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| - I've now been here about 5 times, and my experiences have been all over the spectrum. The concept is awesome and space absolutely lovely, the coffee is decent and the cocktails are OK (hit or miss), the food in the coffeeshop was also hit-or-miss, and the service leaves much to be desired.
I really had high hopes for this place, and I still do really hope that it succeeds. One of my absolute favorite hangout spots in my hometown is a coffeeshop/bar hybrid called Northside Social. I was hoping that this might be my Pittsburgh version of that. Who doesn't want to transition seamlessly from coffeeshop working to grabbing a beer with friends, without even moving!
The first time I visited was during the soft opening. I had a killer blackberry espresso cocktail that was unique and delicious. My partner's cocktail was decent as well. The bartenders were very slow, and reading off of recipe cards, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt since it was opening week. However, it was clear that they had not hired opening staff who had extensive experience mixing specialty (on-the-menu) or classic cocktails.
I then came twice to work in the coffeeshop space during the day. They brew Commonplace Coffee beans here, and the results are quite decent. However, my coffeeshop snacking experiences have been mixed. I have had a delicious peanut butter cookie, an OK cheesecake slice that was a little too cloyingly sweet for me, and the wrap of the day that seemed to have fresh ingredients but VERY bizarre flavors.
Until this point, I had enjoyed the vibe of this place. The fourth time I visited was on a Friday night, and it was extremely crowded. Furthermore, the type of crowd it had drawn gave the bar a soulless feeling reminiscent of that at Industry Public House, except with a less impressive beer selection and slightly higher prices. My cocktails were OK, but definitely nothing to write home about. Don't expect consistency if you're a craft cocktail kind of person. Also, you can get cocktails that are just as tasty, and often better, at Spirit for cheaper.
The service was really struggling during my last visit. They seemed kind of disorganized about seating, when we asked to sit outside. There were tons of empty tables and yet for some reason we had to wait for some server issue to resolve before we were allowed to sit there. Our server made us feel quite rushed, bringing the check after we had only had one round. He did bring us a second round upon request but then rushed our checkout, saying that he had worked a 12 hour shift and was looking to get out of there. He also asked us if we were looking for a job, because apparently servers have been quitting and they need more.
Although I absolutely love the space, both inside and out (the fountain is very nice and relaxing), the service kind of killed my last experience. I will occasionally come back for coffee and to work here during the AM, but The Abbey is no longer on my short list for drinking!
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