The Abbey

Here’s a revieWe had a decent meal at The Abby. The food itself was good, but we had a small issue with the salad. I had asked to substitute the fries for a salad, and while I appreciated the option, it came already dressed. I personally liked the dressing, but I usually prefer my salads without it, and would have appreciated being asked. Unfortunately, my partner didn’t like the dressing at all and ended up not eating her salad. A small thing, but it would’ve made a difference if they had checked with us first.

Great local bar with solid drinks and great food. Among the bars near Harvard Square, Abbey is my first pick for a laid-back drink on a patio. It’s just far enough from the noise, with reasonably priced drinks and, best of all, seriously good food. While the menu doesn’t push creative boundaries, they do the American bar comfort food done right. Small bites like the Bacon Deviled Eggs and Pulled Pork Egg Rolls were tasty, but the entrée department was where Abbey excelled. Both the Salmon and Cod were outstanding—honestly, some of the best entrées I’ve had at a bar in recent memory. Each had an impeccable texture, almost as if delicately poached. The Salmon, paired with heirloom tomato risotto and a basil pesto vinaigrette, had a pleasant touch of acidity. Meanwhile, the Cod came with a potato scallion pancake, perfectly crisped and soaked in a shallot cream sauce, which added just the right crunch and salty punch to elevate the dish beautifully. The crowd at The Abbey skews a bit older compared to some of the livelier Harvard Square bars, but it’s worth a visit f you’re after a more laid-back, cozy bar vibe. It’s popular among the locals, so if you’re hoping to snag a patio seat, I’d recommend going during off-peak hours.

I paid $28 for the grilled cheese and tomato soup + the cookies skillet dessert. The cheese is kraft singles. Don’t bother with this entree!!!

Black pepper gnocchi was really good, just a tad too salty. But I could tell it was really nicely made, good ingredients and lots of flavour. I would definitely recommend (if they would tone down the saltiness by a bit). The fries were really nice, crispy, salted well, and savoury. The presentation of the food was great, no complaints and the food looked delicious. The service was great too: food came on time, server always checked up on us, even though they didn’t have sparkling lemonade on the menu, they still made it for us when we asked. Dessert was a warm cookie with ice cream and that was delicious, we ate it all before I even got to take a photo. A little bit on the pricier side here, but it’s Cambridge/Boston, so pretty typical. Would I come here again? Food-wise, yes. If I’m paying for the meal, no. It’s expensive.

All of the food was well prepared. Would definitely recommend the appetizers even more than the entrees; the Deviled Eggs, Spicy Lamb Meatballs, and Mussels (especially the sauce and bread) were delicious! Lively ambiance and timely service.

A comment to the owner: lf you want repeat business it would probably be a good idea to make sure your servers don’t complain directly to the customer about the inadequacy of the 15% tip they were given. We gave “only” a 15% tip because when we said the pizza was very salty (we were asked how was the food) the response was “yeah, that happens”. So my impression is that the Abbey is a place with OK food and OK service that doesn’t really care if you like the food or the service and if you don’t, don't come back. We won’t.

I had a mussels appetizer, it was flavorful and delicious. The waitress was nice from the beginning, I wanted a local beer and wasn’t sure what to order so he bought me a couple of choices. Great atmosphere with nice people. I will return soon

I went there for drink with a friend. We also ordered some appetizers. The service was pretty good. We sat outside and the server was very attentive and came to check on us to make sure we are good on our drinks. I thought the overall experience was pleasant. It definitely has a local pub vibe and it would be a place I come with friends regularly if I live in the neighborhood.

I've been going here with my grandma since college and I don't have any complaints! Food is good and service is always on point. They have specials so you can always get some variety in their food. At this point, I've tried everything on their menu.. Some of my favorites: -deviled eggs -burger add duck egg and bacon: the duck egg is a game changer trust me on this! You can also sub the fries for salad if you'd like. -bison bolognese: they use fresh pasta, you can definitely taste the difference. The sauce is to die for, so tasty! -eggs Benedict: they recently started doing brunch again and I'm a sucker for any eggs Benedict. Their home fries were delicious; crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. -pan roasted cod with potato: they always cook the cod so perfectly. The sauce is so creamy and pairs well with the crispy potato hash on the bottom.

