The Benedicts make Ball Square Bene's taste like poo!

Sound Bites is my favorite for breakfast when I'm north of Boston. They can be busy and you may need to wait for a seat, but you can always help yourself to a mug of coffee (in a variety of flavors). There are the traditional options, but what I love about Sound Bites are the more exotic options, some of which are inspired by the managment's Mediterranean background (for me the goat cheese and pear stuffed french toast is the highlight of the breakfast menu). The slices of fruit accompanying most breakfast entrees are a nice touch as well. Breakfast at Sound Bites is the draw for me, but their dinners are also quite good. I have also appreciated seeing the owner on the floor at times speaking with customers. It is one of those things that tells you that customers are valued. read more

I think it's pretty obvious that Sound Bites is one of the best breakfasts/brunches in Boston, so I won't dwell too long on that. It's casual. There are fancier, pricier brunch spots in the South End or Beacon Hill or wherever, and when I want to get dressed up and feel a little fancy, I go there. Sound Bites is where I go if I want to wear sweatpants and not have to eat for the rest of the day because I just gorged on an omelet. The fruit is always very fresh, there's something for everyone. Although they're known for their breakfast food and serve it all day, I feel that their lunch/dinner food really doesn't get enough credit. I've come here a few times, and have been pleased with the food. Very reasonable, and very tasty. I came with my mom, who is a woman obsessive in her requirements for tuna salad. She deemed theirs some of the best she's ever had. Now that they're in their no-longer-new location and have a full bar, I've also some a few times for drinks and casual dinner, and the drinks are quite stiff and reasonable. The fish and chips are good--crisp, light breading and a nice piece of fish. It's especially nice in the summer when they have the open air thing going on, and you can do the patio seating on a nice evening. read more

I suggest trying it for dinner if you want the Sound Bites experience with neither the crowd nor the wait of brunch time. My partner and I like to drop in when we don't feel like cooking, since it's just around the corner and we've never had to wait for a table. It's full table service at dinner and you don't have to get your own drinks. The entrees I've tried have had a nice home-style recipe taste. It's like going to grandma's for supper without the lecture on your lifestyle choices. Everything on the menu will be something you recognize, and they've pretty much taken the most popular comfort foods from Middle-Eastern, Italian, Mexican and American cuisine and mixed it all together on one menu. The hummus is absolutely delicious and I could make a meal of it. My partner often gets the meatloaf, and it tastes just like when I make it at home. He also enjoyed the baked haddock. I usually get the ravioli, and once I ordered the calamari appetizer as an entree and was completely satisfied. The portions are generous and I usually end up taking half of whatever I ordered home to have for lunch the next day. I've never tried the desserts, and I have to be *very* full to say no to baklava. I wouldn't say drive 3 hours from Western Mass for it, but if you live in the neighborhood and you just want and old favorite dish for dinner that isn't take-out-y, I think it's a great option to have right nearby. read more

It's a crime this place isn't rated higher than it is. That being said, I've only had breakfast here, so I can't really speak to the dinner menu... Anyway, you could throw a dart at the breakfast menu and end up with a fantastic meal. Everything is superb, from the Shapiro coffee and the fresh-squeezed orange juice to the entrees themselves. The Eggs Bene in particular is phenomenal, and the hash that comes as a side is spot-on perfect with a crispy outer layer and a softer inner potato. As for the service, I've found that if you strike up a conversation with the wait-staff, they're at least as likely to be outgoing and friendly as at any other restaurant. If they tend not to be loquacious when you're seated on when they're taking your order, I'd have to guess that it's because they're incredibly busy during the weekend breakfast rush. And even so, every time I go, there's an older gentleman who always takes good care of my party and provides great recommendations on the food. I've been all over Somerville snagging breakfast at different places, and this is the only place I could go every Saturday morning and never get bored of the atmosphere or the repast. read more

soundbites is...heaven. My boyfriend lives nearby and I now go visit him as an excuse to go to soundbites the next morning. lets go over the deets here. -all day breakfast -quick service -incredibly nice owners -free fruit while you wait -an overwhelming selection of delicious omlettes -vegetarian friendly! -hash browns=a version of a twice baked potato. -very very very good prices! need i say more???? read more

