brunch suggestions?

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

I really love brunch at Johnny D's. But I like it best when the musicians take a break and my friends and I can hear one-another without raising our voices.* Does anyone know of a place where the brunch is anything like as good as at Johnny D's, but without live music, recorded music, TV, etc?

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* Please, no flames about what a Philistine I am for not appreciating jazz. I love listening to jazz. I also love listening to my friends. I find the two incompatible; with brunch, I prefer the latter.

[Edit, added after roughly the 35^th comment: Apparently I should have added Close to Davis Square. For values of close equal to "walking distance when you're bleary-eyed and hungry."]

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of S&S, myself.

[delahk.livejournal.com]

I understand your point about Johnny D's. It does get a bit much with the jazz and the music and the crowds and the waiting and the "Oh God I'm So Hungry I Could Eat The Table."

Have you tried Soundbites? Or The Neighborhood Restaurant in Union Square? I like those places quite a bit.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

S&S is good. I like it better than Johnny D's, actually, the only really bad brunch I've ever had was at Johnny D's (raw pancakes, cold sausage etc.).
The Neighborhood in Union Square is also good, huge (cheap) portions, very slow service.

[allthefishies.livejournal.com]

Christopher's in Porter! They open at 11:30 and the stuffed french toast is tasty. Also, it's rarely crowded.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

Our favorite brunch spot lately has been Tu Y Yo in Powderhouse. The food there is sooo delicious, and I've never had to wait in line! Also of note is Sabur, on Holland Ave. Best French Toast EVER! I'd also recommend S&S for a more traditional breakfast spot.

I'd like to UNrecommend Sound Bites. Apparently they have some sort of cult following and part of their appeal is the surleyness of their owner. However, after my experience being harassed several times by said owner when I was nine months pregnant, I will never go back, and I'd suggest you avoid them. The food wasn't that great either :(

S&S made me ill

[cthulhia]

so I no longer eat there. But I am one of the few people I know who doesn't love it. (Also, considering the sheer volume of raving about the place, I was just underwhelmed by the actual experience and food).

Neighborhood cafe does for homemade cream of wheat what JohnnyD's does for oatmeal.

Soundbites and Ball Square Cafe are right next to each other, have almost the same menu, and hence, if you go on a weekend, you and simply pick the shorter line. Their specialty is "homefries" that are essentially panfried mashed potatoes, which are awesome as long as you know what to expect.

Kelly's diner is down the road from them as well.

Supreme Kitchen (on highland) was acceptable the one time I was there.

If you're willing to travel a distance to wait in line, the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, and the Center Street Cafe in JP are both very good. (But one you allow such distances, you're overwhelmed with options.)

(I can't recommend The alchemist in JP, for breakfast, although I hear their burgers are pretty good.)

[cintyber.livejournal.com]

Supreme Kitchen has good food but not great coffee. Right now it is closed until they repair the damage of a van backing into the front.

Deluxe in Watertown is good but not as good as they used to be and have raised their prices quite a bit.

I prefer Kelly's Diner over Soundbites avoid rosebud.

The best reviews I have heard have been about The Neighborhood in Union.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Renee's Cafe in Teele is great. Really good specials every week, and the pancakes are awesome.

Re: S&S made me ill

[nathanjw]

I'll agree about The Neighborhood and S&S (it didn't make me ill, but I absolutely don't understand the appeal - everything they have can be had better somewhere else).

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I love Soundbites, so definitely don't go there; it's crowded enough. Check out S&S in Inman, Sabur, Tu Y Yo...yay.

Johnny D's brunch is mediocre to us, but we go for the music. =)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Hey, I thought I was the only philistine. Love the oatmeal, but I find brunch there painful. I'm a SoundBites girl myself.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

The owner is a lot friendlier now that he has hugely more space and it isn't as necessary to rush people out the door in order to accomodate all the people in line. It also helps to go before they get too crowded.

The food, now, that must be your pregnancy-addled taste buds speaking ;).

[bex77]

I highly recommend trying Singabella, a new cafe on the corner of Mass Ave. and Cameron Ave. in North Cambridge with great food and friendly staff. Here's my review from yesterday's breakfast: http://bex77.livejournal.com/46228.html

[cowhockey.livejournal.com]

I love going to Kelly's Diner. Great food!

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

I love Renee's too!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I found their pancakes to be mushy and doughy the one time I went there. :(

[redheadedmuse.livejournal.com]

heh. one of the things I love so much about Sound Bites is how friendly the owner is, and how wonderful he is with my infant and preschooler whenever we go in, bringing them little treats and games when the wait is long.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I've had their pancakes dozens of times and never had that experience. Give it another shot--I find the food delicious and the quality very consistent. Every restaurant can have an off day (or a substitute cook who isn't up to the job).

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Common Grounds in Watertown is a bit of a drive, and can't really accommodate large parties, but they have the best pancakes I have ever tasted anywhere.

B-Side Lounge has great pancakes.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I didn't know Tu y Yo even had brunch!!! This is exciting!!!!!! I am going to use a lot of exclamation points because I am totally thrilled!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Tu Y Yo is my favorite around here.

[lilly9999.livejournal.com]

I love the brunch at Alfresco on Highland, next to Kickass cupcakes.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Sabur up Holland offers a good Mediterraean-inspired brunch. Teele has Amelia's on Saturdays, which is Italian brunch. Orleans' brunch is a little pricey, but rock-solid. And, hey, if all else fails, Mr. Crepe.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

AGREED

[dominika-kretek.livejournal.com]

At the risk of piling on, I have to say I agree. Sound Bites is not, you know, bad exactly, but it's certainly nothing special in terms of food. They do some things really badly, some things okay, and their hash browns are supposed to be really good. But the line is ridiculous, the owner is psychotically rude, you can't linger, and you have to serve your own coffee???

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would go there. Seriously. I'm having trouble thinking of a place nearby whose food is so bad that I'd rather go to Sound Bites and put up with the bad service/experience. I'm even having trouble thinking of a place whose food is clearly worse than Sound Bites. If the food were heavenly, I could understand the phenomenon. Maybe some people don't think the rudeness and the beverage situation is so bad, but no one likes waiting in line, do they?

I also think both S&S and the Neighborhood Restaurant are overrated. Again, nothing wrong with them, but nothing special either. I guess S&S has kind of a big menu.

I think I liked Z Square in Harvard Square the one time I went, but I don't know that it's uncrowded.