Went there just for a quick drink and to check the place out. They have some good beers on tap and the food menu looked interesting. The vibe is upscale Irish pub. It has the potential to be a friendly neighborhood joint where people gather for a relaxing time and to catch up with their favorite bartender. read more

Great local spot! I sat outside here and the service was excellent! While I enjoyed the ceasar salad greatly (it's a grilled salad which is so unique!) I did not love how spicy the flatbread was. I have heard amazing things about the bolognese so I will definitely be back!! read more

I can't give enough high praise to this place! The food is delicious and the service is superb. The staff are friendly and always welcoming.

The Abbey is great! Pretty good drinks, and the best Caesar salad I have ever had! Attentive service, and a fun, calm, casual atmosphere.

Small, interesting menu, very good service. And yeah, the bolognese rocks even in the summer. Nice neighborhood feel, but creative too.

They serve dinner until 1:30 a.m. and it's delicious. The drinks are strong, the bartender was cool, and I'll try to be back to eat at regular hours at some point. But I have a feeling I'll be back at the bar for a late night meal before that. read more

I had really really excellent lamb skewers, and the fall sangria was delicious. We also got fries that were good. My only complaint is they switched bartenders in the middle of our meal and some stuff was forgotten, but other than that it was a great meal. Bonus--they are open late! I think the kitchen stays open until 1, which is awesome. read more

Delicious food, decent portion, and good value. A couple of items I like are the bison bolognese and Cuban sandwich. The sandwiches can be a little dry but still really good. It's a small restaurant so not great for groups especially if you're coming on a weekend night, though they do have outside seating in the summer. read more

Absolutely love the Abbey. The atmosphere is cozy and warm - you walk in and think that you are sort of walking into a bar back in time especially when its a cold Boston day. The food is solid and decently priced for the area - try the cod. The drinks are good. The service is good. All in all it's a great atmosphere and very good food. Highly recommend. A fun place for a group or for a date. read more

Very small restaurant with a small menu but serves up great food for the wait. Do not plan on getting in with 6+ people if it's prime dinner time. Need to go back here again to get a better idea of their food but the salmon I had the first time around was pretty good! read more

Despite my four star review, I give them 5+ for the moules frites! They were so tender and flavorful and the fries were simply divine. My caveat was that the fries were on top of the mussles and were at risk to becoming soggy. I quickly swept them up and put them to the side to keep this from occurring. Also, I am not really a bread and broth fan but this broth was too fantastic to waste so there I sat sopping up every last drop. I had a glass of red while the boyfriend drooled over the beer list, which was small but had more than a few IPA gems to choose from. We shared the braised porks ribs, which were a special, and while they were a little on the heavy side, we had eaten our fair share of lousy nachos earlier in the day so this could have contributed to this opinion. All in all, I was quite pleased with The Abbey. It's very charming and cozy. I would definitely suggest it! read more

The Abbey is a great addition to Washington Square. I am always on the lookout for a lunch place in the area, and this fits a welcome niche since many of the other restaurants in the neighborhood (the Publick House, American Craft, etc.) don't open until 5:00. As others have noted, the menu is rather limited, but everything I've had here is good. I highly recommend the truffle fries with garlic mayo, and my sister enjoyed her bison bolognese and charred Caesar salad. The service has always been good when I've eaten here, and the servers are friendly and personable without hovering too much. While I can't vouch for what the restaurant is like when it is busy, it is a great spot to grab a drink and a bite to eat in the afternoon before the crowds come. read more

I'll be back, the food was good and priced right in my opinion. I would like to see a better bun for the burger though... You are using Iggy's bread for the table -I can tell-(thank you for that) and "supermarket sponge buns" (I wouldn't even use these at a cook out) for the burger, boo! I'll take my burger on the bread you use for the table next time! Fries were the best I have had in a... well ever... I never usually get fries but these fries MADE me eat them! The caesar salad was worth cutting up yourself. Haven't seen a charred salad on a menu in a while... nice one. They should tell you what that hummus stuff is with the bread, what if someone is allergic to it and wants to ask what it is? Don't just practically throw it on the table and run, let people have the chance ask about it at least. I will not say anything else about the service because I feel It is bad yelp review karma - I work in the biz and get enough of these things to know how sad/angry they can make you or your manager feel, Yelp can really ruin a servers day or get them fired, well not from me and not today! I'm an eater so really good food erases bad service for me anyway. FOOD gets a 4 star Service will get another chance with me next time Atmosphere gets 5 stars Food would have had 5 stars if not for the burger bun and entire lack of desserts! read more

Very nice bar. Strong drinks and friendly staff. Their food was really creative. They don't have that many room for tables so plan ahead if you want to bring a group. read more

