The Capitol

Opera houses, town halls and cinemas… J. D. Wetherspoon loves a grand building to fill with cheap drinks and bargain food deals. Forest Hill Wetherspoon, The Capitol, was once a cinema and once you leave behind the excellent art deco exterior you’ll notice that not much has changed since this was an old ABC. If you know the chain – and I’m betting that most people do – then you’ll know that what you’ll find inside The Capitol is low lighting, an absence of music and a diverse cross section of society. They say, “A pint at a Wetherspoon pub every now and again will keep you honest.” Actually, nobody says that - but they should definitely start.

Desperate to check out the new ‘Craft Work’ promotion that The Capitol was throwing its force behind, we made plans for an evening out. And having now sampled the new breed of premium lagers and craft beers that ‘Spoons’ across the country have been serving, I can now call ‘peak craft’. The canned lager hits the spot but the American IPA from the tap missed the target with its bitter hoppiness that overwhelmed. Fortunately there is always Guinness, WKD Blue and a good ale or two on tap to win you back.

There isn’t much to say about the food except that it’s great value and to stay away from anything that sounds too ‘on trend’ (i.e. pulled pork). The pub is as grand as you might expect an old cinema to be. The art deco features are only bested by a peculiar David Bowie mural that covers one wall (apparently he used to play here) and the one thing you can almost always be sure of in here is finding a table. A good value, good-looking pub.