First Watch is First Rate! Spoiler alert! The tastes are great; the staff first rate; The ambience chill, and it you have to, First Watch is worth the wait! We had the Pomegranate Pear Punch, the Chickichanga, and the Smoke Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Fritatta and all were very tasty. The chorizo in the Chickichanga really was a nice surprise and added to the blend on flavors. The seasoned potatoes were a nice companion. The Salmon Fritata, was delicious and the serving size was perfect. The side of greens were a nice compliment. The coffee was Project Sunrise coffee which is framed in Columbia ( the country) by Mujeres en Café (or Women in Coffee). Google Project Sunrise for more info. You should there early otherwise you may have to wait to get in. Parking fills up, but there is enough parking in the shopping center area that you should be able to park with only a slight walk to First Watch. First Watch is a great way to start the day! Enjoy! read more

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Visited on new year day (2020), it was pretty busy but we were able to secure a table for 3. I wanted a classic breakfast with all the basics and I got just that! Pretty fulfilling and full of flavor. With how busy they were, our server still took attention to all details so props for that! DEFINITELY TRY THE STRAWBERRY JAM! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

I went back after a disappointing visit hoping it would be better. This time just for a coffee to go. Y'all I paid 6$ for a cup of flavored iced. It was straight ice. read more

First Watch - Ice with a hint of coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Wasn't bad or good for me, was just average brunch food. However, a friend possibly got food poisoning from here.

This is one of my favorite brunch spots! The avocado toast is my go to! It's one of my favorites I've had, very good. But the pancakes are also soo yummy and a big portion too. Everything always taste so fresh here, healthy options if you're trying to not splurge on calories and there's a ton of great options to pick from. read more

Absolutely delicious for great prices! Looks like they're doing a lot of take-out orders and sit-down at the same time, so they're very busy! Restaurant was crowded for a Friday morning. read more

First Watch - Skillet hash - Farmhouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Call it redemption. So my Wife and I came back thanks to Ashley C.'s Brunch Bucks see sent us due to my last review. I must say that this location did a 180 and redeemed themselves. Everything was really good and came out fast. Our waiter, Spencer was really nice and checked on us to ensure everything was up to par. I ordered the Trifecta and my Wife ordered the Traditional. Both of us ordered the pork sausage and eggs scrambled soft. Both were cooked how we like them. My Wife's toast was done correctly and my Waffle had a crisp outer layer and a soft inner side. The million dollar bacon was not burnt and the flavor came through perfectly. We were hesitant to come back but glad we did. We enjoyed our meal and our experience. Thank you First Watch-Columbia for restoring our Faith in your ability to provide a Quality meal. read more

First Watch - Traditional and TriFecta Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

I had to wait over 35 min, but it was totally worthy. Great food, reasonable prices and excellent service.

Industrial feel, wood booth, personalized service and delicious breakfast. Will definitely return! read more

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Yesterday I went to dine at first watch in Columbia Maryland off of Dobbin Road I've dined of this first watch restaurant outlet several times before I find the prices at first watch a little pricey, but they do interesting things As I am sitting there after having ordered oatmeal and a side order of pork sausage, I decided to look at what they would call maple syrup to put on the pancakes. This is what I found. Here's a photo. Smuckers sugar-free breakfast syrup This is a legal way for them to market a manufacture product that is it, Maple Syrup, or even molasses This food is toxic and causes a lot of problems like diabetes and cancer I did explicitly said to the waitress I wanted real butter and yes, she brought back something that look like this photo When I charge the waitress cause I know real butter is this place is almost like shortly. She said well that's the only thing back in the kitchen that we call butter Instead of saying that, no, we don't serve real butter she outright lied to my face OK folks if you want to guard your health, you need to go look at places like this and deal with people who are not honest with you. This is what I call. Extremely bad service. Other such first watch outlets will at least be honest the front, but they don't surf real butter. This place doesn't train their people are the people don't really care. I could make comments about the demeanor appearance and poor manners of the general staff, and perhaps maybe their familial and cultural backgrounds as I observed Please, I'll revisit the steel cut oatmeal. I ordered this breakfast offering before probably a dozen times or more from First Watch, and from different ones too. This time they bundled the steel cut oatmeal that used to be in the seven dollar range with a muffin. The very abrupt and rude boorish waitress, said, and very forceful, almost mocking time. Do you want a muffin? Almost like I'm going to reject ths muffin and should. I then asked to substitute for fried potatoes. Just select something. Now this is something for corporate to ask and answer. Could I have just asked for no muffins or outside and have a reduction in price from $9,98down to about the seven dollar range? Please stop trying to stuff nonsense food I was for people try to eat healthy and serve an artificial butter, fat substitute that causes heart disease and strokes and cancer. Let's just say that this particular Dobbin Road, first watch, maybe someplace you could choose not to go to Hint, corporate office, take a note read more

