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Categories: Diners, Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhood: Central SquareCentral (Red)
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Brookline Lunch is hands-down my favorite brunch place in Cambridge. Sure, you may have to wait a little while to be seated. And it's not the classiest place in the area. But the food is delicious, unique and plentiful; the waitress is a sweetheart; and the bill is always incredibly inexpensive. Their homemade jam and hot sauce are out of this world. Bottom line: Come here on a sunny, leisurely weekend morning, bring a mug of coffee for the wait, relax and enjoy.
P.S. My favorite order is the tomato, spinach and feta omelet. Do it.
Some years ago, I went on a first date to this place. It was amazing. The food was cheap and mad delicious. The jam they had was mind blowing. Like it seriously changed my life. Because of that jam I married the man that took me there. No jk. but...
Fast forward to now, I've been going to this place for a long time and I've noticed some changes. It's gotten way more crowded (way too many hungover hipsters), if you go there on the weekend, expect to wait, which makes it an unpopular destination in the winter. As a consequence of increased traffic, the service is slower and the staff doesn't put the same care and thought into the food. I used to get a quaint stack of french toast, with a light dusting of powder sugar, now it's just 3 slices of soggy bread thrown in a pile. With the decline of food and service they've also raised the prices. It's still cheaper than most other diner options around the city, but it's disheartening to see the slide of service and increase of price.
I live right near this place, I could basically skip here if I wanted.
But actually, I don't want more than I want. I've hit up this place many a time in search of cheap, fast, and slightly better than mediocre brunch, and have rather dissapointed at times.
The food is CHEAP and greasy but good, and the coffee is verryyy strong. But I don't know what it is about me, but I seem to get stuck with poor waitstaff! I had to actually stand on my chair to get service. and we'd been sitting there for about 15 minutes, and it was the middle of the day on a Monday.
Maybe I need to start wearing a reflector vest, or stop being so picky about having to wait 90 years to get breakfast.
If you go here, be prepared for looong waits, slow service but with pleasant waitstaff, and greasy cheap food. that's all I've got!
I really enjoy Brookline Lunch for breakfast/brunch. The restaurant is a hole in the wall with funky and cool artwork on the walls, a relaxed vibe and cool clientele. The staff is friendly but never fast......Who staffs only 2 servers for a super busy Sat. morning?
The homefries are awesome! I love the veggies mixed with the potatoes and the hot sauce (homemade?) is lovely. The salmon eggs benedict does not disappoint...tasty hollandaise sauce, cooked salmon (not smoked--thank you!) and toasted english muffin= delicious brunch on the cheap!!
The prices are amazingly low! Breakfast for 2 for well under $20 with a generous tip! The food is a bit greasy but very tasty, super slow service..you have been warned. It gets really busy during weekend brunch hours so try to get there early. Overall a great value for brunch on the cheap!
I had the salmon benedict & it was Egg-cellent! Turkish coffee and bahklava are delicious too.
Highly recommended by yours Truly.
If ever there was a misnomer Brookline Lunch is it - it is neither in Brookline, nor is it specifically a lunch place - It is one of my fave breakfast places - they serve the usual greasy stuff: sandwiches, fries, omelets, toasts etc. all served with some awesome hot sauce.
I have tasted most of them the items on their menu and couldn't say a bad thing about them. My only gripe - their service is glacial (especially on the overcrowded weekends). The owners are Jordanian and add some superb middle-eastern fare as well. And as other reviewers pointed out, very easy on the wallet.
Oh Brookline Lunch, I want to love you so much. I do! I love your coffee and those cherry preserves, but today you were off your game. Even the owner who is usually kind, hard-working and friendly was not herself.
