Food: great. Service: great. Ambiance: great. The food was amazing and delicious. Refreshments were thirst quenching and so refreshing. - Chipotle steak and queso hash. - watermelon wake-up. read more

First Watch - Strawberries Tres Leches French Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I have mixed feelings about this First Watch location. The food was good and the staff was friendly, but the overall experience felt a bit unorganized. It's a smaller location, so I'm not sure if that's part of the reason, but it seemed like they were short-staffed and unprepared for the volume of customers on a federal holiday. There were noticeable delays, and the team appeared to be doing their best to keep up. I understand holidays can be especially busy, but better staffing or preparation would have made for a smoother experience. I'd be willing to give this location another try on a less busy day. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Bad experience at First Watch. the host tell me the wait would be 45 minutes, but I ended up waiting 1 hour and 10 minutes. I also noticed people who arrived after us were seated before us, so I had to go ask about it. We were finally seated at a table that had been empty the entire time because there was water dripping from the ceiling, which was uncomfortable. The food was very inconsistent. The eggs benedict were not good, the chilaquiles were okay but not something I would order as a full meal, and the Million Dollar Potatoes had an unpleasant taste. The only thing we really enjoyed was the strawberry tres leches French toast. Overall, the experience was disappointing and I would not return. read more

First watch consistently had delicious offerings! I'm really into their spring choices! They're my go to place to get hashes! The steak was flavorful and the blue berry cornbread was delightful! read more

First Watch - Strawberry tres leche and blueberry cornbread with lemon butter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Came here fo my birthday early morning and service was great. Our server was so happy and cheerful I wish I remembered her name. The pineapple mojito refresher drink was phenomenal. read more

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Great service and impressive menu.. nice to see some different items rather than the standard fair of other local "breckfast" restaurants in the DMV (the area falls way short on good breakfast places) HOWEVER.. there are many Tex-mex/mexican options on the menu and I cannot get a side of jalapeños as they do not carry any... really? Not a good thing... read more

I wasted $140 on a terrible dining experience to celebrate my mother's 83rd birthday! I'm so disappointed I chose this place when other places were available to offer a more warm & welcoming experience. There was no coffee out front while waiting, and when asked about it, no one knew why or bothered to do anything about it. The staff (except the new guy who was extremely nice & helpful) including management lacks customer service skills. We started the brunch celebration with the pomegranate drinks, which they ran out of after 3 drinks. Then switched to the lavender and watermelon drinks, which were the worst! After I told the server, and asked three times for the manger. I explained my dining experience to the manager...she looked, smiled and said, "sorry." The worst was the employee (black guy with dreadlocs) who cashed me out. He looked angry and had a nonchalant attitude. When I said thank you after he gave me my receipt, we walked away without even acknowledging the thank you. The FirstWatch brand and food is so good, but the staff you hire, will make a bad name and reputation for this brand. You guys really need to hire better associates, including managers! What a huge disappointment, for a day that can't be recaptured!!! read more

First Watch - 1 out of 3 drinks tastes great! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

All in all service and food was good, sometimes this place is packed, it looks like we got there early enough to beat the crowd. I had the basil soup (no photo) with a side of turkey sausage. Others in our party Had the cottage cheese pancakes-nothing super fantastic-but it was good just the same. As well as the biscuits, gravy, eggs and potatoes-they didn't disappoint. read more

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First Watch is a great addition to the Richmond Hwy corridor. Certainly much better than the Boston Market that used to reside in this building. It was also a better experience than the one we had at the First Watch Beulah location. First Watch is strictly a breakfast and brunch place, closing daily at 2:30pm. We came here with our next door neighbors on the 4th of July around noon. First Watch does not take reservations, but does allow you to electronically add your name to the wait list, which will give you some idea on how long it will take to be seated. Service from our energetic young server was excellent. The menu has a variety of types of items (both breakfast and lunch), but I swear almost every dish includes avocado. I was most interested in the Small Plates section, ordering Bobs's Red Mill buttery grits, hardwood smoked bacon, biscuits with gravy, seasonal fresh fruit and an English muffin. Everything we ordered was well-prepared. Bonus points for when I asked for cream for my grits they gave me a healthy sized cup of cream, not just a couple cream packets. Speaking of the grits, they were excellent, but that's to be expected from any of Bob's Red Mill products. For now, five stars. read more

