ABC the Tavern

Came in after work with a few friends. Bar was moderately busy, but the bartenders were standing idly by. Waited about 10 minutes for a bartender to come take our order. When he came over, he made his proclamation that he was «drunk» and «going off shift soon.» He took our drink orders, but stood there for a movement with a blank stare and couldn’t remember the drink order because he was drunk. He left the table, came back and asked a 3^rd time what we ordered. Not good! Came back with the drinks and took our food orders after he chatted incessantly for 10 minutes. He forgot the food orders (surprise!) and asked is 2 more times for the food order. It was so bad that my friend offered to give the order directly to the kitchen.
While waiting for our food, watched the bartenders take a few shots and then watched our food sit in the window for 5 minutes until he got to it to bring it to the table.
I want to love this place. It’s convenient to the hospital and it’s easy to grab a few drinks after a hard day’s work, but after this last visit, we’ll be scoping out other places in Uptown or Little Italy to use as a new watering hole. Damn shame!
Would’ve been 1 star, but I love the food and they have a decent craft beer selection.

Some of the worst service. Came in at 12 am, bar was dead and had two bartenders that were the absolute worst. Waited 20 mins for a drink and got an attitude from the girl bartender with purple hair. Def won’t be back again.

Someone needs to address the customer service issues at this place. Went here last night with a coworker after work around 11pm. When we asked the bartender if he could make a drink tasting like apple pie, he said it wasn’t «rocket science.» After paying for the drink, and giving him a tip, we tasted the drink. Well the drink tasted nothing like apple pie (maybe it is rocket science). It tasted like red hot cinnamon candy. When the bartender finally came near us again, we told him the drink wasn’t good. He said, «uhhh, okayyyy» — smirking, and walking away — never to return. He has a dark beard, dark hair, and glasses. Rude & arrogant. We told the other bartender and he replaced the drink. Never been treated this way before.

Hi I like this bar it’s nice when I go in the atmosphere is great I don’t drink but I go in there for the food and the hamburgers are fantastic fish on Fridays are real good the people here that work there are very nice I’m in a wheelchair and take good care of me thank you

If you are looking for a casual environment to enjoy Happy Hour, look no further.
ABC has some really good deals on beers, and even well drinks during their extended happy hour… hours. Personally I will get either the $ 2.50 Labatt Blue, or a $ 3 well drink. For the adventurous, they offer $ 1.50 beers, but they are not really my speed (Stroh’s, etc.).
The bartenders are really laid back and friendly which caters to the crowd of students. They are always helpful and are prompt to take your order.
Be sure to play the arcade bowling «alley» they have. Its pretty fun and can accommodate up to 6 players, which makes for some good friendly competition.
They have a broad range of food to order from as well. Staples of my friend’s and my diets include the surprisingly sweet and juicy Jamaican Jerk chicken nachos, and the zesty lamb quesadilla. I’ve heard great things about the spicy Atomic Dog and for the SUPER BOLD customers: Try one of the 2 shark dishes. Yes, I said Shark… in Cleveland!

I like ABC Tavern in Ohio City, and XYZ Tavern in Detroit-​Shoreway. Their service isn’t always top-​notch, but it’s not terrible. Unfortunately, I found the ABC Uptown to be extremely disappointing when I visited there on Sunday, September 13^th. The place was pretty empty, and our service reflected the staff’s boredom. Our server rarely checked on our table, which caused a couple of folks in our party to go to the bar to buy their drinks, where they saw our server on her phone several times. We had a double order come out from the kitchen and of course one order missing because of what was obviously a mix-​up. I had the burger, and it was just ok. It lacked flavor and the tomatoes were sliced ridiculously thick. I’ll stick to the west side locations, where at least I get half-​way decent service sometimes.