I was ignored for 15 minutes after a party of 6 and a party of 4 came in, ordered and were served. I had to ask to have my order taken. I still waited for a long time for my coffee to arrive and when my order finally came, it was all wrong. I ordered a mushroom, zucchini and bacon omelette, my usual, and it came out all wrong. The bacon was on the side not in the omelette, there were tomatoes in the omelette (yuck!), and the cheese was hastily slapped on top and not melted. Most heartbreaking was the lack of preserves or hot sauce on my plate. That is why I come. I left without eating but not without paying $14. :(
Brookline Lunch, you are the boyfriend I want to love, but he just treats me so bad, that I have to leave him. I will miss you, your tempting cherry preserves and cup lickingly good coffee!!!
Brookline Lunch is the best. I always get the same thing, incidentally the best item on the menu, the tomato and feta egg sandwich. It is /always/ delicious and filling, /always/ has awesome vegetable "home fries" (broccoli, brussel sprouts sometimes, carrots, tomatoes, squash even, onions, scallions, bell peppers, etc etc) and fantastic hot sauce, and is /always/ only $4.50 (I think).
Seriously, as a broke college student who rarely allows herself to eat out, I was so glad to discover Brookline Lunch. The walls are brightly painted, there are plants in the windows, and although they often seem understaffed the family who runs the place is very friendly.... it is a warm and colorful respite from the gray bleakness of campus.
Some of the reviews cite boring pancakes, fake syrup and slow service... these are all accurate comments! But for their cheap, reliably delicious egg sandwiches, Brookline Lunch is definitely worth it.
Friends insist on going there because it's cheap.
The wait staff is great, and there is a nice variety of choices..
I have been here for brunch 3 times, and every single time, I have gotten egg shells on the eggs I order. It's gross. Never having that again, not coming back.
Also the pancakes taste a bit like cardboard and the syrup is bad quality, pure corn syrup - zero maple. not good.
also, long wait lines than I cannot comprehend...
Easy to love - service is slow but food worth the wait- weird little sides of nontraditional breakfast foods from middle eastern cuisine very delicious and charming. We ate breakfast there on the morning of our wedding. * sigh* nostalgia and food ...
This used to be one of my favorite breakfast places but after this morning's experience I don't think we'll be going back. Service was slow, scattered and both of our orders came out wrong. The waiter actually walked away from the table while I was giving my order. "I'll have the veggie omelet with...." No "hold on one second I'll be right back," just left. I had to flag him down to give the rest of the order. The home-fries, which I used to love, were completely undercooked and way too greasy. At least the jam was still amazing (even though we had to walk up to the counter to get it because we couldn't get a server's attention and they forgot to put it on the plate.)
I'll be sticking with Sunny's from now on.
In general, I just really like these gritty, cheap, hole-in-the-wall type places that deliver decent food for good prices.
So for what it's supposed to be, Brookline Lunch is good. Breakfast choices are pretty basic, food is made QUICKLY, large portions, and best of all, it's CHEAP. The eggs benedict is okay, the omelettes are decent and hearty, and the potatoes and veggies are consistently greasy but good. I've only had breakfast foods here, not sure about their other stuff.
I took off some points for hair found in my food more than once (but the truth is, I actually find hair in my food anywhere I go--seriously--and I'm convinced it's because I tend to look more than others. Good thing I don't really care that much), it's cash-only, they waiters are so busy they don't waste time trying to be friendly but that's fine, it's a little cramped so if you sit in the middle you get knocked a lot by the wait staff's elbows, and it can take a long time to get seated. This actually really sucks if you come in the winter because there is no indoor space to wait so you have to wait outside. And it gets really cold if you're eating near the door because it's such a tiny place.
But as long as I live so close, I'll definitely keep coming back here for a quick CHEAP brunch with friends.
It's been over three years since my last review though I've been going here eight years and running. Eight years! There's hardly a thing I've committed to that long besides breathing. And despite the hipster takeover, economic roller coaster, putting three kids through college and aporkalypse, I'm happy to report they're still serving up the same scrumptious eggs florentine piled high with grilled vegetables and doused with fresh hot sauce. In fact, I'm making a list inspired by the proprietor entitled "Awesome Owners."
