Hours

Sun. 7AM-3PM brunch
Mon.-Fri. 7AM-2:45PM breakfast, 11AM-2:45PM lunch
Sat. 7AM-3PM brunch

Parking

Meters
Street parking available

Pricing

Medium ($$)

Directions

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Sound Bites

704 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02144
617-623-8338
www.soundbitesrestaurant.com

(6 Ratings) Read Reviews (6) Rate and Write a Review

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If you can survive the service, Sound Bites is one of the city's best bets for breakfast, offering the kind of hearty, wholesome plates you'd make at home -- if you had the time and the talent. But home might seem a better option once you've braved the line at this Ball Square outpost. Forget idling over the paper and serial cups from the self-serve coffee bar: the rule here is eat and run, and the attitude is reminiscent of Seinfeld's Soup Nazi. The harassment is intended to be humorous, but the joke gets a little old when the owner emerges from the kitchen to confiscate reading material and force-feed loitering patrons. The atmosphere underlines the lack of nurturing, featuring fiberglass paneling and tables so densely packed you can hear your neighbors swallow.The meals aren't all about Stockholm syndrome, however: You don't have to be a masochist to believe that Sound Bites' food is worth suffering for. Whole-grain waffles arrive topped with pyramids of fresh fruit, challah french toast is a flavorful ode to eggs and the "NoPlaceLikeHomeFries" deserve a place in the potato hall of fame. There's also an ecumenical lunch menu merging Middle Eastern dishes (hummus, kebabs) with all-American fare. What do you do with a place where the treatment defies belief and the food exceeds expectations? For the avid regulars that constitute the Sound Bites breakfast club, the answer is arrive early, eat fast.

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6 Ratings and Reviews

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Great place to start the day

By angel11808 on 09/10/2007

I have visited Boston/ Somerville about 5 times within the past 2 years. The first I went, while staying with a friend of mine who lived in Somerville, she took me to Sound Bites for breakfast. Now, everytime I visit I MUST go to here. The breakfast is wonderful, as though mom just cooked it for you in the kitched. The est part is going up to a counter, which holds only coffee and you grab one of the homely coffee mugs (one you mightfind in your own cabinet at home) and choose from an aray of different types of coffee no just locally but internationally. The food is made in a timely manner and the ambianceis terrific. It's wonderful talking with the locals in the morning about their experience and life in Boston. However if you wait until around 10am on the weekends you might catch youself in a louder enviornment. Get their earlier and enjoy reading your paper in peace. The staff is friends and engaging, unless the place is packed, then they are too busy making sure you get your food quickly. :) Locals know that this is not the place to bring a party of 8. You will be given a face that tells you to not even TRY sitting together. The place is small and cozy and the largest table seats 4 and no more. So if your party is more than 4, expext to split up and have seperate checks. I always look forward to going here to have breakfast, what a great way to start the day in such a wonderful city.

Awesome!

By garbage55 on 02/14/2005

The food here is awesome. Yeah, it's busy. Yeah, the owner can be a little abrupt, but it's worth it and is a part of the charm. I go there almost every Sunday for brunch and I have also eaten there for lunch a few times. Very much worth it. It is a true hidden gem. (Oh, yes, it is true the owner doesn't want you to read a paper on Sunday mornings - IF IT'S BUSY. It's not about business, it's about a hungry neighborhood!)

tastbud bliss

By paisleysol on 07/04/2004

i think this place may offer one of the best breakfasts that you can find but you must be prepared for a fast service in and out due to the large following it has developed you must not let others wait long enjoy you must at least try it i recomend the cran and banna pancakes!!!!

APHOLLINGS1's Review

By aphollings1 on 11/23/2003

Could make myself at home? No way. Get the waffle with fruit - it comes with ten different kinds of delicious, fresh fruit, including mangoes, papayas, kiwi, apple, grapes, etc. Hash browns (fried mash) are delicious. Coffee is fabulous. This is the place to go for a special breakfast, albeit in small, cramped, crowded setting. It's true - no lingering allowed when customers are waiting.