Abilene is essentially burgers, sandwiches, quesadillas, salads, and bar food. It'd got a lively pub vibe, which is best for grabbing a drink while watching the game. The food here was pretty mediocre, but we were starving. I ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($16) with Fries (+$4) while the fiance had the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($15). We also ordered an Old Fashioned ($12) and The Pineapple Drink ($13). The old fashioned was very strong whereas I actually enjoyed the pineapple drink a bit more from the pineapple sweetness. Our food came out pretty quickly though. The fried chicken was huge, but not as crispy as I would've liked. It was filled with toppings, which made it a fulfilling sandwich. I have to say that the onion slice was too thick though, that I almost thought it was a slice of cucumber or something. Onion is strong so I would prefer it sliced thinner or caramelized for better flavor. The fries on the side were solid, but cole slaw was too dry to enjoy. Overall, decent spot but food was just ok. Come by for a drink if you're in the neighborhood, but nothing else that'll bring me back here. read more

Abilene - Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fries. - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

The food is totally unremarkable. I had the nachos. I found the chips to be a bit brittle, so the toppings were pretty hard to scoop up. The cheese also basically fused some of them to the plate. Otherwise, they were just fine. Prices were a bit much too at $18 after tax and tip. You're better off just getting a beer here. read more

Great food but some important points. 1) there is no printed menu, they use one of those awful QR code menus which means you must bring a phone and squint at a tiny menu. 2) the bill comes to your table electronically with tips starting at 20% and way up -- and we had what can only be described as reluctant service. I don't believe there was any actual waitstaff the day we were there. Food was great... read more

I will have to say that the bar top is where it's at. As a millennial, I enjoy the fun and uplifting movies then put on. The customers are always really genuine and nice and the bartenders are even sweeter. Every time I come here Ella is working the bar and she works tirelessly to make sure everyone is happy and enjoying their time. I've seen lots of comments about the food but every time I come here, people are devouring the food! Get your butts over here. read more

I keep coming back here, hoping that it'll be better. It never is. In fact, it's moving in the other direction. The service always poor and they have these silly left over signs from the pandemic (you need to put a sign up to say I want service, even though I'm sitting down at a restaurant). OK, it's annoying but I'll do it. I could get over that if the food was good. But it's not. Their turkey burger was bad. Dry, flavorless, unappealing looking. The bun was straight up stale. The salad was just lettuce. The dressing was a glob of balsamic in a sad little plastic tub.The food lacks love and care, exactly like the service. At least they are consistent. It could be such a cute spot but it's flop. Just stick to the booze if you do decide to go here. Or maybe have a lot of it and then the food will taste better. read more

I'm not really sure how to rate this place. I've seen it a bunch of times and finally went in yesterday. Sat at the bar and ordered a beer and 2 apps to kill some time. Nice limited selection of local craft brews. The two apps I had chips and salsa out of a bag and out of a jar were meh. Boneless wings were worse than that. Stayed and had a Turkey burger which was good. The problem with this place is there trying real hard to be a dive bar but they present as a nice place to eat. They have a ton of outside seating which is cool. Windows open up so even if your inside it feel open air. I rarely write negatives but it's well deserved. Please figure out what you want to be? I'll try back in awhile read more

Ok, it's official. The upgrades over the years have paid off. Major outdoor shed for supersized seating capacity. The neighborhood's best Bloody Mary or Maria HANDS DOWN. Like I crave it when I have brunch elsewhere (and judge all others to their excellence). Now takes ApplePay too (leave the wallet at home). Nowhere else can you find a "hangover helper" which is simply a base of fries, scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage. Boo So why not 5?! Well, they don't allow any of the brunch items to be ordered during the week - despite having food items will all the items. One can dream... read more

See all

The wings are the best in the city. Seriously, they also give like 10 wings in a city that charges $20 for 4 wings everywhere else. Grab a whiskey and some wings before you deal with your kids after school. Also, best bathroom stickers. read more

Very good food for the price. It isn't fancy but it's flavorful. The high rating is based on price/ quality ratio.

It has somehow been seven years since I first stepped into Abilene, and this place hasn't really changed: It's a good bar with a fun staff that enjoys themselves while getting the job done, and they just happen to serve a very solid brunch, the highlight of which is one of the best bloody marys in the general vicinity. It's a pint of tomato and vodka and spices that will postpone your hangover for a few more hours, and sometimes it's a lifesaver. I've changed, though. Of course I still appreciate the good burgers, the good music, the reasonable prices, the cute puppies, and the casual, near-dive ambiance (a good thing) but non-dive cleanliness that keeps me willing to eating the food they make. However, I've recently become one of those people. You know, one of the ones that mated with another person and produced offspring, and as much as I want to be different, we roll said offspring around in a stroller. It's just the best way to move them around with all their accoutrement. I'm sorry. And yes, this is somewhat mortifying as it means we are generally inconvenient to be around because we take up too much room and the miniature human occasionally makes loud noises with her mouth, which can annoy other humans that are just trying to peacefully get drunk in the middle of the day. And while I hate to say it because I don't want Abilene to be inundated by more tiny humans, they deserve all the credit for having an understanding and lovely staff that helps make them into one of the best spots in the 'hood to park a stroller either outside or next to your table and enjoy booze in the morningtime. This bloody mary, a burger, and enough room for my baby is just about all I can ask from an eatery these days. Thanks Abilene. read more