Yeah, yeah, kvetch about the film on the tables and dust in the cracks, keep the crowds away and leave the tables open for the folks who understand the magic of a hearty five buck breakfast with a smile.
my perfect eggs florentine:
poached so that the outside of the yolk is firm, but inside just a bit…
Read more »
This is my new favorite place to go with friends who are hungry and broke. Big portions, amazing home fries (more roasted vegetable than potato), homemade jam and hot sauce -- and you probably won't break ten bucks, even with a lavish tip.
I'm subtracting a star for cleanliness, but it would probably be impossible to make it cleaner AND keep the prices so low.
I love this place and cant get enough of it. The place is very down to earth, earthy crunchy, family run business. Easy on your wallet, very friendly service and nice place to have brunch or lunch.
The veggie omelet with vegetables, toast, hot sauce and home made fruit jam is to die for. I top it off with coffee and they keep filling the cup when its empty. I support so many local businesses in Cambridge, this is the only place they make me feel at home. They even greet me with my name and treat my friends with the same respect.
I had very mixed feelings about my brunch experience here. The service was friendly, but very slow. As in, after we got our coffees, we waited about 15 minutes before the waitress took our order, and then another 40-45 min. for our food.
The brunch menu is no-frills -- omelets and a few non-egg dishes (pancakes, french toast). When the food finally arrived, I was pretty pleased. The home fries are a misnomer -- the potatoes come mixed in with other veggies, like carrots, squash and brussel sprouts. It was a delicious side dish and more healthy than just your usual fried potatoes or hash browns. Also a plus: homemade jam for the toast. Possibly the best part of the meal. My sausage-and-cheese omelet was so-so; the sausage was overcooked and chewy. My boyfriend seemed to like his french toast.
The prices are great; 4 of us ate for about $30. I just wish we had been able to order and get our food faster.
Great deal for lunch. best homefries. Pretty greasy, sometimes the smell of the place remains on your clothes for hours after, but the family that runs it are super nice, it's a pleasant place. I don't recommend the coffee, but I do recommend becoming a regular.
When I lived in Boston a few years ago, Brookline Lunch was my go to spot for Saturday brunch- good food, inexpensive prices, cozy atmosphere, friendly service.....so when I planned my visit to Boston after 2 years, Brookline Lunch was at the top of my list to visit-
My boyfriend (it was his first time here) and I arrived and were seated immediately - I was happy to see that the menu had remained the same and the same family was still running the place.
However, as much as I loved this place back in the day, I must say that this time I was very disappointed with the food. Perhaps the quality has gone downhill over the years....or maybe I just didn't realize it so much before. I ordered the vegetable omelet - it was served with the eggs on the bottom, then the veggies and finally topped with American cheese (of all the cheeses to choose from- why???). I also found the choice of veggies odd- carrots and eggs....hrmmm....My boyfriend ordered the french toast which was made with white bread- with cinnamon on top - instead of mixed in with the batter. He found the dish rather tasteless and bland.
Unfortunately, I spent the rest of our meal convincing my boyfriend - 'no really, it used to be good back in the day, I swear!'. Service, however, was good, and the decor just how I remembered.
The good-
it is very very very cheap
homefries that have veggies like carrots and broccoli in them
The bad-
always understaffed and the staff is really curt and unhelpful
NO AC
Pancakes are flavorless
Syrup does not taste even a little like maple (not even the Aunt Jemima stuff)
Rest of the food is pretty eh
In short, if you are hungry and short on your dough, this place will fit the bill but as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for."
This is not only a review but a big thank you to the 2 staff who attended to me nicely eventhough i blew through there when it was busy and i just wanted a breakfast sandwich to go!
i got mushroom, egg and cheese on wheat bread (comes with a side of homefries and veggies!) for 4$ and change. yum. i live closer to inman but there arent too many good breakfast sandwiches in my immediate area...would come back to BL anytime for this tasty goodness.
