The food is quite good. I like the way the menu is structured, it makes it more fun for groups. It is a fun atmosphere, although like most places in OTR it can be quite loud.
The quality of the food is immediately apparent, from when the first dish lands on your table to when the very friendly service sees you off at the end of the night.
Grilled octopus was delish! Could have used a bread like item to sop scoop up!
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Wrong To Compare Siblings, But............... While I had very little good to write about Senate, Abigail Street's older brother, its sister restaurant was excellent and innovative. Fortunate to find a place at the bar, this place is packed all the time, I was the only one at the bar and wondered if the OTR neighborhood was evacuated due to another suburban invasion. I guess I just hit it at the right time. The older bartender was friendly, with no attitude, and was informative about the food and cocktails. Abigail Street had the pervasive small plate menu, restaurant trends are like a brush fire, with preparations representing what they called street food from around the world. I have seen this street food concept done first in Denver, then New York, Chicago and Miami with mixed results, but Abigail hit the mark. I tried about eight different dishes, and they were all tasty, interesting, and prepared with care. The Chorizo stuffed dates had just the right amount of caliente, and the restructured untraditional Borek was delicious. It reminded me of the Boreks served at the Serbian restaurants in Milwaukee, but with a modern twist. Ingenious! I had seconds on the Batata. The only let down was the Gnocchi, which were a bit heavy for my taste.
Abigail Street's decor is a bit lighter then next door, and I found it more pleasant, but there is nothing special in its narrow, claustrophobic design. The room is styled for maximum profit. Perhaps I was just lucky, hitting Abigail on a quiet evening, but thankfully, it appeared to lack the "taken with itself" vibe of Senate. I just wish these restaurants would take reservations in order to accommodate some of us older NDY folks, who find waiting at a packed bar physically uncomfortable. If I could get in, I would eat at Abigail often and with pleasure.
Cincinnati's Best. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite among the bourgeoning food mecca that is Cincinnati, but if I had to choose I'd have to go with Abigail Street. The ambiance is amazing, the service is excellent, the food and wine selections are world class. The restaurant has a strong Mediterranean and seafood slant, with all of the options served as large tapas. The Grilled Octopus has to be tried. Cooked to succulent perfection, this normally tough meat melts in your mouth, crusted with a perfect amount of spiced fried chickpeas. The Gnocchi is excellent as well, little pillows potato perfection cooked in plenty of butter with pieces of asparagus and mushrooms. I could go on, but you will really need to just try it for yourself.
Great date night. Food was delicious (we had the dates with chorizo, beat salad, artichokes, and scallops. We were stuffed.
Our server Brad was friendly and attentive but not while giving us plenty of space.
My dinner companion was very impressed.
Great date choice.
Sophisticated, Delicious Food. Abigail Street is a cool spot in OTR that featured some of the best individual dishes in the city. We had the Chorizo Stuffed Dates, Ricotta & Local Honey, Batata (potatoes, coriander, cilantro, smoked paprika, garlic, lemon), Lamb Sliders, finished off with amazing Turkish coffee - a unique experience in itself. Everything was great - go with a group and enjoy the tapas style food, trying as many dishes as possible. The Batata was my absolute favorite item.
Great!. Had been to Abigail Street a couple of times and liked it, this time returned with a friend who had just had a less than pleasing experience there. They outdid themselves. We shared the beet salad, outstanding. We had a potato dish with an aioli that was really good. The lamb meatballs with polenta were fantastic! I could only eat one of the two that are served, took the other one home. A friend with us has to eat gluten free and I was very impressed with the waiter's knowledge of what was ok on the menu for her. He was also very sensitive to some of the aspects of gluten free, asking her if she could eat something that came out of the same fryer as a gluten dish. The service was excellent. We had a bottle of the wine special for the evening, a Malbec that was pretty great, too! My only drawback would be the sound level, very loud but not much to be done about that!
