Armsby Abbey

European Bistro atmosphere with a killer selection of international beers, and some regional selections, typically with multiple Hill Farmstead selections on draft. The food selection is limited but with an artisan flare and very good. Lots of bar and table seating as well.

Small space with a long bar. Old building downtown with high quality interior design with brick, arches and columns. 18 beers on tap, including 4 hill farmstead and 2 trillium. Kind of slow on a Thursday afternoon, but seems like a good place for brunch and evening.

 

 

 

The vibe is somewhere between bar and decent downtown eatery with foodie tendencies. But the beer list is impressive, with several Hill Farmstead offerings, which I always appreciate, and a nice range of choices, always solid where I am familiar with the selection. The result is an extraordinarily well built drinking experience. On top of this, the service is both friendly and knowledgeable. The food is pretty shockingly good. The beer cheese was a wondrous spread served with toast and local radishes. I am not a fan of radishes, but these were delicious. The burger was exceptional, a lush blend of marrow and cuts that built something far more flavorful than a standard beef patty. If I am ever near Worchester again, I'm coming back.

 

Armsby Abbey

This restaurant and bar is right in the middle of Downtown Worcester. I conveniently parked in a lot a couple blocks up as I could not easily find street parking. 1PM on a Tuesday and sat right down at the bar with no wait. Several open tables at this time as well.

Cool vibe. Hip vibe. Hip music playing. Exposed brick wall and HVAC. Rustic meets industrial. Dark wood bar with stools. Standing bar running down the middle of the restaurant. High top tables along the wall and in the back room.

About 20 taps with a clear and clean printed list for the day. Also a large chalk board on the wall displaying the selection. Not the largest selection, but an amazing, diverse, well curated selection that is the epitome of quality over quantity. 6 different Hill Farmstead beers across various styles, Horus, Jester King, Jolly Pumpkin, Trillium, Mahr’s, Naparbier, Fox Farm, among many other nice options. I drank the Fox Farm IPA and it was amazing. They focus on proper glassware for styles too.

Ordered the smash style burger made with a blend of ground chuck, heart and marrow. A super flavorful patty. Could’ve used a double patty, but it was an excellent burger. Nicely charred and perfectly seasoned.

Excellent service. Super friendly guy and gal behind the bar, who were laser focused on new customers walking in and existing customers. Really a great spot. I drove from Boston to have lunch there on my way out to Tree House and I would highly recommend stopping there if you are in the area or making the same drive.

One of the challenges of going to a great place is they're usually crowded. There aren't a lot of places you can get Hill Farmstead out of Vermont. Add to this other world-class beers, and you have a great place to go. A limited menu, but that is fine with me. The food was outstanding, although the service was a touch slow. Can't really complain all-in-all. If you want some great beer and you're in the Worcester area, this is a must-stop place.

A legendary spot in a very unlegendary city. From nearly every tap flows a top quality beer from around the US and Europe. Vibe is reminiscent of Belgium and the food is on the same level. Great place to take a date or just catch up with friends. Top notch.

 

 

 

 

a 90's hip-hop heads paradise.

Trillium and Hill Farmstead dominated the draft list...improbable if not impossible to match that...service was fast and friendly and food was super. The decor and interior arent unusual or spectacular, but nice and clean traditional pub. It also has parking! Treehouse brewing is about 20 miles down the road too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavy French influences with a high emphasis of Farm to Table dining. The meal was amazing. They had some gorgeous cheeses to choose from as well as a variety of dishes. Their beer selection was a large assortment of IPA, sours and stouts of some craft local breweries. It will be busy when you go. Reservations are recommended.

One of the best bars I've ever been to, with the most knowledgeable staff I've ever come across.

Went on MLK Day, 2/16 for a late lunch, and later for dinner. Drinks with both. The beer selection is fantastic, quite unique to this area. I consider myself well educated on craft beer, and had to look up every beer on the tap list to be sure I knew what I wanted next. Both our dining area server, and later the bartender were very knowledgeable about their beers. I love the bar setup and decor as well. Ordered a flatbread with winter vegetables, etc., and it was kind of bland tasting, but it wasn't bad or anything, just nothing exciting either. Food selection is quite limited, but the fact that everything is locally sourced is also unique.

A delightful spot for dinner when we stopped overnight in Worcester on our way to Portland. Loved the openness and cool vibe. Outstanding taplist including 3 or 4 Hill Farmstead selections (for me, HF is the one endlessly hyped brewery that always makes great beer). Service was very pleasant and capable. Only slight disappointment was some of the food. The cheese and charcuteries plates were really great (wonderful duck rillette) but the other stuff we had was rich but bland, not my favorite combo.

Overall though, well worth the stop. I'd jump off the highway anytime i was in the area.

HV

In town on business and found the Abbey. Easy location to find, on street parking right out front and a parking garage right around the corner. If you are familiar with the town of Worcester it isn't what you immediately think of for a higher quality eatery and beer. You walk in and instantly has a feel of a large Old English club. Beautiful bar and woodwork, great atmosphere, a little loud, but it's a big open space and that is to be expected.

Then you look at the beer list... Hill Farmstead on tap, WHAT!?!?! Foundation, Trillium, you name it. The menu is slightly limited, more small dishes than full plates, but the food is fantastic. We got the cheese board, selection was large, recommendations were spot on.

Looking forward to going back

I went here not fully knowing what to expect other than an AMAZING tap list. The first thing they do is serve you a glass of water, which is great.

The tap list is obviously amazing, with 2-3 beers from Hill Farmstead always on tap. Other great breweries like Medusa, Oxbow, Trillium and Kent Falls are also on tap.

Their tap list is updated frequently on line.

The food was incredible, a bit pricey but its farm to table with the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients so its understandable.

Everything was great except I felt the staff could be a bit more engaging with its customers. The fact that 90% of the people at the bar were glued to their cellphones may have played a part though.

First rate bar, the best I have been to in Boston. The only bar in Mas. that has Hill farmstead. Also Oxbow, Tired Hands, and of course Trillium. Perfect lines, great carbonation. On the way back to Canada from Boston.

Good beer selection, particularly Belgian beers and stouts. Food is very good. Nice assortment of cheeses. Bonus points for a very enjoyable Bloody Mary bar.

Have been twice mid afternoon for lunch and drinks while passing through town. Not crowded. Tap list was very diverse from blonde ales to sours. Beer prices were average. Service was solid and knowledgeable. Food was good to very good. Food cost was above average but the food was quality (not overpaying for shit food). I would definitely recommend it for drinks and or a meal. Cheers!

Awesome little stopover while at a local museum and waiting for an afternoon Tree House run. Beers on top that few can beat and the food, mmmm. The artisan sandwiches and soup rocked my belly.

 

 

 

Great beer, good food but no parking.