Once upon a million dollars ago, in my college days, I would possibly have given First Watch four lovely shiny stars. I'd always been willing to overlook the wait, which let's be honest, is a bit nuts sometimes, but no matter, I enjoy a good breakfast and you can drink some free coffee while you ponder the menu. I usually go for the skillets, though this visit made me finally try the Bubba's Benny. I am a sucker for dumb names. I got it with poached eggs which were perfect, but the gravy was a little too thick, bland, and all over the place. Back to the skillets. I tried my pal's banana crunch pancake. It would have been much more delicious without that hair underneath it. I should have said that when our waitress asked if our food "still tasted good." Nope, just started sucking just now when you came by. Thanks. I'd still come back but give me a skillet, hold the hair. One thing I do love: The mug I stole from here about 5 years ago. Still loving it. read more

This place is a perfectly serviceable breakfast/brunch/lunch place, but there's nothing really special about it. The coffee is pretty good, and the service is always good, but in all the times I've been here this place has never wowed me. One of the things this place does really well are the healthy options. If you're looking to cut down on calories/carbs/whatever, there are a bunch of fun, tasty offerings - far beyond the standard egg-white omelet and yogurt with granola. Since I, however, have long since given up trying to eat healthy (the cookies... they call to me) I opted for the thing I always get here - the bacon avocado tomato skillet. All of their skillets are great, but this one is my favorite. Another friend got the pecan pancakes - good, but not outstanding. Now I'm not inherently against chains, but I will say that the air of the corporate hangs over this place pretty strong. Many of the menu items are trademarked or copyrighted, so you'll see a lot of menu items marked with an ®. I can see why they do it, but it's kind of weird to see that on a menu. read more

Sadly, there is but one place in the world that can reliably make Eggs Benedict the way I like...and this ain't it. Don't get me wrong, the dish was delicious and well prepared but the eggs just weren't quite right. Everything was delicious - english muffin nicely toasted, hollandaise slightly tangy, ham griddled to bring out the full flavor - even though the eggs were underdone per my taste and order. Oh well, I suppose I should be used to that by now as "medium well" only comes out medium well from the kitchen at the Standard Club in downtown Chicago. I suppose I really need to stop ordering the dish elsewhere as my eggs are perpetually undercooked. Maybe I will become a waffle aficionado when it comes to breakfast? There seems to be room to move in that foodie segment! read more

I'm not a big brunch fan -- at 10am on Sunday morning with a headache from one too many whiskies the night before, the last thing I want to do is wait in line for 30 minutes for a 20 minute meal. But, when I am drug out to brunch, First Watch is where I like to go. I usually go with the 3 stack of plain mutligrain pancakes ($6). They are pretty big and the multigrain batter makes me think they're good for me (in reality they are 450 calories a piece). They also have a "hash" bowl which mixes breakfast potatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms with an egg on top. It's pretty delicious. They do have healthier options too, though I've never thought to try them. Their orange juice is fresh, service is good and typically, the wait is less than most other brunch places in STL. Pros: good pancakes, healthy options, good service, fresh ingredients Cons: typically a wait on weekend mornings read more

This Is the best brunch place in St.Louis. love floridian French toast, chicken chimichanga, trifecta, all things pancake or hash. Love the omelets. We ate here 3 times in the last 3 days that's how much we love it. We always come here when we are in St. Louis. I would have given it 4 stars except for one particular server today. I absolutely detest the back dining room. Anytime we sit back there we are forgotten. Today however, our server from yesterday remembered us and saved the situation by taking our order even though he wasn't our server. He kept an eye and brought us coffee too!!!! After that our assigned server seemed to step up too. Don't let this stop you. Sit in the main dining room and try to pick form the great choices on the menu! Don't be afraid to ask for fruit instead of potatoes, french toast instead of the included pancake. There might be a slight up charge but they are happy to please! read more