Good, but for a price. A good friend of mine came into town to visit and meet up for dinner. Her and I decided to try somewhere new in OTR and chose Abigail. I must start with the service, it was amazing. The man who waited on us was attentive without being annoying and joked with us when we joked with him. He also offered good and thoughtful suggestions when asked. The food all tasted good, which is why I indicated that I liked the place. What I didn't like was the price for portion. I understand going to eat in OTR on Vine street will cost me more than most places, but I spent damn near $100 on a meal for 2 people that left me feeling less than full. With only 1 glass of wine each, that just doesn't seem reasonable. I would love to go back and have more plates for less money and leave full, or spend the same amount and get a full plate. They have entree prices for tapas, and that just isn't sustainable long term.
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Perfect. My first trip to Abigail St and definitely not my last! My best friend from Belgium was in town and an admitted food snob, that travels internationally on a regular basis. He had seen reviews and wanted to come here and we were not disappointed. We had the shrimp, hangar steak and octopus.. And then another order of the shrimp- it was that good. We had the best table in front of the kitchen, which gave us a great view of the chefs at work and a bit more privacy then the dining room tables. We were lucky enough to have a waiter and waitress, both of which were awesome- engaging, helpful and put up with us :) The chef brought us out a surprise dish of a phenomenal sweet corn soufflé which was to die for (apparently our back and forth banter was somewhat entertaining) and I was happy to be able to share some lovely Belgian chocolates with all the staff before we left.
This is probably the best dining experience I've had in a number of years and look forward to my next trip back to Abigail St!
Great food & service. We had a late Tuesday night dinner at Abigail Street, and all of our expectations were exceeded. Our server was fantastic. She was knowledgeable about the menu, efficient, and very sweet. She definitely made the experience top-notch! The food was great. We had the scallops, grilled octopus, and ricotta with honey. All were excellent! The wine list was great too.
I had the ricotta with honey and the lamb sliders-both delicious!! Grace was our server and she was lovely! She was Knowledgable and provided great service!!
Fantastic date night Sat a.... Fantastic date night
Sat at the bar. Ryan took outstanding care of us. Good food, wine and seevice
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Good, not great. I had dinner the other night at Abigail Street for the first time. Cute place, sort of artsy and bohemian. The waiters all looked like hipsters. The customer base was largely upper-middle class middle aged types.
Service wasn't terribly great. Our waitress had a death glare going on. I'm not sure whether it was specifically for me because of something I said or how I look, or that's just her default expression while waiting tables. Or perhaps she just didn't want to be there that night and was in a crummy mood. Every time she looked at me I was half expecting her to pick up a dish and smash it over my head. When she spoke there was an underlying disdain carrying through.
The food came out at appropriate intervals. The most remarkable thing about it was how there was an overall downward trend which progressed through the meal. The menu on their website is a little different than in person so I can't recall all of the details.
We started with a fennel/lentil salad that had a tahini sauce on top. It had a fantastic acidic sour dressing on it. The gnocchi came next and was delicious. This was the most well cooked gnocchi I've had. It was like eating little pillows. The batata came next and smelled wonderful. It was roasted potatoes with some herbs and lemon. It ended up being one of those dishes that tastes great at first but becomes overwhelming over time. After a few bites I felt like I had a "taste burn" on my tongue from the intensity of the lemon.
This is where things went from okay to bad. The pea and ham crostini was just super bland and the peas were undercooked. Then came the lamb shoulder on couscous. The couscous was good, but this lamb was terrible. It was severely overdone, dry, and unseasoned. It tasted like a shoe. We finished with some churros which were slightly burnt on one end and underdone on the other.
Overall, there's a lot of promise in this place and I hope to see it stick around and improve for the future. My meal ended up averaging out to a mediocre total, which is a shame because it started out so great. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 - decent, room to improve, but nothing that makes me want to become a regular.
Awesome! Tapas style small plates. Went w another couple and shared. Every dish was outstanding w unique flavors. Will be back. Wait is half of Senates in general and food just as good or better.
Small Plates, Big Flavor. After trying to get into Senate, we headed next door to Abigail Street. We didn't know what to expect, and were a little thrown off by the small plate format, but between the server and the nice couple sitting next to us, we were quickly in step with how to proceed. We orered the beet salad, crustini and finished with the lamb sliders. The crustini was probably our favorite but everything was very good. Throw in a couple of belfian beers and it was a very nice meal. Total tab including tax and tip was around $85 so the courses add up but you could do it for about $40 plus tip without drinks.
