I just found my new favorite breakfast place in Gaithersburg. I can't believe I have been driving past this restaurant for years! The windows are slightly tinted so you can't tell it's a restaurant. When you walk in you will be welcomed by a nice, clean decor. The menu is very healthy, farm to table. I ordered the Tri-fecta and it was delicious. It was a Belgian waffle, eggs and turkey sausage. You can choose a different meat or French toast. Service was great. The food didn't take long to arrive at our table. Definitely worth a visit! read more

First Watch - Outside - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Food and service are good. Tables are spaced out and servers masked and gloved. The only thing that needs improvement is the gathering of people in the small area where people are waiting for their table. We waited outside to stay safely distant, but had to walk through the tight groupings of people inside to check in and again to get seated. It would be great if the restaurant limited the number gathered inside. read more

Awesome breakfast and brunch place in the area! I absolutely love the concept and mission of the restaurant . Real homemade organic cooking which may seem simple, but you can really taste the freshness here ! Came with my boyfriend and checked in on yelp ahead of time to avoid the wait (Yes, they're busy!). We had about a ten minute wait once we arrived. We were immediately greeted, as well as when we were sat. Amy, our server was super helpful and very attentive. She recommended one of their fresh juices. We split the roast beef sandwich, the market skillet hash, and the chikichanga. The portions are huge! The chikichanga was creamy and delicious. The skillet had really fresh and tasty goat cheese that perfectly complemented the egg and veggies. We took the roast beef home for lunch as we were way too full to eat it at the restaurant. This is a place for anyone who loves real, fresh, authentic ingredients! If you don't mind waiting your turn to eat, I would highly recommend having brunch here. read more

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This is my first experience here and this will be my last. Please hire a better hostess since this is the first encounter customers have while walking in the establishment. read more

Went there to collect my birthday breakfast, being a part of their club. Was very disappointed on many levels. Service wasn't good at all. We sat for at least 10 minutes before anyone even brought us water. After our waitress took our order finally, we didn't see her again until the bill was brought to our table. Another server brought us our food but no syrup came with my pancakes order. I had to ask. We sat near the kitchen in a booth and noticed servers eating with their hands in the kitchen and then handling plates to serve customers w/o washing their hands. My husband's hash skillet was barely warm as if it had been sitting under a heat lamp. So disappointing. We will be having breakfast elsewhere. Many other places in the area. read more

From the moment you entered the restaurant, service is Great! We did not have a wait and was seated immediately. Timothy our server was fantastic. He Provided outstanding services, attentive and efficient. Let's not talk about how tasty and fresh the food was, I had the Carnitas Breakfast Burrito and the Chickichanga, and it was delicious!!! As a first time visit I will definitely be back with friends and Family. read more

Management is terrible - waiter needs to be trained better. It was a horrible experience . After waiting for 20 minutes for a table we got sat and the waiter walked past us 4 times without a greeting or even telling us he will be with us in a minute. Other people came after us and got sat next to us and he went straight to them to take their order. We decided our business is not welcome so we decided to leave and the lady upfront (who is very polite) asked us if everything is ok, we told her the situation and she asked the manager to come talk to us. The manager walked towards us and then turned around and went to seat people, like what the hell!!! If you want to feel like you're not welcome or your business means nothing then this is the place to go. That place needs better training for servers and definitely better managers. Good luck read more

Food is good and consistent, it hits the spot when I'm looking for it. The fresh juices are interesting and I recommend trying them. But the service, is a whole other story. In my experience here, the servers will take your order and never come back. That's it. So...what am I tipping them for? Someone else brought my food, refills, and anything else I needed because most are mia. Today my server was Paola (at least I think so - she never introduced herself to me but that's what my receipt says). She took my order then stood for the next 30 minutes speaking to her friends a table a few feet away. Never once looked over or walked the few feet to check back in. There is absolutely no reason why she couldn't have come over. The restaurant was mostly empty and she was only serving two tables, including mine. The service is tempting me to say to not bother trying here, but I do enjoy the food. **UPDATE** Dear Rebecca, a team includes effort from all. Not other members picking up the slack because one person decides to stand around and shoot the shit while earning money/tips they don't deserve. What a pathetic excuse..deserving of a star being removed for even more disappointing customer service. read more

