ABV

I have now eaten here twice – the same dish (creature of habit) – and I absolutely love it.
It’s not speedy. The kitchen, I mean. But that pea agnolotti is incredible. The lobster bucatini great. And high teens for pasta entrée except the lobster which I think is 21. A friend liked his trout with beans (pork-​infused) very much.
An OCD friend of mine came with me once. He is WASPy and doesn’t know from chorizo so he certainly doesn’t know esoteric Latin sausage. When the pasta came, he instantly knew there was pork. To be fair, this wasn’t completely batty as I could smell it from across the table.
They had to redo and now when you order anything with pork, they ask you (like you’re 5 years old): «Are you sure you’re okay with pork products?»
Chill on a summer Saturday night with most of the UES off at a beach…

Had a late dinner with my granddaughter on a week night. It was a welcome respite after a long day running around the city. She had a delicious ravioli with a lemon sauce that she devoured and I had a fish dish that was very good. If it weren’t so late, I would have ordered the chicken, but it takes 25 minutes to prep and we were super hungry. They have good wines by the glass and the chocolate mousse is divine. We found the wait staff to be very friendly and accommodating. We wanted to go back on our last night in NY, but they were closed for the holiday weekend. I like the limited menu. To me it means that great care is given to choosing the ingredients and preparing them. Highly recommend.

Awesome place. Limited menu but does not disappoint. The fried chicken was awesome, only to be replaced by an even better roast chicken on subsequent menus. Laid back atmosphere. Best place in the neighborhood.

Matthias took great care of us on last visit. He recommended tasty wines and provided excellent service to us on the sidewalk tables out front. Will return!

The reviews do not do justice to this great neighborhood find. I thought it was just a place to get a drink and maybe some bar food. So– nice surprise! ABV is a terrific place with a nice low key atmosphere (no shrieking drunk people or loud obnoxious bad music) The service is excellent– and most important the food is superbly prepared by an excellent chef. Sit at the bar to eat and watch him cook. Delicious appetizers and small plates and perfectly prepared fish. A meal worthy of a very upscale restaurant. And yes– there is a nice selection of beer and wine but i will go back for the food.

My mother and I stumbled upon ABV by accident and it was wonderful! We were seated at the «chef’s table» and had a great time watching the lovely chef do his work — great entertainment.
We ordered the beet salad (typical, but refreshing and delicious), cauliflower (EXCELLENT, with a mouth-​watering brown butter sauce!), chicken liver mousse (so yummy), and the trout entrée, which was cooked perfectly with crispy skin and fava beans as a side.
The service was great and the wine offerings were very good. My mother and I were treated well and were so happy to have found ABV! It’s a great addition to an otherwise quiet stretch of the neighborhood for a nice, elegant, but reasonable bistro restaurant. Beautifully designed interior, too.

The food here is mouth watering good — Literally! We had the lamb burger, pasta purses and Brussels sprouts for a starter. Oh my goodness. Soooo good! I have no complaints. Please try this place out you will enjoy! P. S the service is impeccable as well. Hands down. ;)

Nice little spot on the Upper East. Good vibes and environment generally. The food is ok to good, but not consistent. We’ve ordered the brussels with burrata a few times; sometimes it comes crispy and that contrasts well with the burrata, sometimes it is soft and a little soupy. The beer list is ok and priced like the West Village. This isn’t some sort of hidden gem, just a nice designed spot with dishes that are relatively well done.

The service was great! Food was pretty good.
Pros– Great service
Attentive Servers and host
Chicken soup
Lobster Entrée (delicious)
Oysters with a glass of white wine (delicious
Amazing vibe and ambiance. Very sexy spot.
Cons– Fried Chicken (no taste, not seasoned)
The restaurant was freezing as if the heat was set on low.
Would I go back? Maybe

Came here on a Sunday morning looking for brunch. A lot of the tables were already reserved so my date and I were seated at the bar (no big deal). The service here was very friendly and very accommodating. I passed on the Mimosas because I had to head to work right after, but they looked really good ($ 8). I ordered the buttermilk biscuit with ham served with home fries and a salad (peep the pictures). The biscuit was the highlight, it was perfect. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I will definitely be back.

