Updated review: I originally posted a not so great review due to an unacceptable experience. My husband and I went back to the restaurant a couple weeks ago and had a great experience! We were seated promptly, the service was exceptional and the server paid specific attention to my food allergy request. That in itself made a difference in our experience because we often find many servers overlook allergies even when I emphasize the importance of it. This was definitely a good experience and I am happy I gave this location another chance. read more

We got delivery and the food was perfect! Still warm and as good as eating in. We got everything we ordered and the quality was beyond expectation! read more

Always a good place for brunch or lunch. Friendly service. Fair turnaround times. Always fresh food.

Great food unfortunately after a long wait it took 10 minutes for the waitress to stop by. Another waitress took our order and our original waitress never even apologized. Food took too long to come out. Service was poor. Suggest not coming here on Sundays. read more

You can always count on good service and good food. There are healthy options which are great to have. The coffee is strong if you like strong coffee. I am not big on strong coffee. read more

It rarely happens in US that you can get soooo good breakfast in reasonable prices. My dish was fresh, quite healthy as for American food and it had the best balance of tastes I had ever in US. If I could I would give 6 stars! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Very disappointing - was really looking forward to trying this restaurant, but the eggs Benedict was extremely dry and eggs over cooked.

My wife and I eat here all the time. We love coming in. Service is always good and food comes out very fast (even when they are really busy). read more

I have such fond memories of coming here as a kid, and even fonder memories as an adult who actually likes food. I can't really critique their food as a whole, as I get the same thing every time, but the elevated egg sandwich is so delicious I actually crave it and try to get to first watch at least once a month so I can get my fix. If you're unsure what to get, then get this. It has a lemon dressing and avocado on really really fresh bread. It all comes together so wonderfully, every bite is wonderful. You can see visible sadness on my face when it's over, and the fat girl inside of me wants to have another. I love all of the booth seating. I really love a good booth, and this place has a lot of them! The coffee is great too, this is a great place to meet up with a friend you haven't seen in a while and just catch up all morning. The service here is great, everyone is always so friendly. It almost seems unnatural to be that friendly at 7am, but time after time they're there with a smile on their face ready to break your fast and start your day off right! read more

I used to love this place but it has slowly declined to a disastrous breakfast that turned into an early lunch because the service was so slow. 49 minutes to get cold eggs and toast that was so cold the butter would not melt. Order was messed up. I am sorry to see an establishment lose ground so quickly. New menu SUCKS. They now serve salad with your breakfast. If you like slow service and salad for breakfast, this is your place. If you want good breakfast food RUN!!! Pancake House is right up the street! read more

I hadn't been to First Watch in quite some time when a friend suggested it for brunch. There were four of us that agreed on meeting at 1030am on a Saturday, so the height of their busy time, thankfully we were seated fairly quickly. The hostess suggested we use their app in the future so we could request seating before we even left home...great tip! We were greeted by our server who took our drink order and quickly returned to take our food order. They have a very nice menu and I appreciate the mindful ingredients. I was very pleased to see that First Watch offers my favorite brunch item, Eggs Benedict. As a matter of fact they offered a few different varieties, I opted for the Florentine with fresh spinach and coffee to go with it. With all our chit chatting I missed the detail that the Florentine did NOT include Canadian bacon, but that's on me. I can say that the eggs were poached perfectly and I enjoyed the ciabatta bread as opposed to the English muffin...but I missed the bacon. The coffee was ok, but I admit to being something of a coffee snob, I prefer either Italian or French dark roast coffee. But the coffee at First Watch is better than most other area restaurants, so I consider that a plus. All in all, it was a great visit and I'll return again, sooner rather than later. read more

I would use the online app or yelp to put your name in. This actually does cut down on wait time. You get frustrated when you watch people walk in and sit down after you've been waiting but they're signing in online and I will be sure to use that method from now on. Food was great- had a market skillet. Waitress got our drinks and then brought the check and it was the only two times we saw her. Someone dropped our food off and that was it. No refills, no chance to order/request anything additional. Food was 5 star, service was low. read more

