So I really wanted to enjoy this place but by the waiter's introduction I kind of figured this was not going to be a lovely stay. So firstly, the waiter I had named Marissa did not check on how my daughter or I was, everytime she came over she looked directly at my husband and only spoke to him. I starred at her thinking she would ask how everything was but all she did was look back and then walk away without saying a word to me. That was veryyyyyyyy rude and it was a very unpleasant stay to have such a waiter to not address the entire party but that's exactly what happened she didn't even ask our daughter so I found that very very unacceptable for a waitress !!! Also when my pancakes came out I didn't like that they were so dark, it had a burned taste to them but I refused to send them back I tried to eat them but geez they were dry and the taste of burned pancake is really a disaster for me. I really just wanted to walk out but didn't want to disturb my husband or daughter eating so I stayed there until they were done. Guys I honestly can say the place is a nice restaurant but for the waiter to be so unprofessional and rude I wouldn't recommend at all that did it for me the most !!!!!! I will NOTTTTTT ABSOLUTELY NOTTTT be returning!!!! Unbelievable......!!!! read more

Food was good, but the service was non-existent. The hostess was on her phone and took forever to acknowledge us. Our server barely spoke a word and never refilled our drinks. read more

I absolutely love eating at First Watch. I always get the works omelette with a side of gluten free toast and either cheesy grits or potatoes. One thing I really enjoy about eating here is the diverse options you can get with your main entree and it costs nothing extra to change out the sides. It is also great that they give a gluten free option for those with allergen issues like myself. There are several gluten friendly options on the menu, but this is the I have stuck to recently. When we came, our waitress was great, super friendly and helpful. Although there is a usual wait time on the weekends, as soon as we ordered our food came out pretty quickly. There is an option to order online if you don't want to dine in, but I prefer to eat the food right after it has been prepared. There are no covid practices in the restaurant that I have seen, but overall my experience was great as usual! read more

It was around 30 degrees outside. We were waiting for a table inside and all of a sudden they forced my family to wait outside in the freezing cold. We were with other families, all of us with kids, and they made us all go outside in the cold. We ask to speak to a manager, but they said there was not anyone available so we left. Crazy way to treat your customers. read more

I feel like this place has really gotten their act together and are on the right track. I am glad we gave it another try. Our server Brian went was great. He went out and beyond and we were really pleased with the service. We reserved a spot using the wait app for prompt seating. We were seated right away and the coffees came out right away. We got a custom omelette and pancakes. Both were top notch. The ingredients were fresh and so was the side of fruit. I loved the whole wheat artisan bread. Delicious. Everything was great and we will definitely be back. read more

Was seated right away. Server, Izzy, was super pleasant. Ordered a Classic Benedict with coffee. Coffee is on par for a place like this, a light blend but gets the job done. Food took a long time, 1st world problems I know. The eggs were poached hard, not so good. The hollandaise was super light, little taste. Not sure if the cure the ham in house, but it was very sugary. All in all, nice place. Good atmosphere, friendly staff. Will try something different next time. read more

Great little breakfast brunch place! Nice hybrid of hippie, tree- hugging fresh food- loving, conscientious foodie types but they still love bacon! I love it! read more

I had one of their seasonal dishes (Spring), the Chimichuchurri Eggs Hash. It was PHENOMENAL!!!! It had two fried eggs, thinly sliced chicken breast, small diced potatoes, Monterey cheese, a little bit of kale and a drizzle of chimichurri (sort of pesto). It was as tasty and feeling as it gets. The only reason I don't give them 5 stars is because they sat me at one of their tables at the entrance, which are right where the waiting area is, so you have the people that are waiting, staring at you while you are eating, which is VERY annoying. Though food is great. read more

My daughter & I stopped by for a bite to eat before going shopping. The restaurant was packed but our wait was only about 15min. We were able to track how many parties were ahead of us by using the Yelp App. The vibe is a mix of retro and eclectic. I had the turkey sausage gravy biscuit with over medium eggs and cheese grits. Yummy! My daughter had the elevated egg sandwich with potatoes. She described her meal as being hardy but light. We will definitely be back again. read more

Went for my first time this Saturday and was blown away. I was immediately sat and greeted with water and coffee during a full house (hard to manage at many restaurants). I ordered "The Works" omelet and was hands-down the best omelet I've ever had (I've had many omelets) and that's not an exaggeration. Received our meals in less than 10 minutes after ordering. Efficient restaurant. read more

