First Watch

The food is ok. Not so amazing. Very big amount though. I cant finish it. The service is all right. They dont have hot water, but somehow they found some warm water for me. I really appreciate it. The restaurant looks nice and cozy. Price is acceptable. All in all, it’s a nice and quiet place to hang out.

When there’s a long wait you know it’s good! Came from out of town per Unilocal recommendation and was very pleased. Great flavorful food, awesome juice!

Good food, will split orders, substitute ingredients, accommodating, They offer online coupons, friendly staff. We’ve been here many times and will be back. Good for large groups, child friendly.

This place makes me happy! They have great tasting healthy options and a huge variety of choices. It’s hard deciding on a meal because everything sounds so appetizing. The juiced drink I always get is the Day Glow, which has carrots, orange, lemon and organic ginger. The frittata rustica is amazing with mushrooms and kale. The frittata comes with a mixed greens salad, which is different and nice. I don’t usually eat toast, but the frittata comes with a piece of multi grain bread and this homemade jam that is out of this world. I devour all of the toast with the jam and take a spoon to scrape all of the jam out of the mini bowl. All of the staff are very friendly. If you get there before 8am, you usually don’t have to wait. If you do wait, there is free coffee by the front door.

Wonderful place for breakfast. The banana crunch pancake is so good. I also enjoy all of the eggs Benedict selections. Another favorite is the Avocado Toast. Enjoy!

I think that any chain restaurants goal, if they are a good one is to become your neighborhood go to place. Well thats how I feel about First Watch. Ever since we moved to south Tampa we have been coming and every time we are greeted with a smile, a pat on the back and even sometimes a nice hug. They treat my kids like family and just love it when I bring in our baby, talk about getting the good treatment. I have had everything from the Pancakes and Bacon to the Biscuits and gravy and I have never had a bad meal. My wife’s favorite is the Avocado Toast so we are a bit all over the menu. Oh! and when I am feeling healthy the steel cut oatmeal with muffin is fantastic. Plentiful Coffee and OJ and just about everything you need for a great breakfast.
The big plus for me is that they also have a baby changing station in the mens room which means i can relax and not worry about what to do if my morning gets hit by a diaper and #2.
I totally recommend it and they use the NoWait app so getting in line on the weekends helps judge when to go an so your not waiting around.
Overall I give it the big two forks up.

The service is hit or miss but the food is consistently good. The seasonal menu offerings are typically my first choice as they taste like the season — pumpkin pancakes in the fall, etc. There are plenty of healthy choices on the menu and special requests are welcome. Enjoy flavored coffee creamers in a bowl on each table.

We are visiting Tampa and this restaurant came highly recommended for brunch/​lunch by one of our friends. The place was packed when we got there, but we only had to wait 10 or so minutes. The two working the greeting station at the front were very personable and were getting people checked in and cashed out very efficiently from what I could tell. Once we got to the table we were greeted promptly by our server (I can’t remember his name, but it was a young man with brown hair that was very nice, attentive, and knowledgeable about menu items). Our friend that brought us ordered The Trifecta that he says he orders everytime he goes there and he suggested I try the Kale Tonic for a fresh fruit drink– it was delicious! I’m not a «kale» type, but the apples in it really sweetened it up. I ordered the Southwest style salad and asked to sub goat cheese in lieu of the feta– they were able to accommodate my request and I was very happy with my meal. Overall we had a great visit and everyone left with full bellies. Definitely check this place out for breakfast/​brunch!

This was the second time in a row we came to this First Watch and it was poor. Why? It’s not cheap but if the food is hot and served hot it would be okay. Toast was cold and under toasted. The potatoes were luke warm as were the eggs. Service was spotty and no manager present or walking around asking how things were. This is my last time at this location. Over $ 30 for two for breakfast– it has to be good or it’s not worth it. Stay away from this First watch!

Food is great! Everything taste fresh and was hot. Would give 5 stars but our waitress was not very attentive.

Wow, talk about good customer service from the moment we walked in.
Everyone was friendly, willing to talk through the menu, make recommendations, and even a complimentary treat for being a first-​time diner.
I just wished they opened earlier on the weekends ( Unilocal has the wrong hours). Other than that, will go back next time I’m in town!

After around 10 very positive First Watch experiences, I had my worst experience ever with the food.
I had the Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl. I usually either get this or the Bacado omelet.
All the food at our table was very late, and cold. I had eggs sunny side up on top, and they sat so long I ended up with cold runny eggs. I asked for no cheese and no mushrooms, but got a bowl full of mushrooms.
They fell well short today.

Great service, great fresh food. Lots of menu items to choose from, which are are delicious.