Went to the one in Cambridge. Had the cauliflower and capers; interesting combo but was delicious. Then the beet salad which was huge and perfectly made. Service was good, prompt but not hanging over the table. Ambiance is what you'd expect on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Bust but not too busy. A good place to stop for a quick lunch.

Gnocchi and cocktails were super yummy, would go back and get it again. Fun, upbeat ambiance - almost every table was full when we went at 7pm. Service was okay, not super friendly or welcoming.

The food was good - we ordered chicken pesto pizza and kids cheese pizza. The cocktails were fresh and delightful. The service was friendly, although they charged us for the table next to us. After I realized they quickly voided and charged us correctly. Other than that it was great experience. I would go back!

We had tasty appetizers (cheeseburger egg rolls and chicken rangoons) that were so good I didn't get to try the cheeseburger one. My food was great - a special with chicken drumsticks and Jalapeno Mac and cheese. All of the staff were super polite and helpfull. I tried the cocktail that was a chai tequila cocktail - was Ok but wouldn't order that one again. My tween had the grilled cheese and ate it (that is a pretty good review for a tween). Overall we would definitely come back and try other things next time.

Came here for drinks before dinner on a Tuesday evening and the place was decently busy with several seats taken. The bartender was really friendly and took our orders with ease as well as served us water pretty efficiently. He made drinks quickly as well and everything was pretty good. The sangria I got was super tasty, fruity, and relatively light. The food we saw other folks getting looked pretty good, but we didn't have time to try it. I'd love to come back to try more of the things on their menu in the future - definitely smelled great as well!

The Abbey is one of my spouse and I's favorite restaurants in the greater Boston area -- it's such a well-designed space, awesome bar, fantastic service, and the food is delicious. This is one of our few places that we return to when looking for a good lunch spot.

It shouldn't be the case that when we desire a grilled cheese sandwich after midnight we are out of luck. The Abbey is a rare bastion of a place that allows such pleasures when others would deny us night owls, and for that they deserve all praise. I love the abbey and to think of them as a 3.5 on yelp sickens me.

Went with a few friends a few months ago, Atmosphere was quite nice and lively The waiter was puzzled that I inquired as to whether they had any veggie burgers available, didn't seem very friendly / welcoming to vegetarians and told me they "don't do that here" A vibe if you're here for it but not the nicest impression

Best Burgers in Brookline - possibly Boston. Combined with great and friendly service and a kitchen that's open to 2am. What else could you want?

Seems like another rude bartender: am one of the resident here in Cambridge. My friend and I visited Abby last night around 10 PM . We ordered a Cod fish and chicken wings and two drinks and we asked the bartender his name Jason if we could have a potato chips on the side?( some thing that my friend likes very much and not often found in the menu) The answer was No in super rude way with angry face. Jason doesn't really want to work here or Serve anyone! and we told him that we're gonna pay for it and then finally he said "it's part of the special menu we don't serve it separately that!!' Then we said OK good that you explain it "now could we have it and we'll pay for it any price u suggest? His answer "No I'm not going to do that.....NO, walking and yaying around? and then we asked for the manager and he said in bad way No manager is here, walking towards other side of the bar saying I don't care!!! Why this attitude? is this guy gets paid or is he even happy here? We paid for our two Drinks-and cancel the order and left the restaurant because we don't want to eat and we are full of stress! Was a horrible experience not because we didn't get the potato chips, but because the bartenders attitude, aggressive, that I just want to run way out of the place. It doesn't look like it's a bad day for him, it looks like that he hates serving people or he does not want even to be there, the guy was controlling everything in the restaurants instead of having a manager that he could manage the place and be an eye to the owner . By the way, I've been there a couple of times ( since I live in next door, ) and I saw that no manager was in there to look after the restaurant and I just called the restaurant today and asked about the manager just to let him know what happened last night and to be fair before I put it anywhere out online and someone answered the phone and said the manager in vacation and then when I called a Brookline location, the manager answered the phone and gave me the owners email address. email has been sent to the owner. Good always good to be fair.