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My two girls and I had a wonderful experience here on a Wednesday around 11am with no reservation. We were greeted and allowed to sit wherever we wanted. It was a warm morning but my little girls wanted to sit outside which was virtually empty. There were fans and heaters outside as well as a covered porch. Our waiter was Ty and he was AWESOME! He was very attentive and patient with my girls and I as we navigated the menu. I appreciated the kids menu for my girls. $8 for a huge breakfast and a drink was very well priced. One daughter had a large choc chip pancake with bacon and another had French toast with fresh fruit and chicken apple sausage. Everything was fresh and amazing. Hot syrup as well! I had the classic eggs Benedict and the "million dollar potatoes". Everything was delicious and for $35 for our little girls day out brunch it was a huge win! Can't wait to return! I think this is just what this area needed! read more

First Watch - Classic eggs Benedict with million dollar potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Finally got around to eating at this place. I'd heard good things about First Watch. Quite an extensive menu, hard to make a choice. The portions are big. We were seated right away. Our server was very attentive. The food was delicious. So fresh and well prepared. I'm a fan of the decor. Bright and open. You will wait for a table on weekends. Hope to return soon. read more

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Food is good. Front-of-house service, on the other hand, is horrendous. We checked in and were told 25 minutes. Fine. Go back up at 25 minutes to ask how much longer. The incredibly rude guy at the host's desk told us in the most condescending way possible that the wait would be another 30 minutes and he had no idea why we would think otherwise. Um, well dude, the woman standing RIGHT NEXT TO YOU at the host's desk told us so 25 minutes ago. The food is good but not worth the rudeness so we left. read more

First Watch is a great breakfast chain with a fresh farm-to table like theme. I have been to several locations and the Groveton one is great. I like the "Groveton" mural as a great touch to its identity for the local area. The menu is balanced, and the Staff is friendly. On this visit I had "the Works" omelet that comes loaded with Bacon, sausage, ham, and veggies, plus cheese. It also has a side of potatoes that you can get upgraded with extra goodies; it will hit the spot for that morning hunger and keep you going all day. I was part of a party of 6 adults and a baby, wait time was reasonable on a Sunday mid-morning (about 10am). The staff kept the tables moving but not rushed, well-led and oiled staff. I would return the next time I am in town. read more

Yummy!!! I loved my breakfast at First Watch! I got the pumpkin donuts and they were delicious. The staff were amazing! So attentive and helpful. Place is decorated farmhouse , I was touched by the Groveton mural on the wall because I grew up in Groveton area. This mural is a nice touch. I also got the chicken bowl. It was crunchy, flavorful, and perfect. It had Cojita cheese and pickled red onions. I tried a piece of the pumpkin pancake which was also a hit! Parking is ample. It was fun! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Busy place, smaller than most First Watch Locations I have been to. Lots of empty tables - not enough wait staff and lines / wait times were 45-60 minutes. Wait staff at table when seated was sporadic. Quiet environment, clean bathrooms. Avocado toast was not great! Avocado was brown (overly ripe), not flavored, and the egg was pretty flat - no plating or attention to plating. read more

