Currently listed as CLOSED
4 Johnson Street
North Andover, MA 01845


Average Overall Rating:

(2 out of 5)

Average Coffee Refill Rating:

(2 out of 5)

(4 out of 5)

Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 4/29/2009

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Doesn't Apply

Expense Rating:

TOP OF THE SCALES IS CLOSED, after 25 years, As are all the businesses in the old center.

Review #16893Review by: Elaine_Altman on 5/11/2008

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Mother's Day is perhaps a difficult day to judge a place on, but this was not, unfortunately, our first bad experience here (but it will be our last). Like other disappointed diners, we wanted to give this place just one more chance and they blew it bigtime . . terrible service, the worst food I've ever had anywhere (cold, overcooked, tasteless, unattractive). At least they're consistent . . . consistently bad service and consistently bad food.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #13649Review by: SallyJ on 5/6/2008

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

I had breakfast here years ago and it was wonderful! But, I have gone back 4 times in the past year (always trying "one more time" for a better experience) and the food has been awful! I had the pancakes, which took forever to come out and they were dry and tasted stale. Not to mention that after our server took the order and brought our one and only cup of coffee, we never saw here again. 45 minutes after eating a tasteless meal, we sat with dirty dishes sitting in front of us, just wanting our check so we could end the experience. But, no such luck. We finally walked over to the counter for the check where we were treated rudely. I guess you could say I am a sucker because I went back again, but there was no improvement. The wait for food is forever, the food is awful, and apparently they are rationing coffee and there is a one cup limit! Although I keep hoping service and food will improve because it really is a cute place with tons of potential, I don't know how many more times I can convince my family to go back in hope that things may have improved. To the OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT OF TOP OF THE SCALES IF YOU ARE READING THIS: PLEASE TAKE THIS FEEDBACK AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. I would be a loyal customer if you can get it together.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #13590Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 4/27/2008

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

I've gone to breakfast there two times within the last month or so and both visits were excellent. I was surprised by the other reviews. Maybe they are making an attempt to improve things. Our waitresses were very friendly and attentive. The food was very good. (I've tried the omelet and french toast.) In my opinion the experience far exceeded our experiences at other local breakfast places including the Shawsheen luncheonette (over-priced and rude), Joe's Landing (cheaper but run down), and Eatz (new and nice inside the restaurant but my omelet was thin and dry). I plan to go back. (my husband loved it too)

Review #13507Review by: weibke on 4/18/2008

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Extremely poor quality food for the outrageous prices they charge here. And the service is literally non-existent. We passed a comment onto the woman who owns the place and she was ever so nasty about it. (We were only trying to give her constructive feedback in hopes that she would attempt to bring the place back up to what it was five years ago.) It's not hard to figure out why there was no one else in the place on a Friday. Shameful!

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #13406Review by: roofone on 10/7/2007

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

I knew it was going to be bad right when we got there. At 10 am on a Sunday morning, the place was nearly empty, yet it still took us 5 minutes to get a table as we waited for the waitress playing hostess to finish writing something and seat us.

My Bisquick pancakes and bacon came out luke warm, the syrup (and not the pure maple I was willing to pay an extra $1.75 for) was just-out-of-the-refrigerator cold. My wife's omelet was a dry ball of spinach wrapped in a thin veneer of egg.

Once served, no one came to check on us or refill our $2 coffees.

The dishes were dirty, the service was poor, and the food was bland and cold.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #11556Review by: sesameseed on 10/4/2007

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

This was the most charming restaurant in North Andover for years and even my mother, who had terrible difficulty walking, endured the steep stairs to be able to sit at her favorite table, looking out upon the old town center, and have a very fresh and very properly prepared, good-tasting breakfast or lunch. So adored was this destination for the two of us, that I held the reception for my mother's funeral there in 2005 and they did a beautiful job, perfect for my family and guests and the occasion. The service was sincere and cordial and I was most grateful.

I don't know what has happened of late, but the last few meals I've had there have had no resemblance to the meals of years past. The chowder was unheated, not fresh and not well-flavored. The sandwich was OK. The service was not particularly cheery or focused. In balance and fairness to the history of the establishment, I cannot agree T-o-S deserves the poorest rating. I can only say that I hope the management and staff will be able to recover from whatever troubles them and restore the local sparkle and commitment to good food and service they once had. And proper access should be established for people with disabilities.

Review #11548Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 8/26/2007

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Doesn't Apply

Expense Rating:

Simply dreadful, we don't know how this place stays in business. They should tear the building down and make it a direct road to Great Pond Road, thus avoiding the soon-to-be-built rotary.

Review #11211Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 1/10/2007

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Because they are no longer on top of the Hayscales Shop, they should change the name from the TOP OF THE SCALES to THE POTTY HOLE, because that's what this place has become in the past few years. Overpriced, stale food that's overcooked, rude and angry untrained and unprofessional staff, and the filthiest restroom you'll find anywhere. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS . . . IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST EVER.

