Soundbites is an essential Boston (Somerville) breakfast joint with classic local diner flare and a hipster edge. In pre-COVID times, it was almost impossible to get a table here. However, with COVID spikes keeping many people at home, we took the opportunity to come out (SAFELY) for a delicious breakfast. We ordered the granola, yogurt, and fruit bowl to start. I ordered the jalapeño omelette, and Matt ordered the Broadway bowl with scrambled eggs and a side of corned beef hash (lol). My omelette was kind of lack luster, and it wasn't just because I ordered egg whites. The cheese wasn't fully melted, and it was a little cold on the inside. It wasn't very spicy and there were very few jalapeños in it. I expected a little more on this visit, but I know everyone is operating a little differently these days. I'll be back once lockdowns and restrictions are lifted for the full experience. The menu is full of so many other interesting options - they have everything from Benedicts, seafood omelettes, Mexican omelettes, waffles, French toast, and most importantly, you can get a side of almost anything you want - smoked salmon, corned beef, eggs, etc. The food is portions are massive, and you won't have to worry about leaving hungry.   We ordered coffee, which was strong and good. They have dairy alternatives, like almond milk. The orange juice was fresh squeezed. I eyed some of the cocktails which also looked really good - specifically the black cherry mimosa with luxardo cherries. read more

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Good coffee. Nice omelets and blueberry pancakes. Sat by open doors, nice breeze on a hot day. Great place.

Such a cute place! I went in on a whim looking for a ginger tea with honey and they had that plus more. The staff is very sweet. I visited on a Saturday morning and it was busy. You make your own tea/coffee in the back and I loved that. Next time I'll try the food too. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Tea/coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

This place changed ownership recently so I thought I would give it another try as the previous owners turned out a fair-at-best product, but had solid service. Today I had the worst breakfast food and experience at a diner. Nobody came to my table to take my order for 15 min. Order was wrong and had to send it back. The new order came out only to be undercooked, cold unmelted cheese in the omelet, which then made the entire dish lukewarm. The home fries were cooked well but had a strange taste via some sort of unknown spice. The English muffin was like rubber because it is not even close to being reasonably toasted. No real iced coffee exists albeit on the menu. It is steaming hot coffee that they expect you to pour over ice in a clear solo cup. Imagine the chemicals leaching from that interaction. I picked at the food and maybe ate 1/3 of it and pushed it away in disgust. There are plenty of other places. Moving on. This place is not a NO, it is a NEVER. read more

I love this neighborhood spot! I didn't realize they have a back patio til I went today. This is a sit down service restaurant, but you have to grab your own coffee and waters from the back corner area. While I'm fine doing this, this area can get a little chaotic when busy. Short stack of chocolate chip pancakes was a great size and the side of mashed home fries is especially good with hot sauce. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Chocolate Chip Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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I took my family here for lunch-3 kids under 11, 3 adults, 2 teens. Most of them are underwhelmed by the burgers; both commented that the buns were charred, beef a bit dry. Fries were not very crispy but ok. My niece had the Turkey burger and was also underwhelmed. I had the Mediterranean Plate 1 and i thought it was good and a large portion. I'd give it a 4 because the tabouli had no flavor. Sister had the Moroccan eggs which she gave a 3. Everyone was a bit confused by the statement in the menu that said drinks were self serve but the server did not explain this. Nephew loved his egg and cheese sandwich and hot chocolate. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Bacon burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Had the fried chicken Benny and it was pretty bad. The eggs were overcooked, the chicken was dry, and the hollandaise tasted off. Not quite off enough to make me throw it away but definitely off. The home fries were mostly fine but there were some pieces that were rock hard and inedible. It also included a surprise orange slice which was nice. Given the mostly positive reviews, I might give this place one more try but I'm definitely staying away from that hollandaise. read more

