The "look" from the parking lot drew us in. Good thing we skipped the reviews! Great place, excellent service from Joseph, great menu options, food didn't disappoint! Great feeling inside - the restaurant and our stomachs - as we finished! read more

First Watch - Trifecta with multigrain (yummy!) pancake. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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Absolutely unacceptable Poor management to start The food quality and packaging They sent to my house biscuits and gravy w out biscuits ! And they sent raw potatoes that are burnt Half a cup of gravy that is overly seasoned w red peppers flakes This place is trash ! read more

First Watch - Raw burnt potatoes ! Trash food - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

Exceeds expectations for a "chain" breakfast spot. Large menu ranging from indulgent dishes to lighter options. The seasonal specials each month always keep us coming back to try something new. I almost always get the trifecta with a waffle, over-easy eggs, and an upgrade to their "million dollar" bacon which is slow cooked with spicy syrup and a generous helping of pepper. The waffle, although varying in temperature it hits the table at, is always delicious and comes with a dollop of creamy butter and a side of mixed berry compote. My wife's favorites are the chickichanga, the avocado toast, and various seasonal specials. Service is generally good with some servers going more above and beyond than others, they can get very busy on the weekends but I've never had a particularly negative experience. Inside is bright and open, a great place to just relax and enjoy breakfast and morning coffee on a lazy sunday. First watch is a great casual spot for a flavorful and affordable breakfast that we will continue to make the trip to in the future. read more

First Watch - Tri-fecta Waffle with eggs and million dollar bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

Their menu looks so good, I will have to return with a group to try more dishes at one time. This place is pretty big, plus outdoor seating, in a shopping center with plenty of parking. Very clean inside and love the old doors hanging from the ceiling. The pomegranate pear juice is so tasty, refreshing, and not too sweet, and seasonal. I love poached eggs done right so I had to have the eggs Benedict and I chose the BLT style. There are a few options for sides, some more savory than others, I chose the salad with the lemon vinaigrette and I think it provided the perfect balance and pop of flavor. There were 2 poached eggs but only 1 had that ooze factor you want, still good. Really enjoyed my breakfast read more

First Watch - BLT Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

Great first experience! I can only speak for the juices here - but I'm looking forward to returning back to try the breakfast! Went in wanting the kale tonic drink. After I placed my order and paid, I was informed they did not have it. The server was extremely kind and brought over three mini samples of the other flavors. I decided on the morning meditation. It was phenomenal!! The purple haze was beautiful and had an amazing lavender taste, but it was a little too sweet for me. If you enjoy sweets, this one is great. The watermelon one (forgot the name of it), wasn't for me - mainly because I don't like watermelon, but if you're into watermelon, grab it! In sum - the morning meditation will be my go to juice order. After I was finished, I was already dreaming of my next visit. Loved it! read more

First Watch - Samples - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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I ordered the Bacado omelette through DoorDash. it was an overdone brown dried out mess of eggs. It was so overdone that the edges of the omelette were actually crispy. If I was eating in the restaurant this would've gone back. Cheese was nowhere to be found. Just disgusting overall. But since I paid for it, I threw on literally a half a cup of salsa and sour cream to drown. it very gross. read more

Love the farmhouse look, outside seating and the online waitlist option to avoid having to wait an hour or so when o you arrive. Their drinks are delicious as well. I usually go in and get the market veggie sandwich with salad and tear that up in no time. So delicious. My first time eating at First Watch was in FL and got excited when I found one in Union, NJ. This one in Montvale is even closer to home so I started going every Sunday as a family brunch spot. Sadly, they get pretty busy causing them the opportunity to accidentally deliver my food to the table next to me every time. Then the other guests typically lift up the bread to check out the sandwich and the waitress corrects it by just sliding over the food to me even after the other guests were picking at it. This wouldn't be in my review if it only happened once or twice but it seems to almost always happen to me and I've been there over 7 times now. I then have to send it back to be made again and patiently wait. I would still recommend this location; however, I also suggest you watch the food come out in case it makes it to another table like it does to me almost every time. read more

First Watch - Tropical Sunrise and Morning Meditation - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

The food and service have been excellent and one thing in particular I like is they bring a pot of coffee to the table. I can refresh or warm up my cup at my convenience with no waiting for staff. read more

The food the service and the ambience is awesome. But the weekend waiting are insane. They need to open more around Bergen County. Please.

Have been there several times. Clean. Slightly above average cost. Pleasant staff. Quick. Attentive preparation of food.

