In a city with so many excellent independently-owned eateries, it may be blasphemy to say that First Watch is the best breakfast in town. Yet it consistently ranks first in reader's polls and "Best Of" lists all over Columbus, and I'm inclined to agree with them. It may lack that certain feeling of locally-operated love, but it's still my hands-down favorite destination when I'm craving a delicious balanced brunch. With a blend of casual formality, the restaurant serves equally well for special occasions and lazy Sundays. Pitchers of ice water and kettles of piping hot coffee are provided once your party is seated, a rare perk that caffeine-addicted control-freaks like me live for. But the real secret to success is a menu that truly has something for everyone. Meat and potatoes man? Order up some biscuits and gravy or The Traditional. Strictly Vegan? Try the zesty Veggie Grill or vaguely Greek (but very good) Not Guilty Your Honor. At my annual Birthday Brunch, I always ask for the Fresh Fruit Crepes. Thin, sweet little crepes are spiraled around tart summer berries and sometimes creamy banana slices, and the fat-free strawberry yogurt topping makes it a guiltless indulgence. Though the included muffin of the day can range from whole wheat blueberry to double chocolate chip, I think they're all wonderfully tasty little quick breads. But when I show up slightly hungover after a long Saturday night, that's when I crave avocado. This ingredient is generously scattered over the salads and sandwiches section of the menu, as well as several egg preparations, including my very favorite Eggs Benedict variation. But I usually opt for a killer half soup, salad, or sandwich offer resulting in a double dose of that creamy, dreamy, green stuff. The Cobb salad and The Monterey Club are my designated avocado-delivery devices, even though the sandwich is practically a cobb between bread. After the recent redesign, this location now features an extra long banquet table and exposed wood floors. Sitting that close to strangers seems awkward to me, and the sleek flooring fails to soften the noise of customers like the carpets once did. In full disclosure, my worst dining disaster ever took place within these walls - a matter of blackened bananas hidden inside my crepes. But the waitress was beyond apologetic, my meal was fixed and we ate for free in compensation. All in all, I love the new streamlined look even if it sacrifices soundproofing, and customer service and overall consistency like this rare. If you ask me where I want to go for breakfast, I am always tempted to answer "First Watch". read more

First Watch - The Cobb Salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Today was my first visit to First Watch. Our server, Mason, was awesome. From the time I sat down, after my guest arrived, I felt like he went over and above my expectations. Small things, like making a suggestion and praising my choices. He made this a great experience. read more

First Watch - Off street parking close by. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Visiting the city for the first time. Found this place on yelp for brunch on Monday morning. Let me tell you, the pictures are accurate. The food looks and tastes great. Kind and friendly staff. read more

First time eating here. We had a group of 10 people so food was shared. Everyone loved what they got. Chicken tacos, chickichanga, salmon. Omelettes were great. The waffles were crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. Delicious. The special bacon was the best. Holey donuts were good along with the berry compete to dip them in. Can't wait to come back read more

Food was great but the man who served me and the waitress I asked about the sockeye salmon got very smart with me and the man was very dry and through receipt that hit me in my opinion he said " my bad" rude. I am a black woman I don't know if that is why but even if I wasn't. Rude. Good food just prolly go to a different one next time. read more

Must-get: muesli pancakes, bacado omelet + CHICKICHANGA! Huuuuuge Plus: Brunch for 20 folks - accommodated on a Friday w/out a reservation - yay! It's got a casual/cheery brunch-diner vibe, the servers are helpful and friendly, the menu is craaazy extensive, the food is delicious & the prices seemed more than fair based on what i saw on the menu (my friend's dad paid for the meal so I've no clue how much our total was, sorry). ps: i love you more than bacon! :) shucks. read more

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Hands down this is my favorite spot now, I would legit come here every morning if I could!! The food is amazing(I ordered the avocado toast) & staff was super down to earth & friendly!!! The decor/scenery is rustic & looks beautiful! I will definitely be back soon!! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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I love this place! The customer service is actually above average and the food is delicious. Not greasy like many other breakfast places.

first watch is very yummy and the servers are always kind. the avocado toast, a.m. superfoods bowl, and smoked salmon eggs benedict are all very good and my go to favorites. they do close early (2:30pm) so be sure not to come too late! read more

Gluten free options available without up charge. Never hesitate going to First Watch. P

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

First Watch - Outside of First Watch in German Village - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

They have delectable dishes and all their food is good for you and delicious. Whole grain breads and cage free eggs. The waiters/waitresses always help each other. I always come here when I want delicious breakfast that I know is made with real ingredients. They also have low prices! I always get the French toast and it's amazingly soft, warm and all-around good. read more

We had a wonderful breakfast the morning after a late night wedding and before church. Omelettes and French toast and a poached egg, all with a little something special and unique. Great service, super coffee and generous portions. Natives say it is a favorite, and I understand why! Great job! read more

First Watch seriously never disappoints. From their wide array of vegetarian options, to their AMAZING iced coffee, every First Watch i've been to slaps. My server Lindsay was great!!! 12/10 service read more

Great scratch breakfast. Had the Chorizo omelette. Nice to see someone try to do something different.