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Breakfast food is my favorite and I'm happy to say I think First Watch has some solid breakfast food options! Due to covid, I have never stepped inside (delivery for the win) but hope to be able to once it's safe. My go-to is the Market Hash! Potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, shallots, spinach, mozzarella, and goat cheese....and two eggs on top? YES, PLEASE!! I love getting my eggs over medium so I can have a slightly runny yolk. However, there was once where my eggs were so overcooked (even though I ordered over medium) that the edges were burnt and the yolk wasn't runny. Not the worst thing in the world but was a bit disappointing. Hopefully that was a one time fluke as I still have ordered the market hash many times after that and still love it! I've also tried the Morning Meditation juice and although it looks very pretty, it wasn't for me. I definitely appreciated that it was not sweet and it tasted very fresh! However, it had a bitter taste that maybe I'm not quite accustomed to. However, I will continue to order food from here to get my breakfast fix! read more

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A healthy breakfast place that doesn't seem overtly healthy makes you want to come back for more! When you walk in, it smells like freshly squeezed vegetable juice. It's not like extremely spacious but it's enough to be comfortable. I would definitely try one of heathy options, I normally get an omelette but there are any better options on the menu. I would suggest trying this place out if you have the chance. read more

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We've eaten here a few times and normally it's a great experience. Today the service was slow and uneven. We were seated and it took time to get waited on. Placed our drink order and it took a long time for it to arrive. My wife ordered coffee which was brought after the water and my OJ were delivered. Server didn't bring a mug for the coffee and then brought two and one was dirty. We ordered food but one it was delivered it was not hot and don't look appetizing. My wife's potatoes were under cooked. Mine was tasty but not hot. We will still return because past experiences were great. It appears to be a service issue as our server didn't appear to have any sense of urgency or customer service training. read more

I came in expecting to just grab a muffin and some coffee, but when I saw the picture for the Shrimp and grits I decided to get more. It's really cute inside and the food was really good..... I didn't give 5 stars because of my server, I still don't know his name because he never gave it. It took him over 10 minutes to come to my table and he only arrived after the host was about to take my order. I ordered the Morning Mediation as well but I didn't taste it yet. read more

First Watch - Morning Meditation - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

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I got the eggs Florentine Benedict and it wasn't the best I've had. Needed more seasoning and the lettuce was wilted that came with it. The place is beautiful inside and there's lot of other items on the menu that are priced fairly. I'd try something else next time. read more

I've been to the other locations and this one is just as nice. Friendly, fast service and delicious food. The chickichanga and the carrot pecan pancakes are delicious! read more

Just opened this week! I stumbled upon it when Pei Wei had a 45 minute wait. My daughter and I thought we'd give it a try. I'm so happy we did! The breakfast scene in Columbia is definitely lacking and this place is all about breakfast and brunch. I'm happy to add it to our repertoire. I ordered a chicken burrito and it was so good! Zesty green chilies, avocado, and eggs with a dollop of sour cream on top all wrapped in a soft, but still crispy, flour tortilla. The side of potatoes were really nicely crisped and seasoned as well. It also came with a small side of fruit. My daughter ordered the chocolate chip pancake from the kids menu. It was a large pancake that came with a side of sausage for $5.75. Great deal. The coffee was good and they give you the whole pot to refill your own cup. Definitely recommend! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

FW is one of my favorite breakfast spots. Service is always good, the restaurant is always busy and the food is always great. I opted for the market skillet hash, fried eggs w/cheese and the nutritious morning meditation drink. My grand daughter got the Trifecta w/ bacon and Belgian waffle. She also ordered the cold brew which was underwhelming. To start our meal we ordered the seasonal ginger bread spiced donuts. OMG those warm and tasty donuts gave us life. We alternately dipped them in cream cheese kinda spread, a caramel kinda spread and a warm jelly kinda spread. All I can say is we were more than satisfied with our meal and our service. We'll be back!!! read more

