Oh, First Watch? What would I do without you? Where would I go to cure my hangovers after a night of drinking? Where would I eat brunch?
First Watch is a must. Especially because there don't seem to be any Denny's or IHops around here. And First Watch is a lot like those places. Good, inexpensive breakfast. I don't go out for breakfast very often, but when I do, it's First Watch most of the time.
This location is awesome for me because it's a quick drive. I also like that there's a parking lot next to the restaurant so it's not impossible to find a place to leave your car.
I've been to First Watch more times than I can count so I won't talk about any one experience, but we've pretty much always had friendly service. They are for the most part very fast. But sometimes when they're busy the servers will forget to bring us refills or something. That can be annoying, but it doesn't happen very often.
When you visit First Watch, you have to be prepared that it can be very crowded. There will always be a wait on weekends, especially Sundays. If you go during the week it's not too bad, but then again, even if you go on the weekends the wait is never too long because they have a very quick turn around time here. They move quickly and the customers do too; they usually don't sit around and drink coffee for two hours, probably because the atmosphere is a little fast-paced. You have servers whizzing past you the whole time you're eating. If you do have to wait for a table, it's usually 15 minutes at the most, and the worst part of that is that there's not a lot of seating for those who are waiting. Most people have to stand around and try to stay out of the way of the many people coming in and out of the front door.
When you sit down at your table, a little tip. You have a coffee cup sitting at your table. If you don't want coffee, make sure the cup is turned over. Once mine wasn't, someone came over and filled it, and I didn't notice in my morning mind haze. So I was charged for coffee that I didn't drink. Yes, I could have argued with them about it, but seriously, you should see me in the mornings. It's a miracle I get out of bed.
Now let's talk about the food. I like their menu here. They offer breakfast, brunch and lunch. And yes, you can always get breakfast. They have a great omelette selection and even burgers! I really like the Trifecta sometimes. It's a Belgian waffle with two eggs and bacon or sausage. And I usually get fruit topping on my waffle. Yum! A must-try is the Floridian French Toast. French toast is topped with berries, kiwi and bananas and it is so so good. And the fresh fruit crepes are good. Two crepes are filled with strawberry yogurt, strawberries and granola. Not my favorite, but good to try.
I'm all about breakfast when I eat here, but I have tried lunch before. My favorite lunch is the Chicken Salad Melt. Their chicken salad is made with apples and raisins in it, which I adore, and they put cheese, tomato and lettuce on the sandwich. My twist is that I have them serve it on a croissant. You get your choice of sides with a sandwich. I always get their salad because it's mixed with this poppyseed dressing and it's just so refreshing and light but sweet and savory. I love those salads...
I'm not a huge fan of First Watch's potatoes, kind of like home fries, really just diced potatoes. I would prefer to have hash browns, but I usually just skip the potatoes altogether. If I'm getting pancakes or something anyway I don't really need that extra starch. Oh, and their pancakes? So good! I heart their blueberry pancakes. They are served with blueberry sauce to put on top, too. In addition to the baked-in blueberries.
Oh man, now I want some pancakes. Damn. I only wish that First Watch was open all the time like Denny's. Breakfast for dinner is always fun and I'm sure they'd get a lot of business. I've never seen First Watch on a slow day. I think the only way it could get better would be to be open at night.
I totally forgot to mention the price. First Watch is cheap! It's usually less than $10 a person. Most meals are around $7. I also usually just drink water. They leave a pitcher of ice water at your table that you can refill at your leisure but they also have all kinds of juices and stuff. You can get First Watch carryout too if you don't want to deal with the morning crowds. I've never done it, but living the whole experience is worth it. And going out to breakfast is always fun.
When you get the check you have to take it up to the cash register - that can be kind of a pain if you need the change to leave the tip because then you have to go back to the table. But while you're up there they have toothpicks and mints and I always seem to amuse myself with those while I'm waiting for the receipt to print. Sometimes there can be a long line at the register, too, so just try to check that out before you go up there. Then after you pay you're out the door. And for me, it's back to bed! read more