Terrible service. The hostess told us to get on the in-person waiting list, which we did at 11:30am. We were told it would be an hour wait. So at 12:30 we went to check on our progress and were told we were bumped by people who checked in on their phone app. So you're telling me we were bumped by people who weren't even waiting in person?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! This place is a joke. read more

I stopped in for an early lunch, the decor is modern and clean. The menu has several breakfast and lunch items. I wasn't sure what I wanted to order so I asked the server for her recommendations. The server provided numerous items and seemed well versed in what customers frequently order and what gets good feedback. I opted for an item that was not one of the servers many recommendations- the power bowl. The bowl had base of quinoa with sausage, kale, tomato and two eggs. I added goat cheese and it was absolutely delicious. Two negatives the eggs I ordered were cooked slightly longer than I would have liked and the amount of kale was minuscule. I would definitely recommend stopping in if you are looking for healthy breakfast and lunch items with a spin. read more

Went this morning for brunch and we didn't even have to wait for a table-- Edmond, our server, was on top of everything and consistently timely and attentive. The food itself is amazing (as per usual) and came out quickly today compared to our other visits. Sometimes, it may take a while, but I like to think this is because each dish is made to order and not ahead of time. My only recommendation for First Watch is to switch coffee. The cold brew is fantastic, but the hot pour is akin to diner coffee. Yuck. Overall, though, by far my favorite place in the area for brunch. I have no shame in saying I've become a regular! read more

I am a huge fan of brunch and have heard many great things about this place. I ordered the Florentine eggs Benedict and was extremely disappointed. The hollandaise sauce was flavorless, and abnormally watery kind of like a raw egg texture. My egg was poached well but lacked flavor. It was a disappointing meal. I will not recommend the eggs Benedict here. read more

Love this place and wait is always worth it. Staff is always extremely friendly in the most genuine way. Just witnessed "Oliver " handle a seriously pissed off customer that was loud and cursing in front of everyone waiting.. so much so that people, including myself had to intervene. He handled him with such class. Food is always fresh and hot.. but bravo to Oliver. David is my most fav waiter and always super friendly. This place is a gem.. just call ahead to put your name on the list.. typically a 30-60 min wait on the weekends. read more

My new favorite brunch place! I have never gotten something I didn't like here. They have gigantic pancakes and waffles that are delicious. The service here is good and the menu is full of delicious foods to try. Also their bread is SO good. My family and I come here all the time and I would definitely recommend this place. read more

First Watch - giant chocolate chip pancake - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I've been here with my family too many times to count. We love it here. It doesn't seem as crowded as the rockville one and much better for parking. The food is great and has all the traditional breakfast foods you would want. I've only ever been for breakfast but the lunch menu does look decent. They have fresh squeezed OJ and some really good pancakes. There can still be a wait so I try to get there early. The traditional and trifecta are my favorites. read more

Went early in the morning, so did not have to wait for a table. Second time here, so I knew the pancakes are enormous (and tasty, of course!). Seasoned potatoes, I'm somehow drawn to ordering them, would love it if they were crispy on the outside though! One of my go-to breakfast locations besides Cracker Barrel and IHOP, no complaints! read more

I went back to first watch to give it a second shot and had a pleasant experience. My food was seasoned well and came out hot. Nice breakfast place to go to on the weekends with your family. read more

First of all, the sign on the outside makes this place seem like a health center or something. When I saw this place, a weight watchers-esque/patient first vibe came to mind. As I pulled in, parked, and entered, I understood what they were trying to achieve. The inside is very rustic and slightly western - hence the name "first watch" - kinda like the first to take an early shift - hence the breakfast geared restaurant. Ha. Took me awhile. Anyway, the service was great, the wait staff were very friendly. The place was clean and spacious, and not too loud. The food came out quick - the juices were delicious, and the giant cinnamon chip pancake was PHENOMENAL. I found the rest of the food to be average. The check out procedure is similar to a diner - you take the bill to the front and pay on your way out. Overall this place is great place to grab brunch! read more