I have to say I was disappointed. I first noticed ABC on W25th St but decided to wait to try the new location as the W25th St one looked a bit… worn out.
The newest location, this one in Uptown, is pretty bare bones inside. It is definitely more bar than restaurant with a large cement floor. I can only guess that easy cleanup was on the forefront of the designer’s mind more so than anything resembling décor. Along with the lack of décor goes a noticeable absence of the maximum number of tables possible.
We sat at the bar, since there was no waiter service on a Saturday afternoon. I ordered a burger and my friend the pulled chicken. Both of these sandwiches were good. My burger was super basic — a stark contrast to the likes of B Spot and Dynomite. I liked the simplicity actually though — it was a bit refreshing to go out and get a classic burger with that flame grilled taste. The good taste ended there however. The fries (also basic) that my friend I got were both not all the way cooked. Random fries were still too hard and had clearly spent too long in the freezer and not long enough in the deep fry bath.
I won’t be back here for food, but if you want a college bar atmosphere, come later and only drink.

What a cool place! I’m not a huge beer-​person, but when I told the bartender I wanted one that «didn’t already taste like I’d thrown it up,» he knew exactly what I meant and brought me one that I really liked! And even better, it was during happy hour so it was only $ 1.50! Then it really tasted like the perfect beer!
They also have shark on the menu, so now I can check that off from my bucket list. The outside seating is also really nice and you get a great view of the MOCA.

I’ve been going to ABC tavern for three years now it’s a small nice little bar to hang out at. I work across the street at the hospital so when I get off me and the buddies will go have a few drinks sometimes it’s very convenient for us guys. Staff is very nice and friendly. Sometime they run out of drinks so you have to just go with what that have. I give Abc 4 stars

Happy hour is for drinks only had lasts the majority of the day. They have certain beer at 1.50. The fries are over cooked, soggy and oily not crispy. The lamb quesadilla was just ground lamb pita sandwich. Its bar food done average. But they have a great patio and being so conveniently located in University circle I’ll probably be back. They don’t have free parking. Its an easy walk though for students and Uh employees. Others enjoyed the atomic dog and chicken nachos.

I have to give 2 stars because of the food. They do have great bartenders and great beer but the food is just terrible. I went to the place yesterday to grab something to eat before I went out saturday night and ended up getting food poisoning. Tried their greasy homemade chips and the extremely greasy pork blt and half an hour later, i had to rush home because I knew something was wrong. I started throwing up nonstop. The worst food I have ever tasted and the first time I ever had to throw up all night because of food. Ruined my saturday night and I mean I don’t want nobody to go through what I had to go through to get this nasty food out of my system.
Hands down, the worst greasy food ever…

I stopped into ABC late night on Friday on my way home around midnight for some food. Everything except for fast food was closed on the East side and university circle, so I looked up ABC and thought I would stop in to see what they had. I actually was pleasantly surprised at their menu considering it a college bar that’s aimed at drinking and I’d didn’t think it wasn’t too crowded for a Friday night.
I looked over their menu and ABC does not serve typical bar food. They have all the late night options, but with a little bit for a gourmet twist. I decided to try the Caribbean Jerk Nachos with pineapple and crème fraîche to go. I also grabbed a drink while waiting and found the staff was very attentive and friendly. I got my food within 10 minutes and headed home.
Nachos were excellent and they gave a huge portion size for the price. I actually was able to eat half that night and save the other half for lunch on Saturday. The ingredients were a nice mix of sweet and spicy and the nachos were not drenched in cheese and oil.
Since they are open late I have a feeling this will start to become a late night stop for me. Will definitely be back to try some more food off their late night menu.

Good venue if you just want to get a casual drink. The food though was nothing special, typical bar food. Ordered a hummus sandwich, not the best choice. The hummus was going every where. I should just go with hummus and pita bread rather than the sandwich.

