This is probably my favorite diner in the area! My coworkers and I go quite often for lunch, whether it is just for a quick bite to eat or a long winded affair the food never disappoints. Somerville is a really great town with so many up and coming restaurants. Phoenix Cafe stays top 3 in my book no matter what comes into town. The service and the curly fries are worth the trip out. Parking is tough in Somerville. There are metered spots on the Main Street or municipal lots that run parallel to the main road. read more

After having an underwhelming experience at the IHOP of HB, My BF and I were very pleased by the feel of this diner . It has a very old fashioned diner in the south or mid west decor and vibe. Our waitress was very warm and welcoming and the food was very fair in price. The food also was very simple but tasty . We have definitely found our breakfast spot in town :) read more

Easily the best diner breakfast in the area, and the price can't be beat. The boyfriend and I usually go here for a late breakfast on the weekend. Their French toast is my absolute favorite - it's almost cake-like. They typically close before dinner, around 3pm - but they do serve lunch on weekdays. Takeout is available, which is good for the offices in the area. read more

GREAT prices! By far the most fair diner prices around. Decent sized menu-meaning that it's not SO huge that it takes forever to make a decision but that it's big enough to have plenty of options. It's the perfect mix between being either a small diner or a larger, diner-like cafe. The staff is incredibly friendly although some aren't re best at speaking and understanding English, most of them do, though. The owner is AMAZING! Her name is Andrea. She's hardworking, she's there every time i have been there, she's accommodating, always there to greet you and for when you want to pay your bill and her staff seems to adore her! I've never been let down when eating at Phoenix Cafe and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a diner OR a cafe to eat at if wanting good price, friendly staff and great food! read more

You really can't go wrong with this diner. The food always seems fresh, and the help always seems friendly. I like going here because it is an old-school diner. No frills. No Wi-Fi. But good food at good prices. I'm here at least twice a month. My kids like it and we always sit at the bar on stools, which are likely a lot older than me. Very cool. read more

Upon entering the Phoenix cafe I was amused by the outdated decor and overall dimness of the place. The server/hostess was friendly enough, and was prompt with bringing my coffee over. The coffee was lukewarm and tasted like they only put a few tablespoons of used coffee grinds. I ordered the 1 French Toast with 2 eggs and bacon. The wait was fairly short, around 5 minutes which in and of itself rather suspect. My suspicions were confirmed when I was handed a plate in which the only thing that looked fresh were the over-easy eggs. The bacon was chewy and dripping with grease and tasted like it had been cooked the night before. Ditto the French toast, which tasted like one of those Eggo-brand frozen pancakes. The eggs were completely bland and lukewarm. About the only redeeming factors were the short wait and the low prices. In summary, if you're looking for high-end diner food, this isn't the place you're looking for. The ambience is about as bland and boring as the food, the decor about as old as the coffee and food they serve you. But, if you're looking for a quick meal on your way to work and are famished enough to eat what they've got cooking, then by all means! Order away! read more

Went to the Phoenix café for a quick breakfast before our big operation shoebox packing. To me the Phoenix café is a little diamond in the rough for the town of Somerville... my wife and I stop in here for breakfast when we can because it is very dependable food is always good and the service is top notch and very attentive read more

Will not return for multiple reasons! I can get over the outdated decor and musty smell of this diner, I can even get over the food that was at best only okay, but I cannot get over the fact that when we asked for feta on our scrambled eggs we got a 6" by 6" slab of feta on a plate. (Will post picture) The waitress told us they could not add Feta cheese on our scrambled eggs, but said she could do it on the side. We did not expect a slab of Feta (we were expecting feta crumbles like most other normal restaurants) and were then charged an additional $3.50! My husband literally took less than 1/6th of the cheese which was way too much already! All other cheeses were only an extra $1 or $1.25 cents. The waitress did not tell us this prior to ordering and when we tried to address the issues afterwards, she didn't do anything about it. Extremely POOR management. They certainly took advantage of the situation as there was NO WAY anyone could of eaten that slab of feta. Absolutely ridiculous. The pancakes, eggs, turkey Benedict were just okay. The home fries were so mushy and tasteless though. Orange juice was room temperature and the food took quite a while to come out. Many reviews stated how cheap this place was, some of the menu is cheap, but most of it is just normal prices. read more

