Sophia’s Breakfast & Lunch

Good if you live in Ipswich and don’t feel like driving out of town. For us there was no acknowledgement at the door until a table was cleaned. That felt strange as most places give a courtesy greeting. Food was average but the whole experience can be summed up as slow. Slow to seat, slow to take order, slow to get drinks, slow for more coffee, slow to actually get your order, and slow to get bill in the end. Also this was not a busy day or place. Several empty tables and still everything was incredibly slow. Add cash only and this is not a destination more of a local place to waste the day away with sub-​par food. Do not recommend.

Unfortunately, this place is just okay.
The waiter and waitress that are typically there are very nice, the owner is a little unpleasant to deal with. My friends and I used to come here very often because it was in town and convenient. Every once in a while our orders would get messed up, which is completely fine but every one of those times the owner would come out from the kitchen to tell us she read the order correctly and we would have to wait, but she was very rude in the way she said it. No apology what so ever.
Other than that, the food is casual and simple. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just your average small breakfast diner. Also please note that this place is CASH only.

The place provides omelets and other breakfast favorite s served all day long. The gyro omelets were great, the feta cheese provided that extra flavor. Service can be slow, but well worth the wait. Paleo dieters can opt for an omelet, and substitute toast for sloced tomatoes.

The service and this place runs at two speeds, slow, and slower. 50 minutes to get breakfast is brutal. After waiting that long I was expecting great food, but what I got was substandard. Food has taken a nose dive here, don’t know what the deal is. Won’t be back.

I went back almost 2 years later & the business was much better this time. But they still haven’t hired more help.

Terrible. Very very slow. Ran out of everything. I girl was running around and a kid was just counting his money. Food lackluster at best.

A great little place! Very casual style; you’ll want to go there to relax and have a chat with other locals. The food is good and comes with nice, hearty portions. The staff is always willing to shoot the breeze for a little while, too, which is really nice.
This is a very laid-​back place. It’s not a fine dining establishment, rather a great little breakfast/​lunch spot for casual Ipswich dining.

I frequent this place and really like it. The food matches the price point. It’s a breakfast place with a lunch menu after 11(?). I always enjoy the atmosphere. Small town New England. Run into people you know, have a quick chat type of place.
There is a table of gentlemen every morning that will always discuss the local politics or regale with stories of the Great War.
Portions are more than generous and the coffee cup is endless.
What’s best for me is I can take my sometimes loudly vocal toddler along without worry.

I really wanted to like this place. New to town and I had high hopes for this place after reading other Unilocal reviews. The pancakes were dry, the hash browns are frozen patties. The portions were large but that’s the only positive I can add. Oh, and it’s cash only which can be frustrating.

3 Star Quality Breakfast diner…
We headed out to Sophia’s as a result of the reviews provided on Unilocal.We were there around 11AM on a Monday morning where breakfast and lunch was served. Around the time that we sat down, the place was dying down. There were (2) other tables who appeared to be closing their tab & on route to leave and our server was extremely attentive.
My boyfriend ordered 3 egg omelete with cheddar cheese and steak tips. As much as he wanted to give this place a 2-​star, he, nonetheless, finished and ate everything. He opted out from the hash browns & bread, and that alone filled him up. As a result, our overall score for this place is 3 stars, as we have had better in other diners/​breakfast joints in the New England area.
I ended up getting a cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, olives, feta cheese salad topped with olive oil & grilled steak tips. Was in the mood for something authentic/​Greek…
I have to say, the steak tips were so moist & flavorful; I was in awe! Wishing I knew the recipe as it was soooooo delicious! I don’t know if the owner is Greek but there seems to be Greek influence in the selection and the menu is very long and extensive. I’ve been to several other breakfast joints and this to me is mediocre. Those who have provided such great reviews on here about Sophia’s, I do thank them in advance. You will get good quality and fresh ingredients… however, for what we ordered… it was a little steep for breakfast which included tip our tab totaled $ 32 and for that I am giving it 3 stars.
A little pricey for breakfast/​brunch, but we were extremely satisfied. The service was OK. Once you arrive, it does give you that quaint/​country style feel. There seems to be only one server working while we were there. If all the tables in the restaurant was taken, I don’t believe that one server would be able to handle all the demands. Our server was sweet, however, based on prior experiences in other diners/​restaurants serving breakfast, this was mediocre. A little more refine than the «norm…»
Overall, this was our first time at Ipswich, so our review may be a little bias as we have not been to any other breakfast place around there.
It is a great place to stop in for breakfast/​lunch before heading to the beach. I do recommend that you try this place out!