Went here on a Saturday night and it was packed. Came at 7 and had to wait an hour for a table but it was worth it. The place is very small, 15 tables max, but the wait staff is very friendly and the food was delicious. I started off the evening with their apple and pear sangria which was superb. They add a stick of cinnamon in it to add a kick. I had the sausage spring roll because they recommended it and that was a great choice. Their ceasar salads are fantastic: its a full head of romaine that has been cooked a bit so its warm then they add parmesan shavings all over the top and some freshly made croutons scattered around the plate. Their burger was amazing too...very juicy 8 oz burger with all the essentials (cheese, tomato, pickles, bib lettuce, and onion and fries). It's a small neighborhood joint but worth the visit if you are around the Brookline area. It's a bit dark in the room and can get loud with all the people waiting for a table crowding by the bar and the front door but it's a great place for a date night or casual night with friends. read more

I'm def. a fan of this quaint little spot. They have some really good beer and drinksand the food is outstanding. Id classify this more as a restaurant bar than a bar bar. Its dark, lots of exposed brick, some cute private dining with candles. I dont go here often, but I have been here when the kitchen at Publick House across the street was closed at the reccomendation of the bouncer there. The dishes here are a little classier than traditional bar fare and taste better too. I will be going back. read more

Can't deny it. The food is good. The ambiance is cozy. And now they have new servers! All's good.

This is the first restaurant that I have ever thought highly enough of to write a review - it was truly that amazing. We came after being turned away from a different restaurant and, let me say, I am so glad we came to The Abbey. To start, we were immediately seated upon entering and asked about drink preferences, which was very much appreciated. We separately ordered the bison bolognese and the burette steak and split a baked brie for an appetizer. The baked brie was very tasty, not amazing, but certainly very good. The main course was what impressed: the sauce on the bolognese was so well-made with just a hint of spice that you could individually taste the spices and vegetables incorporated in, but it was so harmonious that it tasted amazing. The steak had a great glaze with delicious frites, and the grains topping it all were excellent. Overall, the place is somewhere we would certainly seek out again in the area and I would highly recommend this as an excellent slightly-upscale eatery. read more

YUM YUM YUM! All 3 of us were picking off each others plates, the food is so yummy! Good drink options, GREAT staff. I like this location a bit more than the one in Cambridge area read more

We arrived for a 6pm reservation at about 6:05, waited 5 minutes to get the attention of the hostess. She asked us if we had called to say we would be late; it was now 6:10 and since they don't hold tables, our table was no longer available. So don't be late--better still don't bother going at all. read more

Great food and great beer selection! I had the bison bolognese and my friend had the roasted cod. Both were very good. Would definitely visit again. read more

Everything was really good but service was so slow. We had the Brie app and bison pasta omg so delicious

Very good food. Had the pork chops and ratatouille. Both great. Sat outside which was awesome. Very good beer selection. A lot of Massachusetts beers on tap and in bottle. Also a lot of other drink options. Great sangria. read more

So I live in the area and have been meaning to go here for a while but it is always so crowded I can't get a seat! I tried again last night and my friend and I were able to get the last table in the restaurant (even though it was a monday!). We had a great experience. Great wine, great food and great service. Heres what we got: Started off with one of the "small plates" - code fritters. They were great! Cute little fritters w a spicy mayo sauce on top of sliced cucumber. We then both got salads. I had the red lettuce salad with pomegranate and cucumber which was good but my friend had the caesar which was AWESOME. It is a grilled heart of romaine (which sounds a little weird but is amazing) topped with great dressing, a ton of parm cheese, anchovies and croutons. It was seriously one of the best caesar salads I'd ever tried! For our main courses, I had the hanger steak. It was great. Cooked just as I asked with a wonderful sauce. My friend got the flatbread pizza which simply comes with sauce and cheese but was also really good. One negative? Not dessert menu though I can't say they need it with Athens a stones throw away... read more

i thought the atmosphere of the place was terrific but the menu and service not so much. We orderd one of their "small plates" of deviled bacon and eggs. it was one deviled egg with some punny bacon bits sprinkled on top. absurd. The menu seemed ok not that inaginative; your standard skirt steak and fries, spaghetti Bologna, etc etc nothing to write home about and a little over priced. the drinks were imaginative and well done, can say they nailed that Finally the service. Our waitress was nice but obviously was new and nervous. half way though she stopped come and we had to get the hostess attention to clear the table and get the check. again jsut poorly handled. The sad part is overall i liked the staff and it seems to have tremendous potential but just fell terribly short. read more

Awesome, chill place to hang out with really friendly and helpful staff plus the food is amazing.

