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Boston Brunch

I love brunch. Always have. It combines the sugary-fatty goodness of breakfast with the simple joy of sleeping in. Here are my reviews of brunch places in the Boston (well, okay, Camberville) area.

Disclaimer: my preferred form of brunch is the combo meal: eggs and sweet starch. My reviews are therefore slanted towards places with good combo options. Some of these places have killer pancakes, but not so many options for combining a few of those cakes with some eggs. Your mileage may vary.

Sound Bites

Drive through Ball Square on a weekend around noon and look for the line of people running out a storefront and down the sidewalk. That's Sound Bites. Don't be intimidated; this place serves food fast. Quick to take your order, quick to make it, quick to drop your bill on your table as soon as the food's served. The decor isn't much to look at, but the food is tasty as hell, and reasonably priced (most entrees are $7-$8).

Where Sound Bites wins is:

  • Variety. Combo meals abound, including an eggs-and-scone option, two eggs-and-grilled-muffin options (blueberry and corn), and eggs-and-pancakes options galore.
  • "No Place Like Home Fries". That's their name for their home fries, which aren't home fries at all. They're actually mashed potatoes mixed with garlic, olive oil, margerine and black pepper, then fried. They're as good as they sound, and they come on the side with most things on the menu.
  • They serve brunch seven days a week.

Johnny D's

The mecca of Somerville brunch joints, it's unusual for me to go there on a Sunday and not run into someone I know. Johnny D's wins unquestionably on atmosphere, offering live, mellow jazz. The food edges toward the pricey side but is uniformly excellent, especially the homemade oatmeal that comes with a lot of the entrees. (People I know who don't ordinarily like oatmeal happily dig into this.) Also, they have a liquor license if Bloody Marys or mimosas are your bag.

Downsides are that they're wicked popular. You can have a decent wait at peak times on Sunday – fine if you want to sit in the bar first and have a mimosa, less so if you just want to eat. The trick: go on Saturday instead.

Kelly's Diner

An actual Fifties-style prefab diner car sets the ambience at this place. The banana and raspberry pancakes are top-notch, and the waitstaff friendly. The big combo (eggs, pancakes, meat, home fries) clocks in at only $6.50.

The crowd is noticeably more blue-collar than Sound Bites (half a block away), as if Kelly's were a long-held Somerville tradition. It's not; it's only been there since 1996!

The Neighborhood Bakery

A couple blocks outside Union Square sits this tiny Portuguese restaurant which refashions itself as a brunch place on weekends. Don't eat for a week before you come here, because it's a virtual firehose of food. Nearly everything comes with muffins, fruit, cereal... prices reflect this, but if your wallet is a little lighter your stomach won't be.

Renee's

A cozy little brunch-only joint between Davis and Teele, Renee's has truly extraordinary banana pancakes and crab cakes Benedict, which I cannot recommend enough. However, they have only one combo option – the "Lumberjack", which is way too much food for me – so I can't rank them higher. I find their weekly specials are often weird and unappetizing (no, thanks, I don't want an asparagus Benedict, or a crab omelet), and their service is often slow. Excellent coffee, however.

Henrietta's

The fancy-pants brunch joint in the Charles Hotel comes with a stellar reputation. Deserved; its food is excellent. It's also on the pricey side, and if you show up in a t-shirt and jeans you're going to feel underdressed. This is a great place to bring your family, or someone you want to impress. Me, I'm a casual guy, so it's not as much my bag.

Christopher's

This laid-back pub in Porter Square does brunch on Sundays. You didn't know that? Well, it's not really known for its brunch, but it's close by, so I've been there. The menu selection isn't extensive, but the portions are generous (I have yet to be able to finish the fruit-stuffed French toast.)