I was visiting friends in the Cincinnati area and we stopped in at their favorite brunch spot, First Watch. They all talked very highly of the restaurant. I ordered the omelet with the avocado and bacon. It was okay. The problems began when my friend found a hair in her fruit (yuck!). The waitress replaced the fruit with a new serving of fruit (no apology). Following the hairy fruit, a friend found mold on the bread of her sandwich. I find that totally unacceptable. The waitress took the moldy meal and disappeared. Another waitress came and informed my friend that her meal was going to be taken care of (wow, thanks). No one ever came to apologized for the poor service. When you go to this place, be careful what you eat. read more

Great food, however the service was super slow. The skillet I ordered was delicious, my son's child plate, French toast came with Chicken sausage and fruit which was plenty. My friend said the service isn't usually as slow as it was this time. read more

I always love eating here! Who doesn't love brunch? Having healthy choices always make the place 10x better.

I've been to this First Watch a few dozen times over the past few years and I'd say as far as the food goes it's a solid 4 stars. Doesn't blow my mind, but it's always solid. Decent selection and the food is consistently well presented and delicious. On the negative side though the waiting staff almost always seems to come across as merely tolerating your presence. If I was going off of the wait staff performance and attitude it would be a 2 star review, however the food is good enough to keep me coming back. I will say that as of writing this review this was the first time I'd been back in at least 6 months and some of the wait staff looked new and a bit more attentive. We, however, were sat at a table with a waitress we have had multiple times in the past and it was the same story as before; feigned politeness and a sort of dismissive recognition of requests for something as simple as some water and a ciabatta that was forgotten with one of the meals. read more

Love this restaurant. Fresh food and wonderful staff! My favorite is the avocado toast

Great Breakfast/Brunch food with unique twists! I really enjoyed the fact that you can sub fruit/ greens for potatoes as a side with no up charge. Instead of leaving this place feeling overly full and bloated, you leave feeling like you had something fresh and satisfying. The prices are pretty good, and our server was friendly and attentive. We will go back in the future:) read more

Favorite brunch location for family gatherings. The food is incredible! The service is always excellent! And you always have to wait in line

Delicious food, healthy options, good service. But it's always packed!

First thing is first... I brought my mom and dad there for the first time. Didn't really like how management would talk to the servers at all, basically talked to them like dogs. Food was alright. Just didn't like how the woman had been treated while I was there for the first time coming there, I have tried to get in touch with higher ups and seems like they just brush it under the rug. So I figured I would get this off my chest. Anyone reading this rather go to the one in Kenwood, blows this one out of the water! read more

This is my all time favorite place for breakfast. Plenty of healthy choices and the meals are fresh and tasty. I've had several dishes and have never been disappointed. They often run seasonal special plates also. read more

On a Saturday morning this place was only moderately busy. We were sat within 15. This place varies from just the normal pancakes and waffles. The variety and combinations were awesome. They have coffee while you wait. The price is worth what you get for the meal! read more

Sadly I cannot rate the food because we never had any. We went in and waited 10-15 minutes for a table(no big deal) and were told a server would be right over. No one ever came to our table. In fact, the table that sat down behind us-after us-had food before we were even greeted. read more

This place is just absolutely amazing! The food is delicious! They offer some unique menu items, things you don't find in general. It's so popular, and always packed but they're efficient and friendly. It's a bit pricey, but the food ingredients are clearly high quality, so I will pay more for higher quality. read more

Love their butternut squash soup. Wish it was a regular item on the menu. Salads are always fresh and good. You can go wrong with any of the breakfasts. They are delicious. Service is pretty quick. There is usually a wait, especially during main breakfast and lunch hours up to 30-45minutes). read more

The food is always good but every time I go to the Beechmont Ave location every glass and coffee cup smells like bleach. The staff tells me that they do not use bleach anywhere in the restaurant but that is beside the point. Their drink ware needs an extra rinse cycle to get rid of the smell and taste of whatever cleaning agent they use. read more

