Several top hotels serve Sunday brunch buffets of monstrous proportions -- outrageous spreads that are outrageously expensive. They're worth the investment for a special occasion, but you can have a less incapacitating experience for considerably less money.

Good options in Cambridge include the S&S Restaurant and Johnny's Luncheonette. Across the river, Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe, 429 Columbus Ave. (tel. 617/536-7669), is a longtime South End favorite not far from the Back Bay -- just the right distance to walk off some blueberry-waffle calories. The Paramount, 44 Charles St., Beacon Hill (tel. 617/720-1152), is a classic destination for eggs and a glimpse of the real community behind the neighborhood's redbrick facade. In Jamaica Plain, locals tough out long weekend waits for the delicious specials and strong coffee at the Centre Street Café, 669 Centre St. (tel. 617/524-9217).

If you have your heart set on a fancy brunch at a hotel, make reservations (especially on holidays) but do not make elaborate dinner plans. Aujourd'hui, in the Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St. (tel. 617/451-2071) charges $58 for adults, $28 children; at Café Fleuri, in Le Meridien Boston, 250 Franklin St. (tel. 617/451-1900), adults pay $39 to $49, children $17.

A good alternative is the brunch buffet at the Boston Harbor Hotel's ground-floor cafe, Intrigue (tel. 617/856-7744), which is less extravagant and more casual than the usual hotel spread, but still scrumptious. It serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 11:30am ($18 adults, $11 children); reservations aren't necessary.