My friends and I end up here regularly for brunch, and we adore it. The food is high quality and beautifully prepared, and the fruit is always incredibly fresh and plentiful. We're often given a complimentary fruit plate when we arrive - they treat their regulars well! - but we still order a big bowl for the table. The owners must have made a deal with the devil, because it doesn't matter the season, the fruit is heavenly. My friends are big fans of the Boston's Best Blue, a grilled blueberry muffin with an omelette on the side, and of course the waffles piled high with fruit and whipped cream are deadly good. But I like my breakfast simple, eggs and bacon and toast and coffee, and that's also five-star. I've read some reviews that say the service isn't great, but I have never had a bad experience in the years I've been coming to Sound Bites. The owner often stops and chats with us, and everyone is always friendly and eager to please. I have no idea what we'd do for weekend brunch without this place! read more

This place rocks. Best breakfast-all-day (even late night!) in Boston. My personal fave is the Mideast combo for lunch

I have been going to Sound Bites for several years now, and I have always found it to be impeccable. During the summer there are even tables and service outside. The service is fast and friendly, and the food is wonderful and served in generous portions. I have gotten (and loved) just about everything on the menu by now, and the servers are always open to any alterations I may ask for my dishes. I have come here for lunch, but I mostly come for the "Breakfast Anytime" menu. The breakfast menu is very diverse and can satisfy meat lovers and vegans alike. Every time I've come in, the table is always served a complimentary plate of fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, papaya, fresh cut pineapple, melon, blueberries, grapes, etc). My favorite items are: Lox on a bagel with red onion, capers, and cream cheese. Served with bacon and their home fries (mashed potatoes grilled to be crispy on the outside). Cereal battered french toast, with fresh fruit and whipped cream. I love how they use seasonal fruits and flavors to keep things interesting and unique, with pumpkin pancakes, berry banana pancakes, and chocolate coconut cakes, and raspberry scones. Their coffee and juice station allows you to make your coffee exactly the way you like it, with extras like nutmeg, cinnamon, and about five different coffee flavors. Not to mention the delicious Mimosas and Bloody Marys. The best part is that the prices and service are unbeatable. There is a reason that almost any time you go there for breakfast, the line stretches around the corner(but the line moves fast, so its worth the 5 min. wait). Because Sound Bites has so much business, another place has opened next door (Ball Square Cafe) just to live off the overspill of soundbites customers who don't want to wait in line for the better menu. Sound Bites is a favorite stop of my friends and mine, and the owner and staff are always very friendly. Go to Sound Bites as soon as you can, your wallet and stomach will thank you! read more

Ball Square Cafe or Sound Bites? I had been trying, for months now, to come up with a difference between the two side-by-side eateries. Both have self-serve coffee and water. Both pride themselves on their breakfasty-brunchy foods. Both have long lines anytime after 9:30 on Saturdays or Sundays. Both have owners with thick accents who spend their time floating between the tables and schmoozing the patrons. When deliberating where to go on a given lazy morning, the deciding factor would almost inevitably be the line lengths of both places. So, as Sound Bites was caught in a momentary lull upon my arrival this morning, I opted for them. I think Sound Bites just edged out Ball Square, for me, in terms of best weekend brunch.Two words: Broadway Bowl. This delicious (enormous) bowl of savory breakfast goodness is layered with hash browns, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, melted cheese, and a generous helping of sliced avocado on top. I hate places that skimp on the avocado, and this place is not one of them! This might be the one major difference between the two places, and it's a good one! Also, the coffee is quite good. The Italian Roast is dark, almost espresso-esque, not your typical watery diner coffee. and I like the serve yourself setup. I'm only giving it four because my friend's omelette tasted a little bit like Burn. Not like, toasty tastiness, but like something burned on the griddle and they didn't scrub it down well enough before cracking the eggs for this omelette. I've been there many times before, almost always get the eggs, and this was the first time I'd experienced this, so I'm going to chalk it up to a fluke in the kitchen. I've been here many a time, and I'll be back again! read more

