It really depends on who's behind the bar at Abilene and what your drink of choice is. The vibe is always chill and casual, music is tasteful, the bar food is better than decent, happy hour is a bargain, and Trivia Nights are fun. But if it's some grouch 'tending (let's not name any names for now), the drinks are miserly poured and trying to get service is like trying to score on the bull's eye. Not to mention a poor scotch selection. One of those bars that can really be great - more staff and scotch, man! - but for now, it's just a starter-bar for me, stopping by for happy hour and then moving on. read more

Abilene struck me as a neighborhood joint where a guy could drop in to have a burger, wash it down with a beer, and retain total autonomy in the decision to engage with another human being-beyond the bartender-or not. It's neither a divey nor refined establishment, not a theme restaurant nor concept bar. In being so neutral, it's almost Swiss-in spite of having a name that's taken from a city in Texas. There's plenty of space to stretch out, you can go about things at your own pace, and the burger was large and well-executed. In the end, the latter does suggest something more like Texas. I base my findings on observing three or four other guys around me, already doing the thing I then did. I crushed my burger, drank my beer, and got in a little light paperback reading. read more

Lisa...you forgot to mention the shot of jameson, it was actually 2 shots in one....so I like this place! Good food, the nachos were freshly made, and so good. So good happy hour, good food and good bartender! read more

My favorite bar in my neighbor after a long day work..delicious food and good drinks special eveyday wonderful bartenders and staff members... read more

Abilene - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I've been coming to Abilene at least once a week for the past 4 years mostly because of its super laid back vibe and great company. I can peacefully work here during the day, with open access to wifi and plenty of good, comfortable seating indoors and out. It never really gets too busy and the music is pretty decent for the most part. The staff can be hit or miss. Keith is warm, welcoming and absolutely hilarious. It's too bad he's only down to a shift a week--it's just not the same without him. The rest range from courteous and polite to downright sour, inattentive and rude. You never really know what you're gonna get. The other reviews pretty well nail it. Still, I keep coming back. The beer is cheap, options are good and the experience has been pretty consistent over the years. It's really a great place if you don't set your expectations too high. It is a dive bar, after all--a welcome sort of venue considering the comically gentrified nature of Carroll Gardens these days. Of all it's great qualities, the one thing I caution is the food. Which explains the low rating. Don't go near it--it's HORRIBLE! Especially if you're a vegetarian. The majority is deep fried; salads are mostly scraps of old wilted lettuce; the portobello sandwich tasted like it was cooked in its dirt, with about a half cup of mayo drowning it into the too small piece of bread which its slides off. You get the point. It's a mess. Come for the bar and the good vibes. You can't go wrong. read more

If I understood at all how it actually promoted establishments, Abilene is a business I'd click the pointless "like" button for over and over. I'm not sure it gets better than cheap, strong drinks, plenty of space to spread out, zero attitude, and cheese fries that, quite simply, will make you happy to be alive if you aren't already. But if all that doesn't do it for you, I'm not sure what will. read more

I'm not prone to writing a negative review, so I had to think before expressing my opinion. Similarly to many around the area, working at home during Covid means time to have a little outdoor drink and meal. I hadn't been to Abilene in ages, and visited twice in the past few weeks. Since it's just me, I lean towards less busy hours, and I'm not there for a long while. Anyway, my last 2 visits were great. Nice staff. And to support local, I tipped above 20%. So today, I stopped by just around 4ish and sat down as usual. The person there completely ignored me. I waited, then got up to leave and did not even receive as much as a word. Is there some other protocol I missed? I dunno, perhaps it's just not for me. read more

Neighborhood bars don't get any better. Killer bartenders, good taps, and a comfy atmosphere. Weekends a little hectic, but always a nice crowd. Owners are hella nice folks, too. If you like going bars AT ALL, then there is no reason not to make Abilene one of your top spots. read more

Scrabble, happy hour, funky furnishings, friendly patrons. It's a match made in heaven! This has become the default destination in the hood, and not because there are no other options. There are plenty but why would you go elsewhere? Happy hour prices are GREAT - $3 for beer and well drinks (the Irish pub down the road has the same beer during their version of HR at $6!). They have a selection of board games, which obviously get used a lot (we have started bringing our own Scrabble set in). Even saw a table the other day playing Connect 4 while one person was listening to his iPod and another was doing homework. It's that sort of place. Casual. Dogs and kids are welcome on the very comfy outdoor/front area set-up. Groups have some couches in the corner to spread across on. Couples have an option of everywhere and the solo man can sit up at the bar, while a patient bartender listens to what he has to dribble on about. Perfect. read more