So I guess I've been away a while but the fruit granola bowl is gone and the chicken salad sandwich. Wow, two yummy delicious menu items that have been removed. Please, please, please First Watch bring them back. Otherwise great service, as usual, and very nicely decorated, too. Healthy and yummy brunch spot! read more

our waitress was awesome, i went to the south high location, food was excellent, restaurant was very clean, and everyone was very friendly

This first watch is the closest to our house, and on days where we really don't want to make breakfast, we head on over for some good coffee and great food. Their avocado toast is DEFINITELY my favorite item on the menu, but it's possibly the most caloric too. If you're not counting cals, definitely get the avo toast. My fiancé and I usually order individual meals and then split an avo toast, a win win! They have basically any breakfast food you can think of and they're super open to customizations and substitutions. read more

I frequently order food from this place but today was highly disappointing, I ordered the avocado toast with eggs. It's been less than 10 minutes I got my food and this is how my food looks like. Just looks gross! read more

First Watch - Avocado - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This was a first for us to try. In the Columbus area there are so many places to eat you would have to live here and never move to eat at all of them. They were out of the specials at 10am. My husband got the turkey biscuits and gravy and thought it was delicious, açaí bowl was yummy and I got a salmon Benedict that was was so so. The combinations of food was good and you could not leave hungry. Staff was not the service I would except for the price point. Many college kids here as it is right on osu campus. I want to give them a try again but maybe in a different city. read more

Probably some of the healthiest and most delicious brunch foods I have ever tried. I definite must if you're diet conscious and they're willing to customize anything to your preferences! read more

Great food! Even greater service!! The people there were super nice and our waiter even gave my friend a free birthday coffee since it was her birthday!!! My friends and I had a great time eating and celebrating. I got an awesome breakfast sandwich and it came with potatoes. Very yummy! Overall great experience and great food. Definitely 10/10 recommend' read more

First Watch - The elevated egg sandwich! So yummy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Yummy. Classic yet modern. I love going to first watch for their lemon curd pancakes, mix of breakfast skillets and delicious breakfast sandwiches. This time I had a lovely sandwich of avacado, bacon and eggs. I think it was called the elevated egg sandwich. Yum yum! read more

I am very disappointed in the service at this first watch. my server Carolyn was very rude and proceeded to be homophobic and not give my girlfriend and i the same check just brought separate ones. very disappointed. read more

this restaurant is dirty, and they is expensive and I had a hair in my chicken noodle soup, and the waiter kept rolling her eyes at me and I was trying to get a refill and the bitch freaking looked at me dumb and walked away read more

We ultimately chose to eat here because of the Nowait app option. That way we were able to put our names on the waitlist, drive over, find a parking spot, and only have to wait a few minutes for a table. LOVE that they offer that service. I'm pretty familiar with First Watch and their offerings and this location was no different. I got eggs benedict and it was lovely. My cousin did get a fresh juice from the juice bar, the "morning meditation" that I tried a small amount of and it was very good. I'll have to not chicken out and try it next time. Location was clean, server was more than friendly, and they had mint chocolate mints on the way out! Delicious. Will visit here again when in the Columbus area. read more

I'm sitting here right now. 1:52p. Been in here since 1:43p and not 1 person has asked me anything. If I want to eat in or order anything to go. This is really sad. I will never visit this establishment again. read more

This is the best place to get breakfast and coffee after getting obliterated the night before. Sometimes the wait is long though. I also hate checking out with a receipt you have to take up. read more

New place. Clean. Service friendly , but seemed a bit overwhelmed on a Sunday morning. Egg chimichanga was delicious. Just enough spice and tasty. The avocado toast was quite bland. Plenty of avocado but could have been on different toast or a bit of salt. read more

I have never disappointed going to First Watch and other First Watch places in Columbus. Very consistent on how they make breakfast special, despite having a lunch menu, I love just doing breakfast because it fits them perfectly. I love The Works Omelet with no sour cream, the multi-grain pancakes, and Trifecta with Belgium Waffle with it. I have gone to the German Village First Watch so many times and always get a great meal with wonderful service from the servers. read more

Nice breakfast stop. Walked to it from our hotel and had two different skillets. Both very tasty.