I went here on a Sunday awhile back with a guy I used to date. I don't remember if it was a holiday but I think it may have been because it was jam-packed. But still, I've been to different First Watches on Father's Day and such and never had an experience like this. What turned me off this place was the service when we went. Our waitress basically rushed us the entire time. As soon as we were sat, she rushed over and asked if we were ready to order. No introductions, nothing. Umm, no...I haven't even sat my butt down all the way yet, let alone looked at the menu?? She gave us about 2 or 3 minutes to peruse the menu before coming back again to ask if we were ready, and I just went ahead and ordered what I always do because I felt pressured. Shortly after we got our food, she brought us the check without a word. Then-boyfriend was pretty annoyed at this point and was in no hurry to leave. Boyfriend flagged down waitress and asked for a refill on his glass of iced tea. Waitress plopped a cup of tea on our table and ran off. It was in a to-go cup. We were at this table from start to finish for a total of about 20-30 minutes. It's not like we were hogging her table for over an hour or something. Look, I know there's a huge crowd waiting and you want to turn those tables, but we waited for a long ass time (about 45 minutes) to sit down and eat and enjoy our meal. Don't friggin' rush us as soon as we sit down. We took the to-go cup as a sign of her saying, "Okay, time for you to go now. Get up and leave" and were pissed. Pissed enough that we went ahead and left and alerted the manager on the way out. He was very apologetic and comped the entire bill, of which I was very appreciative. I may go back when they aren't busy, because of the redeeming way the manager handled it (and I'm sure not every server is like that...maybe she was having a bad day...I dunno), but if I see a crowd waiting, I'm not even gonna deal with it. Not worth it. read more

Like most others, I was over-hyped about First Watch before trying it for the first time. I heard it was the best, and it got great reviews, and all that jazz. I guess I was expecting a better atmosphere, service, and food. None of those three delivered. Atmosphere - (3 stars). Nothing much to notice except for the seemingly corporate office exterior. Service - (1 star). Our party of three didn't come during rush hour traffic, and there were maybe 7-8 other parties there at the time. That didn't stop us from having to wait 10 minutes to order and then roughly another twenty minutes to order. I mean they might of forgotten about us or something, but by that time my stomach acid was already wearing away at the lining. Food - (2 stars). For a place with such great ratings, they serve pretty run-of-the mill food. I could get food like this at any diner in Atlanta for roughly half the price. I was disappointed, very much so. I don't give out many low ratings, but my experience here has thoroughly earned the two stars I am giving it IMO. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go and get breakfast. They have 4 locations that I can recall. I usually eat at the Des Peres location which is across the street from I office. Today, I had the works omelette. It has ham, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, onions, melted cheeses and diced tomatoes, topped with sour cream. It also comes with potatoes and an english muffin. It was very yummy. 2 of my friends had the Bacado omlette. This omlette has bacon, avocado and melted Monterey Jack cheese, topped with sour cream. Served with a side of homemade salsa. This also looked yummy. Then, my friend, Peter, had the Chickichanga. Basically, it is a breakfast version of the chimichanga. Lindsey was our server and she was awesome. Everytime I have been to a First Watch, the service has been good. I highly recommend First Watch for having breakfast or lunch. Remember, First Watch is only open till 2:30 pm. read more

This particular First Watch restaurant is the one that made me fall in love with this chain! I have been there many times for breakfast and LOVE it! The Fresh Fruit Crepes are so good, along with whatever the muffin of the day is (has never let me down!) However, I have to leave some constructive feedback about part of the seating arrangements. There are a few two-person tables lined up uncomfortably close together and I would recommend removing one to allow more space between them. Otherwise, I love First Watch! The staff is always friendly and the food is delicious! read more

So I got the shrimp and grits. It's had peppers and andouli sausage, corn, tomatoes and onions. It was very good. Also had the morning meditation. This juice was amazing. Great mix of superfluous. Are server was too busy to give great service but it's all worked out. Food is always good. Definitely a great spot must try. read more

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This is another great St. Louis find for me. Went to breakfast here and the menu was great. We ended up ordering a Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl and a Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl. About 3 minutes after we ordered the waitress came back and said they were out of the butternut squash quinoa bowl and we ordered another item on the menu. 5 minutes after that the chef came out of the kitchen and apologized for not having the butternut squash quinoa bowl and asked us if we would like to try a new bowl they were going to introduce to the menu. They ended up giving us this new bowl for free. All the food was fantastic and delicious. The waitress and the chef were super nice. I would recommend this place for a great breakfast or lunch while in St. Louis!! read more