Abilene - Burger. - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Was first time there Nice beer selection radeberher German Pilsner Tremendous salads options with the chicken Bartender Victoria was awesome !!! Nice ambiance hidden gem in NY read more

Abilene is becoming my regular place for eats and drinks in Carroll Gardens. I've never had to wait for a table, even though they are always busy. Scan the QR code for menus and raise a yellow flag when you need service, like at a Brazilian steakhouse. So far, all the food I've eaten here has been delicious. The french fries immediately deserve a shout-out: hot, fresh, made from real potatoes. Combo that with chicken tenders, a burger, or a sandwich, and you've got a full meal going. On the lighter side, the salads are a safe bet. Health freak? Order your salad without cheddar cheese. I like both the buffalo chicken salad and the crispy chicken salad, but there are other options worth consideration. The drinks are also priced fairly; you can do a beer+shot combo for $6/7, and happy hour (4-7 PM everyday) takes a buck or two off drafts and glasses of wine. Abilene is succeeding during a very difficult time and I think that's great. I plan to return regularly for good food and drinks. Also looking forward to getting brunch sometime. read more

I love this place! I go here pretty regularly, their crispy chicken sandwich is the best! chill inside, you put a card up when you are ready to order, get the check or have any questions! I usually get their raspberry vodka lemonade and it's amazing! In the summer time they have frozen rose and margaritas which i can't wait to try! Service is good, staff is very friendly and attentive. always very clean, has room for groups, bathroom is clean, filled with graffiti which I love! Cant wait to try their frozen drinks soon. (also their chipotle mayo is my favorite I always get extra) read more

Abilene - Crispy chicken sandwich - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Really conveniently located restaurant with a casual vibe. American bar fare with a great bar.

Abilene has the most random style... but everything meshes real nice. Style may be offbeat to some, but they pull the whole look together with mismatched furniture, 60's Retro white chairs in a comfy nook (kinda looked like a "Living Room") and a Mona Lisa- hanging towards the back wall. This was such a freaking hot mess- I was digging it! We'd just dropped off my Auntie-In-Law at the airport and had to bypass Brooklyn anyway to head up home- s...o...we stuck around in Brooklyn. These guys came up with a nice formula of good prices, decent Brunch beverages, funk style and excellent Music. Lots of outside seating but decided on inside instead with a 'Seat Yourself' for all to see. To tie their style even more so- white lights hang by the Bar. Music was a chill mix of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You", Vance Joy's "Riptide" plus others- adding an excellent touch to Abilene's vibe......I think I could hangout here for a couple of hours. Maybe Abilene doesn't make stiff Mimosas, but for $9 a pint, I thought the two I drank, had an o...k balance of Bubbly and oj. 'Warm Goat Cheese' Salad sounded real good on paper- but asked if I could have Shrimp (as my heartier protein), but Seafood isn't served here. (So wait a sec.... you guys offer an excessive amount of pork- but no Seafood? At all? I don't get it). Anyhow... Grilled Portobello it was. Salad turned out to be good. And according to hubby, he raved about his Chicken and Waffles (minus the white gravy). I think if I still ate Poultry, I'd have it myself- because that sucker looked real good! Our server Victoria, was pleasant and going with a 3+1/2 all around. Quite frankly, I like this spot with all the odd charm- oh...and no seafood. read more

See all

Food is average at best. The lettuce on my salad and burger was wilted and brown. Service is okay, they're nice. Very ordinary place, not sure if I just got the wrong things but I wouldn't go back. read more

What a great place! 5 star service and great pub fare. The staff is so friendly and got along as if they were a small, happy family. Efficient, fast and thorough. And I love their 'yellow card' system! Thrilled to see this mainstay is still thriving and doing their thing post COVID. We consciously make the trek from Park Slope to come chill in your establishment. Thank you for another Sunday Funday! Dog friendly. Kid friendly. Hipster friendly. LGBTQIA friendly. Love your vibe. read more