The food was very disappointing! I ordered 1/2 slab of ribs, potato salad and a kook-aid pickle. The potatoes were under cooked and they weren't seasoned at all. It wasn't fit for consumption. The pickle had no kool-aid flavor! I make them myself so I know how they should taste. The sauce was the somewhat saving grace for the ribs. Without it they need to throw in the towel! I will never eat your food again! read more

After this review they sent me a nice note and a gift card. I finally went back and enjoyed my experience. It's indisputably different (the menu, the kitchen staff, the look) but it's a steady place for breakfast. read more

5 STARTS!!!! This is now my favorite brunch location in Columbus. I was feeling under the weather so I ordered oatmeal. It wasn't sweetened and the server brought me some warm honey to substitute for the brown sugar. The muffin was a delicious side. The portions are generous. We took most of the pancakes and muffins home. They also have a good selection of creamer for coffee. Parking was easy and FREE! read more

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I went to first watch and I come here all the time but today my server was Jessica and she was very unpleasant, off the bat she was being very rude and passive aggressive, She made it very clear she didn't want serve us because when we first walked in her and another server were arguing over taking us, she was very disappointed that it was her and took her anger out on us and it made very uncomfortable and we are regulars. I was very disappointed with the negative attitude it was very unprofessional and also thats just not how I want to start my day especially from a place that I always come too. read more

Let me first say that I love the food at First Watch so the horrible service I received this week was so so disappointing! I placed an online order (30 minutes ahead) with a specific time to pick up. I arrived slightly early so was fine to wait for the order to be ready. After 5 minutes pass the pick up time I asked the person at the register if they had any idea when my order would be ready. He stated that it was close and should be up soon. I was fine with that. However after several patrons came in, were seated, got their order, paid and left, my order was still not up. I asked several times in between and again was told it wasn't ready. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I was then told that they did not have an order for me....WHAT! After asking to speak to a manager (who turned out to be the person at the register the whole time that I had been interacting with) and getting the order number to him, he said I gave him the WRONG NAME....WHAT! If that had been the case, how was it "being prepared" when I asked when I arrived. The bigger issue for me was how incredibly RUDE he was during the encounter. Who else was I going to talk to. He was the manager!! I get it everyone is busy. However the dinning room was actually not that busy on that particular morning and they seem to have plenty of wait staff. There were lots of bags lined up in the kitchen. We could see them. Another customer had the same frustration as I did that particular morning. Again, I love First Watch food and have patronized them all over the Columbus area but do not plan to visit this location ever again. I was So So disappointed. On top of the rude treatment, I ended up getting a parking ticket and my food was cold when they were finally able to find it!! BTW, the other staff were fine. read more

Zero stars (if I could do that, but yelp requires at least 1) My bulleted list of reasons: - terrible service - food that clearly sat in the window too long, which resulted in it being cold and hard Lets discuss the poor service and food preparation: At a restaurant you expect two things, good food and good service. This location fell very short on both. In addition, I left the restaurant and 15 minutes later realized I left my sunglasses at the table. When I called, I was put on hold for 10 minutes, which at that point I just went back to the establishment to ask in person...never got those back. I'm a fan of most First Watch locations (especially the new Westerville location), but the one in German Village could use some better management. Oh, and I forgot that we had a wobbly table and as we were trying to fix it with sugar packets all our waitress said was "yeah" and pointed out how close our table was to the one next to us then walked away without doing anything. read more

Always recommend First Watch for brekky. Amazing omelets and overnight oats. Great breakfast destination!!

Really enjoyed our delicious breakfast. The Million Dollar Bacon is so good and very unique. It was very clean.Staff was exceptional. Our waitress Sierra was great. Our first time in Columbus, Ohio and will certainly be back. read more

Meeting coworkers here on a Wednesday morning at 7am before an all day conference at the Westin was a great idea. The restaurant was not very busy and we were all able to sit comfortable and discuss the day laid out ahead of us for two hours without feeling rushed. The waitress made sure the coffee urn and our waters remained full. She also noticed the moment another team member entered and got them a menu right away. The Floridian French Toast was delicious and all of the omlettes looked great. If I worked in the area this would be a regular breakfast spot. read more