There are times when I wake up early in the morning feeling like having a special breakfast in a…read moreclean, inviting, and welcoming environment, with eclectic gourmet recipes that excites my taste buds.
After having been selected as number 4 of the Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at the Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And First Watch, in Roanoke Virginia is a perfect example.
Located in the Ivy Market Shopping Center, a small, high-end, new construction, outdoor shopping mall, in Southwest Roanoke, with other exclusive stores and restaurants such as Mellow Mushroom, Earth Fare, Taziki's Mediterranean Café, Walgreens, and Carilion Clinic Institute for Orthopedics and Neurosciences, First Watch is an award-winning breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant, serving a chef-driven menu of elevated classics and seasional specialties, always made to order.
This morning, I woke up early and was at the restaurant as soon as it opened at seven o'clock in the morning. It was still dark out, but the bright light coming out from its windows was the best indication that it was open and ready for customers to arrive.
As soon as I was seated at the table of my choice a friendly and very hospitable, young lady greeted me and asked what I wanted to drink..I asked for a cup of coffee and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice. To eat I ordered the Chimichurri Steak & Eggs Hash, with the eggs cooked over easy, and the steak medium-rare. I love the warm and welcoming ambiance of this place. Everyone is so friendly and kind. And the chef always comes out with culinary masterpieces. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of the food.
In no time at all my server arrived holding a plate with something on it that looked like a culinary work of art. The chef had once again overexeeded my high expectations of how the menu item would look, and as I would quickly find out, of how it would taste. My server came around at the appropriate times to see if I needed anything. What could have improved is that she brought me the bill and placed it on the table, without asking me if I was ready for it. I was thinking of having something sweet at the end, but because of this, didn't. Hope management takes this constructive feedback only as an improvement of their otherwise wonderful restaurant. Other than this, I had an extraordinary dining experience, and highly recommend this place for a top-of-the-line breakfast or lunch.