Abel Brown Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Augusta

Tonight we visited Abel Brown to celebrate a birthday. We were a party of 7 and had all dined here previously. Our server for the evening was Nia B. When she introduced herself, she stated her name was Nia, like Nia Long, the actress. An icebreaker to relate to the table, I presume. We placed drinks orders, to even including a bottle of prosecco. Nia provided the specials for the evening and we proceeded to order our dinner. Two individuals, including myself, placed an order for starters, the smoked salmon and the house oysters. To give a time frame, our dinner reservation was for 9pm and we were seated by 9:15. After placing our order, time seem to pass very quickly. Only to realize we never received the orders for the starters that were placed. We got the attention of our server Nia to inquire. She had a look of confusion but then remembrance when it was told we had not received anything. She stated she would check on it. More time passed and our entrees began to come to the table. One of the guests inquired with Nia on what was taking so long and instead of an acceptance of responsibility we were given a response of “Well do you want me to stop them”. At this point, with entrees being received, no starters received, and no acceptance of responsibility for the starters not being placed, a manager was asked for. Well our manager advised that Nia stated she “thought” the smoked salmon and the oysters were entrees. When it was clearly advised in the beginning we wanted them as starters. Also, they are LISTED under the starters section, so unless a guest indicates they are for an entree then serve them as a starter. Thankfully our entrees were delicious but the service was...

Update: I was contacted by AB management shortly after posting this review. They offered a complimentary dinner for each couple for our troubles. We were expecting a decent meal, but were completely blown out of the water by the food and the service! Hands down the most fantastic we have ever experienced! No exaggeration. Completely erased all thoughts of the previous visit. We will most certainly be returning and I enthusiastically recommend Able Brown to anyone who has the opportunity to go!

Pros: Great food and atmosphere. Cons: Service was poor.

Chose AB for my Wife's 35th B-day. Arrived on time for our 7:30 reservation with a party of 7 (3 couples +1). Waitress was nice, but was obviously having a bad night. She took out drink and app orders promptly, but took nearly 30 minutes to get bread and hear the specials after asking 3 or 4 times. Thing just got worse as the night progressed. -Waitress dropped entire dish of whipped butter on my sport coat. (She was able get most of it out and offered to pay for dry cleaning) -Spilled water on my slacks while refilling glasses -Took nearly 40 minutes to sort out 3 checks. Manager needed to assist after one couples credit card was mischarged several times.

Bottom line: While I have an abundance of sympathy for our waitress who was clearly having a terrible night, I cannot accept the way the management handled the situation. For the caliber of restaurant that AB presents itself to be, we were not offered a single "comp" by the manager who visited our table no less than 3 times to apologize for all the issues. It's a shame that I could reasonably expect twice service from a restaurant half the price of AB...

My wife and I, along with three friends, had an incredible experience at Abel Brown in Augusta. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed with the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Our server, Sydney, went above and beyond to make our night unforgettable. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and offered great recommendations. The food was outstanding - every dish we tried was delicious and beautifully presented.

We enjoyed several appetizers, including the Calamari with tempura okra, lemon, Alabama sauce, and cocktail sauce, the Oyster Shooters with house oysters, Durty Gurl Bloody Mary mix, and Wheatley vodka, and the Crab Cake special that my friend tried and said was delicious, although very lemony. The corn that it was served with was really delicious.

For our main courses, we had the Bacon-Crusted Salmon with beluga lentils, baby tomato, arugula, pickled pearl onion, and mustard crème, the Kurobuta Pork Chop with cheesy “heat” grits, shrimp and andouille gumbo, and cornbread madeleines, and the GA White Shrimp and Grits with cheddar grits, andouille sausage, jalapeno cornbread, and almond romesco. Each dish was cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor.

The wine list was impressive and we found a great bottle to pair with our meal. Sydney's attentive service made the evening even more special. We cannot recommend Abel Brown enough and we will definitely be back!

Thank you, Sydney, and the entire Abel Brown team for such a...