The Abbey

This was one of my favorite places when I was a student at PC! It’s super close to the campus, probably like a 10 minute walk. The food is honestly amazing! I craved it all the time when I went there. The atmosphere is awesome too, it’s a cute/​small very decorated place with local signs, teams, etc. I love the abbey!!!

I really wanted to like this place. Reviews about the burgers were excellent plus the website videos made everything look really appetizing. However the first three beers I ordered were kicked. Can’t call yourself a beer bar if you don’t have any beer. My Ragin Cajun Burger was overcooked and the chips were somewhat cold and Soggy. My fries were good and my wife’s Burger was cooked spot on and tasty. I guess if you order medium it’s ok, but medium well they assume you mean completely destroyed. Service was pretty good. Won’t be rushing to go there again. 2 ½ stars.

I’ve been to this bar 10 times, and every experience has been great. I even take my 2yr old and she’s welcomed at the tables. So, for all the haters writing bad reviews that want their feet rubbed … YOU’RE AT A BAR. In New England. And the burgers are so good I’d let the waiter punch me in the face just to have one.
Oh, also … Kim at the bar makes a mean Sangria. It may not be overnight liquor soaked fruit made with fine italian wine … but it’s good … and it’ll put you on your butt!

Honestly, I really wanted to like this place because the food is good, but man, you guys just lost me and 3 other of my friends given last weeks Nonsense. I gave it two fair college tries and I’m over it.
Never in my life, has a server been so unemotional and inattentive, not only that, so completely incompetent at time management and her own job. (Red Head with freckles)
This is the only restaurant I have ever been to, where we had to split the check and figure out all the math between 4 people with no aid of the server. We laid everything out for her, which card gets what item, written by name and card on the back of the receipt. She comes back and says «We can’t split checks and I can’t do it this way» and says «You will have to figure it out among yourselves». To add insult to injury, says «Just make sure you get everything right to the cents and I’ll be back for it».
Listen, I worked food service for 5 years up until recently, and there was no Restaurant that accepts cards that CAN’T split checks or divide cards. I would NEVER tell my customers I couldn’t do it and I won’t do it, and pass MY JOB on to the customer.
I understand you had a large top of 20 Softball players and their moms, which I’m sure you were expecting a better tip from on a Sunday, so they were easier and got better service… Neat and congrats, however, it’s STILL NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY to do your job.
If you really can’t split checks, your management needs to fix it to help you out, because you are the only bar in History that takes cards and can’t do that.
Needless to say, our business will be taken elsewhere. I will no longer recommend this place.

Good Food but very slow wait for it, only two cooks in the back and the place is packed. Also waiters are very inattentive; food waiting at counter but nobody picked it up for 5 minutes.

Great people, food, and drinks. I love the taco salad! Burgers, sandwiches, apps, all are yum. The place will get packed especially during games times, so grab your spots early is my only advice.

Get prices and good seating. Friendly and quick responding staff. Clean good surroundings and views of televisions. Food is cooked very well and the beers what can I say they are terrific !!!

$ 40 on 2 corned beef sandwiches, onion rings and potato chips and they can’t even be bothered to get my order right. Not to mention the corned beef was tough and almost inedible. That’s beside the point.
I made it a POINT to STRESS a specific order and specified NO CHEESE. I had the guy taking the order read it back.
Went in to get the order. I knew I should have checked. My stupidity. The sandwiches were made exactly the way we didn’t want them made. Utter disappointment. Screw this dump. I will never go back.

Pros: Best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had. Lots of beers to choose from. Good burgers.
Cons: Loud. Staff isn’t that friendly. Beers are WAY overpriced.

The Abbey will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first bar I’ve ever been to, and I truly enjoyed being there as much as I still do now. It’s a hidden gem located in the Elmhurst section of Providence. A cozy dive bar thats never empty and is very inviting. It’s a must if you’re in the area.

Recently voted the best burger in RI on the 50 states 50 best burgers list, so we had to give it a try. Great vibe. TV screens on every wall. Lots of beer signage. Very colorful and fun. Small and crowded and we were there at 3:30 pm. By the time we left it was packed. Disappointed that they did not have a porter on tap. Only dark beer was Guinness. There are many burgers to choose from. We went with a highwayman and a couch potato. The highway man was excellent. Cooked medium rare it was very messy to pick up and eat but truly delicious. The couch potato, not as much. The fries were a bit soggy and the onion rings were terrible. Tasted like they were fried in old oil. But, we will try it again. Maybe we will have better luck with the cubano or the mamma mia.

Food: Good.
Service: Rude. Unhelpful. Demeaning.
The bartender is an absolute A****** and is unwilling to answer any questions you might have about their drinks (the guy had a perplexed look on his face when I questioned him about a particular beer and responded to me «Yeah, what about it?» with an annoyed tone, not any way to talk to a paying customer.)Wait staff is just as unhelpful, never checks in to see if you need anything else/​if food is ok, etc. Won’t go here anymore just because of how rude they are.

