The Abbey Espresso Bar and Café

I have never had a bad experience here! The food is always excellent & the atmosphere is always chill. It can get a little crowded at lunch, so if you are in a hurry, use their convenient drive thru & call your order in ahead of time. There are a lot of people that come here and «camp» at tables:) Nothing wrong with that! Just beware if you have a larger group of people who need seats. One would not expect to find a place like this in Belleville! They are really a full service place! There is beer & wine, soup, sandwiches, GELATO! They have live music at times. There is a conference room & gift shop as well!

PLEAAAAASE GO HERE ! They have the best hot chocolate and are generous with the whipped cream it’s a very relaxing environment as well. My favorite place to relax around here

Great place! But… Some of the worst coffee and espresso I’ve had in a long time… I think it’s really old or left out in the open air too long, but it’s almost unpalatable.
All that aside, I love everything else about this place. The food is really, really great, and I love the environment. Such a cool place to hang out. I highly recommend checking it out. Just don’t get anything espresso or coffee based.
For the love of God, please make this a good local place for coffee by not mistreating your beans so terribly and making them unbearable.

This place has been one of my favorite venues to go to for about 3 years now and it is the best place for coffee and lunch anywhere else in the world!

This is the second time I’ve been here. The first time, I had breakfast, the Egg-​bake Panini and coffee. It was very good. I saved half the panini for later, and it was even tastier warmed up than it was at the first eating. I’m back for lunch today, and ordered the Caprese Panini and a Bloody Mary. I was only going to eat half the panini, but couldn’t stop. VERY good. And, of course, the Bloody Mary is better than coffee!

I think this place is overrated. Their services were really bad last time. They didn’t clean up after each customer when they left

First time here! Very relaxing & beautiful! Very comfortable! I love the outside area and the inside area. And the food was very good, I had some breakfast while I was here kind of look like a quiche. It was very yummy!

Wonderful restaurant both food and service-​wise, but I must reply to Tina S.‘s post that there are NOT a «ton of gluten-​free options». After reading her post I was expecting a gluten free menu! The usual things are gluten free and I loved my salad, Rice Krispie bar, and gelato, but don’t go for bread or any bakery goods if you want gluten free. Such nice people working there and we even bought two blessing baskets which were great. I would definitely go back again.

Perfect spot to lounge with a cup of coffee, pint of brew, or glass of wine. Comfortable seating readily available.
Great patio setting for summer season.
Service is great but food menu selection could use an upgrade.

not a fan of the new location too many ppl. too loud. everyone was nicer and more personal at the old location I used to go 3 times a week till they moved now I have gone 2 times in 1 year almost wrecked my car both times in the parking lot which is too small

Everything so far has been delicious as far as food. Love to see them do a little more on the bar side of things, they have potential. Love the soups and salads– really recommend the veggie, tuna, or chicken salad sandwiches. But what I love most is just the fresh greens served on the side with just the perfect light citrus oil dressing. It lets the greens shine on their own. Sad part is you need to request it or your side is greasy potato chips. Why can’t Belleville automatically just make the greener healthier choice the standard? One day maybe. Espresso can use some work but still probably the best non corporate coffee shop in Belleville.

My 1^st time here. They have a drive thru! Woohoo! I was on my way to see my mom at Memorial Hospital and had not eaten. I wanted something semi healthy. I went thru the drive thru and got a pick 2 –½ chicken salad and ½ Priester’s Park salad. Food was very good and great price! Better selection then the hospital café.

Excellent little spot to set up shop and work remote. Food, coffee and staff are all top notch. They also offer live music from time to time.

Great food. Great atmosphere. Great fun. We had very friendly service and the food was great. The amount of food you receive is generous. Love the atmosphere. It’s both friendly and festive. Definitely would come here again.