This place seriously sucks. Ive walked out BOTH tmes i was in there. YIKES!

My dad is going to freaking love this place. Every time he visits he complains about how bad/​expensive/​skimpy breakfasts are in eastern MA, and how many places seem to trade in atmosphere rather than food. This is probably a direct product of years of living southern states and rural areas, where breakfast is big and flavorful and cheap. I understand his complaint. And this is why I am psyched to have found Sophia’s.
Sophia’s isn’t fancy. It’s not even really diner-​y. It’s just a place. A place with generous portions, excellent just-​slightly-​cinnamon-​y french toast that doesn’t isn’t eggy tasting but is still rich and exactly sweet enough, gigantic (seriously, this is a meal for two) breakfast sausage sandwiches, and adequate coffee. Given the portions, the prices are much more than reasonable.
And I was introduced to a new sausage: Loukániko. New sausage knowledge is always a plus.
One caveat: if you like hot sauce, maybe you should see about bringing your own. Their hot sauce tastes like Frank’s Red Hot. It probably is. And that has its place (on popcorn! on hot wings!) but for eggs and potatoes I really want Cholula… or sambal… or sriracha.

Another nice, simple Ipswich eatery. Closest to Sunday morning diner food in town. Not fancy, but tasty.

Try the breakfast sandwich on the fresh baked homemade italian bread. It’s the best. The steak is good too.
I usually get the «BIG» sandwich or the Steak & Eggs.
Phantom Gourmet — GET there and check it OUT!

Took our party of six there yesterday for breakfast, after seeing good reviews here. We won’t be going back. The waitress was rude. The food took 30 minutes to come out, in a restaurant with only two other tables of customers and two at the counter. When our food did come out, it came out sporadically. A few of us got main entrees, the rest waiting for several minutes while the waitress stood at the kitchen. Then a couple more came out. But no side dishes that we ordered. They came out infrequently too. She seemed surprised when we asked for the check while still eating, but hey, we’d been there over an hour already and were just halfway through our meals. And believe it or not we had other things on the schedule for the day other than eating breakfast.

Sofia’s is exactly what you want a diner to be. Friendly staff, comfortable atmosphere, reliable food. I especially like that the tables aren’t too cramped together. My girlfriend got a pepper and onion omelet and I got the hash omelet with homefries. Both were extremely satisfying, if unremarkable. Overall a pleasant experience. While I wouldn’t travel out of my way to come here – especially given the excellent breakfast options in Gloucester – if I ever find myself in Ipswich for breakfast I would definitely return.

Stopped in for breakfast before catching the commuter rail into Boston and then on to the airport. Very clean with friendly service. Food was very good although the coffee was only ok. I would definitely stop here again when visiting back East.

My friends and I were in Ipswich for the dog sled races and looking for a brunch place afterwards. We decided to give this one a try based on it’s convenient location and 1 positive Unilocal review. Glad we did b/​c we were pleasantly surprised. The menu is quite expansive and has everything from greek sandwiches to your typical brunch options. I was super pleased with ‘sophia’s breakfast sandwich’ because it was HUGE and cheap! ($ 6). The grilled Italian bread was especially delicious and retained it’s deliciousness even as leftovers. The place also had a friendly, family oriented vibe. Give it a shot and see if you agree!

This is possibly the best diner on the eastern seaboard.
I’m from NJ. We have more diners than any other state. Boo-​yah! So I know that diners are a dime a dozen, but a GOOD diner is a very special thing.
Sophia’s is not just a good diner. It’s world-​class. I went there with 5 other people and every single thing we ordered was magical. I wrote down everything so that I could give a really detailed review but then I lost that piece of paper so I’ll just mention the highlights I remember:
#1. Sophia’s Choice: AHHHHHH!!! I never would have thought it possible, but Sophia has created a new classic breakfast sandwich. It’s freaking amazing. Just get it. On the grilled Italian bread. It’s easily two sandwiches that way.
#2. Banana pancakes: Huge and perfect and delicious.
#3. Coffee: Amazing. Worlds away from typical diner coffee.
Our waitress was lovely and helped us all decide what we wanted when we were torn. She was also quite patient as several of us tweaked our orders after hearing what others were getting. We asked if she was Sophia and learned that Sophia was busy cooking in the kitchen.
If this place was near me, I’d go every single weekend. Don’t miss a chance to visit if you’re in the area! Get Sophia’s Choice– you won’t regret it!