When you enter the aesthetics are that of a working class, blue collar bar where everyone knows your name. That is exactly what it felt like as the owner came to greet us. Warm and friendly. The food was fantastic. The homemade corn beef was succulent and cooked with a crisp edge. It had to be the best I have had. A perfectly cooked poached egg topped my meal. The green Omlet, the Greek Omlet were both tasty and well seasoned. They each could feed 3 ppl. The Benedict's hollandaise had a bit too much tang that it tasted slightly sour. There was so much, it needed to be scraped off. Ioved it here. I will be back for breakfast in the morning. read more

My favorite American breakfast place. I can't compare it to the restaurant next door because I am a creature of habit and when I know something is that good, I am not too keen to give it up and try new things. Just maybe, one day, I will line up at the restaurant next door. I don't have beef with them, but I know the owner of Sound Bites does. I know they are famous for their grilled mash potatoes or as they call it, home fries and their corn beef hash which are all very good, yes, but I highly recommend the Challah French toast with tons of fresh fruits and thick cuts of French toast. The warmed apple walnut French toast version is also just as good but I have an affinity for the Challah version. Their egg Benedict is standard and delicious also. The pancakes, sausages and eggs and toast are standard and so is their breakfast steak. I recommend their hot chocolate if you're not on a calorie diet. It is warm and satisfying. Very rich and indulging with the whipped cream. Mochacinno was good also. See my pictures. read more

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Sound Bites is a Somverville staple, and one of my new favorite places to grab brunch! It's got good food, decent portions, and tons of variety at a reasonable price. I'm also a big fan of the self-serve coffee bar, which includes to-go cups. I ordered the "Boston's Best Blues" ($12), which comes with a cheddar omelet, home fries, bacon, and a grilled blueberry muffin (which I swapped for a raspberry scone). Omelet was delicious and filled with cheese, bacon was crispy, but the hash-browns really stole the show (they're basically grilled mash potatoes). I was less impressed with the scone, it lacked moisture and the raspberry flavor tasted artificial. Wish I had asked for a buttered croissant instead - I tried my bf's and it was amazing. A bowl of fruit on the house was a lovely finishing touch! I'll definitely be back. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Chicken & Waffles for me. Eggs Benedict's, combo plate #1 for my friends. Self serve cold beverages. Staff very friendly. Food was amazing. How been here several times. Food always good. read more

No frills, just the way I like it. I am one of those people who loves the standard eggs, protein of your choice, and hash browns and they do it right here. The Golden Grill is the combination of my dreams - all of the above plus a DELICIOUS grilled corn muffin. I love that their hash browns are mashed potatoes on the grill. There are tons of choices for food. I haven't tried lunch options but the breakfaszt menu alone is massive. Make your own coffee bar is fun although I admit I am one of those people who love my fancy oat milk iced lattes but you can't go wrong with hot black coffee. Prices aren't bad for the area, but a little steep if you're comparing it with the burbs. The service is great, the women who were at the front when I stopped by were so sweet! read more

Love sound bites. It's always very quick and very yummy. Their menu is pretty extensive and they have a little bit of everything for everyone. Sometimes there's a wait but never usually that long. Parking can be a little tricky at prime hours but it's super close to the newish ball square green line stop! read more

The place is an institution of breakfast happiness in Somerville. I would avoid going there on the weekends between 10am-12pm. Order the hash! It's made with fresh corn beef not that canned crap. My partner always gets the french toast with lot of strawberries and whipped cream. It looks good however I am sweet enough on a good day. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I wanted to like this place and thought it was a sure thing with the 4-star review, but not for breakfast. A few pros, I like the coffee bar idea and there's fresh squeezed juice and the chicken and waffles was good too. Cons, there was nothing scrumptious about the scone, tasteless and very dry. The eggs and omelette (not pictured) were bland and the veggies were undercooked and finally the hash browns were mushy and under seasoned. read more

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This kills me to write But don't waste your time or money going to Sound Bites anymore. The new owner absolutely ruined the place. Food and service use to be 10/10 everytime now the food is bland, oily and to be honest just plain gross. (They also got ride of their FAMOUS home fries!) Don't even get me started on the service although it's completely understandable now why the good people left. Doesn't make sense why the new guy would want to change something that wasn't broken. Won't be back, go to Kelly's if you want to have a good experience read more