Came here a couple months ago, and the service was terrible. Did the server really roll his eyes at me for ordering tomato soup? The food was awful to boot, and I rarely care that much. I didn't bother finishing what I ordered. It was a waste of time and money and I won't be back. EDIT: Looks like poor service is a theme here. You think that'd have been addressed by now.

Very warm and inviting spot, Val is an absolute delight and is both charming and creative serving at the bar. The menu is creative pub affair, on the heavier side but a great pairing with the healthy drafts on pour. The cocktail menu includes cold and warm options which impressed me! The inside has a cozy vibe with classic bench and wood chair seating, moderate noise, and comfortable space. Recommend popping in for a local Cambridge feel with charm.

It was nice, however baked brie was cold and my gnocchi was just a bit under seasoned. Great service and atmosphere!

If you're reading this, pick a different bar. Showed up with a friend (who is turning 25.) Turned out her ID had expired, so the bartender wouldn't serve her. Not a big deal, her fault really. I ordered something for myself and we talked quietly for a bit. Suddenly the bartender slams a check in front of me. Yells that he wasn't born yesterday, says I was giving her my drink and that we have to leave. No, she has not developed a taste for neat Glenmorangie. And we are both too old and tired to be playing dumb games with bartenders. This is not a grimy dive bar in a college town. We were fairly shocked and embarrassed. That is a serious thing to falsely accuse someone of in front of a bar full of decent people. Only a blind person would mistake us for teenagers, and only a drunk person would somehow make up that I was slipping her sips of my Scotch. I seriously think he was not sober - at first he handed me a checkbook with someone else's credit card in it (!!) The other patrons looked nonplussed. The woman sitting next to my friend had whispered, "he's always in a bad mood." This was so off-the-charts weird that it felt like a Tim Robinson sketch.

Arrived 45 minutes before closing, and they refused to seat us - even though there were empty tables and it was only two of us. We drove 30 minutes out of our way to come here because The Abbey was highly recommended to us. That atmosphere looked great, but we were told that they could only accommodate take-out. As tourists in the area, I have to say, I was very disappointed and won't be coming here again.

Very loud and intimate place. They have a robust bar and a long beer menu, and even some wines too. Surprised to see absolutely no mocktails listed, definitely not outwardly friendly for non drinkers. If you live in the area this seems like a good spot, friendly staff, all that. The bar food smelled good, saw a lot of people order the brussel sprouts

I am sad to leave this review as Ive enjoyed the abbey many times before however my experience this past Wednesday afternoon has left me no choice but to leave this review. There's a lot to unleash here and I'm not sure why this happened but essentially the bartender at the abbey that day treated my friend and I with a disrespect I've never dealt with at an establishment in my life. My friend and I went in to grab an appetizer and a drink before dinner. The bar was full and we were immediately met with bartenders borderline rude/sarcasm remarks. I thought initially he had a really dry sense of humor but we soon realized this guy proved to have a chip on his shoulder to say the least and continued to treat us with aggression and disrespect until we ultimately denied our last drink from feeling so uncomfortable. My guess is this man was on drugs as his irritability and on edge behavior had no explanation as it was completely unwarranted. Beware.

Great food. The service was amazing. Loved that Jason the bartender stopped at our table to chat a bit. Highly recommend.

Great local bar, broad range of beers, good food (including good gluten-free options) and open late (particularly helpful for a bite to eat after late pickups from Logan)

I absolutely loved this place! I spotted it out on an early afternoon and decided to have some drinks before continuing my day exploring the neighborhood. I sat at the bar and started with a festive holiday rendition of an Old Fashioned. It was quite delightful and really brought out the December vibes quite effortlessly. Right after, I went with a hot bourbon based version of what seemed like an adults version of a hot toddy. I lament not being able to remember the actual drink names although I can affirm they were super creatively labeled. The outdoor patio was heated as the weather was quite chilly yet manageable for what the NE is usually experiencing during these cooler months. The place had a very relaxed atmosphere associated to it and I really enjoyed my visit here while in Cambridge. Stop by for their great happy hour specials on several bar bites, it's really a great spot!

