I liked this place way more than I expected to after seeing the menu. It's not our usual breakfast place but we were tired and hungry and this place was the closest so we figured we would give it a shot. We were seated almost immediately and the place is quite comfortable and clean. My heart dropped when I saw the menu - multigrain pancakes!!!!! I very much was in the mood for pancakes, but was reluctant when I saw that these were "healthy" versions of my beloved white flour and sugar fixes. Decided to order them anyway, without having high expectations. Well, they were fantastic - light, airy, tasty. They arrived with perfectly cooked wonderfully fresh-tasting eggs and crispy bacon that wasn't drowning in fat. For the money, I felt like we got good value. They clearly use superior ingredients and shows in the final product. read more

Very good place for breakfast or lunch. Much nicer inside than you would expect from the outside of the strip mall. I had a delicious avocado egg sandwich. I will definitely go back. read more

Loved the atmosphere and waiter was friendly. I ordered Monterey club and soup and my boyfriend got the works omelette. It took about 40 mins to get our food! I went back with my girlfriend and good food but service is very slow. Expect to wait 40 plus mins to eat read more

Food was alright - I ordered the Hash Skillet (market) and Kale Tonic. I wish it was a lot warmer than it came out but I was so hungry and waited so long that I decided to settle. The service was kind, but the wait-time for the food was so long! After being seated, a couple of other customers came in after us. They were served there food before my partner and I, which rubbed us off the wrong way. read more

First Watch - Skillet Hash - Market version! - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

See all

My boyfriend and I came here for brunch as it was recommended and I think I found my favorite brunch spot! I'm not much of a morning person but this place was very busy when we went. We waited about 20 minutes for a table and got a booth. The server who waited on us was lovely and gave great recommendations! I would come back to First Watch just for her! She recommended us the eggs Benedict BLT which was amazing! Their orange juice was also freshly squeezed and tasted great! Overall, great food and service! Would definitely recommend all my friends to come here! read more

See all

I would have chosen no stars or negative stars, but the app won't let me. We waited for over an hour for the food order to be delivered after ordering. My eggs Benedict were cold, topped by a mostly green and hard tomato slice. Both of my friends' food was also cold, with the belgian waffles for one still uncooked in the center. We ate it because we were hungry after the long wait and were afraid what the staff would do if we sent it back. When we got to the register, the manager took a long time to come up to collect our food. He wanted to combine all three bills, but we insisted he keep it separate as the bills were. When he didn't bother to ask how the meal was, we prompted him to ask. Then we told him our complaints. We're never going back to this restaurant. read more

The restaurant itself is very modern in design. Their menu always has new specials for the season which are always fun to try. The wait is a killer but as long as you use the Nowait app you avoid the wait. The staff is a hit or miss but that's everywhere. read more

See all

First watch is amazing!!! I love the food and the service. Shoutout to my great server Edmund for the fast service and the hospitality! Love everyone at first watch so much :) read more

Love the food here, the employees are so nice, the food is healthy and yummy, the only thing is the wait. Must go really early to catch the most yummy breakfast and comfort food. Truly amazing. Good job guys read more

Love this place omg !!!! We have our one favorite waitress and she knows who she is !!! Everytime we walk in we are greeted with a smile! Friendly staff and great atmosphere! I definitely recommend the billionaires bacon ! My husbands name is bacon so trust me when I say they have amazing bacon! The second thing I recommend is the Floridian french toast! Love the endless coffee too ! Ugh I wish I could just live here and eat food all day! Oh and if you love avocado try the avocado toast mmm talk about yummy! read more

I love first watch it's my favorite brunch place to eat at, I would even come here every week. Today I ordered a to go , the food was great but I also ordered a sunrise granola yogurt ...why was there a piece of the green mixed in my yogurt and I also found egg shells??? read more

First Watch - Here's a picture of the greens and egg shells - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Gaithersburg needs more places for breakfast and I think this is a step in the right direction. The space has been improved from the prior tenant, although it indulges too much in the creepy faux-farm stuff like Founding Farmers, but I will give it a pass. The food was served promptly, my pancake was hot and fresh. The bacon tasted like they had made it a while back and just finished it on the griddle (sort of dry and without texture). My wife liked her eggs. The food and presentation is reasonable for the cost, just not great. Only peeve: how freakin' hard is it to write down who ordered what? If your system means that someone other than our server will actually serve the food, write down who ordered it so we don't have to indulge in the stupid food auction on delivery. read more