Times like, I wish for a non-​star or half-​star option. Hubby invited me to celebrate with his coworkers for a farewell happy hour outing at a local spot.
We came to ABV and parking was actually pretty good for 6pm on a Friday. The staff was not at all accommodating. They gave us problems from the start. There were 15+ of us and you would think that they’d see dollar signs but no, instead, the created this distorted sense of exclusivity despite their need for patrons.
Granted, the space is not very big but they had a community table in the middle of the dining area and we tried to crowd around so everyone could enjoy themselves.
The servers were nasty when a friend ordered a drink they didn’t have; upon asking about options, the responses were just completely uncalled for. A couple of girls were standing on the side and one of the employees screamed at them.
I think it would have been better had they just asked us to leave if they couldn’t accommodate us, instead of taking our drink orders, to only be nasty the entire time we sat there.
It got to the point that a few of the guys took a stroll down to 2^nd Ave and stumbled upon Manny’s pub and we just decided to go clear our tabs and just go to 2^nd.
They held a table for our entire party and even allowed us to get happy hour specials after the cutoff time.
Considering we spent over $ 550 at Manny’s, had we stayed at ABV the bill most likely would have been much higher since their menu is a bit pricier. Their loss, I guess. I will definitely never cross their doorstep again. To turn an otherwise, celebratory night into one with such a crappy hiccup, was messed up.
Don’t act so exclusive that the only one who shows up to the party, is you.

Super cool vibe in this place if you’re in the mood for some beer or wine (no hard alcohol here!) I liked the communal high top tables, would be a great spot just to grab a quick drink, but if you’re feeling hungry, the food is yummy and affordable!
I came here for brunch today, by recommendation from a friend. I liked that I was able to walk in and sit down right away without a reservation, but we could’ve just been there at the right time, because we did the last 4 seats at the communal table. The menu isn’t huge, only about 12 – 15 options but we ordered 4 of them and they were all beautiful and delicious.
I personally had to go for the brioche french toast with apple compote. Yum! We also ordered the eggs benedict, chorizo tacos (DO IT!), and the bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit. Putting anything on a biscuit wins.
We also tried a side of cornbread as an appetizer which was buttery and grilled and could be the best cornbread I’ve ever had. The mimosas were just OK, nothing special for the normal price of $ 8/​pop.
The staff was friendly and pretty attentive. Our water jug was always refilled! Anyway, I’m moving to the neighborhood, so I want to say, I’ll be back!

I’ve been here a few times for brunch and while I am upset that they changed their menu. I love love LOVED their biscuits. I got a breakfast sandwich on a biscuit that comes with a good helping of crispy deliciousness of homefries and a small arugula salad… WITH an extra side of biscuits. Fatty. I know. But it was well worth it.
Plus they serve Stumptown coffee.
So, my recommendation is to go to BRUNCH.

I watched the bartender on Friday night completely destroy this restaurant. A) he ate behind the bar. B) he was texting behind the bar while customers were trying to get his attention. And the kicker… C) I watched him mix tomato juice with other things for a Bloody Mary mix (I assume be was making for the morning). The issue was, he stuck a straw in to taste it, licked the straw, and stuck it back in to mix the drink some more. WHATTT???
Mangers– fire this guy. I will never come back because of him.

The local of local spots. Great little scene, cozy corner place right on the edge of lower Harlem. Wine and beer selections were solid and out waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about her pairings.
The food caters to everyone’s comfort zone ranging from grilled cheese to fried things to just anything that will bring you back home with an elevated note.
Great local unpretentious lil wine bar. Will definitely make this a staple spot. Btw the 4^th star isn’t so much for the food as it is more for the svc. Bartender and everyone included was just super friendly and welcoming.