First watch never disappoints. The avocado toast is always delicious, and I recently tried the BLT eggs Benedict. Everything has been delicious so far. The coffee is good and reasonably priced. They are good for seating large parties and the waitresses have been incredibly nice. read more

Hung Over? Coming back from church? Parents in town? First Watch will hit the spot!! Breakfast/Brunch is A+ for all walks of life. Don't be discouraged if there is a wait when you arrive. They offer free hot coffee for the wait, friendly staff, and manage the wait list with ease. For the health nut, my fave is the "Triathlete Omelet" made with egg whites and served with yummy salsa. No need to skimp on the calories? The skillets with diced First Watch potatoes are great. Small detail... but I love the fact they leave the coffee pot and water pitcher on the table. So no need to get impatient waiting for that refill. read more

I agree that this place is nothing tremendously special. When I have gone, it's always been very clean. If there is a wait, it never seems to be a long one. All of the servers are quite cheery (sometimes eerily so). I like the concept of the restaurant: breakfast and brunch any day of the week. I also like that the kitchen is open. You can somewhat see them preparing the food, if you wish. There is one thing that will keep me coming back: The Eggs Benedict Florentine. It is a yummy, vegetarian version of the original-- with avocado and tomato in place of canadian bacon. The eggs are perfectly poached and the hollandaise is tasty. Accompanied with fresh fruit and delectable potatoes. Delicious. read more

Let me tell you about good customer service. Like actual, real customer service. This First Watch has it. I ordered a carryout breakfast with my wife and our niece this morning before our haircuts at Kink. I wanted the biscuits and gravy, because I've had it before and it's always spot on. So after my haircut and before my wife's, I opened my container and the gravy was missing. No big deal, I'll just literally walk across the street and pick up some gravy. No harm, no foul. So I go in, tell them that predicament, and let me tell you...they treated it like my order was the single most important order in the world. They not only got me new gravy, but a whole new order of biscuits as well. WOW. They went far beyond my expectations and really took AWESOME care of me. They even gave me a card for a free meal for two! WOW WOW WOW! The cook even came out and apologized to me personally. I can't praise these guys enough for how they took something that was completely insignificant to me and made it their mission to make it special and important. I will 100% recommend this location to anyone who asks. Thanks, guys. You really made my day! read more

One of my all time favorite breakfast spots! You have to try the million dollar bacon and their fresh jam. Heck, it's all delicious!

The kale juice was so yummy! I wish I can have that every morning in Venti size! Their avocado toast was ok... Just for the juice, I may just go back read more

The food is pretty average, I had the Greek "fetish" omelet (which, by the way, is awkward to order when you're lunching with a co-worker that you don't know very well). Anyway, the omelet was ok, I wish it came with kalamata olives instead of the regular black ones. Also, the potatoes could have used some sort of seasoning. But, on the plus side, the service was great--our waiter was really friendly, courteous, and fast. Incredibly fast! Like, my lunch came out in probably under 7 minutes! I was impressed! read more

Sold, reliable breakfast place. The menu is large, so there is definitely something for everyone. They have a decent selection of healthy options, so I appreciate that, too. I can't quite figure out why there's always such a long wait for tables. The wait staff is competent but tends to rush you once you get a table, which I assume is a result of the large crowds. Overall a good place for breakfast, just nothing to write home about. read more

This place is just okay. Nothing special to write home about, although after seeing some type of blueberry/blackberry compote served with their French toast, it inspired me to start making my own (best idea ever!!) and has since changed my French toast eating experiences. LOL. The food was moderately priced but it was like $3 or $4 for a glass of Tropicana something OJ.... eh. I had eggs benedict and I didn't appreciate that they came with chipped deli ham instead of Canadian Bacon. That kind of made me go WTF. There was a really obnoxious guy sitting off to my left who kept shouting rude stuff at servers and bitching about every last thing. Kind of ruined my experience. The guy behind me was apparently on his phone the whole time and pissed off his date. LOL I guess what I am trying to say is that First Watch is great for people (asshole) watching as well as overpriced OJ and "okay" breakfast food. I might go back here but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. All of the wait staff seemed....slow....at bringing things and/or in the head. I have no idea which it was, if not both... I guess my review seems harsh but I just wasn't impressed. I kind expected more old people to be eating here. The only pro I will say right off the bat is that we DID NOT HAVE TO WAIT TO BE SEATED. Yeah, Half and Half, I am looking at YOU. Get some more kitchen staff up in that biatch. Expand your damned kitchen or hire more people or w/e it takes. I love your food but your pretentious hipster staff telling me the wait is two hours long really grinds my gears. Sorry, First Watch, your review almost turned into a Half and Half rant, lol. read more