Great meal today at Sound Bites. Grandiose portions at reasonable prices brought out with blazing speed. Efficient service and delicious food. I'm a super fan. I had the Monte Cristo and when I boorishly started eating it like a sandwich, napkins magically appeared thanks to our alert server. I hear there's a long wait to get in on weekends, but we had no problems on a Thursday at lunchtime. I'd say it's worth the wait! read more

I love the atmosphere, the waitstaff , the extensive menu . (You should try the breakfast bowl. ) I like getting my own coffee. It's set up to get your own drink because there are so many choices! Just go there. It's the perfect place for BREAKFAST LOVERS! read more

I've frequent this establishment a few times for brunch already and am finally writing the review. First thing, the food is consistent and fresh. Second, if you are getting coffee/juice/non-alcoholic beverages, it's self serve. Third, beware of the line, get there early or prep for the line. Coffee station (high importance): located in the right back of the restaurant. There are mugs on the wall shelf, several specialty coffee flavors, cream, honey, stirrers... basically everything you need to make the coffee of your dream to how you exactly like it. The food: we've ordered The Bowl, Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, French Toast, and Pancakes. All were done well, cooked to order, not under/over cooked, and decently flavored. The kitchen moves quick and your order is out pretty fast. The Bar: there is a full bar that i haven't tried. The few times i've been here i've sat at the bar and i do see brunch cocktails being concocted, they looked good. The Line: the restaurant doesn't have a wait call sheet nor a dedicated host to track who came first. All the wait staff are hosts as well. We've been skipped over a few times simply because we inform one wait staff and someone else shows up and informs another wait staff and they got seated right away because we were forgotten by the wait staff we told. Overall it's a good neighborhood brunch place if we don't feel like driving somewhere. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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My wife & kids and I love it. Great vibe and location. And the food? Purty darn good, too.

Me and my sister and her husband came here for Brunch on Sunday, around 10:30am there was a line already, got in line and wasn't a long wait. We got a table with in 20 mins or so, the menu has a lot to choose from! I got the cornmeal pancakes and 3 sausage links and 3 over easy eggs, my sister got buttermilk pancakes with 3 over easy eggs and crispy bacon, and her husband got pancakes with strawberries & powdered sugar and 3 over easy eggs with Linguiça sausage well done. All pancakes where light fluffy and cooked perfectly cornmeal grilled tasted so good, the sausage links cooked just as requested really delicious, the Linguiça was delicious and cooked well done as requested, the bacon was crispy as requested (1 bacon strip wasn't) but the rest was just how my sister loves her bacon crispy and delicious it was! All eggs orders where cooked perfectly over easy can't ask for any better, we got raisin bread toast & my sis got wheat toast, toasted just right! The service was excellent the servers work well in a busy service rush the place was packed and a line growing outside. The self service station for fresh squeezed orange juice was refreshing! The cold brew coffee was great the have a endless selection of syrups flavors for your coffee, hot or tea also! I will be coming back to try something else on the menu! Check this spot out we had a great brunch and excellent service and the prices are reasonable! read more