Thanks! You have one more fan!
I used to live around the corner from this place. Went here a couple of times for breakfast/brunch on a weekend.
Service is usually pretty slow, though the waitress is clearly handling a lot. No biggie. Just don't be in a rush.
I'd usually go here when I was feeling too hungover to make breakfast/lunch. When you're hungover, you want greasy food to sop up all the liquor in your system. This place generally fits the bill, though I always left feeling sicker than when I went in. Hungover or not.
The food's pretty mediocre. I'm not a fan of breakfast (though I've been won over by some places in the area), but this place just turns me off completely. I know people love it, but I just can't buy into it. Tastes like the kind of breakfast someone would make at home and you'd politely eat, but would try to avoid their cooking in the future.
Oh, never order anything but breakfast. It's crap.
Vegetables instead of home fries, and my zucchini and feta omelet came with extra veggies and a huge slab of seasoned feta across the top. The waitress kept refilling mine and my companion's coffee mugs without being asked. And the toast was wheat, and we hadn't even had to ask for it. I'll definitely be returning here.
I've walked by this place so many times and seen the wait and the crowd and thought to myself I have to swing through and grab a bite. So last weekend I did just that with my trusty female breakfast companion and we were utterly shocked and disappointed.
When we arrived there was a brief wait, sure no sweat. Then we were seated, and from here on out things just went down hill. We waited and waited until we finally put in our drink order. We had to wait even longer to place our food order because there was only one waitress for the entire place. When our drinks arrived the rim of my coffee cup looked as though it had been used to polish the floor.
Now after placing our order we thought we were all set. Our food arrived and it was meh,.. My friend had ordered a an omelet, which had some very oily/greasy vegetables in it alongside her salmon. I also got salmon even though I didn't order it. Funny I didn't think that salmon and sausage sounded so similar. And my scrambled eggs looked like they had barely been cooked. We were so disappointed with our meals we took care of our bill asap and left.
It's not just that I fell through the floor here much to every other breakfastee's amusement... there are big holes in the wooden floorboards that chair legs can easily fall into... it's not my fault... get some new floorboards... buy chairs with really wide legs... whatever.
So why only 2 stars? You'd think the local brunch-outpost a few blocks from home would be manna from heaven for this oft-hungover lunatic. But no, it's always just been a pain in the bum in the many times I've been dragged along.
* The long line pains the feet like bad acupuncture
* The wait once seated is elf-themed-literature-epic-long
* In summer it's hotter than state-illegal sin
* On wet days it's more humid than in Tina Turner's car
* And it's always painfully cramped - just like my style when Nadya wants to hang.
All of this for some omelettes and shit? No thanks, they're not stellar enough to justify getting me all grumpy and cursing all these hipster do-gooders. Nice artwork though, and those aforementioned holes in the floor at least provide amusement to those who aren't made to look silly.
I hate writing reviews in theory about little holes-in-the-wall restaurants I think are supremely good. Mainly for the reason I absolutely hate waiting in lines. The line is generally not tooo bad for Brookline Lunch, but in the cold winter chill of a raw Sunday as you wait outside for brunch, it can get chilly. Other than my hatred of waiting aside, this tiny little 12 or so odd table-d lunch place is THE BEST.
Things I love about it: you can get a buttload of food for less than $5. all the main breakfast items come WITH toast, homefries, and vegetables. it's local and earthy without being too trendy. it's family run. it has an abundance of delightful plants outside the entrance. DID I MENTION HOW CHEAP IT IS?
The menu here is really nice - good pancakes, decent eggs, my mom liked the middle eastern breakfast with hummus and falafel. I think the eggs are a little dry, but there is something in the homey feel that I really enjoy. They also left the stems on the spinach for the eggs florentine. The coffee and OJ are really good. Avoid the bathroom!
