Capital Ale House

Beer selection - 5 stars
Customer service - 5 stars
Food - 0 stars
Total score - 3 stars

The food is the only problem with Capital Ale, Midlothian. In fact, it's more than a problem, it's horrible. There is clearly some kind of battle going on between the chefs. Some want French fine dining, other want a more American style menu, others want German food (for whatever reason, gag). The end result: nothing is good. The "prime rib" special is the worst prime rib I've ever eaten. It tasted like I was chewing on someone's arm; completely flavorless hunk of flesh, undercooked in an oven. Steaks are pan seared, not grilled. The sausage platter is flat our disgusting. Sausages were over cooked, shriveled up, and cold. Sauerkraut was flavorless. Ask for hot sauce and they give you Texas Pete, no steak sauce, no Siracha, no Sambal. Burgers are good but lack consistency depending on the cook. Medium one day is bloody and under cooked where as medium rare the next day is cooked well done and dry. I ordered the spinach and crab dip recently; the cup it was served in was searing hot but the dip was almost frozen at the bottom. It was beyond clear that the dip was served from a container and microwaved. The pretzel chips the dip was served with were stale and inedible. The muscles are good as is the gourmet grilled cheese. Salads are usually good. Stay away from the entrees, complete waste of money, especially the prime rib and blackened rib eye. I've completely stopped ordering food when I visit, I eat something before I go. I don't see a reason to pay for terrible food.

That said, the beer menu is unrivaled. Customer service is the best of any restaurant or bar I've ever been to. It's just sad that the back of the restaurant has so many problems. Capital Ale should be getting five star ratings, they really deserve it. People review over and over that the food is horrible, yet they refuse to accept their customers opinions and change the menu. Please modernize the menu and invest in an actual grill.

Unfortunately, my previous review is no longer valid. HH is now everyday 4-7. When this first started it was half priced craft beers with wine and martini specials. Then it changed to X number of dollars off.  Now it has changed again but I would not know first hand what they are doing now.
New bartenders, new management staff, new servers....it seems CapAle wanted to change everthing.
I am only kept in the know by a few friends that still sporadically patronize and are
desperately hoping for The Capital Ale House we USED to love.

We had the fortune of picking up $30 of food for $15 with a Living Social coupon at the Ale House in Midlothian. The atmosphere was conducive for both intimate conversation,  but also larger-party celebration. We were promptly greeted by the hostess, and though the place seemed packed, we were quickly escorted to our table. If you're one with a fondness for beer, this could be your new favorite hangout as they boast an impressive selection with 80 brews on tap. The menu is diverse (both for alcohol and food) and if you're an indecisive foodie, you may have to draw straws in order to make a decision. I started off with a pint of a lighter IPA and then we opted for the Rauchbier Cheese dip. I enjoyed the dip, although it is a bit on rhe heavier side. The service was wonderful, and multiple individuals made contact with us and replenished our water glasses without us even requesting more water. I highly recommend the Portabella burger if you are looking for a lighter fare. The Smokehouse burger is also very good as well (my wife ordered this) and I've been hard-pressed to find a burger that holds the smokey taste quite like this one.