I ordered delivery and everything was terrible. Their omelets are not cohesive with the ingredients, I got a western omelet with peppers onions and my choice of cheese. It was literally just a plain egg omelet and they just put all the ingredients in the middle of the finished omelet. Do they not know that you're supposed to combine the ingredients while you're cooking them?? I also got French toast stuffed with ricotta and it was literally toast slices with a slab or ricotta in the middle like a SANDWICH. Home fries are good if you like mashed potatoes. Otherwise don't bother. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Today was a little chilly outside ,there was a long line outside of this restaurant. We went inside to give our names, we were welcomed with smiles and told that we could grab a cup of coffee or tea as we waited outside. We waited for about 10 minutes. We were then seated at the bar and we were handed menus. My daughter and I placed our orders. Wow the food looked amazing! It didn't take long to get our food. (I thought it would be a while because the place was packed). The waiter checked on us to see how the food was and if we needed anything. This is definitely the place you want to eat at if you want to feel as though you are home. Everything tasted really, really good! People looked happy as they were eating. There were people representing various cultures which made this place a comfortable environment! Their menu has something for everybody. We will definitely come back! Thank you for offering us this positive experience! read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Arthur's Favorite Omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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I met up with a a friend for lunch at sound bites and I was so so happy. They have an extensive breakfast menu, but I was in the mood for some lunch food. I ordered the lamb plate with rice which comes with salad as well. The lamb was cooked to medium and was so good! It was a huge portion as you can see from the photo. The salad was refreshing. 8/10 The service was great! The employees were super kind. Try this spot out! read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Lamb Plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Sound Bites is an institution that, much like American Idol, one loves or can't stand. Boo AI, hooray SB! The menu offers at least a few unique items (fig stuffed french toast, challah french toast and moroccan skillets) and the food has been tasty overall. In more than 5 visits, I've always been served a complimentary fresh fruit plate - for nothing more than offering a genuine smile and maybe having an attractive woman in the party. Yeah, they're quick to grab a plate but when not in Europe, do as the not-Europeans: eat and leave. And now that they've moved to the spacious bar next door (RIP El Guapo), your claustrophobic friends can once again enjoy an eggs benny. One more thing: if management is reading, pay tribute to the Karaoke spirits that reside in 704 Broadway. They were there first. read more

We were a party of four. Ordered pancakes and two scrambled eggs. First of all, they didn't give us water. The pancakes were so dry and the syrup was disgusting and when we tried pouring it half of the syrup bottle came out. Their service was ok. I was still eating my pancakes and about to wipe my hands and they came and took my napkin and forks and food. We also ordered a double espresso and they gave us one shot. We got the check and charged us 2$ more for putting canned olives on top of the scrambled eggs. We ended up paying $7 for 2 eggs. We do not recommend. Ball Square next door is much better. read more

If Yelp existed when I moved to the area back in 2000, I'd likely be the Duke of this place. I have been here countless times, long before they moved into the defunct Mexican restaurant that was next door to them and when the lines were actually 20+ people long vs. only a handful at a time. The "new" location is easily 3x as much square footage as in the old joint which is now a rival breakfast place in its own right. Plus, they now serve booze. Even though I'm not a morning drinker, many people loves themselves a good bloody mary in the morning to help with the hangover from the night before and from what I've heard, they are pretty delish here as well. You'll be seated as quickly as a table is cleared which is often less than a minute. You'll have exactly 1 minute and 37 seconds to decide what to have....that's why if you are waiting in line, pick up a menu and study it! Your food will be out in 3 minutes and 42 seconds and you'll have 12 minutes and 16 seconds to finish your food before they begin removing your plates for the people still standing out in the cold. My three favorite dishes at SB are the mushroom & boursin omelette, the challah french toast and the unique to Soundbites, Golden Grill. I'd say out of all the times I've been to Soundbites, I have ordered the Golden Grill the most times. It comes with a grilled corn muffin which tastes nothing like D&D, a side of the now famous garlic hash browns (an absolute must for anyone who loves garlic and potatoes), two eggs and a piece of Canadian bacon. I believe the price is only about $7 which for food this good, is an absolute steal. There are countless other options here that are delicious, I don't believe I've ever taken an out of town here who had a bad experience, nor can I think of a time I was disappointed by my food, ever. You've heard scary stories about how you'll be rushed out by the breakfast Nazi. That lines will snake into Cambridge to get in. Soundbites CAN be somewhat intimidating. The ONLY thing that has ever irked me is finding out the price of the bottomless cup of coffee on the end of my bill coming to $2.75. My g/f rarely drinks more than a half cup of coffee but she loves the idea of choosing from 50 flavors of coffee and syrups to put in so this is the only thing that doesn't come to a deal here for us. If you think you can find a better place to have breakfast/brunch in the Boston area then you're nuts. Soundbites is an experience, albeit a quick one where you are in and out in less than 45 minutes each and every time and don't realize how amazing it was until the 3 hr nap takes over in the afternoon after stuffing your face full of Syrian goodness. read more