Stopped in here last month on a Friday about 8:00 PM for a drink and a meeting. Available seats awaited me at the bar. Was greeted at the bar by a gentleman by the name of Andy, I believe. His personality and demeanor is a perfect match for this establishment.
Had a glass of the Rhiannon Zin and was pleasantly surprised at the quality for the price ($ 7-​$ 8.00), and a good size pour as well. Have found it difficult to get quality wine by the glass in these parts. Also being a bit hungry, I ordered the crab cakes which were served on a bed of lettuce with a very «bright» vinegar coating which complemented the crabs very well. The plate came with 3 good size crab cakes ($ 12.00?) which again offered great value. Yes, more crab than filler would have been nice but not for that price. Overall, very good presentation.
Band was providing a bit of evening entertainment in the background, but in no way was it a deterrent from having a conversation and having to fight over the noise.
This fine establishment offers a limited choice of appetizer and entre selections, but surprisingly, had a tough choice on what to order, as they all seemed quite appealing.
Had another visit the following week with friend and also had a great experience. The food and beer and overall experience are as good as you will get in the MetroEast.

Their food is good for a small café and very reasonable in price! I love it that they have gelato! And it’s homemade! Actually almost all of their food is homemade which is awesome! 1 star off because their coffee is not great. I’ve tried their lattes multiple times and it’s just not good.

I have seen reviews of The Abbey, so I wanted to check it out I was so impressed with the outside patio area. I was just grabbing a coffee to go. The place was very warm and welcoming when I entered. The fireplace looked like a great place to send a cool evening. The place had quite a few tables. It looked like you had to order at the counter and then they would deliver to your table. Hot and cold coffee options, plus tea. Tons of gluten free options, muffins, cookies and quiche. Next time I will stay longer and order from the menu. I grabbed a ice coffee of the day.

Driving without direction and the abbey pulled us in!!! We went in for coffee and surprisingly they had a full bar and great food! We had the quiche, the pretzels, and the chicken sandwich! Everything was delicious, the live entertainment and the service was also on point! Thank you Abbey staff for this experience!!! More than just a coffee joint!!!

Great coffee with a variety of espresso drinks, plus an assortment of bakery items and sandwiches to choose from. We had one of there 7-​layer bars which had lots of great texture melded into a great flavor combo. Would highly recommend! Great ambiance too, with light jazz in the background.

I knew I loved this place as soon as I saw the multi-​colored wood planks of the park bench just inside the entrance. Rustic and SO cute! I ordered from the lunch menu the Priester’s Park salad: spinach, red onion, bacon, candied pecans, blue cheese crumbles and poppy seed dressing. Fresh, fresh, fresh! The seating outside was comfortable and inviting in the 75 degree weather. I’ll definitely be back to try their breakfast. Highly recommended as a place to try in Belleville!

One of my BFFs is moving back to NYC permanently, and I desperately wanted to see him before he left. He’s currently holed up in Belleville and asked if I could meet him for lunch out there. I’m thinking oh, great, Belleville, so you can see what you definitely won’t be missing when you get to NY?
Somehow, though, we found this glistening gem amongst the strips of chain coffee shops.
The service here was outstanding. You order at the counter and they bring your food out to you, and there was constantly someone coming by to bring us refills. We also ordered food to bring to another friend after our lunch, and they offered to wait to make it until after we ate (we didn’t ask!). Pretty outstanding. Despite being busy, the waitress remembered and went and made it when they saw us finishing up.
The food was really good. I had chicken salad. It was a delight. I don’t know what else I can say about a chicken salad sandwich. It’s basically chicken bits swirled in mayo. They threw in some nuts and fruit to make it fancy, though. I felt classy even though a chicken salad sandwich is probably the trashiest thing you can eat, no? I was relieved when my friend ordered a tuna melt. I think that might be more pathetic, but I’m not sure.
The décor was cute, although not that different from a Panera. I still don’t understand why this place is called the Abbey.
Pretty pricey, but I don’t feel it was overpriced. With the service, the quality of the food, and the atmosphere, I’d say worth it.
Good job, Belleville. You impressed a few city snobs with your friendly waitresses and your mayonnaise-​based salads.

I just found this place and have been about 6 times so far. I’m enjoying everything so far but I have only had coffee and breakfast. The food is good, the coffee is good, prices are reasonable and the place is clean and the employees friendly.
I will likely continue to visit this place in the afternoon to grade papers and drink coffee. I find the atmosphere relaxing and the huge windows let in plenty of sun light. I’m becoming a fan of the Abbey.
I may add to this review later if I find something different after I try the lunch items.
11/​23/​2015:
I’ve had a couple of work days in Belleville this year and I find the coffee is still good. The atmosphere is relaxed and conducive to either working quietly, noshing with friends or just warming up over a cup of coffee. Nice place.