Service was practically non-existent and our food was mediocre. We went to Abilene this past Sunday for brunch. We were seated outside. When you are seated you are told the menu can be accessed through scanning the QR code on the table top. When you are ready to order, or ask a question, etc... you place a small card in the metal holder on the table to let the server know that you are ready/ requesting service. We ordered two unsweetened iced teas with lemon wedges, and an iced coffee with regular milk. The food we ordered was as follows: Classic French toast Buffalo chicken salad Breakfast burrito with bacon included as an extra on the side Grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of sweet potato fries on the side And The Regular 2 eggs any style with added sweet potato fries instead of home fries, and corn bread instead of a biscuit, which were ordered scrambled. The food took a very long time to come out despite not having many customers. The scrambled eggs came served as an omelette, completely unseasoned, and lukewarm at best. The order of French toast was ice cold as well. We didn't want to send the food back because it would have taken twice as long to get to eat. We don't plan on going back. read more

Our fav place! El Gordo, quesadilla, fried pickles, and crispy chicken salad/sandwich are some of our favs. Can't go wrong with sitting at the bar. read more

This is one of the local bars in the area serving perfectly fine food. I was here with three others and there are no photos unfortunately from my experience. They have a nice unique beer menu and I went with the Pipeworks Blood of the Unicorn which was a Red Ale (6.5% APV) and it was $9 and delicious. We got some boneless wings for $13 with the other person preferring BBQ over buffalo. The sauce was quite sweet (a bit too much so) very much caking the wings but the portion size was reasonable for the price. I went with the classic burger which was $14 or rather $18 with fries which puts it in the same price category unfortunately as one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood (Henry Public a good 20 minute walk away.) The burger consisted of a half pound ground sirloin with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and cheese (I want with cheddar as per usual) and it was greasy and pretty tasty. The fries were ample and they were fine though they maybe could use a bit more salt. Another person had a Cubano which they have had before and they liked it a lot as per last time. The food here is the literal definition of a-okay. Don't expect the best burger or the best food but it's reasonable for the price and certainly more reasonable than a certain other cheap burger spot near me. read more

As a Texpat, I'm always looking for fried okra and Abilene has a good one! It's the first thing I order any time I go. This was my first time going for brunch and I was a big fan of the Smoky Maria (a spicy, smoky bloody maria). It paired very nicely with a delicious BLT on perfectly toasty Texas Toast with chipotle mayo. It's a reliable hangout joint - especially for Texpats! You can enjoy fried okra and margaritas in a fun environment with a friendly staff. read more

Abilene - BLT - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

This place is wonderful Food is great, drinks are always solid and the Staff are so welcoming. Service is always great. read more

Stumbled upon this neighborhood dive by chance: while waiting for a table at Lucali's, my gf and I started walking South along Court St. looking for a place where to kill half an hour in front of a beer. We definitely got lucky: cozy, unpretentious place, dimly lit, lots of space, good music (Radiohead and the likes). And some unexpected interior design touches, like the lights hanging from the ceiling made with electrical joints. Pretty cool. Even the exterior is interesting, with a life-size statue of St. Lucy at the corner. I had a Six Point IPA, while VH had a Blue Moon. They also have Genesee Cream Ale in can. Sweet! Happy hour 5-7 pm daily, and then midnight to 1 am Sunday through Thursday, with $4 well drinks and drafts. A good option if you want to avoid the more crowded bars on the North side of the neighborhood. read more

Abilene - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Wandered around Carroll Gardens with friends and found this bar/diner. From the outside looks very much like a classic diner, but they have an extensive bar menu. It has very reasonably priced beers and cocktails with your favorite American diner food -- what's not to love?. I highly recommend the cheese fries with their fry sauce, and the Harry's Peach Schnapple cocktail, which tasted just like a Snapple juice. Will definitely be coming back here! read more

Stopped by on a Saturday evening as i saw they outside seating set up. service was nice though at times we had to wait a bit to flag down a server. We had fried pickles to nosh on which were quite good. In most cases fried pickle batter falls apart after a bit but these help it togethere beautifully. Had a couple of adult lemonade drinks that were pretty good. notes: Menu is online (their site) you have to clean after yourself when you are done. masks are required when servers are attending you 18% service tip is tacked on your bill so be careful to double tip read more

Food was alright. For a party of two, slow service. At the end the night bartender on the night of 9/16 questioned his tip of 10%. On a order of 2 meals 2 drinks and 2 shots. Our food came up to a total of 31 alone. Drinks totaled up about 70 for two shots and 2 Long Island ice teas. Better pricing in many places in the surrounding area. Unprofessional on all levels he barely did anything. Weird place 10% was good enough. read more

I came in for a beer after a long day and the bartender was rude as could be. She said hi to me and I said hi back - guess she didn't hear me because she repeated herself with attitude like I was the rude one for sitting at her bar. I got up and left. Didn't bother. Not the way I needed to end my day... First impression is everything honey. read more

Abilene is a great neighborhood restaurant if you are in a hurry and want a quick and simple meal. There are certainly better Italian restaurants to eat at in this neighborhood but Abilene offers basic bar food. We ate there last week and the place had great service even though the restaurant was oddly hosting a large campaign rally for Donald Trump. They were playing country music and the restaurant reminded me of the Hill Country restaurant in Manhattan. read more

Nice and cozy place in Brooklyn. Lots of good beers and pretty good food. Recommended!