Food is really great but the service isn't. The place is organized very strangely-- it's destined for clutter and traffic. People check in with a hostess at the same place people go to pay and if there aren't any people at the check in/check out counter (which has happened? You'll see groups of people helplessly waiting to either sit down or leave. It's not very seamless if you ask me. And when it comes to pick-up orders it's even worse. I've been told mixed messages a few times when I've gone to pick up my order. The first time I walked in and saw my order on the counter and could've just walked up and grabbed it, but when I tried an employee told me I had to check in with them first? Another time, i went to pick up my order and waited in line begin a small group and then all of a sudden 5 different groups came to pay and leave. It wasn't a busy day at all, there were lots of seats open. But somehow only one employee came to the register (took them about 10 min) by the time three groups had already formed and then took care of everyone out of order!!! Two groups had been waiting first to be helped and she helped the groups that had been waiting the least amount of time FIRST! And then I see a guy going up and grabbing his pick up order but nobody says anything?! A bit crazy. read more

First Watch is a great breakfast/brunch option. All of my waitresses have been great. The pancakes are HUGE so we usually just get one to share as a side with our main entrees. The menu has A LOT of great offerings, the ingredients are fresh, and the prices are spot-on. I love the skillet hashes! I'd pick it over Ihop any day. I would have to compare it to a Panera with waitress service. Overall, a good choice for a brunch. read more

excellent service...!!! delicious food that is unique...!!! chorizo omelet is outstanding...!!! read more

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I've been a fan of First Watch since stepping into one of their locations in Pikesville. I was super excited when I found out it was opening up within a 10 minute walking distance from me!! I love their hashes. It's a great amount of food with a side of fruit and English muffins. They are good about splitting the check and you pay up front. Sign up for their Sun eClub for exclusive seasonal additions and coupons! read more

Our first time at First Watch...first of all the "wait list " system is EXCELLENT! Why aren't more people doing this? The donut holes were hot and delicious! Nice dipping sauces too! I had turkey sausage gravy and eggs. Really good biscuit and nice meaty sausage gravy. Served with two eggs your choice... I had "up". Comes with fried potatoes. Good portion and GOOD! My friend had avocado toast and eggs. Said avocado was very fresh Nd toast good. Service was efficient and we were eating in no time despite the place being packed! I had an online coupon for buy one entree get one free. How could you go wrong with that? All in all a really good experience. Glad we have this breakfast/lunch place close by! read more

Used to be obsessed with this restaurant and would recommend it to any/everyone, but it has gone quite downhill in recent times I've been. Service is always fine or very good, but food quality hasn't been the same as it used to be. I have always ordered the avocado toast, and almost every time I've gone recently the eggs have been cooked incorrectly, something has been added or missing from the dish, or both. The people I've gone with have also noticed a significant change in the restaurant's quality :( there is always such a long wait weekend mornings and lately it hasn't been worth it read more

A bit overdue, but my father and I had been wanting to try this place out and had high hopes due to the lack of breakfast spots in the area. We loved the restaurant decor and the feeling/vibe it gave off. Very cozy and spacious; also makes you feel at home almost (or at the beach in my case). However, we were confused as to where the hostess station was. We looked at the woman at the cashier and she casually looked away (clearly had an it's-not-my-job face). The hosts were very polite and nice. Needless to say, the entrance was confusing . Our service was near to terrible. Our server didn't introduce herself as our server so we weren't sure if we should order or just say yes to coffee. (While I don't believe servers having to say their names, I believe in greetings). After we ordered, we didn't hear from our server nor did we get our food for 45 min and had to ask the host to find her. Breakfast shouldn't take that long. However, we had let it go as we knew the kitchen was backed up. But a word from our server would have been nice. When she did come with our food, she had a sour face... And not even an "enjoy". Bleh. But she did check on us several times after we got our food and while we were stuffing our faces. Too late and unnecessary now. I had the eggs Benedict. A bit over cooked for my taste, but the potatoes were really good. I don't remember what my dad had. One last thing that really got me in a bad way was the cashier ..lady, woman, girl..( sorry I'm trying to be respectful but don't know what to call her). She needed to show some respect. We got an attitude when we asked for a copy of our receipt. (The way she sighed, looked somewhere else and still hands us our receipt and said bye). Manners please. Overall, I think this place needs more time to get it together. A bit more organization, and rearranging, and better service. The food was mediocre but I do want to go back for other items to prove myself wrong. read more

