Great food, great environment, great prices. Everyone was super nice and helpful, and the place is super cute and cozy feeling. Everyone should come here!! read more

Usually get breakfast which is always great but went for lunch this week and was very pleased. Veggie burger was unique and tasty and the tomato basil soup rocked. Almost ordered the mushroom/veggie sandwich but will be back soon enough to give that a try. read more

We are First Watch fans from our years living in Maryland so we were thrilled to see them expand into Birmingham. We enjoy the fresh, well prepared breakfast, brunch and lunch options. I've even had a few lunch meetings at First Watch. Interestingly, in Maryland, you pretty much had to wait in line for a table at all times. Not sure why the Birmingham market doesn't seem to be supporting them with the same level of enthusiasm. This is not your bacon, egg, and cheese on a cat's head biscuit with a bubba cup of Mountain Dew kind of place. And it's a bit pricy compared to the plethora of Waffle House locations dotting the map. But the food is fantastic. The options are regularly updated. I'm completely addicted to the avocado toast and egg plate. But at $10, I guess I see why that might not be a frequent choice for many. Hey, we love it. Great options for the whole family. Try it. I think you'll like it, too. read more

Great food. Great service. Omelettes are great and French toast is amazing! Parking lot is always busy.

So yummy and a great atmosphere! I try something different everytime I go. Huge menu with traditional and modern offerings. Service is always good too. read more

I have been to this place numerous times with my wife for breakfast, not sure how you can mess up scrambled eggs, but they have probably 10 times, I complained, but did no good. I would rather go to waffle house read more

This place use to be one of my absolute favorites. When I had family or friends from out of town come up, they always wanted me to take them here! However, lately it has really gone downhill. Some of the new hostesses/servers have gotten so rude and act as if they just don't care about customer service. Also, I haven't gotten a HOT meal from there in a while. It is always cold or soggy even if we get there right at open. Saddens me :( read more

So good!!! Really delicious food, great customer service. Got the French toast and farmhouse hash- amazed with both. Would highly recommend.

Party of 7, 10am hot Sat morning. They still use dinky glasses of water, but did have carafes to self serve ourselves.However hot summer morning, call me tres gauche american but i wAnt ice water and lots of ice. 2 of us in party had to ask for ice often. I had a chicken pecan salad and the lettuce was a nice fresh assorted variety...yum! Two in our party had omelettes with avocadoes and declared them delicious and teens had waffles, lemon pancakes which were a hit. Fresh fruit was tasty, service efficient. Their bread tastes homemade. read more

Boutique breakfast. They cater to breakfast fans that aren't looking for greasy spoons. I'm sure there are those like me that will go hear AND IHOP or on very rare (translated to 2am) Waffle House but the experiences are so different I bet there are some that go to First Watch that would never be caught at a WH. The choices tend to be healthier though I wouldn't say most of them are actually healthy. They just switch things up enough to be able to say they are a healthy alternative with a straight face. Whole grain toast. Kasha and so on. It makes a difference if your eating breakfast out a lot but it's not going to change your cholesterol level in one sitting. With all that said, I've been to the Hoover location a few times and every time we've been it's been good. Staff was friendly and attentive. Price is fine. You pay for the boutique part of boutique breakfast but that's ok, at least for me it is. I tend to be more decadent with breakfast so I prefer, by and large, the greasy spoon but First Watch is a good place to switch it up and fortunately they execute that switch nicely. read more

My husband and I were fans of The Egg and I, but we're very disappointed by the food at First Watch. My French toast was bland, and the portion size was not as generous for a slightly more expensive price. My husband was also very disappointed by the biscuits and gravy. The food probably deserves 3 stars, but we also received bad service even though they were slow. We won't be returning. read more

We love to come here for weekend breakfasts. Healthy options abound, which is rare in a lot of restaurants, especially ones that serve breakfast and/or brunch. We've never had a bad experience here in the several visits we've had. Omelets, whole grain pancakes, eggs benedict- everything is served so fresh! Every server has been pleasant and attentive, the restaurant is always clean. The new cold pressed juices are refreshing, too, made-to-order so you know you're getting all the nutrients from the veggies. We will continue to frequent. read more