Gross. TERRIBLE fluorescent lighting. Bad food. Screeching kids. Worse than being at a Denny's. I got a turkey dill mushroom crepe thing. It was drenched in Hollandaise sauce that was basically just melted butter. There were a few sprinkles of dill on top that I ended up brushing aside to dig thru the butter to get to the food. The turkey was that diced chef salad "meat", and the rest of the plate was dry, fried potato chucks and english muffin drenched in butter. I never saw any mushrooms. Carbs and butter - that's what I got out of it. My friend got the Sonoran Fritatta - "An open-faced Mexican-style omelette with Chorizo and onions. Topped with homemade salsa, melted cheese and sour cream". Bland and processed-tasting. The salsa was definitely not homemade, it was Pace. The chorizo was bad. The food was cold. The cheese on top was barely melted. A wasted brunch opportunity. read more

I stopped in for lunch one day, dining alone, and I got breakfast. What a treat!!! I love breakfast food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in between. I couldn't decide between the eggs, bacon, and pumpkin pancakes or the butternut squash soup, so I ordered the soup to go and took it home for dinner. The service was amazing, food was delicious. I didn't feel awkward at all eating by myself, which I have only done a handful of times in my whole life. I was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was with the whole experience. Can't wait to go back now that I have my special place. read more

Great food. Good Service. Always reliable. Our go to breakfast spot

I think this is my last time coming. Every visit is more and more disappointing. Not liking the menu changes or unfortunate price increases. Potatoes come with everything, no subs allowed. Glad I deconstructed the Biscuit and Gravy Meal and ordered everything as a side (cheaper) bc the biscuits..no the gravy...no both, were horrible. And done. No need to come back to this "Once pretty good breakfast place in St.Louis" to " just another diner like breakfast place" read more

I guess I have so much time, I wait for breakfast now. I wanted to know what all the hubbub was about - there was a 30 minute wait, and we ended up being seated in less than that. The pancakes...giant fluffy pancakes. When I say giant, I mean, "as big as an extra large dinner plate" giant. The coffee is good and strong. I usually don't order english muffins, but decided to switch it up. The english muffins were buttered and crispy. I also like their menu, a little better than run of the mill brunch. Things are flavored well, and the dishes are not bland like alot of brunch chains. Great service, too. read more

We love firsts and usually go to a different location but due to other errands decided to go to Clayton location. We ordered several items, like muffins, that don't take time and waited for over 30 minutes while the restaurant went from half empty to full and other tables seated after us got their food. UPDATE: First watch reached out and we have been back twice since the first review and have had a good/normal first watch experience! read more

What a great farm-to-table option convenient to everywhere! I was introduced to FW during a family-weekend in the St. Louis area. Although we visited on a Thursday morning- there was still a wait! The staff moved the small line pretty fast and we were able to get a booth. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of brunch offerings. To start the coffee was awesome. The restaurant actually sells packages to allow you to take the brew with you! LOL My sister enjoyed the banana nut themed pancakes with a side of bacon. It was such a huge portion that she needed a to-go box! The bacon was crisp and cooked perfectly. They have a "Million Dollar" bacon on the menu that we will try on our next visit! I opted for a savory - Inspired Italian Omelet with mozzarella, Italian sausage, house-roasted tomatoes and red peppers. I would have never thought to put this combination together but it works! Given how busy the restaurant was during our visit the staff did a good job. The only reason i couldn't give this place five stars was due to the restrooms. When a restaurant is busy management should definitely make it someone's responsibility to check the conditions at least every half hour! Especially a breakfast/brunch place of this caliber. Despite a less than inviting powder room experience- First Watch gets two thumbs up! read more

