Was here in Columbia to visit the college kid and see a game. I've been to First Watch in other states and this one was very similar with a large open space. There are seats at the bar and lots of tables but since this is a college town, use the app to reserve your table or check the status. We got there early and was seated right away. By the end of our meal, there was a line out the door. They make a good pot of coffee and leave the pot at your table. Love this! Its nice not to have to request a refill. Food is fresh and the waffles had tons of fruit. The Farmhouse Hash was cooked perfectly and wasn't hungry until dinner time. read more

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I spent the weekend in Columbia visiting my daughter. We ordered from First Watch twice. The first time, we waited over an hour for a simple order of a breakfast sandwich, bacon, and an iced coffee. I let it go, thinking maybe it's a holiday weekend. Today, I ordered more simple food - pancakes, bacon, ham & cheese sandwich. After over an hour of waiting for my Door Dasher, they cancelled my order and blamed it on the driver. The driver had been waiting for 45 mins! This place consistently offers TERRIBLE customer service. Save yourself the trouble and order from anywhere else. read more

This is definitely one of the best places to grab a fancy breakfast or brunch in COMO. If you've never been to firstwatch- they have a lot of locations and what's great about them is that their menu stays the same throughout each restaurant. They have a lot of traditional breakfast dishes that they put their own unique spin on and repeatedly their service has been great! If you're going there I would recommend trying their skillet hashes and their fresh squeezed juices because they are amazing! My only suggestion would be to check in early on their online waitlist because there can be a pretty long wait to get in! read more

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

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Daughter asked 4 syrup 4 pancakes it never was brought. My bread was WET, waiter said must be from Mayo! No way! Like water on it. 1/8x 2 slice tomato on club. Told mgr was coming they never ever came. Much of Lettuce like cooked spinach so rotten. Absolutely disgusting. Pd $13 for wet sandwich $13 for pancakes with no syrup. read more

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First Watch in general has deteriorated in service; however, the Grindstone location is the absolute worse. Over the last two years their service has gone from okay to 'I really do not want to deal with them anymore". Today I ordered poached eggs which came in about a 1/2 cup of water. My potatoes were half burnt (one side of the diced potatoes were burnt) and the rest were burnt through. We never saw our server after she brought our food. There were no refills on drinks. We had to ask another employee for our total and to check us out. This happened the last time we were there and it's unacceptable. I would excuse this if they were busy; but, staff was standing around chatting and only half the tables were occupied; so, busyness wasn't an issue. I am done with this particular First watch. read more

Need to have quick breakfast. It was efficient and food is great. Service is efficient. Goes as expected. Close to where we stay. Orange juice does not have the pulps... read more

First Watch - Traditional breakfast with bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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Came here with friends for brunch! The staff was very friendly. The menu had great selections for everyone. The food was very delicious. We all enjoyed what we ordered and plan to come back again. They have outdoor seating available when is nie out. read more

Love the vibe, love the food! The front of the house always seems a little disheveled. Doesn't seem to match the vibe.

I LOVE First Watch. I would eat here at least once or twice a week if I could. Kale Tonic & Farmhouse Hash are my go to's. The servers are always really nice & food usually comes out pretty fast even when it's a little busier. read more

Since moving to Columbia, I haven't had the chance to explore breakfast options and after looking at the menu, I figured I'd give First Watch a try. Upon walking in, I noticed it wasn't too terribly busy, but still had a decent crowd, and had a great atmosphere with very cute decor. The staff was extremely friendly and had us seated right away. The menu isn't gigantic, but everything sounded so good I didn't know what to choose, so I asked our waitress and she was extremely helpful. Chrissy was quick to have a couple of suggestions and even brought me out her favorite juice when I asked her to surprise me. We opted for the Hacienda Hash and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Both options were absolutely delicious and honestly, these were the best pancakes I've ever had. They were slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with fantastic flavor. Both my mom and I agreed that we will definitely be back for more breakfast soon! read more

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Stopped by for breakfast for the first time a bit busy but the wait wasn't to long the food was good we had a great waitress she was awesome read more

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Oh wow! delicious! Huge menu. There wasn't a speck left uneaten. I had a smoked salmon frittata and a salad with a lemon vinaigrette. I put a side of avocado on my salad, oh so delicious. My husband had Chickichanga. There's not a drop left of it either, comes with potatoes. And we're going home with ground coffee to make coffee at home. A plus is that the straws are marine biodegradable. Service was great. Atmosphere too!! We'll be back. read more

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

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Tasty. Phil,Sean,and Trinity made my experience quite nice. I will be back. Thanks for the solid service and stellar food

