First Watch is my self reward after early morning and stressful appointments. There is nothing like a good hot cup of coffee to start my day. Today I tried the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs. The pancakes were light, fluffy and exceptionally tasty. The lemon curd and fresh sweet strawberries adds a tastebud tantalizing depth of flavors. I ate every bite and highly recommend this breakfast. This restaurant has a cozy vibe and I thoroughly enjoy dining here. Ashley was my very attentive and personable server. read more

First Watch - Lemon Ricotta Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

See all

First, I would like to say that the staff was amazing. They were very kind and seated us in a timely manner. Our server was pleasant, but she became easily distracted by friends who were seated after us. She spent a considerable amount of time chatting with them and, as a result, forgot items that should have come with our meal. My husband ordered pancakes, but they were served without syrup. We waited patiently while she continued visiting with her friends before I politely interrupted to ask if we could please have some syrup, as my husband's pancakes were quickly getting cold. I only spoke up after the conversation had shifted to personal topics that had nothing to do with their order. When she glanced in my direction, I quietly asked if we could have the syrup. She said yes, but continued her conversation about a bar her friend had sold, what it was like working at First Watch, and details about employee benefits and insurance. She then walked away, and eventually another server brought us the syrup. After we finished our meal, we waited quite a while for our check. During that time, our server continued stopping by her friends' table, which was right next to ours, to chat. When she finally looked my way, I simply made eye contact and politely motioned for the check without saying a word. At that point, the gentleman at the neighboring table suddenly began yelling at me, calling me rude and other derogatory names. Other guests watched as he and the woman with him loudly directed explicit and insulting remarks toward me. My husband calmly asked him not to speak to me that way and said there was no reason for that level of anger. The woman then began threatening me. Only then did our server go to retrieve our check. What disappointed me most was that she never stepped in to de-escalate the situation. She never acknowledged that she may have forgotten the syrup or that she had been spending an excessive amount of time chatting with people she knew. A simple, "It's okay--I forgot the syrup," or, "Let me take care of my table," could have diffused the situation immediately. I believe this incident escalated far beyond what it should have, and much of it could have been avoided if our server had prioritized caring for her tables before engaging in lengthy personal conversations with friends. She appeared to be enjoying the antics of her friends. I have reached out to FirstWatch through Facebook and was directed to contact them through email. No one has contacted me or my spouse. I guess this behavior is normal or acceptable. I did not expect to be called blk b's and threaten to have my hair snatched out by a Caucasian couple just for wanting syrup and motioning for our check. read more

Our server at this location was so nice and accommodating. The restaurant itself is clean and beautifully decorated. The food was fresh and delicious. The club Sandwich was great! read more

First Watch - 1/2 Club Sandwich and Salad in the front and breakfast platter in the back. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

What a wonderful addition to Gastonia. We absolutely appreciate the hot coffee while we wait for a table. The staff are quick, kind, and reliable. The dishes, cups, and silverware are always super clean. My husband always gets the Tri-Fecta and I think my current favorite is the Market Hash, but everything is always so good, it's hard to decide sometimes! It's a great breakfast/brunch spot for sure! read more

First Watch - Tri-Fecta® - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

My first time eating at First Watch with a friend. I was seated quickly, and as I waited for my best friend to arrive, I was a little disappointed that no one offered me any water or anything else to drink. However, the establishment was very clean and inviting. Once we placed our order, the food came out fairly quickly. On a scale of 1 to 5, with being great; I give the food a 4. I had to ask for syrup for my French toast and I had to request another water glass, because my initial cup was dirty. Overall, I will definitely visit this establishment again! read more

See all

It's was good service and we have long time 10:00am 11:30am and I think we were skipped over we didn't get see it to after 11:20 am it was good food, but bad service at the door read more

First Watch - It was delicious. It was good. That's a big pancake. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

See all

Check your receipt! We recently ordered a trifecta and the server asked if we wanted to upgrade the pancake to a lemon ricotta pancake with the trifecta and I said sure. Fortunately, I checked my receipt and she had added three additional charges to our bill for the lemon ricotta pancake to be added to the trifecta.. she added three separate charges of $2.99 each. read more

Short wait for seating which is not expected when they're busy! Excited that this location has opened in Gastonia. Per usual the quality of the food is excellent and the wait STAFF is super friendly. The inside is immaculate. It's colorful and the industrial look falls right in line with their other locations. Never disappointed in FIRST WATCH! read more