I will never come back to this establishment. 4 adults 1 child. 2 crab cake Benedict 1 standard breakfast 1 order of 2 chocolate pancakes 2 side orders of bacon 1 kids meal single chocolate pancake. 3 coffees, 1 OJ, 1 chocolate milk. $75.00 with tax The 45 minute wait was to be expected since it was mother's day. But being told that they tried to call us when the reservation was ready was an unnecessary lie. Furthermore, the 2 hour wait from the time our order was taken was insane. Let me repeat that. 2 hours, and we weren't the only ones. The entire restaurant was experiencing this catastrophe. Caught in a terrible situation of "in for a penny, in for a pound" and with the waitress coming by every 15 minutes or so to inform us that she hates the kitchen staff, then that she refuses to bring food out, then she refuses to wrap silverware because the napkins feel icky and so on. Essentially she came over to complain in the hopes that we wouldn't reduce her tip. That's fine, just please don't hijack the conversation on a family holiday to talk about your issues when you obviously interrupted our conversation. We don't go out very often with the whole family and to leave on Mother's Day and try to find another restaurant at 3pm would be pointless. So we stuck it out. The food is okay, but not worth $90.00 with tip. Also the fact the manager didn't have the courage to come out and console the customers speaks volumes in my mind, since he would have ended up having to refund the entire restaurant. Just as an aside, $3.50 for 3 thin slices of bacon is outrageous. You can purchase a full package of bacon for the same cost. Do yourself a favor, skip this train wreck of a breakfast joint and head to the Village Green off of 355 or The Original Pancake House in Rockville. You'll pay less, receive better food, and infinitely better service. Better yet, double down and go to Black's Kitchen in Bethesda for the champagne brunch and never ever look back. read more

They just don't seem to care about anything in there. We got seated and no one even came by to bring us a water or asked for drinks for 15 minutes. read more

Average breakfast place with inexperienced staff We were headed out for raspberry picking early on a Sunday, and we needed a place to eat. My fiance's parents suggested First Watch. We were told that there is normally a wait for breakfast, so I was excited to try the food. However, once we arrived and were seated (luckily no wait) I realized that there's normally a line because the tables are spaced so far apart. It's been a while since I've been in a restaurant that has so few tables for so much space. Perhaps I'm just used to DC restaurants, but they could have used the space so much better. Then our servers, and there were multiple of them had a variety of problems. Water cups were only provided for two people, we had to confirm that the tea was unsweetened. Our dishes were all brought out at different times, leaving the earlier ones to sit and get cold. The other strange thing was that none of the servers knew what they were serving us! They'd say, "I've got the xxx here." and he'd be met with blank stares because none of us ordered that! Just turns out that they couldn't recognize the food that they were serving. My fiance and I both ordered omelettes which were a little below standard. In the veg'd out that I got, the eggs tasted and felt like they were from powdered eggs as opposed to real eggs, the veggies inside were just alright. My fiance got the Swisshroom with ham which he said was just fine. My future MIL got the tri-athlete and seemed to enjoy it. Paying was also slightly confusing as you have to go to the hostess people to check out, which, given that people were waiting for tables, was crowded and confusing. Overall, it felt like going to Perkins, which now that I see that this is a national chain makes sense. I would not be inclined to go back, and given the service, would recommend people go elsewhere. read more

My wife and I have gone for breakfast at this location weekly for years. The food has never disappointed us, the service is reliably fantastic and the Restaurant is always clean despite the traffic of people it caters to daily. If you go, be prepared to enjoy the food. read more

I've been to other first watches and have always had excellent food and service. I've even been to this location once before when it opened and everything was great. Maybe it was because I came for Sunday brunch, but I left disappointed. Server and service was good, but none of the food came out hot nor the English muffins toasted. And I was a bit disappointed that they didn't accept my coupon that I received signing up for their newsletter because it wasn't printed out. It didn't say it needed to be and there isn't a barcode or number on it so I figured I'd save some paper. That wasn't the case. All in all, first watches are great, but today was the exception... read more