Left the door open during a really cold night, randomly cut off patrons because it's after midnight. The space is also rather short staffed. Food is ok

Came in with a large group after seeing a show at Toad since they stay open till 2am and had a great time. It was Saturday night but there was still seating available for everyone and the music wasn't blasting. The kitchen also stays open late. The truffle fries are delicious - strong truffle flavor, and they come with both ketchup and aioli for dipping. The jalapeno cheese fritters are made with ricotta, surprisingly delicate in texture and not too spicy.

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/ec/12/EF85BB9A-D581-462D-AB3B-A9F22A394177/68544552202__126C9F37-2DD7-43B8-B4E5-2AF2DA28C695.HEIC The Abbey great for dinner, book and Bar. Thanks you, Dr. Jacqueline Sacco, MD PhD

Some weird crap going on. My friend and I had the exact same experience on the same afternoon as Alonzo post. Almost identical right down to the next restaurant after leaving the Abbey. Strange. In any case, there was this waiter who was not customer friendly. No interest in making out visit good. Wanted to try the food but had such a bad feeling about the waiter we felt so uncomfortable we left and visited another restaurant. Clearly some retraining should happen. Too bad because it looked like a cool neighborhood spot. Again some strange stuff going on with reviews here. In any case, this server was totally awful. Why work in a customer service job when you don't like dealing with customers? To bad because it was a interesting location, laided back place. Oh well.

came yesterday in simple clothes and NOT drunk at all, we wanted to get a bottle of wine and sit and talk outside together. The weird bartender gave us ATTITUDE, we were waiting at the far corner of the bar, he was simply ignoring us for 15 minutes. Then he said he doesn't serve that corner, we went to the front and he was ignoring us again. I know it's that special holiday for special people but we are EASTERN EUROPEAN, we have nothing to do with that thing in america that the civil war was about. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !!!!!! *** Moreover, all our ancestors are SERFS it's same exact suffering like the bartender might be experiencing but you don't see us discriminating anyone... But he probably never studied history much *** The bartender is unprofessional and racist. He also said he won't sell us the bottle of wine, only 1 glass each. But why??? a bottle is 4 glasses, how is it wrong if we get 2 glasses each of just WINE , not strong drink. He is deranged. It was supposed to be a relaxing night but he almost made me cry for no reason. REALLY MEAN WEIRD MAN!!!!!!!!!

Came here for the first time with my friends tonight and really enjoyed it! Even on a Wednesday night most of the tables were filled but it was not overly crowded. The ambience was nice and not super loud. The lighting was very dim but they had Christmas lights hanging up which were super cute. The food was so good too, I ordered the potstickers and the Parmesan truffle fries and both were amazing! I thought everything was reasonably priced for the quality of what we got and service was great too. This would be such a cute spot for a date night. It also looked like they had a downstairs and outdoor seating. Would def recommend if you're looking for a spot to get dinner and drinks.

The place offers quality ingredients. It's too bad they consistently over cook the fries. It's difficult to fry fresh-cut fries, but when you overcook them, they taste of brunt oil. I recommend the salads here.

30 JUN 2022 I went there with friends. Immediately I felt hostility from a man working there. The food and drinks were pretty good. The staff was atrocious. I got the vibe they didn't want to be there. At one point a man came to our table with drinks. He asked who had a specific drink (I forget the name). We looked at each other and in less than 5 seconds he said "I don't have time for this", set the drinks on the table, and walked away. I thought I was in an episode of Bar Rescue. If the staff is less churlish I would definitely return

Great restaurant, service was great and the food is excellent. This place has a cozy vibe where you want to hang out and slowly enjoy each course.

