Sound Bites

Sound Bites is 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 Sound Bites and Ball Square Café, I decided to eventually try both and compare. I started with Sound Bites because 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 syrups, and the drink station included several juices, soft drinks, bottled and ice water. Although service was quick, I didn’t feel rushed or like the server was annoyed when I ordered something not on the menu. 

There were several dishes I wanted to try, but the Best of Boston award for pancakes on display made my choice a little easier. There were quite a few options including whole-wheat and various fruit toppings. I asked for whole-wheat banana walnut, and learned that any of the options can be made whole-wheat at no additional charge. There was a charge for the real maple syrup, but at $1.50 it was well worth it and made the award-winning pancakes even better. They were some of the fluffiest I’ve had and were filled with just the right amount of bananas and walnuts. 

I also ordered a side of turkey sausage to go with my pancakes. I sometimes I find turkey and chicken sausage to be dry or bland compared to pork, but this was not the case. The sausage tasted fresh, and was well seasoned and tender. I didn’t come close to finishing my breakfast, but managed to try a couple bites of hash browns (grilled mashed potatoes) and grilled blueberry muffin. Both were delicious, and I added them to the list of things to try when I go back!