My favorite breakfast place! We came for NYE brunch and had the best service. Ask for Mike, he was so attentive and kind. Their pancakes are the BEST pancakes. They are the perfect blend of thin and crispy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside. Our favorite is the chocolate chip, they are HUGE so 1 is enough. My favorite juice is the Green Kale. It's so good, my fiancé doesn't like anything "green" but loves the taste of this juice. The Elevated Egg sandwich is my favorite. He likes the chicken-changa? and the potatoe hash. Can't wrong with anything! read more

First time coming here. We came right after the gym on a Saturday morning. Not too busy. We waited maybe two or three minutes to be seated. Our waiter was very nice- made a few recommendations. I got the summer crab omelette. She got the BLTE. Both were really, really good. No complaints as far as the food or service itself goes. My only complaint was how long it took the food to actually come out. Definitely would recommend though. read more

I almost stopped at Waffle House for a late (11am) breakfast, but decided to try First Watch, The Daytime Cafe in Hoover for something a little more upscale. No wait and great service, but that's where the good ended. I ordered biscuits with turkey gravy, fried eggs and potatoes home style. Everything was lukewarm at best - including the coffee, the biscuit and home fries were far from fresh. They tasted like they had been in a warming tray for too long. The biscuit was dense and mostly inedible and the gravy like everything else was not hot. It is a sad day when you wish that you had stopped at Waffle House instead of First Watch. read more

I frequent the First Watch Vestavia Hills location and decided to try this one because I was on this side of town. I should give the disclaimer that this is a review after a bad experience. My girlfriend and I arrived and were seated quickly. We put our orders in with the waitress and then watched as several groups of 4-6 guests were seated, served, ate their meals, and left, before we received our meals. Clearly we were forgotten about but I've worked in the restaurant industry and have patience for this kind of mishap. Then my girlfriends meal was brought to the table by a runner, but not mine. Our server was busy tending to other tables and walking around. My food was delivered by our server as my gf finished hers. She blamed the mishap on the kitchen being short staffed, which, if she had been paying attention, would not have been the issue. I've worked both sides of the house and know better. My food was cold, except for my grits, which had apparently been microwaved before being served, because they were boiling lava hot. As a fan of First Watch, I was very disappointed in the food and service at this location. For a near $70 brunch (without alcohol), I think it's fair to expect more out of a restaurant. read more

Very dirty water bottles. Food takes forever to come out. Silverware is kinda gross. Server came to take order and didn't showed up to check on us until almost 45 mins later when food was brought to table. By the time food came to the table we weren't even hungry anymore. Very disappointed. read more

Fresh, delicious ingredients. The server was friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be going back. The pick two menu is a great value.

Not sure which was worse. The nonexistent salmon or invisible hollaindaise or the vinegar dressing drenching the salad greens. How about a salad dressing, non-vinegar choice. Maybe it was the egg whites that were liquid, while the yolks were hard as a rock. Maybe it was the waitress who shrugged, "that's the appropriate way we serve it" when we explained it bore no resemblance to the photo. Farm fresh? Then how about serving real maple syrup. Or asking if we would like to speak to the manager when we are clearly not happy. How about serving real cream, and not the chemical flavored homogenized junk. Never. Again. read more

Love this place!! I go to meeting here for my work about once a month and never disappointed. :) I always order the bacon avocado omelet with the potatoes and it's the bomb!! If you want good breakfast place stop by here!! read more

Finally, a breakfast place that knows how to make a good waffle. This one was perfect! Golden crispy outside... soft and moist on the inside. Yummy! read more

First Watch - Best waffle in town! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Outstanding breakfast menu with prices per person on the average of about $20 on my visits. Wait times can be long. So my advice is to get their app and check wait times. Never has failed me!! Parking is more than adequate for the area which has many eateries close by . Service by staff is good. Food takes awhile to arrive so be patient. Coffee is good so enjoy your waiting experience. My only disappointment with the coffee is they no longer serve PITCHER OF FRESH CREAM. All cream products are in individual small creamer offerings which is more accommodating to / for their "fru-fru" clients. But not me! All cooked to order and perfection. Most of menu selections include fresh green salads which for me is a highlite. Excellent side... Eggs Benedicts are with ciabatta toast which I found a great idea, but then I'm Italian so a bit preferential... I've taken many friends and family members there, all of whom were awesomely satisfied. Portions are abundant, fresh and served beautifully. I have placed First Watch in my select locations for Breakfast/Brunch. read more