Hate on the «crowd» if you will, but really – are you there to scope the people around you or enjoy some drinks and delicious food?
If you’d answered «to scope the people», you’re doing it wrong.
So… why 5 stars?
Well, reason #1: the burger.
Reason #2: We came in on a Monday night after a Unilocal event at MOCA Cleveland. It was a slow night at ABC and we wanted to sit on the patio, with service. They were limited with their servers and about to transition from one shift to another. Instead of giving us a hard time about serving us outside, the gent at the bar made it work. He came out to serve us, which he wasn’t really supposed to do, plus he joked and laughed with us. That’s right… he even chuckled at my Dad’s silly puns and uncomfortable comments.
The food was great, just like the original location. No complaints whatsoever.
Get over the crowd difference and just enjoy this place for what it is: unpretentious great food and drink.

Made up to look like an old dive bar, this place has and impressive beer selection and the menu, though small, boasts some pretty good eats!

This was my first experience with a Cleveland bar, and it did not disappoint. I have been back countless times, and I will continue to go back.
To start, ABC is in a great area, surrounded by Case Western housing, Chipotle, Mitchells, and a ton of other food places. (University Circle has apparently come a long, long way in the past couple years.) But the great part about it is ABC is good even without its neighbors. I’ll drive across town just to go to ABC. Hell, I have a friend that does drive from the west side just to go to ABC!
One of the things I appreciate the most is the authenticity of the bartenders here. They’re all chill, nice, talkative people that know how to have fun and aren’t afraid to give you a hard time either.
The drinks are delicious, many of the bartenders like to create their own concoctions for you to try, and the food is actually pretty fantastic for pub food. The atomic dog is my favorite, and I have been known to order it even after I’ve already had a full dinner. Oops.

The interior is a bit bizarre and intentionally divey/​old-​looking for a new place. The beer specials and happy hours are great though and the bartenders are all friendly and helpful.
The burger is pretty solid, I always like to get the house chips with their sour cream dip. The shark bites are always a bit too salty for me.

The Jamaican jerk chicken nachos are amazing and creative. Accustomed to nachos with ground meat and cheese, the nachos at ABC tavern were a welcome change to my typical order.
There is a very large beer selection as well and the bar was quickly filled on a Friday evening after work. The patio is a great place to hang out during the warmer months in Cleveland. Fries are pretty good. Burgers are okay. I noticed two items with shark on the menu — didn’t try them, but would be curious to see how these taste the next time I go.

Well my boy PW is tossin money here like hes in an ATL strip club, im not too impressed. 9 $ draft beer, hood but no good, ya know?
I dont wanna be biased bc 25^th ABC is my spot and I feel this is a knock off. It may né cool, it is Monday evening, lol.
Maybe ill write back when i have had a better perspective of the establishment.
Finna PAX.
Updated: PAXd’ it up!!!

I couldn’t be more excited about this place opening! It’s a VERY short walk from my apartment which could bode well for them, but not so much for me…
Everything is consistent with what I’ve experienced at the W. 25^th location, but better (because it’s in walking distance and I don’t feel the need to hold back… wow, I’m sounding like a lush now). I really prefer the open space and the windows all around. It just feels like a great summer spot, with the doors open and the friendly bartenders.
The food is good. I really like the burger and that’s what I get every time I go to W. 25^th, so I went for it at this location. Consistent, though I must say, there seemed to be less grease here, which is overall a good thing because I got a little more burger «crunch» on those thinner edges. Also worth checking out are the homemade potato chips. They’re quite the treat and a nice starchy snack that’s a welcome change from the typical bar fries.
The beer selection is fantastic (no surprise, considering the loads of options they have at the original location) and I’m always happy to find some of my favorite brews on their lengthy list. This is also a good place to try something new (happy hours run long and the specials are worth it). The staff is usually pretty helpful and happy to aid in decisions. Worth noting, as well, is that they run specials on different beer combos and amounts, as well as unique food selections – just ask and you shall receive the rundown with a little backstory, too, if you’re nice enough!
Overall, GO HERE. Have a good time and chat it up with the staff. They’re good people and this is a great establishment.