The Abbey has some good burgers but, by the time you get towards finishing one, you’re eating a lukewarm mess of meat, juices, and disassembled toppings. (The specialty burgers have some structural integrity issues) Since it feels like a waste to not finish something, I usually order a chicken sandwich. The Cahoun (cajun) and California Cobb (avocado) are good choices. Random forays into other sandwich offerings leave me less than enthusiastic. Their Turkey BLT wrap is bland and way overpriced for what it is. Their Blackened Mahi is good, but the fish tends to be overcooked and just falls apart. Which brings me to another point. Their fries and onion rings tend to be inconsistent — sometimes overcooked, sometimes too greasy, and you get too many fries compared to not enough onion rings.
As for the other reviews, service has never been an issue. The staff has always been friendly, even when it’s packed, and they are properly attentive. By which I mean, they don’t hover or ignore you and they make sure to always ask if you want more when they notice your drink is empty.

Excellent option in Providence! I’ve been twice now and even though it was extremely busy (sign that they are doing something right) they did a great job of managing expectations in regards to wait times.
I was told I had to wait 30 min (no big deal) and took a seat at the bar to sample some beers on draft. Once my table was ready they sat me and my friends and I had a great time. The menu had simple items that were made fast and fresh which I can appreciate. I would definitely recommend the burger and beer pairings — delicious.
Overall if you’re looking for a bustling bar with good food and drinks, this is your spot.

A friend brought me here once, and ever since anyone that visits me I take here.
This awesome little beer bar has a great menu, by far!!! Lots of homemade treats and sides (try the chips), and really good regular menu. But you must try the ‘Premium Burgers’!!!
I usually ask my guest to order a different one than me, and then we split them. To date Ive only tried 8 of the 14 burgers offered. And I cant wait to try them all. And with these burgers they have recommended beers to go along with the meal. Of course with 92 beers to choose from I almost always try something new.
I happened to be there on a trivia night by chance, and stayed for the entire thing. Had the best time.
I truly cannot recommend this place enough.
If you can eat, GO HERE! Its like «Burger and Beer Heaven»!

I went to The Abbey with a friend. I got The Uncle Sam burger & my friend got The Gypsy burger. Both were delish! Christine the bartender was awesome…
We look forward to coming back!

I really like The Abbey. They have a very extensive burger menu. They also
Offer ½ price on certain menu options for lunch! I laid $ 7 for their delicious meatloaf with two sides! The burgers are very good and very creative. I would honestly suggest trying a burger if you go here. Both the sweet potato fries and the onion rings are to die for! I will definitely be returning here for lunch! Also, try the bacon appetizer, you won’t regret it!

This was my second time visiting the Abbey for dinner. My boyfriend, roommate, and I waited about 10 minutes for a table, it was a Friday during March Madness and Providence College was playing that night.
We sat down in a booth. We checked out the regular menu, the burger menu, and the beer menu. Our server came by and the boys ordered some beers. I just got a water (I’m the rare soul that doesn’t like beer… oops!) Dan ordered the Lumberjack burger with fries, Joe ordered the Honky Tonk burger with onion rings, and I ordered the the Friday special — Fish & Chips!
Our food came out surprisingly fast. The place was jumping but our food was ready in about 10 minutes. They gave me so much fish! The coleslaw was delicious too! They gave you tartar sauce on the side and it’s delicious. I couldn’t help but dip my french fries in it too. Dan’s Lumberjack burger was huge! Three pieces of bread, two burgers, and toppings galore! He somehow managed to clean his plate. Joe’s Honky Tonk burger is like a rodeo burger with onion rings on it! He almost managed to finish it but took his small leftover to go!
Our server was great he came over and checked on us. He refilled my water with out me needing to ask and asked if the boys wanted more beer.
I can’t wait to come back and try some more delicious food!

Oh, the Abbey!
Oh, the Abbey.
The pros: Great dive in an otherwise cuisine-​less area. There’s not many places to go around Providence College if you’re looking for a place to sit down with slightly older friends and enjoy some brews and the game.
There’s a lot of burger options – great!
The nachos are on point. Never change your nachos, Abbey.
The cons: Customer service is awful. Because they’re a cash cow, being located so close to PC, they get to be rude and get away with it. Their attitudes would not fly at a restaurant in another location. I’m sure dealing with drunk college students is a bore, but most of the people who go there aren’t college students.
The payment system is terrible and I don’t know who designed it. Two cards per table? At a dive? That regularly serves groups of 4 or more? Oh, come on.
The seating system is not strategic to maximize seating.
The bathrooms are filthy.
I don’t think they’ve watched the tables with anything but a soggy rag in years. You can literally scrape the grime off the table.
Why’d I keep going back? (Great question!) It was so close to PC that as a grad student, it was nice to grab a drink and a late dinner with the gang. We had some wonderful nights and made great memories there. It was our home base.
For the record, it is a great lunch spot. Their lunch service is terrific.

I went in expecting a divey PC bar, which it was, so as I flipped through the torn menu of burger options while sitting on a ripped vinyl seat, admiring the eclectic, beer-​stained décor, I was already envisioning the Tums I would have to consume post-​meal to keep my chest from being engulfed in acid-​reflex flames.
To my horror, my husband suggested we order the coconut shrimp. This did not look like the kind of place you ordered shellfish from. But we did, and as I hesitantly clutched the crispy, golden shrimp and held it to my lips, I prayed. Much to my surprise, the soft, succulent, and sweet crustacean melted in my mouth. As did the veggie burger I ordered which followed. Just goes to show, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
The one food item that lived up to appearances was the sad, soggy pickle that graced the side of my plate. Maybe people think pickles are just for decoration, but some of us really like them… if they’re good pickles. I don’t know what that was. I’m hoping it was just a fluke. Either way, I’ll definitely go back.