What a delightful brunch with my DD. We actually chose this because it had such great reviews! The decor is farmhouse casual yet trendy. It seems like it could be a chain restaurant but the food was well prepared. For a weekday meal, there was a decent amount of people there. It seemed a bit bizarre that the hostess area is also the checkout area. We waited for a couple to pay their tab and then we were seated. The million dollar bacon was quite yummy. The coffee was good & had hazelnut, French vanilla creamers as well as half & half. We ordered the hash with eggs over easy & the egg white omelette. The hash entree came with buttered bread and the bread with the omelette came out dry. The bread was delicious, as was the accompanying jam. Overall, very enjoyable meal and would come back again if I'm in the area. read more

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First Watch never disappoints. Parking is great. Service is great. And the food is always super fresh! We were seated immediately, even though it was pretty busy for a Wednesday Brunch. I always go for the Traditional Breakfast, as it has the perfect balance of healthy and filling components. My friend opted for a salad which she said was to die for! read more

First Watch - Traditional Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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On my first visit to this place, it was fairly packed with people at 11am on a Saturday. I liked the option of sitting inside or outside. The host was friendly and efficient and seated us quickly after asking if we called ahead. The options were varied and we found the food and coffee very good. We had the traditional breakfast with scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, sourdough toast, and potatoes. The server, Tracy, was excellent. Definitely recommend for a very good breakfast. read more

This was chosen for location of meeting everyone going. I take full responsibility for it as it was amazing! Most of us were there before 8:30am when the "waitlist" started so we only had about a 10 minute wait. The place is spotless and a great energy to it. The food..... holy shiznit, the food was perfect. I don't use that lightly either.My chimichanga burrito has amazing flavors and had Benedict sauce on it. Wow.... My taste buds were dancing! The truffle mushroom hash was fantastic too. I forgot to order the bacon, but there will definitely be a next time! Our server, CM, was great. Had an infectious smile and popped in at just the right times. Thank you! I look forward to trying new items..... read more

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This was a much hyped place and the wait times and difficulty getting a slot on a Sat or Sunday prove the popularity. My experience was not so good. The wait for the food was extremely long (your coffee would have long been cold or gone by the time the food arrived) No offer of a refill while we waited. By the time mine came out it was cold (not great for French toast, which was mediocre anyway) My wife and daughter fared better as both of theirs was warm and good tasting. My wife had The Tradition breakfast and my daughter had the smoked salmon benedict. (those were worth going back for) I would go back at a quieter time (maybe a weekday). To fight for a spot on a weekend is not worth it for the waiting etc. read more

After staying away from the First Watch in Montvale, New Jersey for 4 years, I decided to check in and see if their food and service had improved. I arrived on Sunday at about 1:30pm, was seated immediately. Service from David (nice wooded glasses frames) was pleasant, attentive and prompt. We ordered two million dollar bacon sides, the summer brisket hash and eggs, tomato soup, mint chocolate ice coffee, regular cider, morning meditation and some other items. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste, service, and courtesy. I will plan to dine here again. Good job for making significant changes from when I visited four years ago. Congrats to Janet Velazquez, General Manager. read more

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Waited an hour although many tables were open .. finally seated we were starving, waiter came after 20 min and said just to let you know there will be a long wait for the food because of the kitchen... we then asked if that was the case could he bring something to the table because we were starving? He said he would bring fruit he never did an hour later. We finally received our food never came back to check on us. Never gave us refills of drinks. Never asked if we were OK. Most of the wait staff hangs out in the kitchen. Since the opening, we've never had a good situation, my kids love the food so we keep going back for the abuse unfortunately, nobody cares no manager around. I can't believe how they run this place. read more

Food was fresh and good on my last 2 visits - they do seem to be understaffed. The servers I had were helpful and responsive.

We often go to the one in Montvale NJ so we thought we would compare to Hershey PA. Will say it lived up to our expectations. This one has a liquor license which is nice for brunch. Good good but the Million Dollar Bacon is insane & the Ricotta Pancakes are yum ! Service was attentive and personable but hold the check till the table is finished. I don't like being handed the check while I'm still eating. If I wanted something else I would not ask after being handed the bill. read more

The food was delicious and not that expensive. Great fur breakfast and lunch. Bring the family !