First Watch - Cold brew coffee and Morning Meditation - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

What a delicious brunch! I had the hacienda hash special. The combination of chorizo , spicy cheese, potatoes and eggs was very flavorful! My only complaint was my eggs over easy was not over easy enough, but they quickly fixed that by bringing over new eggs cooked perfectly! My sister had the barbacoa Benedict special and can't stop raving about it! I am so bummed there is not a First Watch in Connecticut! read more

I was excited about trying this new place in Columbia as we need more breakfast shops in the area, but I went away unimpressed. We visited on a Monday around noon, so no trouble getting seated right away. But the sparse utilitarian decor (think Chipotle) did nothing to absorb sound and it was VERY loud inside. I can't imagine what is it like when every table is full. As far as the menu's offerings, think trendy/modern breakfast and brunch choices. Notice I didn't say 'healthy' because you can still make some bad decisions here as far as that goes. Other reviews seem to indicate that others really like this place, but I don't feel like it will be on our list to revisit. read more

First Watch - 1/2 Roast Beef & Havarti Sandwich and 1/2 portion of Chicken Avocado Chopped Salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

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I've passed this location a million times and decided to try this location for breakfast. Not only is the food phenomenal, wait staff was amazing as well. We had a waiter named David(Warren) who took the time to thoroughly inform us on what was on the menu and checked in with us making sure we enjoyed our experience. The waffles with powdered sugar was great and the chicken Patty sausage was very tasty but their Watermelon Wake up beverage was a favorite& very delicious. Would definitely recommend this gem. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Went there with group of friends to have breakfast. Good food, nice ambiance, and staff was very friendly and attentive to us. read more

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Placed a to-go order with a few of my coworkers last week and they were overall pretty solid. I got the Pick 2 Combo meal (comes with your choice of 1/2 sandwich, 1/2 soup, or 1/2 salad. The Superfood Kale salad was really tasty and a pretty solid portion for the "half" portion. My coworkers said their sandwich was really tasty and their salads were good. I had the tomato soup as part of my other half, which is good - nothing amazing. The best part about this place is the fact that they have healthy menu options and you can essentially eat here without feeling the tiredness/too full feeling you might get from another lunch place. Would MAYBE go here for brunch, but I think of it as more of a takeout lunch place. Maybe I will be proven wrong if I go for a sit-down brunch. read more

Yummmmmmy! My new favorite brunch spot. I never thiufht about eating a "First Watch" restaurants so we decided to stop here for breakfast. They had some really good options and some healthy choices as well, which is why we picked this place. We were easily seated without a wait and we placed our orders with a super pleasant server. I decided to get the traditional breakfast adding spinach to my eggs and my family got pancakes and potatoes. The food came out fairly quick. Warning: the pancakes are H.U.G.E. My husband usually finishes his food, but this was too much for him, lol. I love the different options they have and the food is really food. I will return and try the one closer to my home. read more

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TL;DR The experience is not worth the wait. Usually when I review a restaurant I say it's all about the food, but these guys are an exception. I've been to this First Watch several times over the last year, but I think I'm donezo now. Their food is usually pretty good. They are definitely expensive. The coffee always tasted burned..ALWAYS. But the reason I won't be back is that they are overcrowded and this franchise/branch/whatever just doesn't seem to be able to move people through. Their online list is pretty jacked up too. Signed up online, waited about 45 minutes (per how long the wait was at sign up). Rolled in and was told it'd be another 45 minutes. So that 100% error bar doesn't work for me. If you're hungry in the middle of the week then sure see if you can get seated. If you have a job or a life or just things to do I suggest picking someplace else. BONUS: Maybe if you're super lucky/unlucky you'll get to deal with their hosts/hostesses with crappy attitudes. I will reiterate that the experience is simply not worth it. read more

Wonderful breakfast right in Columbia. The million dollar bacon put a large smile on my hubby's face. I enjoyed my French toast, and the morning meditation and carrot crush were delicious. Server was courteous, service was fast, place is clean. We will be back. read more