First Watch - Overly ripe avocado toast and an egg. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Welcome to Groveton, First Watch! This breakfast & brunch chain is located at the Beacon Center Shopping Mall - as other locations, their menu offers health-focused breakfast, brunch, and lunch options, which includes salads, soups, omelets, and entrees. We added our party to the 'Get in Line', which allowed us to be seated right away - great option for those with larger parties and during the breakfast/brunch rush. The hostess was welcoming, and there is a longer bench to wait for your table to be ready, if applicable. Unfortunately, they didn't have the Summer Specials yet, as I had wanted to try out their Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast and the Elote Breakfast Burrito; instead, we ordered: +the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice - prepared with oranges, lemon, turmeric, organic ginger, agave nectar, and beet - well made, with a nice tartness to it! +the Purple Haze - prepared with lemon, cane sugar, butterfly pea flower tea, and a hint of lavender; aesthetically pleasing, and more on the sweeter end +the Sunrise Coffee - nice and piping hot; brewed well; I love how they leave the pot on the table, so you can self-serve +the Chickichanga - prepared with whipped cage-free eggs, chicken breast, green chiles, cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses, onions, and sliced avocado in a rolled flour tortilla, topped with a vera cruz sauce and sour cream; I did ask the chorizo to be on the side; this came with a side of seasoned potatoes, in which I did request them to make it more well-done, which they obliged +the Biscuits & Turkey Sausage Gravy with Eggs - a nice generous platter with a split buttermilk biscuit with homestyle turkey sausage gravy, 2 cage-free eggs, any style (went for the over easy), and served with a side of seasoned potatoes We also ordered a side of the Chicken Apple Sausage (comes with 2 patties) and a side of Hardwood Smoked Bacon (comes with 4 pieces). Note that they are currently in their soft opening stage, but the service and the arrival of the food was pretty on point. Our server was attentive and checked in often, and made sure that all our orders were accurate! Plenty of parking available in the plaza, and I liked that there were other exit points, so you don't have to weave through the arriving parties. A nice breakfast/brunch option in the Groveton area. +'Get in Line' option +friendly service +located at the Beacon Center Shopping Mall +plenty of parking available read more

Just wrapped up my farmhouse hash and belgian waffle. I'm a breakfast man. I eat a lot of breakfast. Sometimes I worry about how much breakfast I eat. And i am a very picky eater. Beat breakfast I've ever had. 10/10 no notes. read more

Everything was amazing! It gets super busy so make sure you sign up on the waitlist online before hand - we got there and only waited 25 minutes before we got seated. Its a new location so everything was nice and clean, everyone from the host and servers were so nice and all the food was amazing! Would definitely recommend and would definitely be going back! read more

First Watch - Purple Haze, Morning Meditation, Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk, Mint Mocha iced coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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A great addition to the Richmond Hwy corridor. We went on opening morning and received the quality food and service that you can expect from First Watch. The ingredients are fresh and the coffee is next level. Our server, Harish, was attentive and prompt. In and out before work, can't beat that! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Had the opportunity to dine at First Watch yesterday with my friend. It was her first time eating at this restaurant. The waiter, Frankie was amazing. He was very attentive and kind; his service was greatly appreciated. The food was delicious and savory. The ambiance was pleasant. Spoke briefly with the manager, Ahmed. He is doing a great job with this restaurant. My friend enjoyed her first meal at First Watch. Can't wait to go again! read more

I've been a loyal First Watch customer for years, so it pains me to write this review but my most recent visit was genuinely one of the worst dining experiences I've had. From the moment we were seated, our waitress made it clear she did not want to be there. Her attitude was visibly agitated, and even a simple request for more time to review the menu (as we just sat down with our infant son) and for a small cup of water was met with noticeable irritation. We chose to look past it and give her the benefit of the doubt. When our food arrived, my English muffin, ordered as a side, was missing. We politely pointed this out, and rather than a simple apology, she dismissively told us the kitchen was busy and they "don't care about this kind of stuff," before reluctantly agreeing to get it. It arrived cold, pale and completely untoasted. As if it were taken out of bag and put on a plate. When we brought this to her attention, instead of acknowledging the issue, she argued with us insisting it had been toasted and that it just may not have been "as warm as I like." As a repeat customer who knows exactly how First Watch prepares their food, I can say with strong confidence: it was not toasted. Rather than escalate further, I thanked her and ended the interaction. Generally, we would get another sweet dish and some juices to go but after a continued hostile attitude from the waitress we decided to leave early and take our business elsewhere this time. What disappointed me most wasn't the missing side or even the cold muffin, it was the complete absence of accountability, humility, or basic customer service. No apology. No ownership. Just defensiveness. First Watch, you have a loyal customer base because your food and service are usually excellent. This experience was a significant failure of both. Unfortunately, we will not be returning to this location. I highly recommend looking over some of these basic service issues so that your reviews do not continue to lower. This location seems to have one of the lowest reviews in the local area. read more