Breakfast and first time at First Watch. It's a chain as my sister who is from Wisconsin enjoys having breakfast there. We shared the Millionaire's Bacon, the corned beef hash and the croque madame along with the waffles were all very delicious. We tasted everything and enjoyed everything. read more

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Went there last week and had the winter special chilaquiles and black beans. Near perfect, would've been a "5" except the black beans were not seasoned AT ALL. Two days later, I went again and this time ordered the farm hash. The potatoes were way, WAY overdone, maybe a tsp of onion and bacon bits were burnt. They have this all the time but I didn't remember the bacon though and it was inedible. Coffee still lukewarm. Server (the big bald guy) was pleasant and efficient as usual but the low rating is for the terrible hash. One more try and they get a thumbs up or the dreaded "boycott!" Oh yes, there were five parties waiting to be seated and three patrons waiting to pay. And the cashier seemed, again, unable to deal with that. read more

Food is pretty mediocre and the wait for the food is long. My potatoes were either severely undercooked and hard or perfect it was like Russian roulette. Also my ham on the eggs Benedict was ice cold. The carrot cake pancakes were super dry. The syrup was nice and warm. It took awhile to be greeted and after we ordered it took awhile to get our food. Overall is skip this place next time. read more

Reserved online, got there and checked in with the front desk. They said it would be a 12min wait. Sat down and started seeing people that got there way after me getting tables. Apparently they never checked me in because when I asked they couldn't find my name. Terrible service. read more

Good food, nice presentation. My skillet was good even though some of the potatoes were a little too burnt for my taste. My girlfriend's smoked salmon frittata was really good. She also enjoyed her iced coffee. Went in on Monday at 11am and got seated right away. Very nice waitress took our order and the food came out in about 10min. She checked up on us a couple of times with a smile on her face. She brought us the check in the middle of us eating which was uncommon to me. I was thinking of getting another iced coffee but I decided not to because the check had already come out. I know she could have easily printed another if I had ordered something else but I just didn't. Nice atmosphere. I like the farmhouse look. Music plays in background not too loud. Alot of natural light and place was nice and clean. I would stop by again on my way to the mall since I'm not from the area. read more

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After being seated It took the server over 10 minutes to come and acknowledge us, and only after I had to stand up looking for a server. Coffee and food were both cold. read more

Just a place for an average breakfast spread. Nothing stood out too much but definitely left wanting a bit more. Service was great and the ambiance matches the trending breakfast places in the area. read more

Let me just say that the food was fresh and tasted fine, and it didn't take so long for me to get my delivery. A couple of things really pissed me off though. First, this place isn't cheap. If I'm paying a high price, I want to know that you give a damn about my order. My daughter got the Market Veggie sandwich, which came as a standard sandwich, cut in half. One half of the sandwich had almost nothing between the bread. WTF? I had the side salad that came with it, and when I tell you that there was ONE DROP of salad dressing in the container of mesclun salad, please believe that I AM NOT EXAGGERATING... between two pieces of salad, there was one freaking drop of dressing, and the rest was completely undressed. How do I know? Because I ate the whole damned naked salad, like as if I just grabbed it off of the floor at a farm. Pisses me off. The simplest damn thing and what? Jeeeeez. SMDH. My Ham Gruyere sandwich was very good. The Avocado Toast was really good. My daughter enjoyed the half of the Market Veggie sandwich that had stuff in it. Congratulations. I'm never ordering from you again. read more

Very disappointing....we stopped here for brunch today at about 11am...seated quickly...service was fine. What was not fine was the food. My husband and I both ordered Eggs Benedict...mine was traditional...his was a BLT Eggs Benedict. On both orders the eggs were overcooked...closer to hard boiled than what poached eggs are supposed to be. I had to ask for an order of correctly poached eggs. This is a breakfast and brunch restaurant...if they can't get poached eggs right then I don't know who can. read more

Amazing! Came here over 4th of July weekend, the wait wasn't too bad considering--20mins. The Barbacoa Quesadilla Benedict was slappin'! Feel like taking the time to thank whoever's responsible for creating this dish, because it was damn good. "Smedium" amount of food--a perfect portion size for breakfast considering the dish is on the heavier side. Washed that down with watermelon which was super refreshing, it was honestly a perfect breakfast! Definitely recommend trying this dish! read more

First Watch - BARBACOA QUESADILLA BENEDICT with watermelon juice! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

This is an amazing brunch place! The restaurant looks pretty new with rustic decor, and it has a large seating area indoors and outdoors. The food is so filling and delicious! I ordered the Market Skillet Hash & 2 For You - Sweet Honey Pecan Salad and Roast Beef and Havarti Sandwich. The 2 For You deal is actually so worth it ($10!). I will definitely be back for some more delicious brunch! read more

