The Abbey

The specials are worth getting always. The food is delicious and drinks are good. ambience is nice and great for dates. After coming here about a dozen times I've never had an issue with their service and they're the only ones who are open and still serve great food past midnight. They get a 6/5 stars.

This review is for the Brookline location of The Abbey.

The Abbey doesn't do reservations or call ahead. We showed up around 6:00ish on a Saturday night and were told there was a 20 - 30 minute wait. We were welcome to sit at the bar, but there was no place for four people to sit together, so we lurked near the door and chatted, ducked customers walking in and out and staff taking orders, running food and clearing plates.

It's a small space when all the tables are full and people are a few deep at the bar, but that just added to the ambiance. I was seated facing the wall so I didn't see quite how busy it got, but the noise was at "lively" level. We could still have a conversation but needed to speak up to be heard across the table.

We were able to snag a table after about 30 minutes. The basics first: The drinks, food and service were fantastic! This is our second time here, the first being ages ago when they had the covered tables outside early in the pandemic. I've been wanting to come back forever, but don't usually get to this part of Brookline. I need to change that or head to Cambridge too!

I started with a winter sangria (red wine, brandy, spiced rum, apricot and allspice) that was delicious. They have a pretty extensive gluten free menu, which is nice. My friend wanted the GF pasta Bolognese, but she is dairy free to so that was not an option.

We ordered two of the slow-braised short rib "French dip" egg rolls with gruyere, horseradish aioli, and red wine demi for the table. Loved this! I never finish apps and I inhaled this. I was fine with that, I could just put my main in a take home container.

We also got the black kale & Brussels sprouts salad, avocado, pepitas, Crispy bacon, and a fried duck egg. Even if you think you don't like kale and or Brussels sprouts, get this dish!

I got the "Thanksgiving" panini (house roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, cheddar, arugula, cranberry aioli, hand-cut fries). It was delicious and can't wait for the leftovers. The hanger steak frites came topped with watercress and a madeira sauce. It was the most tender steak that I've ever had.

For sides my friends also ordered shredded Brussels sprouts and pan roasted cauliflower with capers and pecorino as sides.

Not to be missed are the hand cut fries that are the embodiment of French fries perfection. They are a must order, either plain or with truffles and cheese. Fried potato nirvana!

As I said, the place was packed, but service was attentive and Ty (sp?), our server made sure allergy info was provided to the kitchen. He made great suggestions for items to try.

The Brookline location does not serve dessert (sad panda) but the Cambridge location does. Good to note for next time!

Did I mention that the kitchen is open until 1:30 AM every night? Perfect for late night bites.

Located right on Beacon Street in Brookline makes it very easy to walk to, take the bus, train, or park at a street meter.

The inside is small but cozy. Not too big, but not too small either. The space seems like it could be fun at night to grab a drink here with some friends. I definitely want to check it again out at dinner and also after dinnertime.

I came for lunch and got the Thanksgiving Panini and there was definitely crunch in every bite, but it was a little messy to eat. It comes with thick slices of turkey, topped with cranberry, stuffing, melted cheese, and arugula. It felt more like turkey and stuffing with cheese. I wasn't getting the full Thanksgiving effect in every bite. The fries were good, but nothing special. If you're into thin stringy fries then this is your place.

The menu itself is pretty adventurous so it's worth mentioning that the options lean more towards an acquired taste when you come here.

I've had some very good dinners here, but I was disappointed when I went for lunch.

I ordered a salad; my companion ordered the same salad with salmon. Both salads came with salmon. I ordered a different salad dressing, but my salad came without dressing and I had to ask again. The salad was mediocre. Service was poor. Prices are on the high side.

The Abbey was an easy going place to grab a drink and some good food (the deviled eggs with crispy shallot were worth getting a second order). The bartender was friendly and offered some great beer recommendations. We went mid-evening in the middle of the week. It wasn't overly crowded but was steadily busy. The noise wasn't too bad after one table sitting behind us had left.

This is such a cute cozy spot! It's small but not crammed and the space has a lot of charm to it. It also smells delicious inside!
The food was good, but didn't really live up to my expectations. I was excited to try the bison bolognese after reading the rave reviews, but the bison flavor wasn't very present and the sauce was more carroty than tomato-y red. The balsamic drizzle was an interesting (yet welcome) touch, but I wouldn't say the dish was worth $27.
I so badly wanted the thanksgiving panini to be well rounded in flavor, but it really lacked. It could have used a LOT more cranberry and arugula, and the turkey was a bit bland. I will say the crunch factor was great and they were generous with the amount of meat, but again, there wasn't enough going on. The truffle fries were fine, a bit too thin for my liking.
Overall, I would say the charm and the unique menu would have me coming back. It could have just been an off day today, but there is real potential here :)

The Abbey was great! We went here for apps before a game we were going to. Their short rib egg roles were very creative and yummy. The pretzels weren't homemade so I'd say they were the least exciting. The mushroom soup was the star, amazing and served piping hot. Their spicy margarita was good and everything came out timely. The only seat available was right outside the kitchen on some bar stools but it was awesome to watch their chef cook.

Really good vibes in this Brookline Mainstay the dishes all popped with flavor and the Charring was sublime. The sauces and dips were expertly made and the food was cooked to perfection. I loved everything about this place the service was the best shout out to Julie (our server) she is the bomb. Steak frittes chared and juicy with a madeira sauce the wings were plump but cooked perfectly with an awesome sauce combination and the mussels were excellent tasted really clean not muddy with a a great garlic butter and wine sauce. My son ordered some short rib dumplings which were very good and definitely a novelty the sauce that accompanied them was awesome but subtle. Come see them if you haven't already and... Thank me later.

We walked in without a reservation and no fussing, we were sat down right away.

Water appeared at the table along with menus.

Drink order taken and then appetizers. We ordered two local green salads -- totally delicious and a perfect portion.

We both ordered the pappardelle -- perfectly cooked and seasoned. Again fast and perfect portions.

The service was some of the best as we may have had 8 different people come by to move things along.

Was a perfect Sunday evening meal.

My friends and I came on Friday night at about 6pm and were able to get seated outdoors immediately. We ordered the shishito peppers, chicken wings with ranch, steamed mussels, truffle fries, rangoons, and gnocchi. The mussels were overcooked as they shrunk in size and tasted tougher than they should. It was honestly lacking flavor too. I did enjoy the bread that came with it though, but I am just biased to bread. The chicken wings were alright; they were relatively juicy, but overwhelming with sauce draped all over it. The rangoons were yummy, but the portions are way too small for what you are paying for. The truffle fries were too thin for my liking and overly fried. They were so hard that when you stab them with a fork, the inside is completely hollow and dry. The truffle taste being prominent was probably the only redeeming factor. The gnocchi were the best thing we ordered from here. I would've gobbled up this entire dish on my own if we were not doing family style. It had the perfect amount of flavor and texture, and I enjoyed every part of it including the cherry tomatoes, peas, etc. I also enjoyed their drinks. Unfortunately, they were out of the drink of the day, so I ordered something else off their cocktail menu. Overall, the portions are way too small at this restaurant for me to end up leaving full, but I would recommend coming here for small bites and the drinks. The cocktails made up for the night as I did greatly enjoy both the taste and appearance. It is nice that they rotate their menu every now and then to keep things fresh.