Was flying solo and asked if there was a counter seat. Was told there was a common table but there was a family already there with one seat open and it would just be 10 minutes. 25 minutes later, was finally seated, with another family, no problem. Was told my waiter would be right there. The waiter finally did come, 5 min later, took drink orders for the family, ignored me and left. I Mentioned the seat was open the whole time and the hostess replied that she didn't want me to be uncomfortable. She could have asked or offered before making that call. Unfortunately, left with out breakfast. It's Sunday morning, I get it. All I got from another waitress was "I'm sorry". Manager was there the whole time. Too bad as I was really looking forward to the pancakes. One star for the yummy looking menu and free coffee while waiting. read more

We were looking for a good hardy breakfast place. I found First Watch from an online search. The funny thing is I jog by it in a daily basis but never knew it was a restaurant. The name makes you think it's an urgent care or health related establishment. Regardless, the food here is very filing and tastes great. I had the eggs and hash which included two eggs in a bed of roasted potatoes with sautéed veggies and Italian sausage. On the side were two pieces of while grain toast and a cup of fruit. It really hit the spot. The wife had the avocado sandwich which included an egg and potatoes side dish. She loved it. I was surprised by the amount of healthy options they had. The only thing we didn't care for was the pancakes. They were very soft and tended to crumble easily. Also, our entrees were so heavy that the 3 stack of pancakes was too much for the both of us. We were smart in that we shared the pancakes. If you only want the pancakes don't order anything else. Each pancake is huge and if you get a 3 stack then you won't need anything else. read more

Just had lunch at this restaurant and it was terrible. I went with my son and husband. We arrived about 12:30 on Sunday. The wait for a table was about 15 minutes. The staff was so unfriendly it was shocking. Although we were a party of three the table was not set for three. We had to request extras of most utensils. We ordered 3 sandwiches, a Reuben, Beefeater, and veggie burger. A sandwich comes with a choice of salad or soup. We wanted to try all so we each ordered one choice selecting which entree they would match. The wait for the food was unreasonably long. The side soup or salads were completely wrong for each person. My beef sandwich was a but warm but the Reuben and veggie burger were cold. I saw them sitting under the kitchen warming lamp a long while. Service was slow and unenthusiastic. I would not waste your time and money at this restaurant. It was a real disappointment. read more

I appreciate First Watch reaching out to me to discuss my visit. A couple weeks ago I returned to eat breakfast. Even though the restaurant was just as full as my previous visit, I was greeted and put on the list immediately. Unfortunately one negative still remains, the service is slow. The waiter was attentive and friendly but it took quite a while for the food to arrive. I started timing halfway through and it took over 20 minutes for two breakfast entrees (french toast and a hash skillet) to arrive. It just wasn't us; it seemed like other tables were looking around and making comments on their food arrival as well. While I appreciated the extra family time, I was hungry! LOL My recommendation is not to trade First Watch quality with speed but to offer guests something (toast, english muffin) for free if food takes over 10 minutes. read more

I was originally going to give this place 3 stars, simply for not being good. Walking in, you see a lot of pictures of the healthy juices they serve, carrot, kale, cucumber and so on. But despite this, this restaurant is NOT vegan friendly. I ordered the avocado toast, which comes with eggs. I asked for hash browns or potatoes without butter instead of eggs. She said she would check, which is fine. She came back and said that the kitchen said it would take a long time to make hash browns without butter, but if I was willing to wait, they would. Being that the place was basically empty, I said Yes. Because it shouldn't take more than a minute or so. She left, and came back later saying that actually it's impossible to make hash browns or potatoes without butter, that they are already prepared and are sitting in butter. So, she lied, she never spoke to them the first time, and she kind of admitted it at the table. I got my avocado toast and got the grits instead of potatoes. The toast was completely cold, obviously made long before, and the grits tasted awful (instant). With coffee, my toast meal came out to $12. Like other reviewers said, this place is overpriced. That's crazy. I travel EXTENSIVELY, you can go to the greasiest diner and they are perfectly fine making hash browns or potatoes without butter, and often have more vegan friendly choices. When you walk in, it seems all WP and with juices, but they are not vegan friendly or remotely accommodating. Last week I walked into a dirty/greasy diner in rural Georgia and had a perfectly nice breakfast. But, not at First Watch, and surprising given all the vegan friendly places nearby. I would have given this place 3 stars for simply being not good, and some other not nice things. But, being lazy and lying to me is not acceptable, and I used to wait tables. I know how it is. read more