A delicious burger! I recommend coming in here for some lunch and a great selection of beers. Very friendly bar staff and the food was delicious. It's such a cute vibe and is a great location right between Porter and Harvard.

Outstanding service, help finding just the right beers, foods was mind blowing, servers, Ryan and Ron, awesome guys. Sat outside, heaters kept us warm, hot coco for the kids. It was perfect. Good job The Abbey! Can't wait to come again!!!

I don't understand the negativity of some of the reviews after my experience at this cool spot last night. Flew in from LA and I was wiped - yeah flying is pure joy these days - and I just wanted something to eat close to my Porter square hotel and the Abbey was main option available at 9pm on a Monday. I sat at the bar where a very nice bartender greeted me and I ordered the Bison Bolognese with a glass of Pinot Noir. Wow was that Bison Bolognese packed with flavor and prepared the way I like pasta on the al dente side. The ambiance was chill with some nice folks sitting at the bar to chat with so once I completed my delicious meal I stayed for a couple more pinots then walked back to my hotel to crash. Anyway I'll be back the food, staff and ambiance made a long stressful day end nicely.

They played amazing music, it was like they put my Apple Music on shuffle. The food was so salty though. My mom got the gnocchi and it was inedible from how much salt there was. I got the shrimp scampi and i tolerated the salt because I was starving but I regretted later that night because my stomach was in so much pain. Great staff though, everybody was super nice and very hardworking. They were really busy and the waitress and the bartender were working together really well and attended everyone so smoothly, it was cool to watch their flow

I had the tomato soup with grilled cheese, which was good, but my friends got sandwiches with fries and the fries were inedible. We started with the jalapeno cheese sticks, which had no jalapeno in them, and the pretzel which was the best thing we had that day. Service was on the slow end, but it seemed like he was the only server for both inside and outside.

Accommodating for people with food allergies. Have a separate gluten free menu, and the GF burger bun is very delicious!

Good stuff at the Abbey esp the amazing grilled Caesar salad with anchovies ($13). That's one of my favorite salads and they did a great job with it. We also split the Cubano which was good but maybe a little too stuffed. enjoyed the tequila drink w rosemary ($11) and the guys working there were super nice. I'd give 4.5 if I could.

Decent spot, decent food. Came in on a weekday and it was dead (plus during COVID times), so the service was efficient, but may not be accurate since we were one of the only ones being served. Highly recommend the winter sangria! It's strong and flavorful. The menu still has a lot of variety even though it's limited due to COVID. I ordered the cod entree, but wish I had ordered something else. The best thing was the flavor. The cream sauce was 10/10, no complaints there. The huge piece of cod was about 1 inch thick and it was way too much. I would have enjoyed it more if it was a thinner piece. I really enjoyed the potato pancake underneath it, but it got a little soggy from sitting in the cream sauce too long. I would come here again but order something else.

Super friendly and relaxing place. Great service, good food, fair prices. Greeted at the front door by the hostess. There is a bar and seating to the right with fun decor well lit open area. Second option is to go downstairs to a dimly lit room with a bar, candles on the tables, more ambiance. It does get noisy as it fills up. Unique items on the menu and there is something for everyone. They have draft beers, drinks, and wine. Conveniently located. Parking along street.

Needed a quick bite late at night. Multiple people told me to try this restaurant. I was honestly so surprised at the service (bartender was extremely helpful) and the quality of the food! Would 10/10 go here again! Yum!