When I moved NYC, there was only one place I actually missed, Sound Bites. Best brunch spot in the USA. Fight me if you disagree. I love it there so much. Everything is delicious. Excellent staff. Yeah it's busy but for good reason and they keep the line moving but never push you out the door. Amazing gluten free options. Omelettes you'll dream about. read more

Sound Bites is located right next to Ball Square Cafe, and before this meal, neither doorway had I ever darkened. For a Saturday brunch around lunch time, we arrived to find a rather long line outside that of Ball Square Cafe, while that before Sound Bites was near nil. Did those in the significant queue know something I knew not? I took a peek through the window of each - oh, Ball Square Cafe is relatively narrow and deep, while Sound Bites seemed perhaps twice the size. Could that explain it? Anyhow, not realizing that the two individuals standing outside of Sound Bites WAS the line, we entered the restaurant only to be rightly asked to wait outside in the line. After a party of 3 which arrived after us was seated, and the party of two ahead of us as well, we became the line. Another pair entered the establishment as we had earlier, but they were immediately seated! Surprised, I comforted us with the thought that we did not really want to sit right near the entrance anyhow, however, I would have appreciated an apology from the lady handling the seating for the error. That we did not receive, but at least we were seated at one of their taller tables for two shortly thereafter. From there, our experience improved. As per the menu, we helped ourselves to mugfuls of the liquid of choice from the selections set in the far right corner of the cafe and ordered several items from the high carb sweet options of the menu to share between the two of us. As a friend had recommended their waffles, we opted for the caramelized apple cinnamon $9.99 with the marscapone cheese addition on the side. The waffle was tender throughout, and topped with an acceptable mound of the tasty tender sweet apple pieces. It was quite good, only to be improved if the waffle were to be crisper on the surface while still tender within. I could not resist the opportunity to try their pancakes since theirs had been "recommended by Boston Magazine," and so we added a side of 2 for $4.99 rather than the entree portion of 3 for $6.99 for their pumpkin version. Fluffy, soft, tender, and a significant size. Yup, quite good! And last but not least, the Cereal Walnut Almond French Toast caramelized blueberry and marscapone cheese $10.99, which came 4 thick half slices to the plate. This had no need of additional sugar in the form of the syrup that sat at our table. I enjoyed the textural differences in this dish, and found it funny that the bananas had been tinged blue by the berries. But oh, our eyes were indeed bigger than our stomachs, and another belly could have potentially been filled by the remainder. Service could have been a tad improved as it was only near the end of our meal that we were asked how things were. Fortunately things were fine and we had not been looking for service since we were each responsible for our own refills on drinks. For full disclosure, this meal was on the house as recompense of a poor meal experience previously received by my DC. Upon redemption of the courtesy meal, the owner checked on us personally and was gratified that my DC's impression of the cafe and its food had been much improved this time around. He also offered us a free drink from their bar. We opted for the mimosas, which I suspect was light on the alcohol since I'm normally turned red by a single glass of wine (Asian flush), but was just fine this time around. Street parking wasn't easy with it being permit parking on the side streets, but we managed! read more

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Sound Bites was so highly recommended to us. Unfortunately, while the food is solid and the service friendly, there's nothing to write home about. I thought it was par for the course -- that is, if you were expecting a good breakfast at reasonable prices, you got that. However, if you were looking forward to a mind-blowing breakfast experience, you'd likely be a little let down. We shared the crunchy French toast ($8.99) and I had the The Basic Plus ($9.99). I'm admittedly not huge on breakfast so I usually keep it very simple. Eggs, toast, bacon, and hash is all I typically ask for, and The Basic Plus provided just that. Most of it was quite standard, but you do get a healthy (ha) amount of bacon, and the potato hash was extraordinarily well-seasoned. Seriously, props to this joint for getting the hash's seasoning so right. Very surprised. I think the portion is very fair for the price; $10 is standard and I didn't bat an eye. The crunchy French toast was... pretty good, mostly average. I'm not big on French toast, but this was quite what I expect French toast to taste like. Nothing special, and not particularly crunchy. I thought there was going to be a ton of crunch but it was more mild than anything. Fine for French toast, but nothing spectacular. Service was friendly. The space gets extremely crowded so you may not see your waiter/waitress too much, but the damage is greatly mitigated by the fact that you refill your own coffee/water. Still, this will not be the greatest breakfast you've ever had. read more