All in all, the food isn't incredible, but this is a great little hole in the wall to enjoy Sunday morning, the paper, and conversation. Extra points if you were across the street at the Middle East the night before.
I have such mixed feelings about this place, so I'll just give it to you straight.
Good: The amazing house jam, the 1950s prices, the sauteed veggies with every breakfast, the art on the walls.
Bad: The long lines on weekends, the extended droughts of service for 20 minutes or more, the general dirtiness of the restaurant, the greasy spoon odor that permeates your clothes.
But any cute, independent place that will make me a delicious eggs benedict for $5 has a place in my heart.
It's a Sunday morning. You're hung over and you spent all your money on drinks and cabfare last night. You're a Central Square dweller and you realize you have two choices: Grab a greasy burger at Wendy's to soothe your headache and woozy-ness, or head over to Brookline Lunch for an equally cheap and greasy meal, but with the option of sitting down and getting waiter service.
Well, if you pick Brookline Lunch - you've made the right decision. This place is dirty and cramped, no doubt about that. But the food is good! And it's cheap as hell! If you don't mind a little bit of a wait, then definitely head over here for a hearty breakfast that won't cost you more than $5 - and that's usually including tip!
Note: I would stick to breakfast foods and only breakfast foods at Brookline Lunch - who trusts six dollar lamb anyway?
I understand that popular breakfast places mean long waits on the weekend, inattentive service, the kitchen getting half your order wrong, your coffee finally arriving after you've called for the bill, & c.
That's not why the one star.
No, the one star is entirely due to getting boiled carrots in my vegetable omelette. Even if you're screwing up *which* vegetables I asked for in my omelette, which is expected, who on earth would think that combination palatable? It's scary to think that even a remotely seasoned cook would make this mistake. Also, who keeps boiled carrots on hand anyway?
My dad tells me stories about how he used to come here and get brunch/lunch while at work back in the good old days...
Dad: ... when food didn't cost as much, ya know?
Me: Well, it's still fairly inexpensive to eat there...
Dad: When I was going there it cost two-fifty for all eight of us to stuff ourselves! (or something equally outrageous)
I pity anybody who has to listen to this conversation every time we pass this place. But with him, it's like one of those 'fishing stories' the food gets cheaper and cheaper every time we talk about it. This is, however the same man who tried to only give my sister and I fifty-cent allowances FOREVER. Thrifty doesn't even cut it.
The food is average. The place is kinda tight quarters. It's also weird if you are from Cambridge cause then you are somehow obligated to interrupt your eating or somebody else's by saying hi and asking how everybody is, ecc. It's a greasy spoon, a cramped, often too warm spoon that is definitely historically significant, yet most of the time when I think of where to eat ... this place doesn't jump out at me.
Great hole-in-the-wall breakfast place!! Very affordable the average price for all breakfast items ranged between $4-$8.
I had the feta, egg and tomato sammie for $4.50. It came with home style potatoes, veggies, an orange slice and a piece of banana.
The rest of my family got omelets and most of them couldn't finish their meals.
Service was a little slow as there was only one waitress and when we got there the tables weren't cleaned off or set up with silverware (which is why it's not 5 stars).
I've been going here for several years now and though they've increased their prices, they're still the cheapest, freshest breakfast/brunch place in town.
To have a good experience here, you need to be proactive. The cheap food comes at a price - not the best service. Sometimes the server is irritable, but sometimes very nice. Rarely, though, is she quick to serve. If you're willing to get her attention, though, the price and quality of the food make up for lack of service.
The food is awesome! It's always super fresh and plentiful and there are several options.
The atmosphere is also a lot of fun for a Sunday morning breakfast.
Overall - awesome except service not great.
Lots of cheap options and made by a wonderful staff.
The pancakes are standard but the hummus platter was devine! I love the cozy atmosphere and the location is cool too.
p.s. The spot is off an alleyway.