How are you supposed to enjoy a meal when the waitstaff is hovering over your table like vultures.? They couldn't wait to get us out the door and replace us with the next group. Very disappointed with the experience. Definitely worth it to wait in the Ball Sq Cafe line next door than to be hurried out of this place and have a terrible morning. read more

Tastiest stuffed french toast on the face of the planet. Only wish there wasn't such a long wait, and the water wasn't self-serve, halfway across the already crowded and hectic restaurant. read more

So many choices it is hard to decide what to eat! We have been there several times and never disappointed. The fresh squeezed OJ is amazing. The fruit waffle is excellent. I was at a party the other day and we had lunch delivered it arrived quickly and just like breakfast the lunch was excellent. I had honey mustard chicken which was excellent. The service is excellent. The owner is very friendly and always comes to chat. Well worth the wait in line! read more

Yum....I have been coming to this place since before High School and now I am waay out of college and still come....things have changed, like the new space and such, but one thing remains the same, this place is great for bfast/lunch and has a really neighborhood-y feel to it! Even when I was living out of town for over a year, I walked in and the owner/staff greeted me as if I had just been in there yesterday! Beware, huuuge lines on Sundays, so get there before 9 if you want a spot within twenty or so minutes...other days crowded, but not the same way, so good to try other days as well. :) read more

Best omelettes and eggs florentine in the world. Great Sunday brunch place. Hidden gem!

Was in the area and wanted to check out sound bites. It was one of those freezing mornings and the wait was about 15min for a seat, although there is not much waiting space we were able to stand inside which was nice. Once seated the server explained the drink service, which is self serve. Not that I mind getting my own drink it makes it a bit difficult when the place is packed. I ordered the western omelet and home fries the omelette which was good and had fresh veggies the home fries are not really my taste, they are more like mashed potato. The owner came by the table to chat for a bit which is always nice. Overall good place, I'll return. read more

Great brunch spot! Love the serve yourself coffee bar. French toast, pancakes, eggs, everything is tasty. Also a fun place for trivia on Thursdays. read more

The Stars say it all! Woohoo indeed!! This is the go to place for brunch. The corned beef is made in house and the staff and kitchen chefs are always willing to accommodate to special requests. So tasty! Finally a place to get fresh food that's affordable and delicious. I always have a hibiscus mimosa when I visit. The flower is edible and sweet!! You have to try this place. read more

When my good friend first moved to Somerville, I came down to visit for a weekend and after a night of pretty raucous behavior he suggested hitting up Sound Bites for a good post-debauchery breakfast. This was about 4 years ago and ever since this first experience, I have demanded that anytime I visit, we go to Sound Bites. The wait might look intimidating from the street but the amazing staff gets the tables turned over quick without making anyone feel rushed to leave. The menu is INSANE! So many selections and options. The coffee/iced coffee bar is genius and offers up so many different flavors. With a visit this weekend (first one in over a year) I felt compelled to write a review because I met the owner after he overheard me saying how amazing his restaurant is. He was warm and welcoming and even bought my friend and I a mimosa just for being there. I got their corned beef hash omelette. The corned beef hash is the most legit thing I've ever eaten. Big chunks of meat, and definitely not the garbage out of a can. Throw in a side of a corn muffin and hash browns, with an amazing dark iced coffee, I'm in heaven. What really sets them apart is the hash browns. Rather than fry up a handful of pre breaded frozen potatoes, or some silly shredded potatoes, they take thickened mashed potatoes and form a cake which they season and grill on the flat top with butter. Hands down, my favorite breakfast spot on earth. If you're in Somerville, check it out. Nothing else compares. Also, the meal I had on Sunday might just be my death row meal. read more

The long line is completely worth it - they seriously have the best french toast in town. Huge portions of delicious food and always good service. Today the manager overheard me gushing to my sister about how good the french toast is while we were waiting for our table, and he sent over free mimosas to thank me for the positive review! read more