A wonderful local Somerville cafe to revisit :) food was scrumptious, the servers were great, a cozy atmosphere, and wonderfully priced! My favorite was the self serve coffee bar. If I recall correctly, they have a raspberry coffee which I was really into. The egg and cheese sandwich was also really yummy read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Egg and Cheese Sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Where to start. The local is definitely a local restaurant that provides quick and friendly service. A little interesting that drinks are self serve, literally you get up and get yourself a drink. Now this may or may not be a con, personally I don't mind getting my own drink and find it faster but others may want the full dining experienced being served from drinks to dessert. I got the lox on a bagel on an everything bagel, it literally was everything and generous with the salmon lox amount as well! read more

Expansive menu and the most delicious Broadway bowl (instead of home fries, the base is mashed potatoes...YUM). Drinks are self serve because of COVID, and the food came out very quickly. There are two little tables outside in case you want to snag some outdoor dining. read more

Sound Bites Cafe - Broadway bowl, Challah French Toast Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese with fresh Strawberries and Banana on top - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Great breakfast/brunch spot! Typically get the Broadway breakfast bowl or a breakfast sandwich. Inside is a bit snug, but homey.

Just... wow. The hash browns were seasoned perfectly. My green omelet was fantastic (and they were kind enough to substitute the broccoli out for mushrooms, which really made it for me). My friend got the golden grill and raved about their grilled cornbread muffin. In short, we will definitely be coming back! Follow @vegfoodboston on Instagram for more recs! read more

Sound Bites Cafe - omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Pre covid review: I had eggs benedict with just vegetables and a small corner of hash browns. It seemed very haphazardly thrown together, as most of the veggies did not even make it under the eggs. I didn't even get to finish the hash browns before someone took my plate away. Good sauce though. We also got the pumpkin pancakes to share, which were really good with the pecans and maple syrup. We did have to ask for whipped cream multiple times. I like the way coffee and tea is set up, where it is help yourself and there are tons of options for add ins. read more

4.5 on the Benny Scale I've been on a search for the Best Benny in Boston 2010. My #1 fav spot, Grecian Yearning in Allson, sadly, burned down (sniff) and I've been in search of benny ever since. This was my first trip here and definately won't be the last. The Avacado & tomatoe eggs benny was Delic! The hollandais was creamy smooth with lemoney goodness and the avacado portion was Huge!...and the potatoes!! I loooved that they were GRILLED mashed potatoes with a little bit of heat to them and all golden crusted....yummmmm (I posted a pix). My only complaint was that the english muffin was toasted lightly and my eggs were a little on the poached well side...I like my muffin with more of a crunch to it and my eggs lightly poached so the yolk breaks and runs everywhere. When my friend and I arrived (11ish on Sunday), there was a line out the door, but because it was just the two of us, we were seated immediately. The waitstaff was fast, friendly and efficient and the prices were fair. Even though the place was packed, I didn't feel rushed. I will definately be back for more! read more

Sound Bites Cafe - tomatoe & avacado eggs benny - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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I am always amazed that there is a line. The food is overpriced and underwhelming. If I wanted to get my own drinks, I wouldn't pay $60 for breakfast for two people. Nothing place isn't worth the effort. read more

Very yummy and I'm glad they had gluten free pancakes since my friend is gluten free. The Broadway Bowl was also very delicious. Would go again, but was a bit on the pricey side. read more

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Yum- I have dreams of the Broadway Bowl and how many times I will eat it in my lifetime. I have tried to recreate it at home, but it's not the same. Things to note: -the wait is long, but it's worth it -grab a flavored coffee while you wait -always order a mimosa -don't forget to pay for parking -bring good company -tip for service, good or bad -don't be afraid to try something new! read more