Solid offerings, reasonable prices, but a bit chaotic - especially on weekends (family friendly chaos). Twice in one recent weekend, and periodically under normal circumstances, I've found myself partaking of the bottomless coffee and giant pancakes of this brunch chain. With a trendy focus on health conscious and seasonal flavors, they bring a California flair (can one still say that of turkey, avocado and quinoa suffused menus?) to early meals. As the name implies, really it's about breakfast and lunch - and that focus on one part of the day helps them keep the menu under control. That said, the food is good - predictably prepared and not unpleasant, but neither its creativity nor flavor is sensational. They are, by design it would seem, a standby restaurant. Old favorites and choices inspired by classic combinations fill their lists from the trifrecta to the parma hash (admittedly, the choice of sausage rather than parma ham - prosciutto, sorry - makes economic, if not linguistic, sense). Expect neither to be disappointed nor impressed, and prepare to be patient. A reliable standby is often a busy one, and the chaos can mean that orders are slow to arrive or sometimes get sent to the wrong table. It may be a while be awhile in between visits from your server. They offset some of this by keeping coffee, tea and water on the table - which is great for smaller groups but difficult for larger (read: 4+) ones. read more

I loooove me some brunch! This really is one of my fav breakfast places. Everything is incredibly fresh and a healthier alternative to most places. They even have a selection of light items. Can't get enough of their hash and the pancakes are just amazing....and enormous! I love everything from the Trifecta to waffles and omelettes. They always have great specials too. The cold press juice is so refreshing and they serve fresh OJ. Not that Minute Maid crap. I've been her many times and so far, everything I've had is excellent. No complaints. Service is always top notch. The hostess and serves are always friendly and attentive. Haven't tried lunch yet, but some of the sandwiches look awesome. Will def have to try sometime. One thing I will note, as much as I love this place I do slightly prefer the Rockville location, but this one isn't quite so busy. read more

I LOVE the decor of this place, a much better feel than Rockville Town Square. They have these power bowls that are so delicious and fresh that I never feel guilty going out to breakfast. Both the Kale chicken and Cherry Chicken are delicious, you can't go wrong. Though this time I asked to add some zucchini to my Kale bowl and they charged $1.49 which seemed a bit much for maybe a tablespoon of diced zucs. Oh well, that's what I get for asking to add a bit more veggies! The pancakes are delicious - so many offerings, and this time, you can mix and match without any upcharge. My kids (3&6) easily scarf down at least one each, so we got the 3 pancakes option. While we were waiting up front a waitress offered the kids hot chocolate w/ whipped cream and chocolate syrup which was very nice. There's an avocado toast that looks amazing, though seems a bit pricey when all it is in avocado and toast w/ a side of eggs. Guess I'll stick to my homemade kind. In the past, I've had the breakfast sandwich which was delicious. My husband had the avocado bacon hash but thought it was mostly potatoes, so think he'll pass on that in the future. I just found out that they have an email signup and the introductory offer is buy one get one. Maybe I'll order that avocado toast after all! read more

There was an hour wait on Saturday morning. Once we were seated we had great service The eggs Benedict eggs were over cooked and the coffee way over priced at $2.89 per cup. Overall the meal was good. We would go back but have experienced better food at other First Watch l Ok so we tried this location again! What a disappointment. Used the app to join the line, when we got there the hosts did not listen when gave our name and said we had used the app and joined the list. He kept saying all these other names then said your not on the list. I ask if I showed him the text I received after using the app if that would help. No you're not on the list it will be an hour wait. The party in front of us had a similar problem same result. There was no sorry or anything else. We left and will not go back to this location ever again. Very disappointed. read more

Nice cozy atmosphere, good selection of food. The food itself isn't glowing, but it tastes healthier than Ted's Bulletin down the street. We tried the biscuit and gravy and classic breakfast. Tastes ok, but the biscuit and hash were kind of cold and the gravy was too salty and tasted like cream of mushroom soup with a little bit of sausage thrown in. Best part was the toast - nice Multigrain bread thickly sliced and toasted, with a natural sweetness that's complemented by the strawberry jam and butter. read more