I went into Sound Bites for the first time a few weeks ago and was thoroughly impressed. The omelette was cooked to perfection and was accompanied by a generous portion of home fries and toast. The homemade blueberry muffin was loaded with fresh berries and grilled just right. The server was very attentive and came by several times to make sure the food was to our likening. The self service beverage bar offered a great variety of coffees and teas and the servers where constantly making sure the area was clean and neat. Weekends are that much better when you go out for breakfast and Sound Bites was the perfect choice!! read more

I just had a party at Sound Bites Saturday night for 60 people. It was amazing. Friendly service, excellent mediterranean food we had set up as a buffet, a la carte breakfast orders for the younger set, open bar, they were great! Yasser makes a mean salmon! Also, his price was very reasonable, and he went out of his way to make sure all of my out of town guests were comfortable and got parking. Also good to know that it is handicapped accessible (one of my friends was in a wheelchair). Highly recommended! read more

Sound bites is ok - their food is great but the service and atmosphere is lame. With the Davis/ball square area being the brunch capital of somerville, you can probably do better. read more

First of all, we only went here because ball square cafe had a long line, and this place has no line so we checked it out. I went here with a friend and we were very disappointed. The service was horrible, our waiter sat us down and we had to wait about 20 min to be served. When we were actually served, it was because we asked a random waiter walking by to help us. THEN I got my food and thought I was getting french fries with my eggs, but it was literally square shaped mashed potatoes. I got avocados on the side which were supposed to be sliced, but it was just a whole avocado that was scooped out and literally thrown on a plate. And THEN when we wanted to pay, we mistakenly didn't say separate checks at the beginning, but wanted to change it at the end. So when the man who is usually behind the register came over, he was very rude and standoffish and raised his eyebrows at us when we wanted separates. Like he didn't want to help us and was acting like it was the hardest thing for him to change!! Overall the only good thing about this place was the egg and cheese on a croissant that I had, but that in itself is pretty simple to make. read more

With amazing breakfasts AND a full bar, this friendly restaurant is where I always go for a meal when I'm visiting the Cambridge-Somerville metropolis. There's good food and plenty of it, made and served by kind people who care about their customers. I consider it almost a home away from home and always feel happy when I walk through the door. read more

Fresh ingredients, good homely preparation. I ordered jalapeno/avacado/onion/tomato omelette - it was as if I made it at home - no unnecessary oil or stale taste of ingredients. My wife had egg benedict and nutella waffle. She said they were great! read more

I had a great first experience at Sound Bites! The service was great. The manager came over to our table & took our orders and was very friendly. I ordered lamb, eggs, and pancakes. I definitely recommend be lamb. It was cooked well & very tasty. The rest of the people with me ordered omelettes, & everyone enjoyed the food. Their home fries are unique & very tasty. I am a coffee critic & theirs was delicious. I was even able to buy a bag at the end of brunch. read more

Food was okay, but nothing spectacular. Coffee and self serve water was annoying trying to get around everyone. Even though their were open tables and my friend was parking, they wouldn't seat us and made me wait outside. The worst part for me is my friend and I counted we had different waiters and waitresses come by 10 times asking if they could take our plates away when we were literally still eating. It got so annoying we wanted to just get out of there...seems like they want everyone out pretty quick also. Needless to say we won't be going back. read more

Such an amazing place to get brunch. Always has a huge line but gets people in and out crazy fast. I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes or so. I eat here at least once a week read more

A cozy little place (I don't think it has more than 15 tables) on Broadway in Ball Square, it does have great food at reasonable prices. The breakfasts are locally famous, especially the home fries. Good variety and plenty of veggie options. Many items have a slight Middle Eastern flair but in no way is this a Middle Eastern restaurant; omelettes and french toast are the norm. It's also famous for the wait on weekends as it is popular with the late-rising college crowd. Take the advice of the other reviewers and don't screw around after you're done. The service can be Soup Nazi-esque, but it is very efficient. Order, eat and leave. Weekdays are much less crowded and, therefore, much more relaxed. read more

Not only was the food out of this world but the staff was incredible nice! The wait in line was totally worth it!

