Sound Bites

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Hello, all.
I'm moving to Magoun Sq in Somerville, in a few days, and I barely know the area. Can anyone tell me if Sound Bites, the breakfast place on Broadway, is really as bad, service-wise, as the horror stories indicate? Is the food worth it?

Comments

[philbot.livejournal.com]

Soundbites has excellent food, you just have to realize that it's not the place to go for a leisurely two hour brunch (if it's busy, that is). You order, get your food quickly, eat at a reasonable pace, and then leave so someone else can get out of the cold and eat.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I've been there once. They tend to frown upon you lingering, and the food was really good but... for me, the best part of brunch is the lounging with friends part, so Sound Bites is not my favorite place to eat. The diner nearby, though, is pretty cool.

[emblebug.livejournal.com]

I love the food -- it's really good and pretty cheap. I tend to prefer to go there on weekdays, though, when I don't have to rush through my food, or really early or really late on weekends. (Some friends and I went about 1:30pm on a Sunday and had no problem taking a little bit of time with our meal.)

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

They're a small storefront with yummy food, good prices, and a line out the door. It's not the place to go if you want to spend a long time lingering with your friends on a weekend morning.

Kelly's Diner, two blocks closer to you, might be a better choice for greasy-spoon atmosphere and flatulence-inducing homefries, or Johnny D's in Davis Square for something a bit more upscale and laid-back..Especially good on a Saturday. I enjoy Soundbites, but only if I'm there on a weekday, or at nine in the morning on a weekend.

[ceo]

Soundbites' waffles are to die for. There are very few restaurants I'm willing to wait in line for, and Soundbites is one. The line is pretty variable, actually; I've sometimes gone there at high noon on a Saturday and gotten a table immediately. I've never had a complaint about their service except that you're not encouraged to linger.

A brisk walk up Broadway is Renee's, a block down Holland St from Teele Square. They used to be as crowded as Soundbites, but a couple years ago they expanded into the neighboring storefront and more than doubled their seating.

Also worth going to in the area are Urban Gourmet in Ball Sq (excellent pizza, but really slow delivery) and Wang's Fast Food in Magoun Sq (yummy traditional Chinese dumplings).

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Wang's is the best Chinese food I've ever eaten not in a "Chinatown" area (i.e. in Boston or NYC).

Soundbites ... eh ... the food was certainly yummy but nothing I'd wait in line and rush for. I agree with whoever said brunch was about lingering and talking and hanging out. Soundbites is definitely better on non-weekend mornings.

Though for the money ... Kelly's *definitely* wins. I loved their grilled bagel breakfast. Grilled bagel, egg, home fries, big piece of hand-cut ham all for $4.99.

And while we're talking cheap and yummy food in and around that area of broadway -- Lyndell's makes the yummiest pastries (as in homey kind not fancy pants kind). I got a whole box for $11 (it had: 2 black & white cookies, a mini boston cream pie, 2 cream puffs, 2 chocolate delights and two full size eclairs.). absolute joy.

rock on, Sound Bites!

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

The service isn't bad at all. Brusque perhaps, but never rude. I think part of the bad rap comes from the fact that you have to serve your own coffee (or other beverage). The food is absolutely worth it - as the line of people waiting outside in the mornings attests - and the label of "Boston's Best Pancakes" is totally deserved. Also worth trying are the omelettes and the French toast with fruit. The fruit is fresh and usually includes mango and papaya in addition to all the standards.

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

Hi! We have a ton in common.. hmm... ;)

Where is Magoun Square? I loose track easily of the squares around here.

Any way, Sound Bites has great food but I prefer to just pick up my order. I'm not fond of busy places where I feel rushed and in this case, am encouraged to rush.

It's probably better during the week but I've only been on the weekend.

Kelly's, the diner car, doesn't impress me at all. The wait is too long for food that isn't that good.

Also in Ball Square is Urban Gourmet which is really good. Just expect it to take at least 45 minutes because they prepare every thing when you order it.

Zing Wingz and the chinese place whose name always escapes me next to ZW are also good.

[herr-burren.livejournal.com]

Soundbites is where the lemmings go to wait in line for 45 minutes on the weekends. Is the food good? Yeah its fine. Is it so special you should wait 45 minutes? No.

As my icon indicates, I am partial to the Rosebud. They are the by far the best place to get breakfast on the weekend, for the bacon and eggs crowd. If you want waffles with whipped cream for breakfast you might as well just go to Lindell's and get a god damned cake and scarf that down with a 20 oz coffee and then chain yourself to the toilet. That other diner, Kelly's, is some nasty shit and I'd only go there in a pinch.

And for what it's worth, if you brought your cappucino or whatever into the Rosebud you deserve to get it confiscated, you scurrilous bastard! Coffee is the new drug war, and if you bring some downtown heroin to the uptown dealers lair. expect a reprisal.

Never been to the place over by Teele (Renee's?) so have no comment on them. But I'm very interested in giving it a look.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize I was a lemming, but my boyfriend and I rather enjoy Soundbites. We never go in a group, and since it's just us, no need to linger either. We like the atmosphere, also the french toast.

soundbites

[spuddybuddy75.livejournal.com]

soundbites has very good food, and they serve brunch until 4 on weekends. this is important because dragging your hung over ass out of bed before, say, 2 pm is quite challenging. indeed, the brunch nazi doesn't want you lingering around, you'll get your food quickly and you'll eat it quickly because your queasy stomach demands starch to soak up last night's poisons. you'll pay your bill, leave satisfied, and give thanks for soundbites.

for a more leisurely brunch, johnny d's was my favorite, although the service was highly variable.

rosebud was okay, but never impressed me. the car looked small, so i got the impression it was very hard to get a table on weekends.

and, by the way, this live journal site is lame. why do i have to sign up for a journal just to post a comment?