See all

I will make it precise and easy to read: I've been to many first watch and actually love this restaurant chain as a whole but this one here in Gastonia actually disappointed me. I checked in on the wait list about 1:00pm and the restaurant closes at 2:30pm, with a 30min - 40min wait time. I joined the wait list and began to head to the restaurant. I arrived at 1:45pm and it said "you're all checked in and they will send a text when the tables ready. Keep in mind the wait list is still continuously updating me as if we were going to be able to sit in and eat. Upon arriving at 1:45pm the host at the stand stated that they are very backed up and it'll be an hour wait... the check in online did not say this at all nor at the least removed us from the waitlist to give me ample of time to find another place to eat if they were backed up. This is disappointing and very low of the food chain to have service that did not update their customers of the change in which was happening prior to us waiting for so long to figure that on their end what was going on. There are several ways of communicating this to customers as they are able to text us directly as other chains do to see if we're still joining them. Instead I walk in to be turned away at 1:45pm, after joining the waitlist an hour ago. To add in closing: the young man at the front asked "what are you guys here for?" The simplistic response would be to eat or maybe pick up food but to phrase a question like that in a restaurant like this is completely and utterly disgusting. Other first watches chains in the Charlotte area have never displayed this and for this being a NEW STORE THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. read more

First Watch - The message from the restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

See all

Went to their soft opening on Sunday and everything was amazing. Our server Victoria was awesome. Friendly and knowledgeable and provided great service. We can't wait to come back! read more

The food was absolutely delicious. There was great service as usual. I was happy to be apart of the soft opening. I can't wait to go back.

Food was really good!! Service was slow but was the first weekend and Mother's Day when we were there, so expected. Liked the food and atmosphere, just a tiny bit expensive for what it is. read more

First Watch - Waffle, eggs, bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Went to First Watch for soft opening and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast wrap. Looking forward to going back again soon. Give them a try. Great food. read more

First Watch - Chickichanga Breakfast Wrap - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Terrible service from the start. Food was good but not great. Had Salmon Benedict that arrived cold to the touch. Sat at the bar and ordered a bloody marry and was informed only manager had to make . That never happened. Definitely missing the mark for service. Only reason giving two stars is the million dollar potatoes were pretty good. read more

Service superb, food fast, hot, & delicious. Spacious, moderate noise. Everything was great, from the friendly hostess, friendly waiter, Delicious! Our first time there, and I will definitely recommend. read more

No wait for 2 people on a Saturday 4th of July morning around 10am. Service was friendly, food was great. So glad there is finally a First Watch in Gastonia, a place with a dearth of quality breakfast joints. It is a lot more open and spacious than other ones I have been to, and as always, such cute streamlined modern farmhouse decor! It is oh so convenient to be able to pay with your phone at the table. read more

Very standard sort of breakfast. The people were nice but untrained. Our waiter brought our drinks with no straws and said he would be right back...never saw him again until he brought the bill. The silverware was filthy so that was wonderful. The Sweet tea has the mildest taste of sweet and is more neutral than sweet. The food was average. Nothing special about eggs, bacon and pancakes. Do not know if we will be back for a while. Maybe once people get trained it will be better read more

We had a large group and the waitresses were on point even though it was super busy, and they were so sweet. The food was amazing for everyone, but unfortunately my partner had a hard time finding something he could eat as he is allergic to eggs unless baked. He had to get the BLTE without the E, which he said was still delicious. Wish there could be more options for allergies! Other than that, I can't wait to go back to try something else! read more

We went Saturday around 9am. Joined the virtual wait list about 15 mins before getting there (20 min wait total). They seated us timely. The food was good and hot. The inside looks very nice. Everyone was so kind. The service was good for being open less than a week. The coffee, fresh juice, and million dollar bacon were all hitters. The standard breakfast plate was good and the toast was really good. We will continue to go back. Our child loved the chocolate chip pancakes read more

The worst service and staffing. Their first week open is Mother's day. We got there and they told us it would be an hour to an hour and a half. When we had been waiting for an hour and 45 minutes, I asked the hostess how much longer it may be and she said it would likely be another hour... They close at 2:30! She told the lady in front of me it would be 2-3 hours... they will be closed! Extremely poor planning and terrible communication from staff. We will NOT be returning! Great addition Gastonia - another trash restaurant with horrible service! read more

Attentive and cheerful staff! Servers were lovely. Food was delicious! Fresh fruit and hot sandwich. We sat on the patio and our 4 legged baby joined us. read more

my first time experience did not go as well as I expected. when I first came in, there was a 30-40 min wait to get a table. then, after we ordered, we had to wait about an hour for our food to come. my food arrived last, and when I first got my food I looked inside of it and saw that they made it incorrectly. I asked the waitress to take it back and they didn't even give me a discount. I was very disappointed and am hoping for a better experience next time. read more