Petite Abeille
“Eggs in Purgatory- who can resist coddled eggs in light tomato sauce with perfectly melted cheese on perfectly toasted bread.”
“The bf went with the Croque Madame and for a split second when it was delivered I had some serious food envy.”
“So I settled on the Cocotte, which consisted of fried eggs over bacon, tomato and goat cheese, then topped with crusted gruyere.”
Petite Abeille
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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*4.5 stars to be exact*
My boyfriend and I came here on a Sunday morning after he finished his doctor's appointment in Gramercy Park in the city.
Petite Abeille is tucked away on 17th street wand walking in, the restaurant is narrow, country, and rustic decor. It may seem like seats are limited while walking in, but they actually have a secluded section towards the back and a little outdoor patio. We were seated right away when we arrived and got to sit in the back section.
I started off with an iced coffee and my boyfriend just had a tea since he was sick.
My boyfriend ordered the Omelet Maison which was smoked salmon laid perfectly on potato pancakes/hash and topped offer with crème fraîche, chives, and there was a side of arugula too. The salmon appeared to be cooked medium rare and the boyfriend was sick that day and all week, but he still enjoyed this dish.
I ordered the Eggs in Purgatory which looked really good on Yelp, so I ordered it. Basically it's a hot and sizzling platter of cheese with roast tomato, Bechamel sauce, coddled eggs, and gratin with a side of crunchy toasted bread. I really enjoyed this dish because not only was it cheesy goodness, but it was like bread and dip to me and it was fun to eat.
We both really liked this place and I later found out they have promotions and specials throughout the week, which is awesome! I definitely need to return on a Wednesday as they have all-you-can-eat mussels and a beer for: $27.00.
I came here for their Belgian waffle and found it really good. We had their signature strawberry waffle, Fraises!! It was firm, crispy and fresh. My friend and I enjoyed it very much.
We also had $9 lunch special, half grilled chicken sandwich & salad or fries. I felt the chicken could have more seasoning.
Overall, it was a pleasant mean. The outdoor area was cozy and lovely.
Great coffee.
Small, setting.
Eggs in Purgatory: tasted like a pizza for breakfast, cheesy, tomato sauce, smearing it over bread. We had to ask for more bread, comes in 3's, gave us 4 more pieces for free. Bonus!
Waffles: Chantilly, it was an ok waffle experience, they are thinner and crispier, but it was about par for me.
Overall, I liked the experience, I think I'd go back if in area.
On my second visit to Petite Abeille for lunch, I (somewhat boringly) ordered a very similar meal as the first time. I ordered the frittata with a side of both brussels sprouts and fries and really enjoyed each dish. I love that they serve many of the meals in cast iron skillets as it keeps the food from getting cold.
I left this restaurant a very annoyed on my first visit because it listed a few types of bread pudding on their dessert menu but they were out of all of them (it was only 1 pm-how does that happen?!). Yes, I realize that makes me a child. No, I couldn't help it. I understand most of their diners probably skip dessert or order their more popular waffles, but if something is on the menu, it should be orderable. On my second visit, I was able to pick between two bread pudding options; maple walnut or almond croissant. I chose the almond croissant variety, which came in a cast iron skillet with a nice dollop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side. YUM. One of the best bread puddings I've had, though it could have been a little warmer. I don't think I'll be able to resist ordering it when I come in the future.
Though the food was good, I returned for a third lunchtime visit specifically for the amazing bread pudding dessert and once again they were out. I had called the night before to make a reservation and asked them if I could reserve one because it was the entire reason I was going the restaurant, and they assured me that was unnecessary as it was on the menu so they always had it. This wasn't the case. Not really sure how a restaurant has something on the menu and consistently runs out. Very frustrating.
Came at noon on a saturday for brunch. No reservations and the wait was about 30-40 minutes. The space isn't very big but very cozy. Love that there's outdoor seating and also a room that looks like a grandma's living room with a fire place mantel.
My friend and I shared the Waffle of the day which had bananas, blueberries, and kiwi with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. YUM. We had a savory waffle: the fried chicken and waffle, which was probably one of the best i've had. the chicken is super tender, and the crust had JUST the perfect amount of sweet and saltiness to it. It came with a side of mashed potato mixed with leeks. Makes for a pretty heavy dish. I recommend sharing!
overall, awesome brunch spot!
OK So…cute place. A little tight but cute. Stopped by this spot for breakfast with friends and it was decent. We all ordered different waffles. I had the Brazilian which had a scoop of vanilla ice cream, candied almonds, caramel sauce, and whip cream. I asked for a side of over-medium eggs too and a latte. The waffles were pretty good- nothing to jump off of a bridge over but I'm not a waffle lover either. Waffles to me are just OK but the ice cream made it good-yum! The almonds a bit too sweet but it gave it a little texture. The eggs were cool but more on the easy side than the medium…as usual I find. The latte was OK. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals too. If you're looking for an orgasmic effect for breakfast- ugh…this might not be the place but if you want a decent breakfast with a Parisian and cozy feel- this is it!
This place was on my list for a while of brunch places to hit. We went at 11 am on a Saturday and the wait was pretty short then.
The space is a bit small so go early if you can. We had the specials of the day. Mango blueberry banana waffle and the gyuere, ham and tomato omelette. The waffle was very thin and light. It was exactly what it was described as. The omelette was good too but any omelette with gyuere in my opinion is.
Overall a little underwhelming but the food wasn't bad and the service was fast.
We came to Petite Abeille on a hot summer Sunday at nearly 1pm. We were quoted a wait of about 30 minutes, but were told that we could also sit at the counter, which we ended up doing. Some other counter-dwellers were also ordering meals, but a few were just having coffee or lambic beer while waiting for their tables.
One of the benefits to waiting for a table, aside from its sturdy structure and its fierce loyalty (a table will never let you down like people), is that it was definitely cooler back there. They had fans going in the little dining room, while the counter was nestled right by the open kitchen. Some sort of breeze would've been appreciated. I did have an absolutely delicious iced coffee, which helped.
I had to try the most popular menu item according to Yelpers: the Eggs in Purgatory. Not sure why it's called this: I guess the roasted tomatoes, which are at the bottom of the dish, are hell, because red = hell? And the baked cheese, way up at the top of the dish, is heaven? Well, I mean, cheese actually might be the closest thing there is to a heaven, so I guess I understand that.
Interesting names aside, this was a very, very flavorful and tasty dish, but MAN is it ever rich. Especially for brunch. I mean, along with the roasted tomatoes and thick layer of baked cheese, the bowl includes coddled eggs [so very runny] and béchamel sauce, of all things.
Unless you think you can handle a super rich dish all on your own, I would probably recommend that you share this dish, along with another entree, between two people.
So what other entree should you try? Maybe a waffle, or a croque madame. I'd have to defer to the guy who's been coming here consistently since 2002. The only other dish I'm somewhat familiar with is the chicken and waffles, which my boyfriend ordered (and liked). I thought it seemed good but only had a few bites, so not enough to make a final judgement. The dish came with stoemp, which is basically mashed potatoes with some other vegetable in it. It was good.
The bathroom paintings were really interesting. My favorite was what I'd like to call the reversed mermaid, which had fish features up top and human features below the waist.