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Went here today for a brunch get together with my mom and sister. We went around 11AM, and it was pretty empty, so I guess this is the time to go! No wait whatsoever. Am I the only person who thought this place was a bank at first? It's in a really sterile, nondescript building. Who knew? Anyway, food. Their menu is pretty expansive, and contains both breakfast and lunch food. There's definitely something for everyone. It helps that they have their entire menu online, along with nutrition values for each selection. I went the boring route and had the french toast with a side of bacon. Not bad. Not bad at all. Nothing knocked my socks off or anything; it was just standard breakfast fare. No bells and whistles here! Our server was extremely friendly and attentive, and I appreciate how the pitcher of water was kept on the table for us to refill our glasses as we pleased. And boy did we have to -- their glasses are TINY! I'm not itching to come back anytime soon, but I wouldn't turn down an offer to eat there again or anything. A solid three stars. read more

I like First Watch! Coming from the East Coast, I'm pretty used to IHOPs, which are pretty well known as hives of scum and villainy that occasionally serve a mean breakfast. If you sucked all the evil sleaze out of the IHOP chain and added a splash of syrupy good cheer, you'd get First Watch. You walk inside and the morning crowd's a preview that you're going to have a good time. The wait might be long, but a little free coffee bar helps the time fly by. The menu, as you might expect, is chock full of all sorts of breakfast offerings of various caloritude. Bacon's all over the place, too, just as it should be. The servers are friendly (mine looked like an old college professor), the tables and bathrooms are clean-- what's not to like? Definitely stop by First Watch if you want a reliable, family-safe, and conventional breakfast. Let me know what you think! read more

I really want to like First Watch, I really do. For some reason, my friend always wants to hit this spot when she's hungover. We went in today at about 10AM to a ten minute wait. The manager, who is always greeting guests near the door, never fails to exude tons of energy as he demonstrate his general lust for life. I am slightly jealous of all this happiness and wonder what it is that HE'S eating at First Watch. Our server was average. Not so friendly or patient.... but she did leave us with two pitchers of coffee and one pitcher of water. That made everyone's lives easier. I had the bacon and avocado skillet (you can paint yourself a picture). Hmmm.... I think I could've made this at home and saved some money. Nothing amazing here. My girls had biscuits and gravy.... they were weak sauce. The biscuits looked like they came from the freezer aisle of your local grocer and the gravy tasted like flour. :( No one said anything good or bad about their meals. I feel like First Watch is simply a cleaner, less smokey IHOP. And personally, I'd rather get the free entertainment the drunks at IHOP bring to the table. read more

Reasons why place rocks: there's coffee while you are waiting to be seated, personal coffee pot upon being seated, cute little breakfast potatoes, food comes out right away, bathrooms are clean, and menu options are out-of-control. While this probably is a slightly upscale IHOP, this spot made all my brunch desires come true. We had the chickichanga and an omelette. Would recommend subbing whatever sauce the chickichanga comes with (i believe a mix of hollandaise and salsa) for just plain salsa. Add hot sauce! Only disappointment was the "side" of fruit that came with my meal. Infant-sized portion. read more

First Watch is a chain, so that does not start it off well in my book, but I will admit that it a very reliable place to come to eat. The last few times it has not been super busy, but I would most likely chalk that up to there being TOPH just down the road now. Or maybe I am just an early riser so beat the crowd. I think it gets pretty crowded during weekday mornings after the school run. I usually get the rye toast and bacon, which is good. The coffee keeps getting filled regularly. I am giving this place 3* instead of 4* because it feels sterile like a hospital. Sorry, first watch, I do not know what you can really do about that. read more

Had the Eggs Benedict BLT with a side of seasoned potatoes. Really good! Packed with exciting flavors. Service was great and reasonably priced! read more

First Watch - Eggs Benedict BLT with a side of seasoned potatoes. Yum!!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