Kris Trantow Schillings
+4.5
Fabulous. First time to Abigail Street and couldn't have enjoyed it more. Our service was amazing. Our server Grace's knowledge of the food and the wine was perfect. We enjoyed 2 differ wines and 4 different plates! Small plates is a fun way to share and enjoy many things. Lamb sliders and Squash and bacon crostini were excellent. Next time we will have all different because there was just to much to chose from!
Without a doubt. We have been going to Abigail Street since they first opened.
It was now that I realized I hadn't left a review;
A.S. is, bar none, one of our FAVORITE restaurants to frequent. It is not inferior on price, as it is superior on quality, diversity, locally grown, locally owned and prepared to perfection. EVERY SINGLE TIME! I have ordered dishes I have not liked, however, I have never been served anything that wasn't good. The staff greets you as family and the owner, who wouldn't love 'Chef'? He always acknowledges us and actually cares what we think, feel and taste about his dishes. Their Bordeaux is an extraordinary wine. The Turkish coffee is something to try and the Mediterranean Mint tea...pure delight in the press copper pot. This is a must try, without a doubt. One last thing, if you like Baklava, well, go NOW for dessert and coffee.
This place is a must in OTR. My husband and I planned on dining at Senate next door but due to the almost two hour wait it was suggested we go next door to Abigail Street which is owned by the same guy as Senate. Boy am I glad this happened. First, our server Sarah was amazing; very friendly and knowledgable about everything on the menu. The food was amazing as well. We ordered four tapas between the two of us and that was more than enough. The tapas came out as they were ready, so we were able to nubble on and enjoy everything individually and wasnt overwhelmed by all four coming at once. I had the wine flight as well; i told Sarah that I like my wines on the sweet side and that I wasnt exactly sure which ones to get. She picked out three amazing wines that suited me perfectly.
We had a great experience here and will be back for sure!
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Yea it is a bit loud but great service and fantastic tapas. First off I love Tapas nothing like getting several portions to share very social. Second, I love great service and Seabiscuit/teenwolf, nickname, was awesome. Very friendly, responsive, and knowledgeable.
We walked here from Fountain Square and walked right past due to no prominent signage on the front but we quickly figure it out.
Like a previous reviewer said it is pretty loud in here and I usually hate that but here I loved the vibe great interior love the subway tile on the wall and the floor was very nice overall a great space.
Okay enough about that now lets talk about the real reason to go here and that is the food. We had 3 plates first being the beets followed by borke (sp) and finished with the grilled octopus. I think each plate was better than the one before it. The beets were decent nothing outstanding. The borke or whatever it is called was very good. It was a fine pastry wrapped around eggplant, yellow peppers and feta cheese. I am not a fan of eggplant but I knew this would be blended perfectly and it was. The topper was the grilled octopus it was a bit tough to cut up but was very dense and tasted great especially with the Moroccan sausage and chickpeas it was served with. This plate was very filling a great final one.
I would definitely go back here for nothing else but the service. Lastly, it is a wine bar but they have bottle beer and enough liquor to make plenty of drinks.
Creative, Delicious, Impeccable. In short; Impeccable service, an incredible array of creative, and delicious small plates (slightly larger in portions to tapas).
Our waiter was friendly, and knowledgeable. Our glasses were never empty, and fresh plates and silverware were provided for every course. Our party had a fantastic time sampling wines by the glass, and ordering small plates 2 or 3 at a time till we had our fill. Our table of 4 went through 8 small plates, every single thing we tried was incredible. A superb foodie experience!
I give Abigail St. my highest recommendation.
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Extraordinary. My sweetie & I dined there Friday night, arriving just after 6pm in hopes of getting a table without a long wait. We were seated right away, our knowledgeable waiter explained that the menu items each were designed as "small plates" to be shared. We started w/ the local beets - red, gold, w/ toasted hazelnuts, local greens, Lebna (sp?) cheese, a cream-cheese-like tangy spread made fr. Yogurt, with a light dressing. Then grilled octopus with Marquez (sp?) sausage & deep-fried chickpeas, as lovely in its different way as the beets. Then grilled shrimp - along / w the beets, my favorite - followed by my husband's fave, the lamb shank w pistachio pesto, couscous w/ "drunken fruits."
