After the culinary world tour that your dear reviewers have been on in recent months, we decided to bring things back to North America with the classic brewpub Abe Erb. Right in the heart of uptown, this swanky industrial bar provides great eats and beer made in-house — a plus for all local beer fans.
Upon entering, we were greeted with an admittedly pretty cool optical illusion of a train track trailing off into the distance, a rustic charm that carries through the entirety of the restaurant. The establishment features modern, yet industrial vibes that simultaneously feel chic and inviting. Let’s not forget the hilarious sign adoring the walls, indicating the subtle appearance of the word beer in the name Abe Erb.
The fare encompassed all the traditional modern pub eats, featuring burgers, tex mex and shareables, all with a fine cuisine flair. An upscale pub if you will. While we, unfortunately, didn’t get to sample the housemade beer, it’s worth noting that Abe Erb takes their beer seriously, brewing it in-house for all you craft beer enthusiasts. With a rotating selection of lagers, IPAs and seasonal brews there’s something for every kind of beer snob (or casual enjoyer). Next time, we might just have to come back and see if the beer lives up to the hype,strictly for journalistic purposes, of course.
In the spirit of it being a Sunday, Andrew got the Yorkies, Abe Erb’s take on a traditional British Sunday roast. The gravy was solid, the braised beef well cooked and the yorkies were delightfully soft. The addition of smoked cheddar on top was nice, however it lacked the savoury flavours that Andrew was looking for.
Lizzie had an absolute unit of a burger so massive, she had to tackle it with a fork and knife because there was no conceivable reality where she would unhinge her jaw in front of her co-writer’s parents. It consisted of a peppercorn-crusted, cheddar-stuffed, smoked eight-ounce beast, slathered with bacon onion jam and jalapeno aioli. This was all stacked on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato and a pickle. Legend says that it was the size of Lizzie’s head.
Accompanying the burger was the house salad, a pillow of mixed greens, beer vinaigrette, roasted pumpkin seeds, apples and shallots. Your favourite writers were definitely a part of the clean plate club, no crumbs left behind. No one believed lil ol’ Lizzie could take it down, but she proved those doubters wrong.
Abe Erb delivered on both food and atmosphere and is definitely a spot we recommend.
While the prices could be more affordable (RIP student budgets), the quality makes it worth the splurge. Whether you’re craving a beast of a burger, a hearty roast or just want to sip on some in-house brewed beer, this place has something to tickle your fancy. If you end up going — hopefully with a pint in hand, let them know LizzDrew sent you!
Ratings:
Ambiance: 8 out of 10
Food: 9 out of 10
Affordability: 7 out of 10
Photo: Sangjun Han/News Director
Graphic: Bronte Behling/Editor-in-Chief
