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uuugh, I can't take it when people that have been someplace once 5 years ago makes a post. Not entirely fair, not to mention the fact that it clogs up the board for people with more informed responses. I can agree that it is a tad over rated - I have been there a dozen times over the past year or so and do enjoy it enough to go back. But I choose my time wisely - I have never waited more than a half hour. On the weekend I go early, before all the college partiers are up or the church crowd is hungry. If you have the opportunity, I suggest the Friday morning buffet - their prices aren't super cheap, they just feed you ridiculous amounts of food and have friendly, fast, easy service. Go at least once - don't listen to the people that went once back when they were 20 in 1992.
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frankie Imbergamo
Sep 19, 2006 11:56 AM
i think you are talking about soundbites! as mentioned previously. this place has awsome breakfast!! check it out
in ball square Somerville!!enjoy!
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BobB
Sep 14, 2006 06:39 PM
It's really two things - a weekend brunch place famous more for quantity than quality of food, albeit with some nice quirks like the aforementioned cream of wheat, and an above-average Portuguese family-style restaurant the rest of the time. I should say actual family, not just family-style, since when I frequented it about 15 years ago they even got their goth-obsessed daughter to waitress for them. That was a sight!
On a non-food note, it's also responsible for me moving to an incredible apartment in Union Square, where I stayed for 13 years! Back in 1990, a friend and I had heard about their brunches, and as we walked over from where I was then living in Inman Square, we passed a big church in the process of being renovated into 17 residential units. I checked it out, fell in love with the space, and became their first tenant, staying until I moved to Brookline three years ago.
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re: BobB
aquariumtown
Sep 14, 2006 11:54 PM
The ambience is all--the grape vines,the sitting at the picnic tables. The food is greasy and basic. They usually have some kind of "Portuguese Breakfast"--which usually means linguica. It's cheap for what it is. It's a nice slice of Somerville folks who go there. There's yuppie brunch where you get nice omelettes with asparagus in em and there's grungy brunch where you get a heap of eggs and potatoes and other stuff--in my limited experience this is the #1 grungy brunch option in the Cambridge/Somerville area.
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Sal Monella
Sep 13, 2006 03:37 PM
Has anyone checked out Renee's up in Teele Sq.? We've been going there for years and haven't been disappointed with the quality and prices. They don't give you as much as Neighborhood but do you really need that much food for breakfast? We used to go to Neighborhood often but stopped due to the lines and mediocre food. It used to be really good but they lost the touch somewhere along the line.
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re: Sal Monella
itaunas
Sep 13, 2006 07:08 PM
Renee's Cafe is a good recommendation, although I haven't been in ages and its pretty small. Any place that has a decent benedict is good in my book. Another in Somerville that I have heard good things about, but haven't been is Supreme Kitchen on Highland a bit before Cafe Rossini. And the Broken Yolk isn't so bad either, but I've had mixed experiences there.
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re: itaunas
yumyum
Sep 13, 2006 08:12 PM
FWIW, I didn't love Renee's. "Decent" benedict is exactly what I got -- packaged hollandaise, bitter coffee. People seem to like it but I'd rather take my chances and go to Soundbites, especially on a weekday
I've heard rumors about Supreme Kitchen too ... ever notice that the UPS guys seems to all go there en masse when they're not at the hot dog truck on Broadway? I take that to be a good sign. Better check it out one of these days.
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re: yumyum
DavisSquare
Sep 18, 2006 04:11 PM
UPS guys, ha, what do they know :-). The Somerville DPW guys and the Tufts Police hang out at the Broken Yolk on College in Powderhouse. It's pretty basic breakfast grill stuff (good egg sandwiches). The muffins aren't as good as say Carberry's but they're not bad, the portions are big, the food is fresh, the formica table ambiance is perfect, and the people are friendly. Oh yea, it's pretty cheap too. My choice for an unfancy breakfast.
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Bob Dobalina
Sep 12, 2006 03:56 PM
I guess I am in the minority here, but I find the food at the Neighborhood to be great! Good pancakes, very good omeletes - interesting side choices, such as cod cakes or linguica, the BEST cream of wheat you'll ever have and HUGE portions. Coffee is "diner coffee" - it's better than Dunkin's + juice which is admittedly weak.
For the price, the place will stuff you with better than average food. I am not sure what else you'd want for a Somerville brunch. I suppose it COULD be better - but you'll have to pay through the nose for cracked crab, etc. somewhere else.