Phoenix Cafe - Asked for eggs w/feta, they put it on the side. Got slab of Feta and then they charged extra $3.50! Pic after we cut 1/6 of it. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

The food is average. I've had rude service here before. A diner would probably be a better choice

Love this little diner! The employees are always super friendly and the service is always great. The food is great and everything is always served pretty fast. Very cheap prices for delicious meals! read more

My brother is moving out of Raritan in a month, at which point I may not ever come back to this part of NJ again. But I would, only to see the wonderful staff that works at Phoenix Cafe and have another Phoenix Special read more

Worst place EVER. Reason 1: It's not a cafe. It's a diner. Reason 2: The waitress and every worker there hates their job and exude negativity everywhere. Reason 3: The food came out cold. Reason 4: the menu does not accurately describe what's in the food. Do you really need any more reasons? DON'T GO. read more

This place isn't bad for a quick diner style breakfast and the service is friendly but don't expect much in terms of decor and it is small. The Somerville downtown lacks legit breakfast joints so its nice to have this diner. read more

This part of NJ is a bit of a gastronomic wasteland, however, the Phoenix Cafe stands apart. The food was great, service excellent and price good. Possibly the best corned beef hash I've ever had. read more

We eat here every weekend. Delicious breakfast at a very reasonable price. Also, the staff is super friendly and attentive.

I come here once a weekend for breakfast. Sausage links are the nice big fat ones. The chipped beef is amazing! You can't go wrong here.

Nasty diner employees all seem unhappy it's obvious they have an incompetent manager. Food came out cold yet tasteless! This place is below mediocre. "Siri!, remind me never to step foot in this place again!"; "your wish is my command!" read more

I work in the town of Somerville. The Phoenix Cafe is one of my go to lunch spots. Food is generously portioned and priced well. I have had breakfast for lunch which is always good. Lunch specials are always available.......and filling. Wait staff is always attentive. I think they close at 3 pm, but that works for me. Try it! read more

Very consistant.great food freindly crew know our names and know where we like to sit. Not like a noisy diner , cozy

Phoenix Cafe is pretty much a diner with exceptional service. Everyone there is always friendly and the food comes out quickly. I'd always be up for their breakfast! read more

Very sloooooow service but seemed it was because there was only 1 waitress for 8 tables. We all got omelets and we all cleaned our plates. Shockingly the coffee was really good, was expecting bad diner coffee but it surprised us! read more

First time in, great family breakfast spot. Very dinerish and nothing fancy, but that was ok for us. Pancakes, French toast, bacon and the breakfast wrap were all real good. read more

Very nice neighborhood diner, loved that do not try so hard with the decoration, good French Toast!

I thought it was more of a cafe because of the name but it's just regular diner food. Our server was great! I forgot her name but she was so friendly and such a pleasure. I had a salad and I didn't love their dressing. I think they were canned. I think all restaurants should have homemade dressings. read more

I always look forward to going here. It's just a small diner but the prices are great and it gives me that small town feeling. Food is always good. read more

It's a strange thing. On Main St in Somerville, there is a little storefront for the Phoenix cafe. It doesn't look like much, but when you walk in, it's like a perfect, tiny little diner. It's a great place to have a quiet brunch or lunch and reminds me of hanging out in diners with friends when I was a kid. I almost always get the Belgian waffle, which is always tasty. The bacon is almost always perfectly cooked as well (which is nice, since I really love bacon) One thing that I noticed the last time I was there. I got the waffle with bacon and the fiance got a platter of some sort that had bacon, pancakes and eggs. He got his eggs scrambled with cheese. I thought it was strange that the eggs were put directly on top of the pancakes so that it would all fit on one plate. Not a big deal for the fiance (he's of the "it's all going to the same place" variety) but I would have been a bit skeeved by having cheese touch my pancakes. That said, the waitress did bring out another plate for the eggs, but it still struck me as weird. The platter that he got came with a small juice. It was the smallest, most adorable juice glass I've ever seen 3/4 of a cup if it was an ounce. Definitely not enough juice if that's what you're into, but a really cute little service all the same. Anyway, the waffles are quite tasty, the bacon is cooked properly, the food comes out quickly and coffee refills are often forthcoming. It's a great little diner style place in town. read more