I loathe lamb, but even I liked this dish. Not overwhelmingly lamby, and flavor blend was great. We ended with churros, hot, cinnamony, crunchy and fabulous dunked in the dark-chocolate sauce, also made in-house. I'd confess to sipping the extra sauce from its adorable little glass pitcher if that didn't make me sound so icky. (I did manage not to lick the pitcher clean, sparing my beloved as much as I could.)
Service was efficient and friendly, wines plentiful (on tap), coffee excellent w/ heavy cream served in a delicate Turkish coffee cup. All the plates & bowls were mismatched china, and napkins were made of dishcloth material. Tres charming.
Truly a wonderful addition to the OTR moderately-priced-yet-über good restaurants. Tab, including 2 glasses of Walnut Pinot noir, was $83 before the generous tip our waiter and his colleagues had earned.
Go now. A worthy sister, indeed, to Senate.
Good food and service. On a Wednesday night my date and I didn't expect to have to wait to dine anywhere downtown. Our first stop at Via Vita left us with a promise from the host to call our cell in a half hour or so when they had a table ready. Our next idea was A Tavola and it had a 15-20 minute wait. On our way to the Senate we accidentally walked in to Abigail Street. The place smelled heavenly and they had a couple of tables available so we decided to give it a try. Like all the hipster heavy places in the Gateway, this place was pretty noisy. The service was prompt and seemed knowledgeable and the food was prepared as promised by the menu. I didn't think it was great but I didn't dislike anything we tried.
Fantastic service and great food! Thanks for making my Valentines a success.
Amazing!!!. The lamb shank dish is one of the best dishes I have ever had in this city. The baklava is totally sinful and decadent. Service was spot on. Abigail Street has very quickly moved into my top 5 in the city.
Lamb , scallops , and hanger steak are absolutely to die for. Great spot great vibe great staff
Abigail Street's atmosphere is cozy, sophisticated, and relaxed lacking any pretentiousness or stuffy feelings. Aside from the beautiful bar and comfy seating, my favorite part of the restaurant would have to be the bathroom. I'm positive that it's the coolest restaurant bathroom in the entire city.
duck ragout + gnocchi I love the way my neighborhood is developing. Most weekends, The Better Half and I don't go much farther than a block or two. We have so many choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner- and more every day- that it's very tempting to not venture out past the immediate neighborhood. Don't worry, I know I should, but on evenings like a recent one- tickets to the symphony- it's so nice to not go very far for a bite after. Senate, the third restaurant to open in that block of Vine (Venice on Vine has been there for a while; Lavomatic opened in 2008), owned by Dan and Lana Wright, set the bar for the block, even though it wasn't "first in". It has to be good, one; it has to be innovative; it has to be interesting. Other restaurants opening recently: A Tavola, Taste of Belgium, and most recently Bakersfield are all following the lead of Sena
This is tapas style, but I don’t think that the plates are that small, so be careful when ordering. Really good vegetarian options. The broccoli, peach and tomato salad, and falafel are excellent. I also really like the short rib. Great service and atmosphere.
We tried half of the things on their menu and everything was fantastic. The ambiance was great, food was delicious, drinks were great and the service was top notch. Definitely going there again.
This is one of the must visit places when you are in Cincinnati. I have been here a few times and have never had a thing to complain about. Great atmosphere and such flavourful food. They have a number of vegetarian friendly dishes also. You definitely should get their Hummus and the Falafel. Service is top notch.
Had a wonderful dinner here. Great meal all around. We got three plates for 2 adults - the honey ricotta, broccoli and the short ribs. All of them were fantastic! Everything was so good, I forgot to take pictures of the other dishes.
For dessert we had the baklava and Turkish coffee. It was excellent, not as sweet as most.
