sound bites

back when i first started going to soundbites, it was about half the current size and the wait line often stretched around the block. the food was so good that there were many saturday mornings where i stood in that that line for a ridiculous amount of time. it was just like that one portlandia skit! visiting soundbiteswas a must on my trip back to boston, but this time we were smart and went on a weekday morning. even with a group of 5, we got a table right away. one of my favorite things about soundbitesis the do-it-yourself coffee bar. you just walk right up, grab any of the super cute colorful mugs and make it the way you want it. the day we were there they had two regular brews, one decaf, and about 4 flavored varieties. they also have different types of milk, sweeteners, and cinnamon!

soundbitesis a restaurant and bar in somerville best known for their breakfast (although they do serve lunch and dinner).  it’s become famous with the locals for a few reasons: 1. the amazing breakfast 2. the rivalry with ball square cafe (a similar breakfast spot next door) 3.        the comparison to a certain seinfeld character rushing customers to order and then out the door as soon as they finish after hearing about soundbitesand ball square café, i decided to eventually try both and compare. i started with soundbitesbecause there was a free spot at the bar when both places had a line. as expected, the service was quick and the staff did their best to keep the line moving. the make your own coffee and drink stations helped and i thought these were a great idea. for a casual breakfast, i would prefer to make my own coffee exactly how i like it. there were plenty of options to choose from including different roasts, milks and creamers, sweeteners, and flavored sy

horrible. there are a lot of weird things about this place, but honestly, the food at soundbitesis disgusting. last time i went, i got some kind of combo breakfast plate with scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and a pancake. pretty hard to screw up, right? their eggs looked like they've been sitting around all morning in whatever nasty, cheap oil they fry them in. i actually spotted the woman next to me wiping her eggs off with a napkin (no joke). the sausage had the texture of a hockey puck. the pancakes were chewy and dense, and were no better when drenched in their fake maple syrup. it is shocking to me that people line up down the block to get into this place every weekend.

my boyfriend got some moroccan egg dish, which was basically a pile of roughly chopped, undercooked greasy vegetables with eggs on top. the runny egg yolks ended up mixing with the residual grease at the bottom of the dish from the vegetables, creating an oily mess. hey, at least the eggs were runny i guess!

to top things off, the service is pushy and not at all personal. we had about four different servers throughout the course of our short meal, sometimes not even knowing that someone else had already been helping us. soundbitesalso requires that you get up and serve your own coffee and water. i'm baffled by this and don't know how it benefits anyone.

seriously, just head to posto or highland kitchen for a relaxing, delicious brunch.

fairly good breakfast place.. soundbitesis not as good as it should be. an upscale breakfast and lunch place in an attractive sunny double-wide storefront, the restaurant is packed with locals and students on weekends. ingredients are above average, with some fresh fruit, homemade pancakes and quality coffee beans. in addition to american breakfast staples, they have interesting middle-eastern takes on eggs. preparation is only middling, however, their pancakes are oddly yeasty and the blueberries are clearly from frozen bags and did not taste fresh or or flavorful. coffee was quite weak and hash browns were over garlicky and almost mashed in texture. service is efficient but i felt pressured to vacate the table after 10 minutes. overall, pretty good, but not great. no surprise that the lines at the breakfast place next door were much longer.

my all-time breakfast favorite. soundbitesis a favorite for me and could well become one for you. my family have breakfasted there when we could since 2004.

once a breakfast and lunch only destination, soundbiteshas become a full service restaurant. the physical plant has at least doubled in size since the old days, and offers many new amenities such as a bar and windows-open dining during the season. while the pace is much more relaxed, the food is still outstanding and the prices remain very reasonable.

for great breakfasts, i suggest the tunisian (my all-time favorite,) mexican or tom[ato], art[ichoke] and [monteray] jack omelets. if you prefer breakfast breads, my daughter suggests the pear and goat cheese stuffed french toast. my lady friend recommends one of the many splendid variants on eggs benedict, which include more than enough choices to fill a month's worth of sundays. dozens of more traditional choices are also available.

in addition to great breakfasts, the menu now offers fine mediterranean lunches and dinners. if you do not find something you like at sound bites, your taste must be too exotic to be satisfied very often.

highly recommended.

we wanted to try a new breakfast place last weekend. our choices were blue room in kendall square, stephanie's on newbury , or soundbitesin somerville. we eventually settled on soundbites(the cheapest hah). pacman and i got there a little late. as we