We recently picked up breakfast from First Watch. It's open super early and was an easy process to order online and pick it up. I had the breakfast sandwich and enjoyed it- they have lots of good kids options too! read more

This was my 2nd time visiting this location, I didn't write a review based my first visit because they were newly open and still working out the kinks. Food is delicious but the time between being seated and a server coming to the table needs work. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Great fresh food and service was decent.... It's a fast growing "chain" haven't done research on them but have heard they are veteran owned. Maybe someone else can weigh in. The building was a Boston market and was totally rehabbed into a typical looking First Watch. Clean at least. read more

Not cheap but the food and service are great. I have had brunch there two times and plan to go back.

2nd time coming to this locations chain. Can't say I'm impressed with their service. Both times I've dined in the server has not checked in with me halfway through the meal. This last time the only interactions I had with the server, David, were when they took my order and dropped off my receipt. The food meets expectations. Ambiance meets expectations. I'd say if you are looking for the basic eggs bacon toast and coffee combo for breakfast go somewhere else, quality in service is not here or else get carry out. read more

It was sooo uncomfortably cold in here, we were shivering. It made everything not enjoyable. The kitchen forgot the bacon and lettuce on my blte sandwich. Only got tomato and egg. Found the server to fix the sandwich and she brought a side of bacon but really wasn't worth eating the sandwich with half of it missing. Doubt I'd return. read more

This is a new restaurant in our neighborhood and is still working on the rough spots...that said Classic 2egg breakfast was a disappointment. 2 very small eggs were cooked well, but too meager for the price. 2half slices of "grain" bread toasted were cold on which the cold butter spread sat reprovingly. An abundant portion of over cooked and dry potato chunks. And lastly, while there seemed to be an abundance of staff visible, no one was stationed at the cash register, so escaping this place was difficult Suggest give it a few weeks or months to get up to speed and hope they find a sighted cook who doesn't send cold toast and overcooked potatoes to customers. All was not bad though, the bacon was perfectly cooked and a reasonable portion for the price. BTW. Wendy''s is advertising a good breakfast and is only 100 feet away. read more

My first bad experience and It was quite disappointing yesterday, service was mediocre and my food was cold. Grant it it was around 1:50pm when I got there but no excuse...Gotta do better Bowie read more

The breakfast was good. Served hot. The service was poor: waited over five minutes to place our order and over five minutes to receive our bill, which we had to pay online since no cashier. We scored 4 out it 5. read more

First Watch - Turkey Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We went to First Watch on Richmond Hwy today just before 12pm. The staff was very kind to help me get seated ( I have a large boot and a walker). They helped store my walker nearby. Positives: nice ramp to get into the restaurant. I am not able to sit in a booth right now but half booths are limited. If you get a 1/2 booth, they are very close together and not handicap accessible. Because of that I sat in the chair. For some reason both the chair AND the table slide on the floor a lot! We had to get someone to take our order because no one came to our table. Other guests who came in after us had already gotten their orders placed. Food wise: it was Ok. We both got their salmon Benedicts. My kale drink was very good. Bottom line: First Watch was just ok. We know of other places we would prefer to go with better food and ambiance. read more

On the day of the grand opening, my husband and I decided to check out the new First Watch location in Alexandria. My husband ordered the Purple Haze drink, and I noticed he had a flushed look on his face after taking a sip. He told me that it tasted as if it contained alcohol, which was surprising since he doesn't drink. I took a sip myself and immediately detected a spirit-like flavor. We brought this to the waitress's attention, and she assured us that the drinks were premade and contained no alcohol. My husband opted to order a different drink instead. Later, while we were enjoying our meal, the store manager came over to inquire about our experience. We mentioned our concerns about the premade drinks and how my husband thought his had an alcoholic taste. The manager acknowledged that there might be a similar drink that could have caused the confusion but didn't confirm or deny our suspicions, which left us feeling a bit uncertain. Despite the drink mix-up, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal, but the issue with the drink left us puzzled. read more