I am a regular here! Always the same friendly faces. Great portions and the soups are all home made. It says cafe, but it feels more like a diner - beware the hours though. They are only open fro breakfast and lunch. read more

Love this place, being going since the Buffalo Bill days and still serving the best breakfast around for great prices.

Decent place in downtown Somerville for breakfast/lunch. Reasonable prices and generous portions. Service is fast and friendly.

I always get their Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. It comes with the Homefries and 2 eggs ( Sunnyside,Overeasy, or Scrambled). And I always get a side of Scrapple when I come. Awesome restaurant to go to for breakfast. read more

Went there for the first time and loved it. Very good food that's fresh and inexpensive. The place is small but features the personality of an old school diner. Fitting rather nicely into Sommerville's warm, embracing small town charm. read more

We've been going here for breakfast weekly for 3 years. It is like one big family there. Everyone is nice. We always sit at Angela's table. The food is good. It's your typical eggs, bacon, ham, omelette, pancakes place. But the service and the low prices are why we go. read more

Super fast service! We've only been here for breakfast. They pretty much have every breakfast food anyone would ever want. If you ask for hot peppers in your omelette, be prepared. Summary: Great Service, inexpensive, good food read more

The Phoenix is my favorite restaurant in town. It's my number one choice for breakfast with friends or by myself. The waitresses are all friendly and experienced and the prices are very reasonable. I'm confused by the negative review I read. Maybe that person had had a bad day. We even had our book launch at the Phoenix! Where else would a waitress run down the street to give me my forgotten mittens. read more

My boyfriend and I are frequent Phoenix eaters. its always super good and not too expensive. some of their dishes could use a little more flavor but overall its really good and the wait staff is always friendly! read more

Walked in with a tea from Starbucks that I had been enjoying for an hour. Stopped in the cafe to have lunch. Before we sat down the owner said "no outside drinks". I told him it was almost finished and that I would like to finish it. He said "no outside drinks, I have a sign". So I asked him if he wanted our business and he replied "no outside drinks" so we walked out. Interesting he would not want to sell $25 worth of food because he would be missing out on the sale of a $1.50 tea. Bad business. Oh and its my birthday. Thanks guy. read more

Was excited by reviews. Corned beef hash was no good! Eggs on eggs Benedict were tiny. My wife's croissant sandwich was fine; nothing special and conservative on the bacon and cheese. Good prices ($42 for 4) and friendly waitress, but very average food, and atmosphere / decor leaves much to be desired. Went slightly out of our way based on Yelp reviews; wouldn't recommend. read more

My son wanted to go out for breakfast one Sunday before work, so we tried this cafe/diner based on the decent reviews. Unfortunately, we were both disappointed in the experience, the Phoenix Cafe did not live up to expectations. I had an egg dish that was a scramble with vegetables and cheese (and I was not happy to see several slices of half-melted American cheese draped across the top of my food when I was expecting lovely cheddar cheese to be oozing out of the eggs); he had the meat lovers omelette. Both dishes came with toast and a side of potatoes. Although the portions were large, the food was generally lacking in taste; the kitchen seems wary of using even the most basic seasonings (yeah, I'm talking about salt & pepper). Service was friendly and prices were reasonable, but we won't be going again. read more

Super cute place; very family oriented. Lots of kid's drawings on the backs of placemats taped to the walls, and it gives the place a real friendly feel. Fast service. Angela is a delight. Everything we got was tasty and everyone we met was nice. Not the place to go if you're looking for a fancy place, but excellent for a cafe which is all i was looking for. Would return again. read more

Good food, especially the Belgian waffles...prices are very reasonable. I can't wait to go back there. It's a diner menu and breakfast served all day! Service was good and waitress was friendly! read more