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It took over 20 mins to get a water and coffee and now we've been sitting over an hour since we ordered our food. Tables around us are complaining left and right. The hostess is just staring at us in shame. I've watched families come in after us eat and leave and we're still without our meal. The hostesses asked us to sit at the community table which is obviously code for purgatory. Insane!! Now I'm questioning my own sanity on why I'm still here. read more

Great atmosphere, ate outside with the baby and dog hanging out. For that I would give 5 stars but I gotta say the coffee is a huge let down and food is just average. The male server that greated us at first was super nice and quick, but unfortunately he didnt stay our waiter, he must of been just helping. He was on the ball.for his tables. Our food did come quick. Coffee....Someone said it tastes burnt and I completely agree. I asked a guy inside and he said it comes from a bottle. Not sure if that meant premade, I should of asked. The fruit drink with ginger that my wife got tasted great. Wife's food was decent which was a traditional style breakfast. My pancakes were just average, definitely wouldn't buy again. 5 for atmosphere/comfort, 3 star for food. Overall positive experience, but something just felt off. The one waiter made us feel good. If I could give 3.5 I would read more

Among the very best breakfasts we have had anywhere in a long time. Maybe ever. Eastern Tennessee people and I-26 travelers would be well served to come find the unusual, creative menu here. read more

Food was burnt up and old I don't recommend this first watch at all. And my waitress was too busy ain't see her my whole time there

happy to see that someone from this restaurant reached out to me to discuss my last visit, however, I didn't see their reply to my original review until a year later. Based on the fact that they cared enough to reply to my email though, my wife and I decided to give their restaraunt in Columbia another try. As we entered, there was no line, so I have no update on their intake process (that I wrote about before). However we were greeted by a very nice young lady who walked us to our table outside and seated us. It was a beautiful morning so we appreciated that First Watch provided outdoor seating. Our hostess provided us with menus on hard stock paper, which many restaraunts switched to during the pandemic, which was more hygienic than the old way of everyone touching a menu coated in or made of plastic or other material. The restaurant would simply throw away paper menus that were already touched and reprint more. I am not saying that this was First Watch's process, but I looked at the menu and saw how dirty it was, I was a bit surprised. The menu has coffee spills on it and seeing that it was a paper menu, this didn't sit well with me but it was not a dealbreaker. Another nice waitress approached and took our order for coffee without incident. She returned quickly quickly with a carafe round our coffee mugs, however as my wife and I conversed, I couldn't help but notice how dirty the carafe was (see attached photos). I poured my coffee and then unwrapped my spoon to stir the sweetner into the coffee but then noticed that my spoon was dirty too!. We left and went somewhere else. I was happy to see that someone from this restaurant reached out to me to discuss my last visit, however, I didn't see their reply to my original review until a year later. Based on the fact that they cared enough to reply to my email though, my wife and I decided to give their restaraunt in Columbia another try. As we entered, there was no line, so I have no update on their intake process (that I wrote about before). However we were greeted by a very nice young lady who walked us to our table outside and seated us. It was a beautiful morning so we appreciated that First Watch provided outdoor seating. Our hostess provided us with menus on hard stock paper, which many restaraunts switched to during the pandemic, which was more hygienic than the old way of everyone touching a menu coated in or made of plastic or other material. The restaurant would simply throw away paper menus that were already touched and reprint more. I am not saying that this was First Watch's process, but I looked at the menu and saw how dirty it was, I was a bit surprised. The menu has coffee spills on it and seeing that it was a paper menu, this didn't sit well with me but it was not a dealbreaker. Another nice waitress approached and took our order for coffee without incident. She returned quickly quickly with a carafe round our coffee mugs, however as my wife and I conversed, I couldn't help but notice how dirty the carafe was (see attached photos). I poured my coffee and then unwrapped my spoon to stir the sweetner into the coffee but then noticed that my spoon was dirty too!. We left and went somewhere else. read more

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The first watch offerings are creative and enjoyable. While the recipe from one first watch to the other sometimes changes, the variations add a little tasty surprise. For example, my waffle seemed to have a slight cinnamon taste to it. No matter which First Watch I have been to, the waffles are light and fluffy. The coffee is medium roast without flavoring (hazelnut, for example) options. Fresh and priced appropriately, it is good coffee. The ambience is always loud and crowded, but the secret is to reserve your place in line prior to going (go to their website to reserve, checkin when you get there). The place is designed to handle crowds (but could use noise dampening wall objects). I don't know how they screen the folks that wait the tables, but whatever process they use should be taught to other places. read more