One of the best restaurants in the city. The food is always incredible and the service is amazing. Their menu has some longstanding favorites and then they switch it up. Right now, I highly suggest their bacon wrapped dates and short rib! The waiter was fantastic. He coursed out the meal perfectly and refilled our wine glasses without me even noticing. Love this place!
Abigail Street in OTR Cincinnati offers an excellent atmosphere with a friendly staff. The sharing portions are great, allowing you to try a variety of delicious dishes. The location is conveniently close to a parking lot in OTR, making it easy to access. Great hummus pita and beef short rib dishes. If you’re a bourbon fan, their custom recipe drinks are excellent. Highly recommended!
My new fav Cinci restaurant! Great mediterranean food with sharing style tapas portions that, surprise surprise, are really good size! Baklava is a MUSST! Short rib, gambas, broccoli, enjoyyyy and come baack
My wife and I were in town for a wedding and our local friend booked us a reservation here. We were blown away at how good this place is! From food, service, to atmosphere, this was definitely one of our best dining experiences in recent memory. Everything was 5/5 and I will be coming back next time we’re in town.
Had the most amazing server, Sarah! She knew the items on the menu that had dairy (I can't eat dairy), she wore a mask (I noticed most servers were!), and was overall super friendly. We sat outside and felt very safe. The food... Amazing! We had the octopus, some type of seafood bisque, and chicken hummus type kabobs. Everything was fabulous!!! I will be craving this place now!!
Update: second visit just as delish! My top fave. Their hummus is top notch!
I’m from out of town. Abigail Street was recommended to me by several friends of mine. Hands down, it is one of the best meals I have ever had in a very long time. The food was phenomenal! Service was excellent - attentive and friendly. Our server answered all of our questions and was super knowledgeable about the menu and the concept. I would visit Cincinnati just to eat here again.
Troy and Rebecca Smith
+5
One of Cincinnati's best kept secrets. Small space but somehow you don't feel crowded. Small plates that you share. We got five but four would have been plenty.. Our server was so knowledgeable and made great suggestions. And the food? Outstanding. The lamb spaghetti was fantastic. Decorum was the only thing that kept me from licking the bowl clean.
Abigail Street is well worth the price of admission. The space is a bit small, but the vibe is trendy and well placed in this area of Cincinnati. The service was impeccable- great recommendations, accommodating, and attentive. Most importantly, the pacing of the meal was perfect. We got five "plates ," which was a lot for two people. Stand outs were the Ricotta & Honey, Broccoli, and octopus. We ended with baklava- warm, crispy, and sweet. I really can't say enough positive about this restaurant, and in particular our server Jan.
In the longstanding landscape of Vine Street in OTR. Abigail Street stands apart, with unpretentious excellence.
Amongst many visits, sometimes after long gaps... The food, service and people are consistently good. Recently, I've particularly loved bringing new friends here because I know it won't disappoint.
Stop in, and give it a try. Hope you enjoy it.
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Took my girlfriend here for her birthday after a recommendation from a friend and a Mountain of Praise on the r/Cincinnati subreddit.
We were both absolutely blown away. The quality of the food was beyond exceptional. I don't want to overuse superlatives but honestly even they fall short. The service was absolutely incredible as well.
The falafel is by far the best either of us has ever eaten. The sweet potato gnocchi is every bit as delicious as it is unusual sounding. Pistachio baklava would be worth its weight on literal gold.
Wine selection is on point, although personally I can't speak to the selection of whites as I don't drink them.
I absolutely recommend this place to anyone who has even the vaguest appreciation of Middle Eastern cuisine, actually scratch that...to anyone who eats food!
UPDATE: After having taken my girlfriend here for her birthday in April, we both loved it so much that she recently took me here for my birthday earlier this month (June). There were some changes to the menu, new and seasonal dishes, but the staples were all present (the Falafel transcends mere food, it is impossibly good!).
Needless to say, for as long as Abigail Street's doors are open, and as long as we keep having birthdays, I can't imagine spending them anywhere else!
I’m from Chicago… go to NYC a lot. Tonight’s dinner was top 3 dining experiences of all times. Came to town with wife and two kids. Everything was amazing. Top notch food! Delicious cocktails! Travis was a fantastic waiter!