This is a great choice for late-night dinner - has small plates and good appetizers that make a nice light meal. On our way home, my family stopped here and put together an excellent meal. Good beet salad, and cod cakes were enough for me. I tasted the bison bolognese - surprisingly great sauce, done just right. Thoughtful vegetable sides. My son liked the bisque. Comfortable surroundings, nice dark paneling. Service efficient, no frills. Just what was needed at the time. read more

I had a wonderful dinner at The Abbey! Two of us went at 7:30pm on a rainy Tuesday night and there was a wait! It is VERY small (no more than 10 tables) and a bar. We were told 15 minutes but then the waitress recommended bar seating (first come first serve) as people were still sitting at the table (no drinks, just sitting) so we managed to find 2 seats at the bar around 8pm. The bartender was great and even though we didn't order drinks he seems to have a lot of fun making them and the options were endless. We ordered a caesar salad (delicious and a great presentation) and a burger and their flatbread of the day. The food was delicious and the ambiance was very romantic! Dinner for two (and a beer) came to $48 before tip, so it wasn't exactly cheap but a great place for a date or to catch up with old friends! Will definitely be coming back! Parking: there are many metered spots out front (8am-8pm Monday-Saturday) but I would probably recommend taking the C line as it stops right out front) read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Brookline. Delicious small plates! The owner is extremely generous and kind - eagerly helped support a fundraiser that I was planning. I will go back again and again and would recommend The Abbey to anyone looking for a phenomenal meal at a great local restaurant. read more

I liked this place the first time. But this time I walked out. I was there for 20 minutes and service was not seen. Then the only thing I really wanted to eat was not available. The waiter mumbled that there was something else I could have and I didn't hear him and he just walked away and did come back. I waited for 5 minutes and decided to leave. This could be the last time i go back to this Establishment .. The first time the food was good service was bad that time too!! read more

My favorite restaurant in Brookline. I saw that another reviewer called out the bison bolognese as the best pasta in New England, and I concur. Maybe there are others out there, but I haven't met them. The Abbey's bolognese is just so, so, so good. We usually sit at the bar and eat, and the service is always fantastic. Not in your face, but there when you need them. The drinks are awesome (homemade spicy pineapple margarita -- yes, please). The food is always spot-on. My favorites, aside from the bolognese, are the cod fritters for an app and, believe it or not, the straight-up roasted chicken. But truly I don't think I've ever had a disappointing meal there. They don't serve dessert. They do serve food late-night, I think until midnight or 1am or something unheard of in Brookline. If you come at peak hours, like 7 o'clock on a Thursday night, be prepared to wait. read more

Good food no doubt but not worth an overextended wait, not helped by the waiters telling us its just going to be 30min and in fact it was more than 1 hr.... on top its incredibly loud and all in all ok'ish but jist if you get a table right away..... read more

Great place to get food and drinks. Staff are very nice to. Highly recommend it. Always a good atmosphere

One of my all-time favorites. I can best describe the Abbey as an upscale Irish-style bar with delicious food. While it's a little pricey, the beautiful ambiance, creative cocktails, and amazing food are worth it. As a huge seafood person, I can say that every type of fish I've ordered here has been ridiculously delicious and well-prepared. The fish is usually prepared with a creative side, such as potato pancakes or a delicious vegetable. Love it! read more

At request of a friend, I tried this neighborhood spot last night and was blown away. The vibe, even on a Monday night, was lively and even though we had to sit at the bar, we still had great service from the bartender. First up on the menu was some "small plates." We opted for the deviled eggs with bacon and the Italian sausage spring rolls. We ate the deviled eggs first- I love deviled eggs and the bacon bits on top were a nice touch. That said, the sausage spring rolls truly stole the show! My boyfriend, a self proclaimed appetizer connoisseur said that they were the best appetizers he had ever eaten, and I had to agree. A definite purchase when you're there! For our meals, we both had the specials. The pizza with a variety of cheeses, ham and corn was excellent and the fish tacos were light and delicious as well. Overall, the experience was excellent. The prices, in addition, were really reasonable. It's small so I wouldn't recommend it for groups, but prefect for a small dinner date. We will definitely be going back! read more

Nice atmosphere, good beer list but the food is forgettable and the service is a bit slow. Caesar salad was a major disappointment- its a grilled head of romaine served warm with gooey dressing on top. Very difficult to mix and eat, not worth the effort. The Steak frites were pretty good. read more

Delish!!! Love this place for a nice dinner out with my fiancé. The wine is great, the service is amazing because the staff splits tips (love this as a former waitress). The burgers are awesome and the whole chicken with risotto was unreal (I think they took this off the menu). Definitely worth a wait, intimate and cozy...a great neighborhood spot! read more

Cozy place, awesome menu, even better service! Such a nice low key, but great value dinner.

Holy scallops! Those seared suckers literally MELTED in my mouth. I'm not joking. They were some of the most delicious scallops I've ever had. They were served on a butternut squash puree with brussel sprouts. So tasty. And cripsy buffalo pork belly with blue cheese? I mean how can you go wrong?! I love that this place is conveniently located a 10 minute walk from my apartment. It is pure unadulterated love. I just wish it were a little more spacious for a weekend bar crawl frolic. read more

What a great place. Food was good and the bartender was friendly and polite. Loved this placed. I am glad my friend recommended it to me.