Oh, the eggs florentine are TO DIE FOR!! I have to agree with Ligaya--they are just perfection. I am so excited that I found a place where you can still have a yummy breakfast at any time of day for under $5 easy. This mom-and-pop spot is not fancy; it looks like a greasy spoon, but the food is actually not very greasy at all. I love the exposed brick and art on the walls. While the booths are spacious, the tables could use a more vigorous wipe-down.
But this is just a small quibble, because between the boy and I, we demolished a stack of GINORMOUS pancakes (interesting cornmeal type batter) slathered in butter and syrup, eggs florentine, and a platter of 2 eggs, 2 sausages and veggie-ful home fries for like 12 bucks. Can you beat that with a stick!? I think not!
I love a home-cooked breakfast, and Brookline Lunch certainly delivers. The parking situation can be a bit tricky as there are very limited metered spots on Brookline St., but you'll be well rewarded for the effort.
Goodbye hangover
I'm replete, wallet intact
Thank you Brookline Lunch
Both times I've been here the food has been awesome. Getting seated is a little awkward, especially if you with a few people, or if there are other people waiting for a table as well. I felt weird hovering behind someone sitting trying to enjoy their meal, but this place is so tiny that it's hard to not be in the way. Last time I went next door to that funky shop and looked around until our table was ready, but today it was storming outside and so I had to awkwardly stand in the way for about 10 minutes.
There seems to be only one waitress here, but I must say she does an excellent job serving every table alone. We ordered the Baba Ghanoug for appetizers and were very impressed. It was very similar to what it tastes like in the Middle East (area, not the restaurant across the street..). I had the tuna melt which comes with homefries. The homefries are NOT fried, and are actually boiled with other veggies. Very yummy.
Although you may smell like restaurant when you leave, this place is DEFINITELY worth checking out.
The damage? 20 bucks for two people including tip. Good stuff!
A heaping plateful of homemade steak and eggs with home fries for around $6?!?! That's unheard of... unless you're at Brookline Lunch.
It's a charming hole-in-the-wall type joint with photography of the surrounding neighborhood hanging on the walls, and it's known for its extremely cheap breakfast/brunch dishes. Though they look good, I'm not a big fan of how their french toast or pancakes taste. On the other hand, their egg platters are fresh, yummy, and unbeatable.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a comparably filling and hearty breakfast for a measly few dollars at any other place that does not have golden arches.
I find myself going Brookline Lunch almost every weekend. The food is wonderfully cheap and the home fries are served with plenty of sauted vegetables. At fast food prices you can get a finger-licking goood cheeseburger. I'm not saying its the best cheeseburger in the world, but ... you can has cheeseburger for cheap.
Get a seat facing the back and you get to watch some impressive egg cracking. Or get a seat facing the street and zone out with a hangover, but bring sunglasses - its really bright on Brookline in the morning.
This place almost contradicted itself to a 3 star rating. The food is satisfying, but greasy. The atmosphere is cute, but the service is awful. Normally, that'd be 2 stars, but the low prices place it back in the 3 star camp.
... and then the holes in the floor, long wait, sour owner, and sauna-like climate yank it back to ** land.
When we walked in, it was mostly empty, but half the tables were filthy, with old dishes, leftover food, etc leftover from previous customers. It was a bit of a turn-off to me.
I was also disappointed that they didn't have lunch...I went there on a Saturday at 1:30 PM and I was totally in the mood for lunch (and since it was called Brookline LUNCH, I figured my desire would be fulfilled) but they only served breakfast.
I got a breakfast sandwich with sausage and the sausage with chewy and over-cooked.
They forgot to bring my drink, too!!
I guess I'd give it a second chance but I was not impressed. Frankly, the rave reviews shock me.
Cambridge, MA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Central Square
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Central Square
Category: Coffee & Tea
Somerville, MA
Category: Diners
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