Award Nomination: Hugest Dump

Review #9325Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 12/29/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Doesn't Apply

Expense Rating:

It had been a while since we had been here, and I only wish I had read the other reviews before going again -- it's just as bad as people said and probably even worse. When we first moved to town five years ago, there would be a line out the door on a Sunday morning waiting to get in. Now, there's never a wait, but the food is just dreadful, all overcooked and stale tasting. The girl that works there on Sundays is so rude and unpleasant and it's an imposition for her to even take your order. When we told her our omlets were cold and overcooked (brown on the outside!!) she rolled her eyes and grabbed the plates off the table even though some of us really weren't done eating. About 20 minutes later she came back, said nothing, and slammed the bill on the table while glaring at us and walked away. Given the quality of the food, this place is WAY overpriced. As we were leaving another group was being seating, and I head the cranky server say to another, "You take them . . . I hate them, I'm just not in the mood for them today."

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #9229Review by: JoshE on 12/16/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

I specifically called a day ahead to find out about handicapped (wheelchair) accessibility and the person answering the phone said that they were accessible. When we arrived this morning, we find a huge staircase, which I don't think even meets standard code due to the steep pitch. Thinking there surely must be another entrance, I walked around the side of the building and started to open another door when a woman came charging out, slammed the door in my face, and shouted, "You CAN'T come in here . . . whatdoyawant?!?" When I explained the problem, she said she'd send someone down to carry the wheelchair (with the person in it) up the stairs, which was totally unacceptable. We went to The Lantern Brunch and had a good time, but the thoughtlessness of the Scales really did put a damper on our Christmas Breakfast gathering.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #9154Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 12/10/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Doesn't Apply

Expense Rating:

We only went there to use up a gift certificate from last Xmas, but would have been better off to throw it away (sorry auntie Joan). We had been warned not to go there, but thought if we chose simple things like scrambled eggs and bacon that couldn't be spoiled we'd be ok, but WRONG! Even the orange juice had apparently spoiled and when the woman finally came back and I told her and she said "so don't drink it." The bagels seemed stale and tasteless and the potatoes served were either cooked in motor oil or older than my youngest son. One of the dishes they served us on was all chipped and scratched up and nothing in the entire restaurant really looked very clean and it makes you worry about the state of the kitchen. Even the once pretty view of the Common is now spoiled by all the construction work and they've closed their giftshop downstairs, which is what they should do with the restaurant.

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #9129Review by: FlopsyMopsy on 12/4/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Maybe we just hit this place on a bad day, but everything from the lackluster greeting at the door (replete with the aroma of burned toast), to the slow service, through the very mediocre, bland food and wrong order brought to our table made us realize it's not the road construction out front that keep people away. And just when we were about to leave, one of the women working there flew into a rage and then began weeping uncontrollably, which at first amused and then frightened my grandchildren. Given the high price of everything, I don't think I'd be willing to give this place another try.

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #9080Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 11/16/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

The place used to be just ok, but was convenient, now I wouldn't go near the place. The food went from ok to horrible, as has the service. On our last visit there were these small bugs crawling and flying around our table, and after one finally landed in my horrible coffee we told the waitress, who couldn't of cared less. The owner who couldn't manage to walk over, even after being told by the waitress, was actually rude and nasty about it, as if we made the whole thing up.

Award Nomination: Hugest Dump

Review #8947Review by: Elsadelite on 10/25/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

This place is definitely NOT child friendly and they don't seem all that much for the adult customers, either. My father-in-law got the corned beef hash breakfast and it was really unpleasant looking and he said all dried-out, tasteless, and luke-warm. I got the swiss rosti which is supposed to be one of their specialties and all it was was hash brown potatoes with burned bacon mixed in and a slice of cheese melted on top. My husband wanted the asparagus omlet, but they did have it, so he settled for the ham omlet which was chopped up ham with the rind still on it and rather sour tasting. All of our bagels were stale and when we sent them back for toast, the white bread ones came with mold on the edges, toasted right into the bread. My son wanted M&M pancakes, but they don't make those there, so he had the chocolate chip ones, two dinky almost black little cakes which he refused to eat. They must deliberately boil their coffee down because no automatic coffee maker made in the last 10 years would produce the mud they try to serve off as coffee. Total check was over $40.00 and WE LEFT HUNGRY . . . something very wrong with this picture, no?

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #8775Review by: Breakfastboi on 9/24/2006

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Doesn't Apply

Expense Rating:

After waiting over 40 minutes for our food, everything arrived overcooked or burned. I used to think any boob could cook a decent breakfast, but this place proved me wrong. Our orders of bacon and sausage consisted of THREE pieces each, and both were sadly burned, the bacon almost black and the sausages hard as a rock. My friend's spinach/feta/tomatoe omlet had canned spinach and no feta and was brown on the outside it had been cooked so long and tough and rubbery. I wanted blueberry pancakes, but they didn't have blueberries or cranberries. On that account, I should have realized the blueberry muffin I ordered was old because it was hard as a rock (microwaved?). The coffee (no refill policy, but no one would want more) was stale, obviously sitting in the pot for 15 or 20 minutes, and when I asked the server for fresh, she audibly hissed and sighed as she snatched the dirty mug off the table. I think the empty dining rooms speak louder than the rude and obnoxious woman yelling at the other help that works in the kitchen.

Award Nomination: Biggest Ripoff

Review #8552


Connect With Mr Breakfast:




Reviews submitted here are meant to pertain to breakfast only. While Mr Breakfast cannot vouch for the validity of each restaurant review, he feels pretty good vouching for the excellent character of the residents of North Andover, Massachusetts - who are primarily responsible for the review(s) you see above for Top Of The Scales.