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Came to this spot for brunch for the first time and wow! I grabbed a to-go order of the Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl which was absolutely delicious. It was well seasoned with a great flavor. There was plenty of zesty chicken and tender vegetables that just danced on my tongue, for real. In general, there are plenty health-conscious options for people to choose from. This location is inside a plaza, so free parking! Check it out. read more

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Love love love this place. Until now the only time I was able to go to one was when I went to AZ or FL but now they opened one about 20 minutes from me and I've gone 2 weekends in a row. First week I had the Baja Chicken Bowl and my mom had the Italian Frittata. Both were very good, made with incredibly fresh ingredients. One my second visit I had the Vanilla Chai pancakes with a side of hardwood bacon. The cakes were so good and almost didn't need any of the warm syrup they give you with it but I wish they would put a bit more of the almond butter drizzle. Very nice service and lovely decor making it even more inviting. read more

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Hostess and our waiter were both rude and inconsiderate of our party. Hostess assumed we weren't going to wait for a table after saying we would. Waiter practically forgot about us for 30 minutes, no drink refills and helped other tables who sat after us. Waiter forgot the syrup we asked for three times and he never once asked how our food was. I never received toast that comes with the meal I ordered read more

Came in this morning for breakfast. The website said no wait-list. Get in and the person up front says 15-20 minutes. I mention the website said no wait. We wait a few minutes. Another couple walks in and the person tells them 20-30 minutes. The girl tells the person at the front the same - the website says no wait. Here comes the attitude. They said something to the effect of it's updated now with an obnoxious tone. Mind you there are at least 10 open tables and a handful of people waiting. So the attitude plus the restaurant not even being full - we walked out and I probably won't go back here. How about apologizing for the inconvenience or the fact you didn't do your job instead of giving an attitude to people who are trying to have a nice breakfast out. read more

Arrived at First Watch at 7 AM for breakfast. Service was a little on the slower side, considering there were only two tables in the place. But server was nice and it wasn't for lack of effort. I ordered the eggs Benedict smoked salmon. Hollandaise sauce had good flavor as did the salmon. Only critique would be eggs. Should be runny on Benedict and these eggs were prepared over hard. I went with the greens as a side and they were fine. My friend had turkey sausage and gravy over biscuits, and he was very happy with his meal. All in all... A solid breakfast read more

Meh not too sure why there so much hype with this place. Got there at 9:30, waited till 10 to be seated. Place was full with mostly teenage girls eating with their friends and young couples with babies/kids. The ceiling here is pretty high, so if you're one to be annoyed by high pitched babies crying or teenage girls screaming in laughter over TikTok videos, this isn't the place for you. Menu is pretty large and they have all the calories listed for each item. Not sure that's a good thing. When I saw a breakfast item with 1300 calories, I was totally turned off. Maybe I'd rather not know. We ordered 2 things to share. BLTE - was pretty good - I only ate half. (Over 1000 cal for the entire thing) Million dollar breakfast sandwich.... (almost 900 cal) seemed more like a .50 cent breakfast sandwich. Looks about 1/3 of the size of the the photo, English muffin was cold and not toasted, small sausage patty drizzled with honey, but if I had to guess, was more like melted hard candies. I had a bite and almost spit it out. It was just gross. I'll stick to my diner breakfasts. read more

Came here because it was the closest nyc l9cation.the d4ive was easier than I thought.no wait to get a table my wife went on site to get on list. The wait for our waitress seemed long. The food portion size was disappointing I was thinking of ordering multi plates. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

I first tried First Watch in Tampa - one of the best places I ate during that trip. Montvale got one in the summer of 2021 and I've been twice since they opened. I'm never disappointed. The service is prompt and efficient. The food is delicious, and the menu is different without trying too hard. This spot is one of my absolute favorites for breakfast or brunch. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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Had lunch there y today, terrible, potatoes on two of the four plates were burnt but served anyway, the biscuit on the biscuit and gravy dish was also burnt. A plate of pancakes were also over cooked and had a blackened appearance. The grille was either dirty or the food was not watched closely, burned but served anyway. I travel a lot and I'm familiar with other First Watch locations in the state. This was the worse and the manager seemed polite that I was complaining but didn't seem overly concerned about the food. It gave the appearance that this was not unusual, or he was used to getting complaints. Does not rate any stars. read more