Abilene is a great space for a small intimate gathering, like a few friends or a date. It isn't too loud so you can actually talk to the people you are with, the decor is dark, the vibe laid back. Board games if you are into that sort of thing, decently priced booze for the area and hot boozy drink offerings. In warmer weather you can sit outdoor and apparently bring dogs. They also have some decent snack offerings, I wouldn't go for a dinner but definitely a good spot if you are drinking and craving some late night fries or something. This place is a great alternative to the some of the more mainstream hipster spots on Smith. Sometimes you just want to chill, so take a walk to Court Street. Perfect for an after dinner drink if you are nearby at Frankies or Fragole or something... read more

Love this bar. It's almost never too crowded, they have a great happy hour, reasonably priced drinks, and yummy bar food. They also have a nice little selection of board games in the back, which is nice. Small outdoor space. A+ Great crowd, close to the subway, and a pretty laid-back atmosphere. This is my standard go-to bar. read more

I passed this restaurant and thought it would be a nice place to go. But I was terribly wrong. First they have two doors, one had a sign to use the other door, so I did. The other door had a sign with "refugees welcome".......Because that's so relevant...... When you walk in that door, there is no one hosting so you don't know where to go. I saw the bartender and the server standing and talking at the end of the bar so I walked down the bar and stood in front of them and patiently waited. They continued to talk, ignored me, then walked straight passed me. These incredibly rude staff have no customer service skills and the manager should be appalled. Do not recommend!! If you want to go to a restaurant, keep walking and go to Buttermilk Channel. The staff are great and the food is too! read more

I've been using yelp for the longest time now and I finally made the step to create an account. And I'd like to start my first review here at Abilene. I came here based off of recommendation from both friends and Yelp. But this is more about a personal experience and not the experience of others. Unfortunately, my experience was terrible. Now I understand there is no waiter service past 4pm (I was here on a Saturday night at around 8pm). But the bartender was extremely rude and nasty with no shame of expressing whether her day had been awful or she flat out hates her job. From continuously rolling her eyes as I was placing my order to snatching my credit card right off my hand. Drinks were terrible and were given in the wrong glass. There are a few strikes when it comes to drinks, but these two exceeded. Two stars were strictly for the food. My friend ordered chicken sandwich, I ordered cubano. It was ok. Just ok. Overall, I've come to understand that this place is more of a neighborhood, "I'm going to stop for a bite because I have no food at the house" type of place where service or drinks isn't much of a care. If you're intention is great drinks, with a group and good food. This is NOT the place. But if you're looking for a quick fix and beer. This is your spot. read more

Never been to a dive bar before but this one was kinda neat. The music was loud...too loud it was hard catching up with friends because I couldn't hear them. I had two pink pussies here. No, not the female genitalia but a drink made of pineapple juice, cranberry juice and vodka. It was introduced to me by Janet P. Too bad I can't verify this because "The word "pussy" has been filtered from the search because Google SafeSearch is active." read more

Passed on this place after one of their staff was giving me a hard time about sitting outside under the awning. "Are you married to that table? We prefer customers to sit [he point to tables on the sidewalk just outside the restaurant]." Um, wha? read more

God this place is so gross! I swear, every table is sticky with wet rings and debris, the outside tables are NEVER wiped down, and I just don't trust the cleanliness of that kitchen. That being said, I find myself here ALL the time! I live nearby and this is the one place where everyone can agree to just meet at and have a drink, whether it's a quick one between lunch and dinner, or while you're doing your laundry across the street or a pre dinner one. I like the outside tables and the cheese fries but the deep fried veggie burger was disappointing (as well as dangerous, i didn't realize how hot it was and as I bit into it, a piece got stuck on my lip and left a burn mark for 2 days!). Abilene, to me, is that ex that you don't want to get back together with, but you're not above a drunken hook up with. read more

Ambience is awesome, you can dine outside . Perfect for a cool summer day. Drinks rocked! I eat really clean so food was not for me, the salad def was good thou! I would go again for the ambience. read more