I want to like this place. The menu is pretty varied for a breakfast/brunch location, but having been there twice there's always problems. I don't think they're server problems, it seems like maybe staffing?, but today's brunch with two other couples was kind of a hot disaster. The coffee had a very burnt flavor. They also only have sugar in the raw and stevia, the server said they used to have Splenda but ran out and haven't reordered. Maybe it means something that you have plenty of the other two and one runs out? Like maybe people prefer it? Which stinks, after church on a Sunday I love a good cup of coffee. It wasn't' this. I ordered the seasonal special, a green Chile pork hash with two eggs. My wife ordered ricotta lemon pancakes, the others ordered various items. Five of the six entrees came out, and being polite people we waited. And waited. And waited for the sixth entree which was going to "come right out". The rub? It was a BLT with eggs on it. That's all? LITERALLY the simplest thing we ordered. And we waited maybe 5 but probably closer to 7 minutes to come out. Of course when it did everyone else's dish was cold. My pork had a fine taste, but it was cold. The two poached eggs (imagine runny yolks all mixing in with the potatoes and pork and green chiles - yum!) were somewhere between almost hard boiled and hard boiled. My wife's pancakes were dense and cold (of course) with a ladle full of lemon curd on the and a sliced strawberry or two. I don't expect ricotta pancakes to be dense, these were not okay (2 pancakes for I think 11$). Several of us had tomato basil soup, we mostly thought it was fine but one felt it was basically catsup. YMMV on this, you have to ask for crackers or croutons or -something- to add to the soup. I snapped at the end and asked for the manager. He was very apologetic and blamed staffing. I'm not going to lie I felt like there were a LOT of people around (while we had a 30+ min wait there were several un-bussed tables slowly being cleaned), maybe its cooking help. He was fantastic in trying to alleviate my concerns that this was the norm and not just an anomaly. He took some of the cold food off our bill and gave us a gift card for a future trip we could use at any First Watch restaurant if we didn't want to come back to this location. The varied menu and seasonal specials will bring me back, at least one more time, but they're on thin ice with respect to my patronage. read more

my wife went to First Watch for the first time on March 3 2024 at 11 we reserved a table for two and told our wait time would be between 45 minutes to an hour. A coulple behind us in line got a table for two as well. At 11:45 the couple behind us went in to their table. We left because we have busine and had to meet clients at 1:45. At 12:20 we get a text saying our table was ready. By the time we are seated and have our order taken we would have less than an hour to be served and eat. We are not sure that we will be back. Vance Willis 443-554-7380 read more

I ordered food from there recently It was ok nothing spectacular Maybe it was the food item that I ordered but not overly impressed However on a positive note the inside was packed with families eating breakfast so maybe they know something I don't UPDATE: 1 Week later. I gave them a 2nd try and suffice to say..much better...the fruit yogurt granola bowl was delicious ...So it read more

First Watch - spinach wrap was ok , hash browns were excellent very tasty - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

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Outstanding menu and chefs. I feel like I'm treating myself and SO when we come here, it's that good. Downside is that this place is popular so check for less busy times. read more

I visited on a Saturday, if you have the app use it to put your party on the wait list. Also, don't pull into the parking lot directly in front of the restaurant unless you have a ADA placard. The lot is tight and dead ends. The food was great as usual. I was not comfortable with some of the servers not wearing masks. We were told it was not required in that county. We requested a server wearing a face covering. It was appreciated. read more

I always get their breakfast delivered it's great. They use fresh ingredients. Be sure to try their million dollar bacon

I swore I wouldn't come here again after the last time leading to the review I left but alas in search of healthy-ish food I came here again and waited for well over an hour for food again. Yes it's Presidents' Day and people are off but it's still a Monday at 0915. Edit- I just asked the waitress how much longer on our food and she pointed at some nice ladies who had their food to go because of the wait and she told me "well they just got theirs and it's been 55 minutes, there's only 2 people in the kitchen". So that's great read more

First Watch is always my go to brunch/lunch spot! Their service & food is always worth the visit and the casual environment makes it great for any casual gathering. I often dream about their lemon ricotta pancakes read more

First Watch - Lemon Ricotta Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Maryland