Terrible! My family and friends came to have breakfast today. We sat outside and were greeted by our waiter immediately. Then it all went downhill. We ordered our drinks, which came out immediately. Then ordered our meal. And then...crickets. It was hot, we had children with us (10 and 7 months), and we never saw our waiter again. After waiting an hour, he finally came out after my husband went inside to tell the host we needed our waiter. By this point, we had been hot and ignored long enough--and we informed the waiter we were leaving. He apologized, but I did share with him that had he checked on us, it would've been a different turnout. Three other tables outside experienced the same issue; however, they received free meals and coupons for next time with an explanation of what was happening. We got nothing. I won't be back. read more

The staff was sweet and the menu was AHmazing!!! Hoover really needed a breakfast place like this. I highly recommend trying this place out for breakfast or even lunch! read more

I went a second time, about 9 months after my first visit. Slow service. I kept hearing apologies all around me. Food was cold and incorrect. The atmosphere and coffee is good, but that's about it. I'll go to IHOP next time. read more

My wife and I had breakfast at First Watch today ... the first time since the restaurant changed from The Egg and I. The food and the service were outstanding. Delicious food and very attentive service. We will be back soon. read more

For once parking was available so I decided to try First Watch today. I chose The works which is a very nice omelet with a side of mixed greens salad and artisan toast. It was all delicious and the service was excellent. The only caveat was that it was also quite pricey for an average size omelet. read more

We recently added a Yelp event at First Watch and the staff was amazing and made it such a memorable night. Now on the food. Yum!! Everything was so fresh and using just a few simple ingredients, they elevated breakfast to something any foodie would love. We tried the Morning Motivation and Kale Tonic juices. The juices were not my favorite at first, but the more I drank, the more the flavors grew on me. The AM superfood bowl was AMAZING - like lick the bowl clean amazing. And it is something I definitely would not have tried otherwise. I tend to shy away from anything with superfood in the title, because how can that be good?! But at First Watch, healthy = delicious. The avocado toast was good, although I'm not a huge fan of avocado. But you could hear murmurs all over the restaurant about it. Even the almond butter toast seemed elevated. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes and again they did not disappoint. I think I could have eaten the lemon curd with a spoon. So delicious. And the best part of the night was my kids (who are so picky that I want to pull my hair out at dinner every night) tried all of the foods too. And loved them. My four year old drank almost the whole kale tonic. So a big thanks to Yelp and First Watch for allowing us to try a restaurant we wouldn't normally venture to, try new foods we wouldn't normally choose, and allow my kids to have a new food adventure. We will definitely be back! read more

Table of three, all ordered different things. EVERYTHING was great! The food was delicious. Our server did an excellent job. Hostess was really friendly. Absolutely no complaints. read more

I really loved The Egg & I, therefore I kept an open mind when I tried First Watch. We received our food 45 minutes after the order was placed, the order was wrong, the food looked gross, and the waitress could have cared less. The menu is less desirable than The Egg & I. Who serves salad with breakfast (First Watch does)? We are not in Europe, so water should include ice. We left and went somewhere else. This place is horrible!! Will not be back! read more

We are in Hoover for the weekend and found this place on Yelp. The food was phenomenal! My husband had the chickenchanga and it was perfectly spiced and the potatoes are seasoned exactly right. I had the Bacado omelette and it had just the right amount of ingredients. We will definitely be back! read more

It's improved a lot since it first reopened as First Watch! They will let you substitute potatoes or fruit for the dressed greens, if you aren't a fan of salad for breakfast. read more

First time here. Last time here. They served very undercooked bacon and the replacement bacon was overcooked in the microwave. You know the look . Tables had old napkins, crumbs, and used plastic packages under them. Not quite nasty but very unappetizing. read more

Well I'm writing in regards to my unenjoyable experience at this location on Sunday March 24 . We sat down in the overflow seating which seemed to have one waitress who was either inexperienced or overwhelmed to be handling the amount of tables. We weren't brought water nor silverware. I ordered the pancake meal and my fiancée ordered the Monterey club and a Cobb salad. He asked for no avocado and to substitute the cheese for cheddar , upon arrival the sandwich still had both even after him emphasizing that he wanted it without!!! My food looked good but once I started cutting my pancake, I found hair under my food!!!! Very disgusting!! After that my fiancée opened up his silverware once his food was brought back out this time correctly, only to find his silverware sticky!!! I don't know what is going on ?? I tried to give you guys another try after my last experience in another state but I will not be back!! Eaters beware!!! read more