Edit: I apologize for not posting pictures. I was insanely hungry and the Yelp review was an after thought. I woke up to the sobering realization that it's my birthday and I've just turned 30. It's an odd barrier to break through and luckily it's not one I'm sharing by myself. I have an 8yo playing Overwatch and a 28yo laying next to me and they're both keenly aware that it's breakfast o'clock. They come cut from this new cloth that demands breakfast 24/7. But it's my birthday and I decide that if I'm bound to their food choice that I'm at least picking the battleground. I chose wisely. Flipping through various Yelp breakfast joints brought me to First Watch, which admittedly drew my eye because of the game my son was playing. The reviews were mostly positive. So we packed up the car and headed out. There was a brief 15 min wait, which is positive for me. Heavy traffic means it's popular and the front end staff was engaging and pleasant. I ordered the Chikichanga and absolutely loved it, solid 9/10 with my only complaint being that the seasoned potatoes didn't have enough onion with it...but that's not enough to ruin an otherwise outstanding dish. My SO got the onion hash and her only issue was it being a bit dry, but like the onion with mine it wasn't enough to sink the ship. My son got French toast, eggs and sausage. And while the palette of an 8yo can be discerning, he loved every bit. First Watch nailed their first impression and definitely earned a second visit. read more

I've been going to first watch for years everytime I go to I always leave full and happy :) the servers are very kind and our food came out quick. I recommend the kale tonic (it literally makes me want to get a juicer) and the AM superfoods bowl. The place is kept clean and the food is fresh. What more could u ask for !? read more

Came here on a whim this morning when I noticed the option on Yelp to be Waitlisted. Glad I utilized that feature because upon arrival there were probably a dozen or so people waiting up front to be seated. The food was delicious. As shareable options, we chose the Bacon - which was the perfect mix of sweet & savory, and the Tostadas - which I wish I would have gotten as a meal. When ordering coffee, they left the whole pot which was a nice touch. Also important to note that the creamer options are flavored International Delight single serve cups which is much better than simple half & half. For my meal, I chose the Egg White Wrap which was in a sun-dried tomato tortilla and featured mushrooms and pesto in the mix. I wish there had been a little more chicken, a little less mushroom, but it was delectable overall. My boyfriend chose the Florida Sunrise French Toast and man oh man it was delicious. I was stealing bites through the entire meal! We will definitely be back to try the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes on our next cheat day. Note: It's awesome that they have calorie counts on the menu as well! read more

First Watch - Floridian French Toast and Egg White Wrap - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I love coming to this location for breakfast. The menu is very refreshing. The Belgian waffles and the hash were very good. The menu is not as complicated as ihop. read more

The review is based solely on just trying to get a table here. I've been to various other First Watch locations and NEVER seen more of a disorganized process than here at the Gaithersburg location. For instance yesterday we walked in and even though it was a holiday, you would have thought they would have more staff. Nope, the place was a madhouse but there was no one to greet folks coming in. The one Caucasian gentleman with dreadlocks working the register, was to say the least unfriendly. He looked completely overwhelmed. We stood there for a good 10 minutes before he even said anything, after seeing us several times. Finally after I approached him, he stated "I'll be with you when I can!" The entire restaurant seemed to be a confused, disorganized mess. After being scolded for not "calling ahead" we were told it would be 45 minutes to an hour. No thanks! I will avoid this location in the future and instead go to Laurel or locations in Virginia. At least they can handle the crowds better. read more

Two years later: This is still my "go to" breakfast restaurant. Food is still good and staff is still friendly. The order accuracy is now fine. Service is uneven though. You can sit around for almost 5 minutes in a virtually empty restaurant before a waiter comes by. On a busy day, you could easily wait 20 min for your food. read more

Overall, the meal was good. The delivery was on time. The eggs were cooked well. The fruit was great. The million dollar bacon was under-cooked and wasn't as flavorful as it was in the past at other locations. Not worth the price. The potatoes were under-cooked. They put the butter on the toast leaving it soggy, when they should have put it on the side. read more

Wonderful breakfast spot. Wait was super long, but that's because it's good. I had the avocado toast and it's the best I've ever had! Tons of avocado, the toast was beautiful, and perfect eggs with it. My husband had the chickenchungua and he loved it. Toddler loved her eggs, bacon and fruit. Overall, just great. Way better than Founding farmers. Update: second time here. We waited 45 minutes for food, and with a toddler, it was eternity. When the food came out, my avocado toast wasn't toasted and it was soggy, my daughters toast was cold and hard, overall bad. The waitress didn't check on us at all, I had to flag her down to get another toast because mine was just gross without toasted bread. Took so long to get, I was about to tell her to just take it off my check but couldn't find her. I couldn't find her to get milk for my coffee. It took forever to get the check, so long my husband just waited for me in the car with our toddler. Didn't get the chance to see the waitress to get my toddler a drink. So disappointed. read more