I took my girlfriend for her birthday breakfast on Sat. Aug. 6. at around 9:15. We were told to have a seat and the next table available would be up. As we were seated, right in front of the hostess, a young couple walks in and a waiter runs over to them and seats them.....we had been there 15 minutes!!! Hello.... So, we stood up to be noticed because the hostess had disappeared.. Once we were seated, with a different server, we had a pleasant experience. I had the Trifecta with the pancake and it was delicious, my eggs were cooked perfectly and my bacon crispy. My friend had the waffle and said the same. Other than the goof up with a hostess.... I don't know who was running the front, but it was total chaos....the food was really good! I will go back.. I have been there when it was Egg and I and I liked this food much better!! read more

We are fasting so we had to tweak the omelette and decline the delish looking bread, but they did an amazing job! Everything tasted so fresh and yummy! The service was great and the food was perfect! read more

First Watch - The works omelette with egg whites - yummy! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Highly recommend. This place is also such a good place to take a large group. Very accommodating. There is honestly anything you could image on the menu to treat any type of person. I can get pretty busy on Sunday after church so be aware there might be a wait but it is well worth the wait! Also must try! Million dollar bacon! read more

Went to get some breakfast after working out today and the Classic Eggs Benedict was AMAZING! They came with potatoes or a salad but I got both and they were also great! Good service and decor as well! Definitely will be returning with my fiancé in the near future! read more

Place was slammed, but we still got reasonably prompt service considering how many people were there. Fresh squeezed juices were tasty and on point, bacon was cooked right. I had an egg white omelette with turkey that was absolutely delicious. And of course, they have some of the best coffee around. read more

I've been wanting to try this place for sometime. I always like the idea of breakfast/ brunch spots far better than the result it seems. This is the former Egg and I location in Hoover. My daughter and I got there this am around 830. The host and hostess tried super hard to be very friendly and my daughter was very unreceptive. They seemed like nice kids tho and I appreciated the effort. We were seated immediately at the smallest table available in the back most corner of the restaurant. The server brought over some hot coffee as we were seated and greeted us. My daughter had the kids half waffle w bacon and fruit. The waffle and bacon were ok. The fruit was not ripe. My daughter ordinarily devours fruit. Something had to be wrong. I tried the fruit it was a weird texture and extremely bitter. I had the salmon Benedict. The eggs were poached perfectly and the salmon was good. I asked for the potatoes in Lieu of the salad. I was brought the salad. I mentioned I had asked for the potatoes she brought them out then changed me for them. I got it corrected but this was the 4th time she "misunderstood" she didn't seem to be interested in listening. The salad was weird texture also as tho it had been partially frozen. The potatoes were just bad. Grainy, starchy under seasoned and mushy. The coffee and Benedict were good. The rest was poor. There was a tremendous amount of film on the neck and mouth of the bottle of locally sourced sink water. I brought my wife the chicken chorizo burrito thing and it was not good. The sauce was weird and gross. I got our hot sauce and salsa out and made it edible for her. The format is seated by a host/hostess w menus, server takes care of you and you go back to the host/hostess station to pay. This format doesn't really work for this place. It's so jammed up with people because the entrance and host/hostess station is a very small area and there are a considerable number of people are trying to pay and people are trying to be seated, putting in their names and people waiting for a table in the same area. It's disorganized and nearly impassable without bowling over people. I wasn't impressed. I don't think I'll be back. Way over priced and disappointing. read more

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I've eaten here multiple times and typically the food is really good as is the service. I usually get a quinoa power bowl but today I wanted to mix it up and tried the chicken chimichurri hash. It was alright, but I wish it had had more than 4 little strips of chicken, which is a reoccurring wish whenever I get a meal. I always end up asking for extra chicken. While I was a little disappointed I still left relatively full and will continue to eat here. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

