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Sponsored by: Armsby Abbey
May 6, 2025 Business Profiles 2025

Worcester’s craft beer and farm-to-table destination still a favorite after 17 years

Photo / Courtesy Armsby Abbey
Above: Photo / Joe Santa Maria; Below: Photo / Brian Samuels Alec Lopez and Sherri Sadowski at Tougas Farm

It was Thursday, July 31, 2008. The sun was blazing over downtown Worcester. In an era marked by the uncertainty of a recession, husband and wife team, Sherri Sadowski and Alec Lopez, were determined to open the doors of Armsby Abbey, the farm-to-table and craft beer destination that helped spark the city’s renaissance.

In the years to follow, the full-service restaurant and renowned craft beer destination would go on to win more awards than any other establishment in the area, including a record 76 Best of Worcester Awards. Situated on the first floor of a five-story 1800s-era building with its glass storefront and ambient lighting, Armsby Abbey’s dining room is an inviting space peppered with mahogany, high ceilings, and a brick backdrop.

Sadowski remembers the smell of hops, empanadas, and mac & cheese wafting through the room at 144 Main Street on opening night. The restaurant still didn’t have a sign, but with many movers and shakers attending the grand opening, success seemed inevitable. Pioneering a locally sourced menu, craft beer, and hand-crafted cocktails in Central Massachusetts, Armsby Abbey was ahead of its time. Offering a farm-to-table menu and a farm-to-glass cocktail program was ambitious,” Sadowski said.

“It meant driving to local farms five days a week to secure products, and building relationships with farmers, artisans, and cheesemakers.”

Since that day, Armsby Abbey has grown to 45 year-round employees, expanded the dining room, built a new kitchen, and added a function space accommodating 50 guests. The restaurant has invested deeply in the Worcester community supporting countless area fundraisers and initiatives with organizations such as No Kid Hungry, the CASA Project, Regional Environmental Council, and the UMass Cancer Walk to name but a few.

Recognized by Wine Enthusiast as a Top-Five Beer Trailblazer in the U.S., Lopez spent years building relationships and courting the best brewers in the world. This networking approach, before the rise of social media, made Armsby Abbey a beachhead in the craft beer world. With his steadfast integrity, commitment to staff education, and uncompromising nature when it comes to quality, he was an ideal representative for brewers.

“At the highest level, curating craft beer is less about trends and more about telling a story one pour at a time,” Lopez stated.

Having your name on Armsby Abbey’s draft list is as prestigious an honor as any in Massachusetts, and a chief reason why Armsby Abbey was voted among the best craft beer bars in the world by Ratebeer.com, Craftbeer.com, Beer Advocate, and Draft Magazine.

Located in downtown Worcester, central to all the event centers and hotels, Armsby Abbey is an ideal place to meet up with friends, plan a date night, or host your next corporate or social event. If you can’t make it out, menus have been adapted to include takeout, offsite catering requests, GrubHub and DoorDash delivery services.

Armsby Abbey is open seven days a week serving lunch Monday through Friday beginning at 11 a.m., dinner daily at 4 p.m., and brunch every Saturday & Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. Come taste for yourself why Armsby Abbey was voted Best Gastropub in New England by Yankee Magazine.

Street Address: 144 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608

Phone Number: 508-795-1012

Website: armsbyabbey.com

Product or Service Description: Full service restaurant

Number of Employees: 45

Head of Company and Title: Alec Lopez & Sherri Sadowski, Founding Partners

Year Founded: 2008