too.

This place is a hidden gem in a pretty quiet neighborhood. On a quiet Friday night, this place was lively with families, groups of friends, and couples. I love how they've hoped on the cider trend and hope more bars do too. The best way to go is to get flights- they're pretty well priced and good sized pours and you get to sample quite a few. I tried mead for the first time here- two different varieties - and absolutely loved the orchid cellar mesuline. Plus, they have games and live music to keep you entertained!

This cider tap house is the perfect spot to get a drink and a light snack. We have stopped in over 5 times and each time we have been greeted with extremely friendly and attentive staff. Their selection for drinks is large and they even have options that are not apple cider related for those who prefer something else. During the warmer months, the side patio is a great way to spend the day too. We are excited to try the new food and drink menu items next time we visit!

Fantastic cider and knowledgeable staff. Recently attended their Rootstock Festival and had an amazing time tasting all of the different ciders. Can't wait to go back and do the Cidermaker Workshop!

Company failed to honor a reservation, and $50 ticket, at Rootstock event; the staff were confrontational about the company's mistake. Had to dispute the credit card charge instead of enjoying a nice drink. I'd recommend going elsewhere.

Capitol Cider House is a great addition to Petworth. They have a lot of cider on tap as well as beer, wine, and mead if you don't want cider. I went with a tasting of the hopscotch which is infused with Hops. Upon choosing that as my option, the bartender told me that it wasn't her favorite and that I probably wouldn't like it, but I went ahead and ordered it and it was fantastic. I'm glad I didn't listen to her and stuck with my gut! It was also nice to go on a Sunday because there was a free standup comedy show and it was all female comediennes. It was incredible to see and a great show of girl power! The one thing I will say is that it's a relatively small cider house and only really has like 3 tables and a few seats at the bar. If you go with a large group on the weekend there's a pretty good chance you might not get a seat. Other than that, it's a great place to visit if you're not not in the mood for heavier beers and want to try lighter ciders.

A scene from last nights opening party in the pic. Music and empanadas rounded out an introduction to the Petworths newest addition to the cider Wars. Cap Cider is located right on Georgia Avenue and in fact because of the rather bold paint choice for the interior and exterior, it's literally impossible to miss the place. We had some discussion about whether the striking red, white and blues suggest a little too much allegiance to the Republican Party or the conservative establishment, but you set that aside once you get in and take a seat at the bar and get offered a huge assortment of ciders locally sourced. All the bartenders are quite friendly and understand that the average patron may know nothing about a red or a white cider based on the pedigree of the apples. But I found everyone to be open to teaching, and strongly recommend sampling small glasses of cider until you find the ones that are right for you. Definitely plan multiple return visits

Ok, I passed this place many times and found the urge to visit. I like the atmosphere. I ordered a flight of cider and it was pretty good. The Charm City (mead) was the best mead that I ever tasted. I also enjoyed a dry cider (Wild Hare). Again, if you venture to the Petworth area, please stop by and give the folks a try. FYI, the place only accepts credit, no cash will be accept !

Had a great experience all around. I'm more of a beer guy, but was pleasantly surprised by the ciders. The flight were a great option for a cider novice like me, and surprisingly affordable. The food and service were fantastic too. Will definitely be coming back.

A great place to have in Petworth. It's kid friendly, have a large range of ciders...just a fun atmosphere to hang out.

I'm not a cider fan but came here for a fundraiser. I assumed they'd have other things to drink besides cider. First, the good: The place is super cute & convenient to the Georgia Ave. metro. Outdoor seating would be fantastic in warmer weather. They have lots of board games to entertain all ages. Now, the bad: My assumption about other things to drink was so wrong. Fair enough, it is called the Cider House after all. So I asked for a soda but they have no soda gun & only offer sugar based sodas. Sad. I was starving so ordered the cheese plate & a chicken curry bowl. Big mistake. Both were expensive, small, & lackluster. The curry bowl was definitely not homemade & made me feel sick. Do yourself a favor & eat before you arrive or after you leave. Very disappointing. I'm giving it 3 stars because the venue is cute & the staff were nice. But for me, a good bar has to have good bar food & this area needs some major improvement at Capitol Cider House.

Great atmosphere. Great for kids. Not great (at all) for vegetarians. This is bad for the business. Since there's nothing for me to eat, my entire family won't be returning. The solution is a business opportunity - create the best vegetarian burger in DC and advertise it as such! Or at least just offer a veggie option.

This place serves a ton of ciders and other drinks too! They also have local musicians playing live most nights. They don't have a kitchen but when I've been they have small caterers selling BBQ. I'm so glad this place opened on Georgia Ave and looking forward to the summer when we can sit on their patio.

I have been wanting to try this place for months. I finally got a few friends together and we headed over on a Saturday night 10/20. Unfortunately I was completely turned off as soon as we ordered our drinks. We don't know much about cider but we were excited to learn and the menu stated the "cider maker" aka bartender would help with choosing. I asked the bartender if she could put us together 2 flights of tastings she recommends. She responded "I don't really want to choose for you". Stunned by the rude and unexpected response we chose a few random ciders. The cider was not the issue but the rude bartender made for a bad experience in a place that supposedly cares about cider.

I really wanted to like this place. I love the family friendly concept. Positives: delicious empanadas and toys for kids. Negatives: the children's meal is laughably crappy, I tried two wines and three ciders and they were all disgusting, staff did their jobs but were not very helpful or friendly. I would not go back and I would NOT recommend to others. Waste of money.

The cider is great! They only get things from 200 miles away if that is your thing! What I really love is they lead a Cider making workshop and gave you everything, even the juice to make your first batch at home! The owner lead the workshop. He was very informative and funny as well! I love this event so much, I been waiting 7 years to try making cider!

Cool, new place to grab a glass of cider or two. I wish they poured a full glass because cider here runs $8 and up. They were selling delicious food on Friday night when I was there as well.

Absolutely love!! I would recommend that everyone tries this place once (although you should go multiple times). Their cider variety is amazing, and their menu is small but perfect. I tried their turkey roti and was pleasantly surprised. My semi-dry cider picks were great; hard to go wrong!