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itaunas
Sep 11, 2006 09:07 PM
I eat at the Neighborhood from time to time, mostly when I meet up with a couple of family members. They have a really basic breakfast menu, but on the weekends they have handwritten sheet of specials all for $10. You can seen an example http://www.neighborhoodrestaurantandb... They do bring every table pastries (not particularly portugese and they are fresh in my experience), as well as either cream of wheat or fruit salad. Since its portuguese they do good linguica-based dishes and on saturdays they often have a breakfast with febras... Even the benedict and hash are decent (Kelly's might be better on the latter). Most of the kitchen help is Salvadoran, so I have gotten them to add some central american twists occasionally (speaking with two ladies in the kitchen). Coffee is super-weak... The kitchen is small and plates are made to order, so as mentioned above expect to be there for some time. The patio is nicer, but you can also expect to be there longer when seated out there.
When we go, we go early and I personally wouldn't wait in line for breakfast there. That said, I have never seen the attraction to Soundbites (food can be tasty and coffee is stronger, but its rushed and frankly I can make a better brunch... I used to be a regular, but no more). I do like Kelly's and also over on Cambridge Street there is the Cambridge Coffee Shop (next to Sunset Grill) that has inexpensive breakfast with portugese options, plus the salvadoran taqueries on Broadway which have decent egg & chorizo dishes. I prefer it to Soundbites, but am no means religious about it.
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re: itaunas
Joanie
Sep 12, 2006 11:33 AM
Have you been to the little breakfast place across the street from the Neighborhood, on the curvy part of the street? I always think I should try it but it's usually closed at that point.
Also, what about the sandwich place on Camb. St. that's called Cafe A.... It looked like they had interesting combos. Between the Snack Bar and the karaoke place.
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re: Joanie
itaunas
Sep 12, 2006 10:35 PM
I know the spot you mean (just past the butcher), but for whatever reason I never popped in. It seems along the same lines as Jays, Frenchie's, and other disappearing places.
Cafe Anatolia is actually past the Karaoke place in what used to be the Old Firehouse Grill. I know someone that used to work there and its sort of along the same lines as Cafe Kiraz (wrap, panini, calzones, some mediterranean). My sister likes it, but I can't resist going to Maria's around the corner on Gore street so I almost never make it there. Maria's has the one pastrami in Boston that I regularly order (on a sub roll, not deli), plus good steak subs, chicken parm, and meatballs. Anatolia is too wrap-centric for me to pass up Maria'a. I have seen signs about breakfast there, but have no idea if they are currently doing it or not.
Between the Snack bar and Karaoke is Skampa, which has some good roast beef sandwiches. A lot of fire fighters and cops stop there for the beef. Their haddock also looks nice, but its hard to order with Courthouse up the street. I somehow like their sicilian slices which are huge and very cheesy, but the cheese is very rubbery.
The karaoke place used to hold one of the earliest Brazilian nights in Boston, along with Molly's in Allston.
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heathermb
Sep 11, 2006 02:18 PM
I too have only been once. I found the food to be good, but not great. And the portions are ridiculous - enough food for an entire day, let alone just one meal.
If I'm going to wait in line to eat breakfast it's going to be at Soundbites, I love their whole grain waffle with the fresh fruit.
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It's probably Neighborhood restaurant and bakery near Union Sq. It's a portuguese restaurant.
The breakfast is very good---soooo much food---but the best part is sitting outside underneath the grapevines.
Definitely check it out, there is a reason so many people are waiting outside, it's one of the best breakfast values in the area.
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re: DoubleMan
yumyum
Sep 11, 2006 02:07 PM
I've only been once -- waaaaay back in college -- and unless it's changed, the food is mediocre. I think the reason for the lines is that they serve masses and masses of food. They start you out with cream of wheat, portuguese pastries (usually a tad past their prime) and juice and then serve up big plates of breakfast fare. I really wish it was better -- the people are nice and the arbor is pretty. Any hounds really like it?
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re: yumyum
passing thru
Sep 11, 2006 02:19 PM
i completely agree that this place is no great shakes. i'm always amazed that people will actually wait to eat breakfast here, it's totally not worth it at all.
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re: MaineRed
Add me to the list of naysayers. I have a serious sweet tooth, but I find the pastries inedibly sweet, dry and flavorless. I've also gotten cold eggs there, and, if I remember correctly, the breakfast is unpleasantly greasy. I think people like the excuse to eat a brownie at 8 AM. And eating under the grapevines is certainly nice.
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re: MaineRed
MB fka MB
Sep 15, 2006 01:41 AM
It's mostly 'eh' but the smart girl that I am figured out that you can bring your own coffee (they don't seem to care) and order only the cream of wheat and maybe, say, a side o' bacon, and it's perfect. The cream of wheat is the bomb, hands down. Mmmmm.
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