Cool Brooklyn dive bar with a wide variety of people there. I was watching up with a friend while the table next to us was playing Battleship. Very friendly staff that was accommodating. I ordered the Bacon & Blue Burger with onion rings. The caramelized onions and bacon on the sandwich along with a flavorful chipotle sauce on the burger. I didn't think the patty had a great amount of flavor to it but everything else was top notch. We split onion rings and fries and I enjoyed the onion rings more. Ive also had the buffalo chicken quesadilla my previous time going there and I highly recommend. read more

Abilene - Bacon and Blu Burger with Onion Rings - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Perfect casual spot for fried food and beers, or frozen drinks when it's hot out. The cocktails are good too if that's your thing. Staff is always friendly and handle things well even though it's usually pretty busy. The outside is dog friendly, and their brunch is delicious. read more

A great no-frills Carrol Gardens bar to grab cheap drinks and a tasty burger or some solid bar food. Grab a seat inside on the most random assortment of furniture you've ever seen, or if you're lucky, snag a table outside for some fantastic people watching. I saw someone walking a cat once. It was remarkable. read more

This is my favorite neighborhood bar. I can't keep count of the amount of times my husband and I end up here for food and drinks

Dive bar? Uh hardly. I've said before that this label is thrown around with abandon these days and here is a perfect example. I'm sorry, dive bars don't serve brunch. That's just for starters. Nor do they typically attract shiny happy young families. I mean, you sometimes have to climb over strollers in this place! So. Yeah. You want to experience a real dive bar? Come to Missouri. Or Kansas, where you need to be a member. Just saying. Now that that's out of the way... I love this place! The not-a-dive brunch menu offers up a good variety of options (chicken and waffles, grits, eggs galore), but I keep it simple and keep it to a bowl of grits and the piéce de resistance: the bloody mary. Which is possibly in the top 5 I've ever had (and I've had many a bloody mary, I assure you). I daresay all you need at brunch is a good bloody. Abilene's is of the dark, salty and rich variety and is well garnished. And they are not shy with the celery salt. I detest tangy "bright" bloodies, so if this is your thing, know that Abilene's is the very opposite of that. In warm weather, try and grab a table outside. Better yet, find a dog that needs a brunch date. read more

I came here for brunch post half marathon when Buttermilk Channel was packed and there was a 1hr wait. I'm glad we found this place because we were promptly seated and were able to order. I ordered the chicken and waffles with some coffee. The chicken and waffles were amazing. So crispy with a delicious breading and it was huge! The gravy was good as well, not too thick and it perfectly complimented the waffle and chicken. My sister eggs and bacon covered with lots of cheese (and either bacon or ham) with a side of grits and cornbread. Delicious as well although - if you really don't like that much cheese, you should probably tell them that. It really was smothered. Great casual atmosphere with lots of outdoor seating. Indoor décor is antique meets redneck upstate but hey it works. Will definitely be back for more brunch. read more

Abilene - Chicken and waffles! - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

There are plenty of other restaurants in Carroll Gardens that you should pick before choosing Abilene. The staff is rude and food is mediocre. Avoid at all costs. read more

Great tunes. Awesome staff. Very accommodating for families with kids but also a great hang when out w friends. Really enjoy this place and the ppl who work there. read more

This is my weeknight go to. Usually, it's not terribly busy. Their sliders and fries with a glass of Other Half soothes my soul every time. The rest of the menu is above average bar fare and usually scratches the mozzarella sticks itch, the onion rings itch and/or the jalapeno poppers itch when those itches come. The place can sometimes be crowded, gets randomly loud, but I never care. When the weather is nice, their outdoor seating is another big plus and eliminates that issue anyway. Their servers are also typically very attentive and have a perfect score on bringing out exactly what is ordered. I'm there once a week. read more

One of my favorite dives in Brooklyn! The atmosphere is comfy and feels like a large living room at a friend's party. The bar food is pretty good and the drinks are even better. read more

Delightful to be in a bar where the bartender hustles. And is nice. I guess I have been hanging out in too many snooty places lately and Abilene is quite the breath of fresh air. Would be five stars but the seating is abysmal. Be cautious. All the chairs inside are on their last legs. One of the guys in the bar last weekend fell splat on the ground when his chair gave way underneath him. He wasn't that big of a guy. The bar stools teeter totter on bent legs and the seat part does not sit horizonally even. You find yourself pitched forward on your perch, one buttock higher than the other. Get a table outside, save your bum and enjoy the nice weather. read more