Super good food. Use the First Watch app to put your name on the wait list from home. The expected wait time is usually are usually pretty accurate. read more

At the beginning there was a 35 minute wait but it's a Saturday so that's understandable but after I sat down to eat the waiter never said anything but hello, at the beginning I ordered an "Freshly squeezed orange juice" it was warm and it was not freshly squeezed, u can obviously tell that it's not, then I ordered my food, an omelette with greens the bacon in the omelette was over cooked and the greens had way too much vinaigrette, the only good thing was the way the food looked and the jelly they provided but the service wasn't there and the bread I used to put the jelly on was so dry, next time I guess I'll go to IHOP because it's better than that read more

We've been going to First Watch in Fairfax for years and it was amazing, albeit the long wait. So when we moved to Rockville and found this location I was thrilled. Turns out they are very different! The service is below average (not horrible, but not good) we always end up waiting 15-20minutes just to get water (I started timing them after the first time). My food, which I've gotten before at other locations, is never as good as I recall and most of the time is wrong. The service is what kills the experience the most here. The last 4 times we've gone we have had a different server and every single one is running behind and never seems to check back with us. The last one brought our food to another table and when the mix up was righted I noticed my food was wrong again. I don't know if its the servers lack of care or simply a manager issue that they don't have enough staff, but it has made me decided not to go back here anymore. read more

Wait on a Saturday morning is about an hour. Had the avocado toast with potatoes instead of eggs and it was delicious! Has plenty of vegan and healthy options. Would definitely recommend. read more

First Watch - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

My family comes here almost every weekend. I'm a very picky eater, and still I love this place. My sister gets the chocolate chip pancakes, and I usually get a waffle. My parents have gotten oatmeal, muffins, omelette, and even more, with no complaints about anything. The wait can be long sometimes, but we put our name in online through Yelp before we go. This is our favorite breakfast place, and would definitely recommend! read more

Was pretty bad. Take home line is my husband ended up sick all day. We had 4 poached eggs between us and none of them were cooked the same. The wait was long even though tables were empty - they just were really slow at clearing them. We won't be back. read more

favorite place to go for breakfast or brunch. Fabulous food and service!!! Truly amazing people work there!!! Every one is so nice and the food is truly delicious!!! read more

My boyfriend and I came here again the other day, and although there were still a few kinks in service, our experience at First Watch this time was generally better than the last time. We sat at the communal seating area up front (the equivalent of bar seating) because we thought that we might get served faster, but this was not the case. Our server gave us menus, then disappeared for 20-25 minutes. When he came back, he apologized to the entire communal table profusely "for being inattentive" (which I appreciated). The food was good, as usual, and we left here feeling satisfied. Yum! My only suggestion would be for servers to have dedicated sections of the restaurant. Our server seemed to have dedicated tables, but they were scattered all over the restaurant, so getting his attention was impossible. The other thing I observed was that there were at least 4-5 tables (big and small) available for seating at any one time, but there was still a large line out the door. It seemed to us that First Watch was perhaps short-handed that day. Would I come here again? Sure. I'm always happy to support First Watch. read more

Golly, I like this place! The Good: The staff is fantastic! I've used First Watch as a place for casual and business lunches since they've opened. The staff has gotten to know me and brings my favorite drink before I order it! The food is good quality, good portion sizes, and very well made. There are monthly and seasonal specials. I'm a huge fan of the squash soup in the fall and winter. My friend raves about the Crab Benedict and my son loves the Beefeater sandwich. Any problems I have encountered, very minor problems, have been solved quickly and without fuss. The (kinda) Bad: Avoid the Chicken and Wild Rice soup. It's not horrible, it's just bland. There are better soups on the menu. The restaurant can get very crowded on weekends. There may be a wait to get a seat and the food will take a bit longer to be prepared. The Conclusion: I will continue to use this restaurant to meet people and for a quiet mid-week treat for myself. I like the staff and the food. read more

