This paper presents a new strategy for tuning the coefficients of a PID controller regarding H robust performance and stability constraints based on the constrained artificial bee colony (CABC) algorithm. First, the issue of tuning the PID controller to follow H specifications are introduced, and the objective function and constraints of the optimization problem are specified. Then, a simple and efficient method of transforming the constrained optimization problem to an unconstrained one is presented, and used within the CABC for optimization. The CABC is one of the most recently introduced optimization algorithms, and has the advantages of strong robustness, fast convergence and high flexibility, with fewer setting parameters. The algorithm is essentially a random and intelligent evolutionary method. This method is also utilized and simulated in several models. The simulation results have been compared with other techniques, which demonstrate the efficiency and superiority of the proposed scheme.