We've been here several times and I always thought their food was consistent but not spectacular. They sure proved me wrong...today they delivered a meal that I absolutely have nothing to complain about. 1. Fresh OJ - very tasty and very fresh 2. Artisan bread - seedy and served thick, it was lightly toasted and paired well with housemade preserves and a light smear of butter 3. Lemon ricotta pancake - by far the best pancake I've ever had. Crisp on the outside and fluffy and light w ricotta creaminess on the inside. Served w lemon curb n fruit on top. We applied a light coat of maple syrup bc no need to mess up this masterpiece by drowning it in syrup 4. Elevated egg sandwich - I've had this in the past and thought it was just meh but this time I saw the lemon dressed arugula salad and boy did it make a difference. It totally woke up this sandwich 5. Belgian waffle. Husband ordered this I did not have any but he reported that it was a good and crispy waffle read more

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Got me right the second time. Apologized for the slow service and gave me some gift cards. Took my mom there and I got the same hash as before to see, potatoes were crispy but not burnt. My mom loved it too. Service was excellent. read more

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

I was pleasantly surprised with my experience here. I'll admit I had pretty low expectations as this restaurant doesn't really cater to the vegan diet for breakfast/brunch. It does have some options such as avocado toast, smoothie bowls, certain sides, veggie burger etc. that you can customize to make work for you. Our waiter was very polite and ensured we had what we needed while dining. I ordered the veggie burger and a side of potatoes. The food arrived fresh, hot, and well seasoned. I also ordered the pomegranate sunrise which was tasty. This is a nice place for weekend brunch. It's got a pretty nice atmosphere, is super spacious inside, and the food tastes good too. read more

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I always enjoy First Watch and this was my first time in the Columbia restaurant. The food is delicious and the service is great. For breakfast and brunch this is a go to for good food. read more

I love this spot for brunch! I have visited the various locations throughout my travels and it is pretty much the same every time. This location specifically is very spacious. Most of the time there is always a wait but I try my best to skip it and grab a seat at the bar. Today the host Sophia was kinda rude when I asked to sit at the bar. She said they had an hour wait due to the kitchen. Fortunately a nice serve named Claire offered to serve us drinks. Once we had a mimosa this move man next to us gave up his seat to go sit elsewhere. read more

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Wow...very good. Two for brunch. Arrived at 11:30 and had a 15 minute wait. I ordered the ham and Gruyere cheese omelette with house potatoes (essentially fried taters and onions) and the other guest ordered a BLT eggs Benedict with house potatoes. Both were delicious - 5 star - and used high quality ingredients. In fact mine was just about perfect...even though I asked for S&P, I never needed it. For drinks we got a water and an iced tea. The iced tea was good. The place was clean. Service was spot on. We will definitely go here again! read more

First Watch - Menu - Page 1 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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Waited almost an hour and a half to be seated on my sister's graduation day with a party of 11. After the tremendous wait our party was not even seated together. read more

My god this whole experience was awful. Got seated and ordered drinks and then waited 10 min for our waitress to come back to take our order. But every time she came back she was forgetting something, like her pen or she got distracted. So finally after 20 min we ordered. It took 45 minutes for our food to come out and our waitress said nothing about it. The cherry on top was my friends sandwich was burned and my over medium eggs were very runny. I felt like I was being pranked the whole time. read more

First watch used to be my boyfriend and I'd go-to breakfast spot. Delicious healthy foods and a great atmosphere. We love the juices even though they were very sugary. However, the last 3 visits we had a very long wait for a table. On top of our long waits, we got forgotten about... twice, we were sat for 20-30 minutes with no service before someone realized we were in there section. We are very patient people, but this won't be our regular spot anymore. It's a great option if you're confident enough to wave down and keep track of your service! I'm guessing they need to hire more employees to keep up with the rush. read more

First watch was definitely not the first option for our group boy after we pondered on the question of what to eat for a brunch after some thinking we settled on first watch a casual looking restaurant we all sat down and at the time of this review they had a summer special with multiple different summer options including the tres leches French toast which from the description I needed to try. The service was good and decently fast about 10-15 mins for a very large order from our party. Food arrived the just by looking at the French toast I knew I had made the right call. The French toast was light fluffy and had a nice fruity purée on top of it. Would definitely recommend if you are in the area looking for some breakfast/brunch. read more

First Watch - Tres leches French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Visiting my sister from out of town and she recommended this place for brunch. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The food took sooo long first of all and when it finally came it was not good. Million dollar bacon came out undercooked, we sent it back then it came back burnt! Next we had a side of potatoes that came out with omelette. Omelette was cold and potato's were black and burnt. Sent the potatoes back and then they sent out potatoes that were not fully cooked! Side of grits were cold. It was just all around not good at all. I do want to shout out our waitress April. She was great despite the horrible food. I would give her 5 stars!! Not sure if I'll be returning though !! read more

Went for breakfast. Have been to several First Watch locations and have always been impressed. This location didn't live up to previous experiences. Four out of five of us ordered an egg entree. They cooked the eggs to an almost inedible status. Also the service was terrible. The waiter seemed quite uninterested in being there. He was MIA for most of the meal. I had to find him and flag him down to bring the drinks we ordered, my son's waffle and my wife's water. Do not recommend. read more