We came in for breakfast this morning and we were seated well after the time projected by the First Watch app. When we sat down at our table the first ting we noticed was the coffee mugs were dirty. The were splattered with some kind of liquid. I don't know how the person setting the table couldn't see this. I decided on the Traditional breakfast with scrambled eggs and my wife decided on another egg dish. We waited 40 minutes for our food to arrive... it really did not seem that busy in the restaurant. An egg dish should not take 40 minutes to prepare as ours did. As for the Traditional breakfast... the scrambled eggs were WAY overcooked. When you can see brown skin on the eggs you know it was cooked too long. They were very dry. The bacon and potatoes were good and my wife did like her dish. This is not the first time we've been to First Watch at this location and it is not the first time we've had problems with the food or restaurant cleanliness. This will be the last visit for us. read more

Love their farmhouse hash and their Kale tonic breakfast drink is off the chain. Their muffins are freshly baked from the oven and together with butter just melts in your mouth. To top it off they have very great customer service. I would highly recommend this breakfast place if your looking for a place for healthy choice. read more

I've been here a few times for breakfast now and the food is pretty solid. It's a pretty popular place since I've always had to wait when I've gone. Luckily, the line goes quickly and there is free coffee to keep me occupied! Service is good - the servers are friendly and efficient. My go-to is an omelette and this last time, I ordered the healthy turkey off of their "Healthier Side" menu and was pleasantly surprised! I usually don't like turkey because it is dry and tasteless, but they did a nice job with the seasoning. The only odd thing is that I thought that the tomatoes would be cooked inside the omelette but it was served sliced on the side. read more

I called in an order for our office today....almost $150 worth of stuff. The guy that answered the phone, clearly wished he was elsewhere. Then, when I asked for 3 kale and tonics, he said "I don't think we have any. Let me check." he left the phone for a minute or two and came back and said they "don't have any." Ok, restaurants run out of things; I get it. A guy from our office went to pick up. He happened to be one of the people who wanted the kale tonic. When he got there, he saw it crossed off on our handwritten order and didn't know that I had been told they were out. He asked someone if he could order one, to which the young lady said "Oh sure!" And walked away for a few mins....and CAME BACK WITH ONE!! Then, a gentleman, who appeared to be the manager confronts this young lady saying "Did you just take one of the kale tonics?!?!" The young lady tells him that she did, and he responds with "I was saving those....I told the person that ordered, that we didn't have any..." (my coworker walked away some, as he was uncomfortable with the confrontation happening). Imagine my surprise when he walked back in, with his drink! We begin to eat lunch, and the burnt bacon mess below (on the right) was actually sent out to a customer!!! Someone actually thought that was ok to serve?!? Thankfully we have another location not too far. Maybe we'll try that other location? Our office is pretty irritated that we were totally lied to though. read more

First Watch - Million dollar burnt mess?? - Cafes Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Was invited back to try again and this time I went with a friend. Honestly I would give it a 3.5 star review if I could but I figured I would round up instead of down. We got the same waitress who we got before so I can't tell you if the service is odd in general or if it's just her. She again never came back after serving us our food for the five minute check, and we had to flag her down to get our cheque and a box for my friends leftovers. She came back and forgot the box, and when asked for one again she was super slow getting it. I think maybe she was overwhelmed because again it seemed like she was serving a large amount of tables. I got the lemon ricotta pancakes this time which were amazing. The flavors were fantastic, the lemon was nicely tart and sweet, and everything seemed very fresh. However my friend's chicken avocado chop was soggy, not that she could tell our waitress because she never came back to check on us and was never near our table again lol. read more

See all

Looks like the staff no longer focuses on customer service, after you already wait a really long time for a table it takes a while for the waiter to even greet you. Once you order they forget about you, good luck getting someone's attention to even get your bill. Other than that food is still Great! read more

My friend took me for my birthday, and it was delicious, although we had to wait for a while it was totally worth it, portions and big and the service is great. read more

first they put me on hold about 4-5 times, I still wanted tot order so I drove there while on hold. I walk in and I see my line on hold and not being attended to. I put in my order, they tell me about 15-20 minutes. It ends up being 30-35 but I asked for my order to not have a certain thing. I get my order and once I check it in my car it's wrong. I gave it back. It was such a bad experience I'm probably never coming back. I got my refund but I didn't get my break time back. And that was my only break from a 13 hour shift, so thank you for wasting my time and not attending my call in the first place. read more

I freaking love this place, the food is amazing and fresh. You can literately watch them make your food but why would you want to, you're out to eat with the fam. The manager Jon was very attentive and the staff was very friendly. Best breakfast place ever!!! read more

I love this place so much! The food is fresh and good and our server Kira was amazing she was the best server I'd ever had quite honestly

The front desk personnel were incredibly rude and arrogant! They acted like they were proud there was a 90-min wait and we were so stupid for not calling ahead along with giving our party of two dirty looks. It's definitely a place that I'll never try again! read more