Abilene - Yummy! - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

5 star bar! I might be biased with a couple friends working here but this place would be my local watering hole every night if I weren't trying to keep my paychecks out of bars. The vibe is chill, the music is cool, and the beers on tap are solid. In addition you can get a burger if you're hungry at some point. The best is how the windows just open up all over the place creating a seamless vibe between your smoking friends or the fresh air environment you don't want to miss even if you're inside. With several distinct areas to hang out it's the perfect spot to bring a small group of friends and take it over as your own living room. And it's named after the owner's story of her dad who got struck down by lightning. Yeah, you guessed it: In Abilene, TX. read more

OK. So, it's a bar/restaurant with outdoor seating. How could you go wrong on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? For starters, have a server that sucks the life out of the place from the instant you walk in. Instead of saying "Hi. Welcome to Abilene. Have you been here before? Just have a seat wherever you like and I'll be right with you." This server, with a perpetual frown, mutters "sit wherever." When asked about a particular beer, this server seemed perturbed that I did not know that it was from Queens. Sorry, but I don't live in Queens, or even New York. Next problem: mediocre food took forever. The challenge for the kitchen: Two orders of wings and one pulled pork sandwich. The table next to us--who arrived after us--almost finished their meal before we got ours. The server didn't seem to notice. When my sandwich arrived, it had about a teaspoonful of coleslaw on the side. When I asked for more, I received another teaspoon full. Is the coleslaw made of gold? We were then pretty much ignored for the rest of our meal. Finally, I had to gesture across the restaurant to ask for the check. Our server even seemed upset about that request. I ended the suffering by handing the check to the expediter who was just as unfriendly as the server. I'm not a difficult customer. In fact, I rarely write bad reviews. I understand that servers may have bad days, that the kitchen is in the weeds, or that customers are rude. If there's a problem, just communicate that to the customers. We will understand. If that's not something you can do, maybe find some other line of work. read more

Service and drinks get a 5/5 stars. The fries were super good, but I ordered the portobello sandwich and it was ruined by the extremely potent balsamic (?) vinegar that the portobello itself was marinated in. It complete ruined the sandwich because all I could taste was the vinegar. But again service was awesome and the beer was cold! read more

This is a great place! A great first date spot for sure, with great drinks and then there's food if you want to keep it going. There is outdoor seating too,and I love bringing my dog. Big props to Rebecca and Victoria, who really hold it down! read more

Abilene is an extremely cozy bar in my sister's neck of the woods. The music selection is generally very good and quite relaxed. The owner, or whomever decorated the watering hole, definitely has traditional tastes. There's something very classic about this corner bar in the way that it is laid out and the types of visitors it attracts. As a side note, during the summers they have sidewalk seating, which is generally the most popular aspect of the bar. For some reason musicians that feature washboards and ukalalies also seem to define this bar for me. I think I've only seen this type of band there once, but they fit so well at Abilene and in this section of Brooklyn -- playing amidst the antiqued streets of Carroll Gardens. The band seemed to fall helplessly into the Abilene's backdrop of browning pictures and old nick nacks. If Abilene was on a flash card, and I were asked what were the three first images to enter my head, I would immediately respond, "Washboards, cold ale, and summer nights." read more

Good cheap food, nice happy hour nice bartenders 1$ off drafts happy hour - outdoor space read more

A solid 2.5. Unsure if this was just an off-night, but the service was poor and the food was bland. Our waitresss kindly brought us our missing food and took it off our bill which was nice! The slider was bland and a little rubbery and the onion rings were unflavorful but crunchy. The outdoor patio and seating ourselves was a plus. read more

Came here after dinner at Fragole to enjoy a few nice pints and a game of Battleship with the girlfriend. She won. Abilene loses a star for that ;) Nice chill bar, good selection of boardgames to play, and low music volume which means you can actually hold a conversation - or hear your girl call out 'A5' and sink your last remaining battleship... read more

This is a good spot to meet up with friends on the spur of the moment. It doesn't take any effort or planning. You just walk in, it's a good space, not that crowded, with a comfortable vibe. It's a nice change from the other bars in the area that either have loud music or TVs blaring. The service is slow but friendly. Met up with some friends for drinks and dinner a while back. The food is your typical bar food, a lot of burgers, sandwiches, fried stuff. All pretty solid, but nothing really amazing. It's a decent selection of menu items. Some of my friends were vegetarians and they didn't have much to choose from other than veggie burger or salads, but that's to be expected. Not a regular spot for me, but I liked it and would probably go back for casual eats. read more

