ball square cafe & breakfast

one of the most popular breakfast spots in summerville. the owner always greets us, sometimes even serving our table. now that's investing in your business. food portion is always great not to mention delicious

located along the main drag in somerville, as ‘locals only’ a spot as one is likely to find in a metropolitan area the size of boston, ball square café was *the* surprise of a trip that saw forty-four stops throughout new england over the course of eight days, both as a result of the food and the service.

today we went to ball square cafe with friends for brunch. this was our 3rd visit there and their food never disappoints. we ordered mexican omelet, asparagus and prosciutto eggs benedict, moroccan eggs, tijuana omelet and coconut macaroon french toast. they serve omelets and moroccan eggs with a complimentary choice of either home fries (grilled mashed) or diced potatoes and your choice of toast or english muffin; you can also choose from other side orders on the menu. all the items we ordered were absolutely delicious. their portion size is quite big; every time i have been here, i could eat only half the food & get the rest packed for home. i also love their fresh squeezed orange juice and never forget to order that. if there anything that i don't like about this place, it is the wait time to get a table. the restaurant is not that big and the table setup is quite crowded. try to go early or else you can end up waiting for atleast 45 min to 1 hour on a weekend. but no matter what, their food quality and service is good.

located along the main drag in somerville, as ‘locals only’ a spot as one is likely to find in a metropolitan area the size of boston, ball square café was *the* surprise of a trip that saw forty-four stops throughout new england over the course of eight days, both as a result of the food and the service.

quite literally a place where “everybody knows your name,” a friday at 8:15 finding the spot slammed with locals and soon to generate a short queue, ball square café has gained acclaim over recent years for offering a menu of signatures as well as specials that far outperform the typical café or diner while the serve yourself coffee features no less than five flavors to go along with at least twice as many types of tea.

easily spotted as out of towners, the lack of a new england accent probably enough in this sort of place, it was with the assistance of a young man who grew up locally that decisions were made from a menu that offers no lack of variety, cooks in the semi-open kitchen no doubt underpaid given the tight quarters in which they operate with both skill and speed.

told that housemade scones are “the best” by an elderly man near the door, a blueberry version joined by a griddled corn muffin showing no sign that the fellow was false as both outperformed anything similar tasted in downtown boston or cambridge, those fancying flavored coffee are encouraged to explore french vanilla or hazelnut that are each well flavored without being overwhelming, the standard brew a good medium roast of which free refills are sure to leave patrons buzzing.

going all sweet on the menu, a small plate of late arriving bacon requested almost as a necessity to clear the palate, those interested in a true “signature” are encouraged to enjoy the coconut macaroon french toast that bears an uncanny resemblance to the italian meringue cookie, the sugar tossed brioche lightly fried with raspberry filling and whipped cream an equally diligent reminder of a classic jelly donut while the dark chocolate pancakes are a truly over-the-top indulgence.

great place! bring your appetite, huge portions! first time eating here. we arrived just in time before the rush came. place was packed as we were leaving. really enjoyed the self serve coffee bar and juice bar. plenty of meals and dishes to pick from. enjoyed the waitress and explaining how to maximize our first experience. two screens showed the specials for the day. i picked the coconut macaroon french toast. this will be the only place i get french toast from now. my wife got the mexican omelette. had a couple bits of her meal. thinking of our meal as i write this review is making my mouth water. enjoy!

great food. i had the lox sandwich. had to say it was amazing! :-)

kudos to a family owned business. we're from the midwest and made a choice to begin our day with mike and crew at ball square cafe. this guy made me wish i could begin every day this way!
we were a party of 10 and he got creative and set us up in the deli side. the service was flawless as was the food.
have your breakfast here!

the host, the quality ingredients and fresh fruit are all worth the trip to this fabulous breakfast destination!!

let me tell you about ball square cafe in somerville, ma.  they really hit the spot when it comes to my breakfast cravings and the quality is consistent.  i've been here twice already, and i foresee many more visits. let's start with one of my all-time favorite breakfast items: traditional eggs benedict ($11.95) these traditional eggs benedict  are done just right.  the eggs are poached perfectly - nice runny yolks with the whites cooked through, two slices of thin canadian bacon and grilled english muffins.  and the home fries are done to my liking as well - well done.  i love crispy home fries. and like i said earlier, both times i've had these bennys, they've consistently been done to my liking.  and to be honest, the touch of paprika on top adds a nice flavor to the hollandaise, which is thick and cr

speed, volume & price. what makes a good diner? it certainly doesn’t need lots of seating, but the service must be fast enough to turn over tables in an efficient manner. this is what you’ll find at ball square café, so when you are looking for a quick and filling breakfast or lunch, stop on by. - -

the breakfast options certainly were appealing, but arriving around noon during the week, i decided to go for the café sandwich (portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese) for just under $9. we were seated promptly, allowed to get our own coffee and water and had our food in not time. - -

having spent time in the south, i was impressed with the house-made sweet potato fries and my dining partner enjoyed a breakfast sandwich and a large bowl of fresh fruit. simple, filling and fast. i can see why this place would be a staple for locals.

overall, brunch was a nice experience, and i’m glad i got to give ball square cafe a try. our visit was a quick one, i think because the waitresses were trying to rush us out to clear up all the valuable real estate we were occupying, but we certainly got to try a lot within a short period of time. if i were to go back, i’d definitely stick to the sweeter items – or perhaps give an omelet a try.

this week i had the opportunity to join boston brunchers at the ball square cafe in the gorgeous, family friendly town, somerville. just a quick 20 minute walk from the local redline mbta stop this restaurant is a perfect escape from the bump and grind of the usual city cafe. upon arrival, i was greeted by a line of apparently faithful customers to the cafe. i wasn't quite sure if i had reached my destination. after getting inside and being greeted by the amiable manager, mike, with delicious complimentary hot chocolate, i knew that for this brunch we were in for a treat.  the complimentary hot chocolate a selection of articles featuring the somerville ball square cafe  the ball square cafe had half a page of their menu dedicated to just french toast. how could we choose just one. mike had us taste the caramelized strawberry & banana selection. i was quite skeptical about the bananas but, it was a really good combination between the 2 unique fruits. the whip cream added to the majority

it's nice to find a place in the city with a small town diner feel and some creative twists on classic brunch dishes.

those familiar with ball square in somerville might have heard of the sound bites vs. ball square cafe breakfast rivalry . there is a deep rooted animosity between the two restaurant owners. the abbreviated version goes something like this… sound bites existed long before ball square cafe . the landlord renting out the space to sound bites eventually increased the rent so much that sound bites was forced out and had to move to the space next door. meanwhile, the landlord’s son saw what a great business sound bites was doing and opened ball square cafe in their original space. to make matters worse, he lured away sound bites’ chef and essentially stole their menu. i tried sound bites shortly after moving to the area, not even knowing the whole story, and had a truly horrible experience. my meal was nearly inedible, and the service matched the quality of the food. i never blogged about it, but my honest yelp review elicited some harassing responses from sound bites’ owner. ever since, i’

the friendly owner greeted us and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our time there. the crab eggs benny was awesome. the stuffed french toast and omelettes fantastic as well. definitely will be going again