So honestly, our food took a freaking HOUR AND 20 minutes. Sounds like things got really backed up. But somehow they saved the day. They gave my mom an extra hot chocolate said the meal was on them and gave us a million dollar bacon just cause they wanted too! The comeback made the visit go from the worst to one of the best. read more

Stopped at the Columbia location of this chain restaurant on a long road trip. Thankfully we planned ahead and got on the table waitlist while we were driving, about an hour outside of the city. Even at that we waited another 20 minutes for a table. Our server didn't stop by the table very often. The water was really, really horrible. I mean, really bad. Don't drink it. Our meal (the food itself) was good, but nothing to rave about. No complaints with the food.... but it wasn't really worth the wait. Not worth a 90 minute wait to be seated (which it would have been if we hadn't used the "get in line" option) and not worth the wait for the food itself to be delivered once we'd ordered. I should add that the enjoyment of our meal was somewhat impacted (negatively) by our table situation. We were right by a window, the winter sun was low even near midday but very bright and and it was RIGHT in our eyes and making that spot quite warm. We were seated by a huge window and it had no shade to pull down. It was so bright I had to wear sunglasses. Being a cold day, I didn't mind the greenhouse warmth it generated, but I can't imagine what that table would be like in the heat of summer. Bottom line breakdown: Food: 3.5 Service: 3 Wait: 2 Comfort: 3 read more

We were able to be seated right away Which was awesome because we were famished. Of course it was a Monday - so that helped! I've driven by on Sundays and there is usually a crowd. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive - she gave great advice as to what to order when we were torn between a couple. She steered us right! My husband enjoyed his meal and I did as well. The iced tea is perfectly brewed and they carry Stevia, which was appreciated. Highly recommend their version of "Pick two" - I picked tomato basil soup and a half of a grilled cheese veggie sandwich. Very filling and flavorful. We will be back! read more

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My boyfriend and I randomly chose this place for brunch on a Saturday and it was perfect! We had mimosas, Bloody Mary, blueberry pancakes and the French toast. Everything was delicious! read more

First Watch - Mimosa Bloody Mary Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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This place was my favorite until this morning. Checked in around 1030am and kept seeing people walk in and get seated right away. After an hour wait I asked the front what was the problem and was informed that the people that were walking in and getting seated right away were checking in online before they even got to the restaurant which places them in the queue and up the list. So nice of them to explain this to me an hour ago but no thank you. WILL NOT BE BACK and thanks for the great customer service that you failed to give. read more

Pretty good food. Service is just okay. If you can afford to spend a small fortune on breakfast, this is the place for you. I cannot. Joanna Gaines decor. read more

Was so excited to see a First Watch open in Columbia! Tried it for the first time today and loved it. Good food, service, and love the atmosphere. It's so cute in here Will be back read more

First Watch - Skillet Hash, Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

With an average plate cost at $12, this food is excellent! Waitress was outstanding and the environment is fit for all families. Food is cooked to order with fresh ingredients and they even have mimosa. read more

We tried it out and were seriously not impressed. Portions are tiny and it's very expensive. There's generally a long wait to get a table, and the servers tend to be snobs. read more

Delicious!! I had the Açaí Bowl and it was amazing! It comes with a side of almond butter toast, absolutely fantastic.

Been here a number of times and the food is great. However, the tap water is probably one of the worst I've ever had. I have to make sure I order a drink just so I have something to drink aside from water (maybe a tactic to purchase drinks? haha). Please change your water! read more

First Watch - trifecta and the works - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Best brunch EVER!!! Food was absolutely amazing!! Everything was still hot when it arrived. Amazing service. Seen servers all working together. You want GREAT food, GREAT service this is the place!!! read more

This place is BRAND NEW but a chain so I had high expectations from the start. It is very clean and they're doing well to make sure the tables are spread out appropriately. Our server was great and super nice. A little weird we were picking things up off the tray but a weird time. Overall, love the addition to Columbia and look forward to coming back! read more

First time coming here. Wait was a little long so I suggest checking in online before you arrive. Super cool atmosphere. Kind of a farmhouse/rustic feel with some modern touches to it. Brunch drinks are awesome, definitely unique. Kitchen is slightly backed up at the moment but I wouldn't expect anything less for Sunday Brunch. If you're in a hurry to eat and leave this place isn't for you. If you've got time to kill and want to just sit back and relax while enjoying some nice drinks, this is the place to be. I'll definitely be back!!! read more

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We are just leaving having had lunch with our college aged kids and Sunny was our server. She was AMAZING. She was attentive and kind and so sweet. We all had special requests for our order and she got everything correct! We all had a great time together and the food was so good as well. I'll definitely be back and will for sure ask for Sunny. read more