Have been going to Sound Bites for a few years. The breakfast menu is fantastic and the service is the fastest anywhere. Would highly recommend this great spot in Ball Sq. read more

i am a taster and i don't mind changes usually , but since ever i first tried this place, it became one of my favorite for their prices ,food , and service. the place is clean and the owner with his help are very welcoming and friendly. read more

Just left Sound Bites on Broadway in Somerville....if you haven't been there yet you are missing out. Excellent food, outstanding variety, and the best service. Try the fresh fruit bowl. Outstanding!! Always fresh and delicious. I had the avocado and tomato omelet and it was delicious, huge portion, and cooked to perfection. The owner/host and all the staff at Sound Bites are very friendly and accommodating. Laura N. read more

Where do I begin? The quality of the food and quality of service is exceptional and gets an A+ rating. Sound Bites has an amazing menu with a variety of choices. If you want to go basic or try something extravagant, the menu has something for everyone. The quality of the food is amazing and you can't beat the price. All of the items that I have tried on the breakfast menu are cooked to perfection, are always filling and are affordable. Sound Bites' owner Yasser is kind, approachable, and very caring. Every time I visit, he goes to each table to make sure everyone is happy with their experience. Yasser gives a 100% effort to make sure everyone gets quality service and is satisfied. I think hands down Sound Bites has the best breakfast menu in Boston and is complete with an excellent menu, affordable prices (with generous portions) and A+ quality service. read more

This was my favorite place for breakfast, the quality has been declining for the past year. This was a place I would take everyone who came to visit me. My favorite items don't exist anymore because of the quality is gone, their food looks like a sorry representation of what I used to order. Nobody has bacon as thin as what they serve. And their prices have gone significantly up. read more

After a not so great experience, I was ready to swear off Sound Bites forever! However, with a little persuasion from a gift certificate, I gave it another go and realized it really is a good spot - especially for breakfast. There's a ton to choose from on the menu, and I actually really like how they have a self-serve coffee station. You have to get there early to avoid the line on a weekend, but I guess any place that has a line of people waiting to get in is a good sign! ... Worth a try, for sure. read more

We love Soundbites! My housemates and I go there practically every weekend for brunch. I like going on a weekday when it's quiet, too. This is the Real Somerville. I always get an omelet, because they have lots of options (like twenty or something?) with all sorts of veggies, instead of your standard, what, four anywhere else. And they're the big, fluffy kind of eggs, not the flat, greasy kind. My boyfriend goes for the ricotta stuffed French toast with some different kind of fruit each time. Oh, and the full bar means mimosas with breakfast if you swing that way. :) It's pretty hard to find an awesome diner-like breakfast that also has a bar! There's a line on weekends, but it moves really fast because the place is big. Also, I love how fast they are when I'm hungry. For a more relaxed, chill experience go on a weekday. Truth is I've only had dinner there a couple times, and it wasn't stellar. But that's fine. They're the absolute go-to for breakfast food and a total pillar of the 'Ville. read more

Best brunch in Boston. This is a great place. The owner and staff are always friendly and helpful, the service is always quick, and the food is always fantastic. We're lucky to live within walking distance and make it a point of bringing all of our visiting friends and family to experience the homestyle fries. Even though we usually come with a baby, the staff is always friendly and sets up with a table where we can fit the carseat out of the way. Some people complain about the wait. I think they just see the line and want to complain. If you get there and there is a line, don't worry. It moves REALLY fast. And besides, the its worth any wait you'll have. As for a recommendation, any of their eggs bene dishes are delicious, but I can't stop ordering the challa french toast with fresh fruit. And a side of the homestyle fries! read more

We were waiting to go into Ball Square and the line was open for Sound Bites. I love pancakes and believe me, this place did not disappoint. Yasser was the most friendliest and even gave us falafel to try. I got the 2 to the 3rd Power Royale with a side of hash and banana, blueberry and coconut pancakes and ate the whole thing!!! I will definitely be going back to try other menu items.... read more