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Prior to their 5/20/16 opening day, I was given an opportunity to visit a brand new restaurant with an interesting concept. Critically acclaimed First Watch is a restaurant that embraces the idea of creating a variety of award winning menu items from the freshest ingredients. All menu items are cooked to order and let me tell you, my taste buds were completely impressed! They begin each day by slicing fresh fruit and preparing their scratch-made French toast batter. They also offer beverages such as their Sunrise Select coffee, Sparkling Pellegrino, herbal & fresh brewed teas, milk & a great Juice Bar menu. First Watch is located in the space previously occupied by The Egg & I which closed a while back. Although their menu consists of a large variety of breakfast and brunch items, they have several lunch options such as sandwiches, salads prepared using an organic blend of mixed greens and the 2 FOR YOU lunch specials consisting of a 1/2 sandwich, 1/2 salad or a cup of soup. I decided to bring 2 long time supporters of the Birmingham Restaurant Raider, Jan & Barbara to help me with tasting a few different dishes from their impressive menu. I tried the Chicken Salad Melt- An open faced sandwich containing all natural white meat chicken salad, blended with apples, raisins & celery served on grilled artisan whole grain bread w/ tomato and a slice of my favorite cheese, Monterey Jack. From the Omelet menu, Jan ordered The Works- A delicious omelet comprised of cage free eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, house-roasted Crimini mushrooms, onions, fresh diced tomatoes, a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses topped off with a dollop of sour cream. Barbara had the Roast Beef & Havarti from the sandwich menu- delicious roast beef piled onto Parmesan-crusted sourdough bread finished off with lemon dressed arugula, Horseradish Havarti, house roasted onions, tomatoes and a side of horseradish sauce. All three dishes were accompanied by a side of mixed greens with a perfectly blended house made lemon vinaigrette dressing. We also each tried a cup of their fresh brewed, smooth Sunrise Select coffee. This would pair well with any of their breakfast and brunch dishes. read more

Amazing. The food is so good I had to order two entrees- can you tell I'm a foodie yet? I got the avocado toast which was perfectly balanced with some lemony goodness. The lemon ricotta pancakes are HEAVEN- the lemon curds with it make it worth it all. Love the outdoor seating that allows this Hoosier who considers 55 degrees "warm" to enjoy an outdoor breakfast read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Today was our second visit. We went yesterday, looking for The Egg and I, but found they had changed to a new setup. The staff was outstanding, as was the food. My new favorite breakfast restaurant! We actually sought out the manager yesterday after the meal to brag on Brian as well as the food. read more

What can say... always consistently good at every single location I have been too. Tried the pumpkin special pancakes and the were good. Also consistently great service.... love this chain because they are way above all others. And CONSISTENTLY GOOD no matter what First Watch I step into. read more

I absolutely love First Watch. Their Elevated Egg breakfast is my go to. I always debate getting the avocado toast. Super great taste and good for you too. read more

I've been here about a dozen times. Food and service are always good, prices are reasonable too. I like it better than Another Broken Egg. My 1 complaint is the checkout process is a bit dysfunctional....you pay at the hostess stand and it can be crowded. Otherwise great spot....get there before 9... read more

Avocado toast was a 10/10! Excellent service! The place is a good choice for brunch with friends. Had a wonderful time!

Inhad the trifecta, hubby had traditional, both were awesome and the service was great!!

If you are craving a breakfast or brunch place that will appeal to everyone in your group, this is your stop. Lots of super healthy options that actually taste good, but you can also get a huge pile of pancakes and bacon if that's your scene. I went with a version of the eggs benedict. I have to say it wasn't the best version of the dish I've had - one of the poached eggs was slightly overcooked - but it was good and a fair price. Service was good, but the system of both waiting for a table at the counter AND paying your ticket at the counter is not efficient and very confusing. Not sure I would drive back over to Hoover to go here, but if I was already in the area it would be a good choice. read more

Many great options for breakfast and lunch. The food is freshly prepared and it shows. The muffins are made from scratch and are good, I had the chia pudding which was very filling and fruity, my husband had the turkey omelet which was super light but had a lot of flavor. The prices are comparable to other breakfast chains. The atmosphere is nothing special, the service was good and our waitress was friendly. I definitely want to come back and try some other things on the menu! read more

Southern charm with appealing ambiance really good food at great prices. I strongly recommend anyone in the Hoover area to stop by this gem, you won't be disappointed! read more

5-star service doesn't cover it! After a delicious lunch with coworkers, I could not find my sunglasses. I gave up on them and left, but shortly after the staff found them and took the time to look up my office number and call me so I could come and get them. I can't thank manager Izzy, server Tabitha, and the rest of the kind folks who work at this scrumptious spot enough! Also, the tomato basil soup is not to be missed, if you're into that sort of thing :) read more

My daughter, her husband and another couple were turned away from this restaurant today. They were told there was only one table to accommodate a high chair, and after waiting over an hour for that table they were then told that table was now reserved for a larger party who had just called in. They had no other option but to leave after the manager told them there was nothing he could do. It was the worst display of customer service I've ever heard. Any of you who've ever been to a restaurant with a small child know how difficult it can be, and you definitely don't need that compounded by rudeness and disrespect from the staff. You just can't treat people this way. I won't be back and I know these couples won't be back either. Absolutely disgusting. read more