Had a pretty bad experience here tonight and honestly I rarely ever give low reviews. Just really bad service and mediocre food all around. We started with a pretzel and organic greens. The greens were lightly dressed which was nice but the flavors were just ok overall. The pretzel twist on the other hand was quite good and we were really into the jalapeño cheese sauce. I think that was my favorite dish of the night. Our waitress was fairly attentive until we received our entrees and then after that, she was MIA for a solid 20 mins. I ordered the chicken BLT which was mostly just bread and a little strip of chicken. I think the ratio threw off the tasting experience as the flavor was literally engulfed in bread and the bread quite frankly just wasn't very good. My boyfriend got the burger which was just ok. The peripheral staff were mostly amicable and attentive but unfortunately our waitress was not. By the time she came to check on us, my boyfriend was already done with his meal and I didn't even want to bother ordering anything else because I just wanted to leave (I did send back the chicken sandwich though). The restaurant did seem really busy and I'm unsure of the place is understaffed but I think I was just more disappointed at being ignored. I even ordered another cocktail and nothing came within 30 mins. It even took an additional 10-15mins to get the check after not even enjoying our entree and cancelling the drink (because it never came). The poor service was elevated by the fact that a major politician was sitting two tables away from us and you could tell the difference between impeccable service and barely any service. I think if we enjoyed our meal or our experience, I wouldn't rate it so low but it's the combination of bad food, poor service and a night of just waiting to be acknowledged. If you're going to go here, I'd maybe go on a less busy night, not bother ordering the chicken blt, and hope you're given a chance to order another round.

My friend recommended we stop here for a few drinks and dinner. I was around 5 pm Saturday and the indoor dining room had plenty of seating so we sat at the window. This young server gave a clearly disinterested greeting and placed menus on our table. Right away we could tell this was going to be a bad experience just because of his attitude. We kept it to simple cocktails so when the server returned we ordered. Again. Totally disinterested in even a basic attention to us as guests. We got our drinks and my friend was served flat champagne so I had to get this servers attention to correct to drink. No apology for the bad drink, no offer to correct or have another made. Just a "do you want a different drink" so we tried something else. We placed a food order and a few seconds afterward we just couldn't have that young man serve us food. As Mr. Disinterested walked by we canceled our food, paid for our drinks and left. Absolutely horrible service. I will never set a toe in that place again. We drove up the road to the W and had a fantastic dining experience with quality staff .

mid & not what it used to be. dirty bathrooms & uninspired food that hasn't changed in a decade.

Need a date night dinner restaurant? Want somewhere to meet up with a friend over appetizers and cocktails? Search no more! The Abbey is the restaurant for you! We can here for dinner the other night and left so satisfied and full. We decided to order a few appetizers instead of large meals. We ordered: 1.) Caprese salad with burrata 2.) Fried pimento cheese with green tomato jam (best value appetizer option!) 3.) Baked brie and toast with cranberry relish 4.) Lamb meatballs 5.) Crab Cakes Everything was delicious. Our favorites were the caprese salad, lamb meatballs, and the fried pimento cheese. The butter that was given with the complimentary bread before our meal was what I believe crack probably tastes like. It was so delicious and whipped to spread so silky on the bread. Our server was a little flighty but she was still nice. We had an enjoyable dinner and a I'll surely be back again. Next time, we will order main meals, dessert and cocktails!

We went there for a friend's birthday and ordered, Devil's egg, Bacon Pizza, mozzarella cheese stick, salmon cake and truffle fries and of course drinks too. I am not sure why this place has such a high rating. Pizza was really bad, thin crust so hard to chew on that my chin was tired. The Devil's egg was good but nothing else was special. We probably wouldn't be coming back.

YUM! the Cuban panini is fantastic! The wait staff is super friendly and LOVE the cocktails which change seasonally. Definitely recommend!!!

Food is great. Space is great. Service was good. It was a busy Saturday night. So, they were probably just busy. It's a great place though and I'll make myself a regular whenever I'm in Cambridge

Truffle fries SLAPPED! So good, perfect amount of crunch and potato. Tomato bisque and grilled cheese was alright, it definitely could've been better flavor-wise but it still did the job. Highlight of the place was the dog bowl we sat next to outside. Saw a lot of dogs, which was very pleasant!

Very nice, casual but original enough and healthy but classic menu in a very cozy setting.

We got the pretzel and the duck fries. Fries are basically just cut potatoes, so it tastes very dense. There isn't enough sauce to cover it, so all you taste is potato. The pretzel isn't too bad. The dip didn't have much flavour to it except it is too sweet. It was pretty dense and didn't really add much to the pretzel flavour. There's a good drink selection though.