Offering higher-brow burgers, coffees and beers, Abby’s is the recently founded burger business, taking the spot where Oporto used to reside along Mona Vale road. Positioned between Pattison’s Patisserie and Max Brenner Chocolate shop on one side, and Psycho Chicken and Chargrill Charlie’s on the other; the location doesn’t seem to scream that the establishment of a burger shop which offers coffees would be the most intelligent business manoeuvre. But somehow, Abby has pulled it off.
Abby’s is a place that should be saved for special occasions or the most hungry of hangovers, as burgers start at about $16 and can reach up to $22, without chips or a drink… But the value is found in the absolute satisfaction these burgers give the receiver. They are huge. They look great and they are very tasty. What more could be wanted?
There is a diverse range of burger options on the menu at Abby’s. They have beef, chicken, steak, vegetarian, lamb, sausage and even fish burgers. They offer sides, which are; crunchy chips, Greek salad, garden salad and tabouli as well as breakfast burger options. The chips are almost as amazing as the burgers; golden, crunchy and oily – but in a good way.
The establishment also has a running coffee-stand outside the front door, which manages to hold a solid customer base, regardless of the surrounding competition. Abby himself can be seen serving coffees from the stand from early in the morning through to late in the day.
As the restaurant, café, takeaway burger-shop, is named “…Beer ‘N’ Burgers” the service of beer needs to be considered. Abby’s offer 2 draft beers and a cider on tap, along with a selection of bottled beers refrigerated behind the main bar. The selection consists largely of import beers and is therefore priced similarly to the burgers, but again, quality is everything and a perfectly chilled beer with a big burger meal from Abby’s is imperative. The front of Abby’s opens to the street and freshly grilled burger with a quality draft beer on a warm day appears to be what the market in St Ives enjoys as they sit there surveying humanity pass by on the footpath.
Abby’s on Mona Vale road in St. Ives is worth a visit. The clientele the restaurant aims to attract is clearly not students or youth, as the prices are too high to eat there regularly. However, a burger from Abby’s is something I would suggest trying and is a great edition to Ku-Ring-Gai as it provides yet another option to the growing community.