There was a bit of a wait. A little noisy, but that's to be expected from any busy restaurant. Waitstaff helpful, friendly, and food tasty. Great place for brunch if you don't mind the initial wait. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I just wanted a plan egg sandwich but the only options had a complicated mix of other things piled on it. But they made one to fit my request and charged me for the "elevated" sandwich. Kind of pricey for an egg, a piece of cheese and bacon. But it was very well prepared ant tasty! Coffee was good! Coffee cup was dirty, no towels in the restroom. Good service, nice atmosphere and comfortable. I'll give them another chance. It's worth a visit, especially if you want a bit of an up scale breakfast or lunch. read more

Great food. Amazing service and healthy tasty drinks. The chocolate chip pancakes take off 10 years of your life. You feel like a kid again...so good. read more

Overhyped cafe. I think your best bet is breakfast. I ordered half Monterey sandwich and cobb salad. Presentation was poor. Thrown together. I started with potatoes - not cooked well, barely hot. Turkey sausage cold upon arrival. Will not be back. Gross. Oh and please bust tables - dirty coffee canister on my table when I arrived. Disappointing read more

Visited the newly-opened First Watch in Alexandria over the weekend. The decor is fresh and inviting, and the staff is friendly and eager to help with menu selections. We had breakfast - the salmon benedict and lemon ricotta pancakes. Both were well-plated and delicious; for a breakfast it was certainly upscale. Looking at the menu, there are many options for both breakfast and lunch, so I look forward to coming back to try them! The overall experience is akin to Silver Diner, but with a more minimalist approach. Great food and service. Will definitely return! read more

The food was fine but service gets low marks as it is way below average for any restaurant. I went there for breakfast today with my son, knowing it wouldn't be busy. It wasn't. Maybe 5-8 tables occupied at any given time. We were hopeful that we'd be served fairly quickly since it wasn't busy. We weren't, nor were any other diners within view. Upon arrival the greeter led us to a table, menus and utensils in hand, moved coffee mugs from another table to ours, and then left without a word. No "enjoy your meal" or any other pleasantry, just walked on. Once the waitress arrived, my son ordered but when he ordered an additional item, I said to her "no, no" which she heard, but didn't take it off of her order pad. And she still brought it out once he was served, so I reminded her that I said no to that item in his order and told her to take it back. My son's order and mine not only did not come out at the same time, but mine was almost 10 minutes after his food was served. No explanation, apologies, nothing. After 5 minutes, I told my son to start with his meal so it would't get any colder. The greeter seemed to have an additional role of walking past tables asking if everything was good, and he literally does just that--walks past without stopping and asks under his breath. Nor did our waitress ever come back once while we were eating to ask how things were or if we needed anything else. This was also true at other diner's tables. When we were finished we moved our dishes to the end of the table, thinking that might hasten our getting the bill. It didn't. Since payment is made at the front of the restaurant and not at the table, we were ready to get up and go to the payment station when the waitress finally appeared with our check. I told her we were about to go up to the front desk since at a that point we didn't think the check was going to be delivered to our table. Time to retrain the staff if they want people to come back. We won't, based on the substandard service. In this economy, especially, it costs nothing for staff to put in a little effort vs. alienating future diners. read more

Called ahead to be sat upon arrival and still had to wait 35 minutes for table. Then was served cold overcooked pancakes. First and last time here read more

So excited for new location by me and then no working online ordering and no way to order by phone. Even tried to help them out by informing by phone and got a "try DoorDash" answer, which of course didn't work. Won't be trying again and not a fan of companies that give no way to feedback directly to them online. read more