When ever I'm in this neck of the woods (and not at Frankies or Buttermilk Channel, cause that's pretty much why I'm in this neck of the woods) I always want to grab a drink here. I really like the chill vibe, pretty strong drinks and if you need to get your greasy-gut-bomb-bar-food on, this is the place! read more

I don't often make it to this end of Carroll Gardens, but when I do, Abilene is a go-to spot for a drink and some good tunes. The waitstaff and bartenders are always friendly and the decor is cute, not kitchy to the point of being obnoxious like Trailer Park or Camp or any one of those other retro-themed places. They always have good music playing and it's an especially nice place to stop on a pleasant day - inside or outside - because you can escape the sun if necessary and still catch a nice breeze inside or enjoy people watching in a gorgeous neighborhood from one of the many sidewalk tables. I've yet to order any food here, but I'll update when that happens - because it will! read more

Went for brunch: Friendly service, solid menu, quirky atmosphere, and pints of mimosas. Is there more you need out of brunch? Not sold yet? Their prices are good. They don't rush you. It's a really good neighborhood place for regrouping from hangovers with friends. read more

So my personal experience in Abilene earns them 4 stars. Food is excellent. Unbelievable biscuits and gravy, and the hangover special is just ridiculous (in a good way). The ambience and service are also 4-star worthy. Personality and attentiveness. My girlfriend's experience, notsomuch. Her omelette on two separate occasions had hair in it. And not just one, but several, and it definitely wasn't hers or mine. This was buried deep. Without making a big fuss, we quietly mentioned it to the waitress on the first occasion. She was apologetic, but then it happened on our next visit again. I regret that I will not be coming back here because in all reality, this is hers and my kind of place but they really need to take care to ensure the chef's hair doesn't end up in food. read more

This is my first restaurant stop in Carroll gardens since I just moved into the neighborhood. I've been twice for lunch. I had the bacon and bleu burger the first time. The burger was a nice size and tasty. I ordered it med/rare but it came out med/well, but it still had good flavor. The next day I had the BLT which came out on some thick Texas toast (potato Texas toast?) and had a spicy chipotle sauce on it which gave it the right amount of spice. The beer selection is pretty good, they have, I think, 8 taps, and some of the beers include allagash and bells. This is a great casual spot for burgers or sandwiches and a good beer. I will definitely be back! read more

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My friends and I had a pretty poor experience here. The food is fine for what it is but service is definitely not their fortè... with the current set up you're basically at a glorified carry out place. You order. They bring it to you. You pick up after yourself and then you bus your own table. The staff act like they're doing you a favor by you being there... no thanks! I don't need any favors - that's why we exchange money for the food! Bye, Abilene! read more

The staff is beyond rude. In light of COVID-19, we tried to spare the business a bad Yelp review by speaking directly with management. Unfortunately, some business owners deserve to fail. read more

Fine service, friendly enough bartenders, and cheap cheap cheap (for the neighborhood) drinks. Great, low-pressure place to hang out and catch up with friends or relax. FYI I've never had the food, so this review is for drinks and atmosphere/service only. read more

A weird eclectic mix of night time dive bar / day time brunch spot. It's a great place to grab inexpensive drinks. There's plenty of comfy seating and the bartender was really friendly. The brunch options are pretty good too - I had perfectly cooked french toast. read more

In one word: comfortable And now several more words: I enjoy Abilene both day and night, a rarity for me (I have a day bar list and a night bar list, as well as weekday and weekend bar lists). My only complaint is that they are not currently open during the day on weekdays. I've been going here for three years with different crowds, for different purposes, at different times and have liked every experience. I will go here again. You should too. read more

The place looks cute and the bartender was friendly... but the drinks were pretty terrible. The margarita tasted like salt water mixed with bad lime juice and the old fashioned tasted like watered down whisky. We will not be returning. read more

Abilene - Disappointing old fashioned and margarita - Dive Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Makin' your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name. read more

I really enjoy Abilene's food, much more than beer selections, which are seemingly sub-bar compared to other places in the neighborhood. Atmosphere has a "trendy chic" sort of vibe, with a dive-bar twist. Honestly, I don't really care for the interior, I like the lawn chairs set-up outside. Laid back and relaxing. Don't really understand the concept. Is it a bar? Is it a restaurant? There's no real designation here. But I like Abilene either way. read more

Pretty awesome neighborhood dive bar. Just the right atmosphere and the drinks were good, too. We didn't try the food, as we were just killing time waiting for the rest of our party to show up so we could go to dinner. If i lived nearby, this would likely become my hangout. read more