Hi Cassandra, Breakfast today was a HUGE success! I'm sure as you walked past the line of people on your way out, you could tell how excited our team was, and First Watch did not disappoint. Everyone got a full plate and a full heart this morning, what a great way to finish up a challenging week, and roll into the weekend! General themes in the feedback this morning include: "Holy cow, there's biscuits and gravy??" "Someone finally agreed to cater in potatoes, how awesome!" "That's a lot of syrup!" "That's a lot of butter!" and "Aw man, I missed the biscuits and gravy." "Can we order this again? Like all of the time?" Everyone from the support staff all the way up to our executive team was thrilled today, and are anxiously looking forward to the next breakfast from First Watch. Additional and specific feedback is below: Johna: Feedback: Breakfast was fantastic, I've never seen an entire tray of butter like that before. Roman: As someone who didn't get to try the breakfast (working from home today) I am getting hungry just reading about it. Ethan: my feed back is: that breakfast was amazing, I would not be upset if we never got anything else for breakfast again Kristen If you are really looking for an opinion. They really need to season their food. Amanda I'm excited to see it again! They have nutrition information on their website, so as long as I plan ahead I can have it! Mitch Stellar breakfast! Steve @lauren You have officially stepped up the breakfast game and I am a fan. Thank you. As you can tell by the last comment, people's opinion on breakfast points to my level of performance, and you all made me look good today! I look forward to our next breakfast order! Thanks again. read more

First Watch is a polarizing place. It's a family-friendly brunch place, which is surprisingly hard to come by these days. Brunch is all about the granola crowd, cruising out of bed at 11am hungover, and hoping that a strong coffee and southwest burrito will settle their stomach (a doomed enterprise beginning at the club the night before). Brunch places target a very specific demographic, the bobo foodies among us, wearing the chuck taylor high-tops and a wool sweater (i.e. people like myself). They cater to the Sunday afternoon - "give my kid pancakes so he'll stop whining, this place is loud but no louder than the average day in my house" - crowd. For all its convenience, however, it's only run-of-the-mill in terms of brunch. Don't get me wrong, it rises above the status-quo franchise when it comes to the elusively advertised late morning meal, but it doesn't wow and amaze. When it comes to St. Louis, especially University City, the bobos come out in droves on the weekend. They leave their dorm rooms at Wash U or their apartments next to Covenant Seminary, they tote their messenger bags covered in patches and filled with books and bibles, and they head out into the world to find one thing and one thing only: bottomless coffee and an omelet. For those weary travelers, if patience persists, they will forge a path toward Half & Half, or even the lighter fare of Kaldi's, or for the truly adventurous, they may make it all the way to Benton Park Cafe (the Lou's brunch mecca, if you ask me). In lieu of tripping over children and their french toast, there are better options. But for families, for a deafening but painless ambiance, it's a good dish served hot. BYOC - their coffee tastes like lemon juice was squeezed into it. Acidity level off the charts. read more

Yes, there is usually a line to get a table. But it moves incredibly fast and there's complimentary coffee while you wait. The staff is consistently friendly, and the food well-priced. I tend to order the oatmeal, a banana-crunch pancake and a cup of coffee. Also, try the parfait! And the muffins! read more

My wife and I went here for a Memorial Day Brunch and found it to be one of our favorite brunch spots in the city. Our server Franklin was on point, the food came out quickly and tasted absolutely perfect (chickachunga and the Bahn Mi Breakfast bowl). We will be back here often. read more

So so food. Bad coffee. Sterile atmosphere. FREEZING cold. My breakfast was stone cold before I finished half. My old the waitress and She could have cares less. Bring a parka and a portable heat plate! read more

Really NOT good. In fact, it's pretty terrible. The prices are reasonable, and the descriptions are appealing on the menu. Unfortunately, when your food arrives, it's a huge letdown. The food looks like someone else's leftovers, transferred to a clean plate. And the taste? What taste? They must have run out of that before you arrived. Find an IHOP. They, too, leave a carafe of hot coffee on your table ... that's the only positive thing going for this First Watch restaurant. Blech. read more

Yesterday my fiancé and I had a late lunch at this location. Our server, Chris, went to special care to take care of us. I was recently diagnosed with gluten and dairy allergies. I saw him write the allergies down and even write them in red ink. It was a great experience as eating out can be rather stressful with gluten and dairy. Thank you! read more