The food is 5 stars. Always fresh and the healthiest choice for breakfast in the area. I was really disappointed the last time I was there and worry the place is getting run down. My market hash was made without the spinach. Boo. In the restroom the soap dispenser was filthy and it's just a $0.99 bottle that's been refilled a bunch of times. Buy a $10 nicer bottle! The toilet paper was empty. One other thing that stresses me out at this place is how the glasses and mugs are always place on the edge of the table. Any mom's instinct is to push them towards the center so they don't spill. I do love all of the flavored creamers they offer! read more

Love this spot! Never fails. Servers are sooo efficient and no one rushes you! A real plus is the restroom has been repainted!!! Thank goodness! read more

Used waitlist app. Checked in when we arrived only to have multiple people seated in front of us. Hostess finally asked us our name and realized she had skipped us. Once we were seated we ordered as soon as the server came. Food took at least a half hour and the restaurant was maybe a quarter full at this point. Server was great and apologetic for the long wait time. Wasn't her fault that the rest of the restaurant was working against her read more

Excellent high quality meal at very reasonable fare!!! Top notch dining experience and highly recommended... A very refreshing and healthier option to any other breakfast out there!!! read more

If my mom wants to go out for a little US time, this is the place she wants to go. She loves it to death. They don't care if you sit there for awhile chatting after you are finished eating, and I've only had to wait a few times to get seats. The service is very friendly. We usually end up with Jim?, the handsome Asian guy. He's always super helpful and isn't very chatty, which I like. He does engage my mom when she is chatty, which she likes. He's a great balance, and I don't think my mom minds looking at him. I wish I could comment on other servers, but I really can't. The food is pretty good. I think if I ventured more outside my one dish that I order every time I could be a better judge. I don't think I ever realized that I thought my go-to dish was just alright! I will have to recheck the menu, which in all fairness is always growing. I know, because my mom always comments on it! read more

First Watch is my all time favorite breakfast restaurant. The food and service are always excellent. I particularly enjoy the many healthy dishes that are available, unlike most other restaurants that thrive on the usual fatty unhealthy food. I will, on rare occasions, go to other restaurants for breakfast but I am always disappointed and question myself for doing so. Great variety at a very reasonable price. read more

Chicken pesto quinoa bowl w/power greens and added and extra OM egg on top. Delicious and a healthy and protein packed breakfast. Once again I am not disappointed. read more

Service from our assigned server was non-existent. I had to ask another server for assistance twice. Bacon was full of grease. Eggs, toast and taters were good. read more

The food is always sooo fresh. Even when they are crowded it is welcoming. I love the autumn because of the butternut squash soup. Thanks, Sue read more

I always enjoy a good breakfast. This place has wonderful coffee, great variety and options with a menu that is flexible and can be changed to meet your dietary needs. The fresh squeezed orange juice was also delicious- actual pulp! Many healthful options, as well as "cheat foods". The wait is often long, so be prepared for it to be crowded! read more

Great food and service. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who's coming to Cincinnati.

First Watch has been an important part of my life since they opened their location in Hyde Park. Moving to the east side, I now frequent the Beechmont location with my family. I feel like I've watched my girls grow up from across the table. Free coffee while you wait, fun and interesting specials, and just a stellar menu of options. My usuals center around the Chickichanga and the Burrito Vera Cruz, but the Sausage Biscuit and Gravy, the healthier options, the omelettes, etc. are all top notch and consistent. I convinced myself to have the oatmeal and was overwhelmed at how good it was. One complaint I have is the side of fruit served with some items. It's small, and usually the cuts of melon are too near the rind, or flavorless, but, we live in the Midwest right? Service always amazing. Really consistent from location to location. I just wish this particular location would buy the space next to them and expand. See you there on the weekend! read more

We come to this location for breakfast about 2-3 times a month and it never disappoints! We have ordered a slew of various breakfast items and they are consistently delicious and of high quality. The service is also fantastic! We often like to customize our food (no tomatoes on this, dressing on the side, sub potatoes for a muffin...you get it...) and never have we been told "no" - they go above and beyond to make sure you get the experience you want. We will continue to patronize this location, they are awesome! Also - they use "No Wait" which is becoming my standard for places to eat, it saves so much time standing in a crowded lobby! read more