My, my, and my. What a great experience. I had a choice for dinner — either Taco Bell or anther local food joint on the way home from my doctor’s office. I saw ABV and thought I’d treat myself to a nice dinner. The host was the most charming lady I’ve met in a long time, who just knew how to lay a carpet out. Suggested menu items, and took great care.
Their food is top shelf amazing. Would highly recommend trying their lamb burger. On the pricier side, but worth it!

Loved this place. Not really packed for brunch on a Sunday like the others but not because they aren’t good at what they do. Good service and a laid back vibe make this place a great non-​fussy brunch spot.
My must tries:
Cold pressed coffee
Poached eggs with asparagus
Southern biscuits with rhubarb jelly

I’ve known about ABV for years since I’m a fan of Earl’s Beer & Cheese. However, I’m not often up on the UES so it wasn’t until recently that I finally got to visit ABV. And I must say I really enjoyed this place. So much that I came here twice within a month. I’m giving them 5 stars off the bat because of their great seasonal menu, the wine selection that is reasonably priced but very much on point, and the friendly service. Add to that the fact that they take reservations and that they have happy hour Monday to Thursday and I’m sure I’ll be back here again.
For the wine, I actually really enjoy their house selections. Since it’s spring I’ve been drinking sparkling wine and roses quite a bit. My friend who likes cider was happy to see they offer it as well. For the food, I loved their simple, straightforward dishes that focuses on what’s in season. I loved the beets and goat cheese with micro greens. And the ricotta gnocchi with chanterelles and English peas were so good I was inspired to make gnocchi at home for the first time. I also had a great dish of morels, ramps, parmesan and egg. It was spring in one dish.
I definitely look forward to coming back during different times of the year and seeing how their menu changes.

I went to ABV this past Thursday night, and I was super pleased with my experience there. They have that dark trendy urban industrial décor, complete with Edison bulbs, and it’s a fun lively place. The waitress was really nice and attentive, which added to the experience.
But on to the food! I had a really hard time deciding what to get because everything looked interesting. The menu changes frequently, and they have snacks, starters, and large plates. There are a lot of terrines, pates, charcuterie, etc… type of items on the menu. Ultimately, my husband and I chose to share some chips and onion dip (a must-​order for me), Portuguese sardines, and I got the beet salad with goat cheese and pistachio.
The onion dip had a really airy whipped quality to it, and subtle onion flavor. The chips were made in house, and while they were tasty, I thought they were a little too brown instead of the ideal golden color that you get from Lays, et al. The sardine appetizer was excellent, with an elegant green garlic sauce and crunchy buttery breadcrumbs. My beet salad had a mix of standard red beets and golden beets, which I loved. There was just the right ratio of goat cheese and pistachio to beets, and the dish was really satisfying.
Bonus points for the Gamay wine, which I never would have chosen on my own. The descriptions of the wines on the menu were a really nice touch, and so helpful in choosing one.

Nice addition to the far nether regions of the UES closer to Spanish Harlem.
As a beer lover I got a kick out of this place being called ABV — Alcohol By Volume. Lord knows my liver is pickled at this point and has a ridiculously high ABV percentage anyway.
Cool spot that looks like it was plucked out of Brooklyn. Well enough small craft beer list, eclectic wine list, tasty fried pickles and food options to nosh on. Cocktails too.
Small bar area up front to sit at, tables aligned along the brick wall interior, and some stools to sit at along the open kitchen area to watch all the action. Can get crowded at times, especially for brunch and dinner as it’s really not that large of a place.
Food items are kind of limited on the menus for brunch and dinner but just the right size for a joint like this. Fried chicken and fish tacos are decent and fairly priced. Brunch will cost you around $ 18 with one alcoholic drink, or $ 15 with just coffee.
Owned by the same gang that hooked us up with the terrific Earl’s Beer & Cheese, Guthrie Inn, a few blocks away, and Dough Loco, so it seems like they are building a food and drink empire up in these parts. Which is a good thing in an area that needs it as it was a wasteland before.