Will come back.
Abigail Street is our favorite restaurant in the city. The food is incredible, and the entire experience overall is incredible. We have a toddler so we don't get to eat out much- but we've been coming here whenever we're able to get a sitter. Great work guys
Also wondering if/when the lamb spaghetti is coming back
Make sure you make a reservation. Never been to a place like this you get many tiny meals to split so get to try different things we shared 3 things for 2 people. Glad we did I would have never picked the peach tomato thing but it was really good the broccoli was my favorite. They have a little picture of either a fish hook, Bucher knife or a carrots the carrot means vegetarian but if you tell them you're vegan they will bring you a menu to see your options nice wine selection server was very knowledgeable and friendly even though you could tell he was busy
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Abigail Street- Five Star Food in a Casual Setting with Fabulous Service
From the moment we entered Abigail Street we were treated royally. My husband had made reservations for my birthday on the Resy app. We arrived an hour early wondering if we could be seated sooner. Turns out my husband's app skills were lacking and the reservation had not gone through! Laura, the general manager immediately eased his pain. " We will make this work," she assured. Then Laura graciously ushered us to a table for two. Our waiter Alex was exceptional! He answered our numerous questions, as we were not especially familiar with Mediterranean cuisine ( beside Italian). I had Googled ingredients from the menu before getting there but his input was invaluable.
When my husband was uncertain about a wine that was new to us, Alex offered him a taste. Very helpful. I could not resist a cocktail and was very pleased with the gin-based Zahra with Italicus and rose liquors.
The menu consists of small-plates served one at a time and meant for sharing. We started with Roasted Beets and Lebnah. I never can resist beets when they are on a menu. Locally sourced beets were served on a bed of baby kale accompanied by Lebnah (similar to Greek yogurt but creamier)and toasted hazelnuts. The lemon vinaigrette gave it a tangy finish. Delightful!
Next came what is now one of my favorite dishes of all time - Wood Grilled Octopus! Laura had recommended the dish, Alex had concurred it is a favorite and the cooking staff even wear T-shirts with an Octopus on the back. It was so tender and perfectly seasoned. The octopus sat on a bed of hummus and was garnished with meriguez sausage, parsley, tomato, jalapeno, lemon and yummy fried chick peas. The flavors were WOW!
When the 3rd dish came, I was getting full but the crispy fried Moroccan Spiced Broccoli with Berbere (Google it like I did), sesame seeds, miso, tahini was so fragrant and finely seasoned we had to indulge.
For our 4th dish we decided to choose between 3 seafood dishes that sounded good to us. Mussels Charmoula, Gambas Al Ajillo (garlic shrimp) or Bouillabaisse. We went with my husband favorite - bouillabaisse. We were not disappointed. It was tres magnifique! Halibut, shrimp, mussels and rouille (a French version of aioli infused with fish fish liquid) in a luscious saffron broth. with a mildly spicy bite and topped with grilled toast. It was an outrageous party in my mouth! I was tempted to order more bread or toast to sop up the incredible liquid but because of my expanding waist-line I made due with laddling the broth into my mouth when no one was looking!
Perfectly satisfied , I was still happy when Alex brought out two more empty plates for what I expected was a birthday surprise. Correct! Accompanied by a single birthday candle were two generous triangles of pistachio Baklava dusted with powdered sugar Then my husband started singing happy birthday and the entire restaurant and staff joined! So embarrassing but all embarrassment vanished when I bit into the warm exquisite baklava. Heaven!!
I couldn't ask for a better birthday dinner. Wonderful service from lovely Laura to Amy the hostess who checked on our comfort and our splendid waiter Alex, only surpassed by the intriguing, fresh and so flavorful dishes. ( Can I adopt the chef?) On leaving I was wished happy birthday by several random strangers. Even their customers deserve kudos for helping to make this a memorable evening. We are making a list of loved ones to take with us to our next visit to Abigail Street so we can try the Lamb Spaghetti, Crispy Falafel and Sweet Potato Gnocchi.
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