Worst service and food, it was a hassle to get a table a hassle to get a server and a hassle to get food and a hassle to pay.. First and last visit.. Loved the decor.. read more

Nice, friendly atmosphere. Easy to find. Great specials. A good diversion from the chain restaurants. Had the pumpkin pancakes special. Perfect! read more

This is my new favorite breakfast stop. I've been to this one and the one on 280. The menu has so many tasty choices. You've got traditional fare, creative selections, and quinoa breakfast bowls. They offer seasonal fresh pressed juices with ingredients like beets and turmeric. I love the contemporary rustic decor, the service is great, and the prices are right. Actually, the prices are really good for what you get. You've got to check it out. read more

I go to this place for breakfast anytime I'm in Alabama. The place is clean, the food is great. My family and I have ordered just about everything on the menu and we can't complain. The service is great the staff is friendly. If your looking for a family style breakfast place then this is the place. read more

Sitting here at 7:30am and the place is packed. ONE person is seating, taking orders, delivering food, AND cashier. Had to ask twice just for water, and didn't even get everything that I ordered. For a $10 breakfast, I expect more than this. WILL NOT BE COMING BACK!!! read more

This is a great restaurant that we return to again and again. We love the food, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. We usually get a traditional breakfast but like to try the variety of other options too. The waffles and pancakes are delicious, including the lemon ricotta style. The avocado toast is a favorite of mine, as is the chile chorizo. The lunch menu includes delicious sandwiches, salads, and soups, and we've tried many of them. My favorite is the 1/2 sandwich (ham & gruyere melt) and cup of tomato basil soup -- it's fabulous! read more

I'm on the fence about this one. We were brought to our table the same time as a bunch of other people and it took our waitress a while to show up. When she did she seemed confused about the menu it took a while for her to get our order. Once she figured it all out it didn't take long to get our food. The quinoa chicken bowl was just like we had in Florida and now i'm definitely hooked. The lemon wedges on the side aren't just for a garnish if you squeeze the fresh lemons over the quinoa it really gives the whole dish a nice kick. One of our group had the pot roast and though I didn't try any it smelled amazing and the fresh juice here was good and I mean really good. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try it again but I decide to give it a second chance and i'm glad I did. It was much more colorful than before and I could actually taste the fresh apple and there was no popsicle stick taste so i'm not sure if some restaurants might use canned juice but the difference was night and day. They advertise it as healthy and before it just didn't look healthy at all but this was really good. I tried some of my aunt's granola and it was very good too! We may try it a second time while we're in town and explore the menu more. I took off one star because it was much louder than the one we dined at in Florida. read more

Absolutely awesome!! Great wait staff - very friendly & helpful. The food was fantastic!

From the filthy water glasses to the cheap aunt jamima syrup in its sticky glass serving bottle, my wife and I were not impressed. After being seated, we waited so long for our coffee, we nearly left. After nearly 5 full minutes watching all of the other servers hanging around by the front door (there were only 8 other tables occupied at nearly 8:45 on a Sunday), my wife suggested counting to ten before actually getting up. On 8, our server arrived with coffee and slightly cleaner water glasses. She was pleasant enough, so i have no other real complaints about the service. Food was mediocre: my wife's french toast was only coated in egg batter on one side and tossed on the flattop for about 20 seconds, leaving the bread tough and chewy. My farmhouse skillet dish contained mostly onion and limp sundried tomatoes that someone mistakenly used instead of red bell pepper. They are just not putting much effort into food for which they are charging $10/plate. Too bad the prior brand sold out, because I was fine paying the same price for much better food. The best thing was that there was no wait at a time when most other breakfast places would be packed. The next best thing is that waffle house is even closer to my house. read more

The first trip to First Watch took so long to get food, we decided it was just because they were new. We just ordered out for the second time, and were told 20 minutes for one omelet. We were already close by so ended up going grocery shopping to kill time. Upon arriving, 30 minutes later, we waited 10 MORE minutes, and then told they had not even made our order yet. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

The floor was sticky as if floor was mopped with sticky water. The service was slow and unresponsive to requests for more syrup or drink refills. Food was bland and not very tasty. Not worth the money. read more