I think somebody fell asleep on the watch because this was a total disappointment.
When you charge me $ 19 (including my tip) you better deliver a fantastic experience. Sadly, they fell WAY short.
Started off by entering the restaurant and running into a line of people checking out. Those people were more important to the manager with the sweat bands (I’m assuming he was the boss) as all those people were checked out before I got a table.
The waitress appeared quickly after I sat down and brought me my trifecta of fluids: coffee (excellent), ice water and fresh squeezed OJ (it was OK –she admitted it is NOT freshly squeezed at the restaurant. I have had better at Whole Foods.)
My order was simple: two scrambled eggs well done/​dry/​hard, crispy bacon, potatoes and wheat toast. She wrote it down exactly as I asked as it was included with my bill. When the order arrived, not only were the eggs NOT prepared hard but they were COLD. Not warm, cold! My waitress was MIA and Mr Sweat Bands was nowhere to be found so I walked the plate in the kitchen to be cooked the way I asked. Eventually the plate was returned right and the food was good this time. The potatoes had onions which made them better. The bacon was good. The toast was good. The eggs tasted good now they were hot.
Still, almost 20 dollars for a simple breakfast from a place that prides itself as top notch for ingredients and service? Definitely NOT my experience.
PS While I am still there I decide to do the survey on the slip. At the end, they ask, do you want to be contacted? I respond… YES…then they ask… WHY do you want to be contacted? I said forget it. I have given this place enough of my time.

Love love love First Watch for non alcoholic brunch! This is the first time I have visited since the menu changed. It appears that they are trying to offer healthier options. The omelettes now come with a side of greens. I love greens but here is the problem!!! I love First Watch potatoes even more! They did substitute potatoes for me but I did not get the heaping portion they normally provide. Not sure if they changed the menu because customers wanted healthier options or because it helps their bottom line. In any case, still a great brunch spot. I think it is absolutely genius that they give free coffee while you wait. Makes waiting so much easier. Wish more brunch restaurants with long waits would catch on.

Honestly, this place was not horrible by any means. I just thought it was very ordinary. Our party ordered some of the most popular items on the menu and it was ok, just not great and or unique. I thought everything on the menu was very pricey, especially for the ordinary breakfast foods. For a restaurant that prides themselves on the freshness of their produce and using words to make us feel better like «organic» and «cage free», it just did not seem very «fresh.» I feel as though I have had better breakfast food at Cracker Barrel, at a much better price.

As anticipated and consistently delivered from First Watch, this visit was nothing short of excellent. The service we received and the quality and amount of food met my high expectations. Always flavorful and able to be customized according to personal preferences, the entrees are on my favorites list for breakfast or first meal of the day. Brittany, our server, was quite attentive and was prompt with our requests. Parking is never and issue and if you go on weekdays there usually isn’t a wait. They have two high top tables available for seating in the front to the right of the restaurant by the blackboard where they advertise the specials and features menu items. If there aren’t any regular tables or booths readily available you can seat yourself at one of these without the wait. The tables themselves are pretty spacious and you receive the regular service there.
I think First Watch is a great place for breakfast or lunch at any time. The service is consistently stellar and the quality of food is outstanding. It continues to be my go to breakfast/​brunch place.

Delicious! Came here July 3^rd (Friday) for brunch and the place was packed! It was roughly a 20 minute wait and some folks in my party of 4 were frustrated when a couple came in after we had been waiting for a while, they were seated at a 4 top before us. Came to realize the woman was pregnant and I thought that was very considerate.
We were all satisfied with our food, I ordered a scramble which was great. They had flavored creamer for the coffee which was a bonus!

I might be bias, because I love this chain, but this location did not disappoint!
My friend and I came on a Saturday about 10:30 a.m. and the place was packed. It was about a 20 minute wait, but time flies by quickly when you’re chatting with a friend.
The location is easy to get to and is located along a strip of shops. This is a nice shopping area, and we enjoyed standing outside while waiting to be seated. Inside is just a nice with light flowing in and bright colored walls.
I got a bacon and cheddar pancake and the butternut bisque. Both were great. I could have probably done without the sour cream in the bisque, but that’s a personal preference. Their pancakes are huge! I don’t know who could eat more than one. I actually ended up taking almost half of my pancake home with me. My friend got the pumpkin pancake and loved it.
I think the sign of a good menu is when I’m divided about what I want. I always want to try so many things!
The first time I went to First Watch was in Charleston, West Virginia about a year ago and I’m glad my memory of this place being amazing is true. This is definitely a go to breakfast/​brunch place.

Apparently, I’m a terrible (former) Tampa resident for only recently visiting First Watch. My bad. But I understand the hype now. Tasty, healthy, and quick food!
You almost can’t feel guilty for eating anything here because everything is pretty healthy and good for you. I ordered the Key West Crepegg. Crêpe with eggs, cheese, bacon, avocado, turkey, & some other stuff inside. I’m not even a fan of eggs nor savory crepes, but I was feeling healthily adventurous. I loved it! With a side of potatoes and an English muffin, the portion was just right. Not hungry, and not too full.
They already have pitchers of water and coffee on the table before you sit down. Since there is complimentary coffee while you wait, I assumed that the coffee already set on our table was also complimentary. Incorrect! We got charged for it.
Funny that some of these reviews I’m reading praise the service. I thought our service was only ok. When we were ready for some boxes and the check, our server was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t that big of a deal because we weren’t in a rush, but I guess you can think of the service here as diner-​type, like Denny’s or IHOP.