First Watch at Montvale NJ. It's located inside a plaza with other restaurants and shopping/grocery center. Modern and chic design. Love the wooden table, giving a barn vibe. We had a reservation so did not wait long. It is a popular spot for brunch for sure. The staff are friendly and helpful. But it was so many people, took us some time to get the order. Nevertheless it is good quality food. The tea comes with whole set. You drink as much as you want. Egg Benedict has good runny yolks. Waffle is ok for me. Overall a solid spot for brunch. Parking is a little crazy during rush hours. read more

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My experience at First Watch was a complete failure in both service and management. We were a party of 7, seated at 12:00 and ordered by 12:15. Most meals came out around 12:30, but one gluten-free order was completely mishandled. One person in our group did not receive their food with the rest of us. We waited over 20 minutes while everyone else ate, and by the time we were finishing, he had only been given a small side of eggs, his main dish (gluten-free French toast) still had not arrived. We asked staff multiple times, politely, and were consistently dismissed. No eye contact, no updates, no urgency. Our server was absent for long periods (10-15 minutes at a time), drinks were empty, and no one took responsibility for fixing the issue. By 1:10 PM, over an hour after being seated, the full order still hadn't come out. At that point, we had no choice but to ask for it to be wrapped to go, since the rest of us had already finished eating. The most concerning part was the manager's response. After calmly explaining the situation, there was no apology, no attempt to correct the experience, and no effort to take accountability. Saying "I'll talk to your server" and leaving it at that is not an acceptable response to a clear service breakdown. This wasn't just a delay, it was a complete lack of coordination, communication, and basic customer service. Mishandling a gluten-free order and then ignoring the table is unacceptable. The food itself was good, but the way this was handled reflects very poorly on the staff and management. I will not be returning, and I would not recommend this location based on this experience. read more

This place was packed even on a random Monday. I knew it was pretty viral, but overall my experience went smooth. First off, you can wait in line via the app so you can sit sooner. Personally, I was alone, so I sat at the long table and ate right away. The couple in front of me was just sitting as I was getting ready to leave...so I'd say about a 15-20 min wait? Not bad. The iced coffee is more like coffee syrup with milk, but still tasty... not true iced coffee though. My sandwich was very fresh. I loved the maple bacon and thought the breakfast potatoes were flavorful. I think this place is well run. Lots of staff and they move quick. I paid by QR code which helped save me the madness of the line by the door. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

This was my first time dining at this FW restaurant. We came here on Saturday noon for lunch. Before heading to the restaurant, I joined the queue from their website, so upon arrival we got a table right away, despite being super busy and lots of people waiting. The parking lot in front was full, so we had to park couple of blocks away. The restaurant had a bright modern dining space, lots of windows, sunlight and industrial interior. They had a bar like table for anyone to sit and dine on first come first serve basis. The menu had all the familiar dishes similar to other locations. They had a seasonal menu as well. I ordered the new Pineapple Express that was delicious drink. For entree I got the Chimichurri steak with egg hash. Took about 10 minutes for the dishes to come out. I was surprised to see it was a mixed ingredients plate instead of steak being in slices. Regardless, the dish looked so pretty and colorful with all the sweet peppers, cheese, spinach, roasted onion and potato hash. The cubes of steaks sort of blended with the potato hash. But overall I liked the dish and pretty finished all of it. The waffle my daughter got was also good. Our server and the staff members were very friendly. For checkouts, they had QR code in the receipt, so I was able to pay right away from my phone and leave. A convenient process that every other restaurant should try to incorporate. Overall a really nice brunch spot with good quality food and drinks. read more

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First Watch is one of my favorite spots for breakfast or brunch. Stopped by here on Saturday noon, there was a short wait, wasn't bad. Place can be noisy. We sat near and window and I picked 2 for 2 (like Panera) the Monterey club and Kale & Berry Salad, delicious, the salad was packed, it didn't look like half, can't imagine what a regular order was like. The sandwich was generously packed, the sourdough bread was soft and did fall apart easily, so be gentle with it. I also ended up having half of the granola bowl, and my son finished happily with the chocolate muffin. overall, I loved how thoughtful FW has been with their ingredients, the kcal and protein count make ppl who love fitness data happy. Place does get busy and waiters might be hard to get hold of, so be patient, they will come around. read more

Starting the day at First Watch is refreshing. Taking the menu for a spin, you'll soon see fresh takes on classic morning dishes including carne asada breakfast tacos and cinnamon chip pancakes that taste just like French toast. The wait staff are kind and friendly and provide great suggestions. The large windows throughout allow morning light to brighten your day while sitting at the broad reclaimed wood tables. What really sold us are special drinks like the Tangerine dream made from Tangerine, pineapple, and ginger topped with a smooth cold foam. We also had the purple haze derived of lemon, cane sugar, butterfly pea flower tea and lavender. A great find. read more

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This is a great place to go to for brunch with friends. They have a wide range in their menu and everything is pretty yummy. I can't wait to go back! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

My wife and I had a nice Mother's Day breakfast at First Watch. My wife had been to the restaurant a number of times before. First time for me. Have to say, the signing in via internet works really well. We avoided a lengthy wait. Big, open, bright, and pleasantly decorated. Our waitress was friendly and professional. My wife enjoyed the meal that included eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast. I enjoyed the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. I also really enjoyed the home fries. Great seasoning. Definitely nice to have this option in the area! read more

First Watch - Smoked salmon eggs Benedict was tasty! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

For most restaurants that serve three meals a day, the day is long and grueling. But not at this establishment, one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the U.S. Named after a nautical term for the first shift of the day, translating to dining out at breakfast, my partner and I have returned to First Watch, located at The Shoppes at DePiero Farm in Montvale, since our last visit a year ago. Upon arrival, one has the vibe of a rustic farmhouse that is spacious, warm, comfortable, and filled with light because of all the large windows. The décor is totally charming with hanging Edison light bulbs and the antique doors suspended from the ceiling. We were greeted by the host, Tracy, with a wait time of 30 mins and got a table in the middle of the spacious dining room. The menu features breakfast, brunch, and lunch specializing in healthy, made-to-order dishes using the freshest ingredients with vegan and vegetarian options. We decided on the Monterey Club sandwich, accompanied by a green salad and Biscuits and Gravy with Eggs. Our meal was amazingly tasty with the right amount of seasoning and very generous portions. They don't have any deep fat fryers or heat lamps in their kitchens, either, so one won't leave the restaurant feeling tired or weighed down by a heavy meal. The price was comparable to the area. It was crowded, and the staff were friendly, polite, and accommodating; our server was Samantha. We can continue to recommend this place. read more

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3.5: I've been here a decent number of times now and will add that they've made a lot of mistakes on takeout orders so I would recommend dining in to get the better experience and the better food. The quality of their brunch pales in comparison to other local brunch places but it's not bad (eg., omelets arent fluffy). They have a reliable menu of egg and breakfast and some lunch items. The coffee was very weak though! read more

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Went here for a last minute solo breakfast date and I was not disappointed! The inside is nice and homey without really feeling like you're dining out. My server was very good except I didn't get any water upon arrival. He did immediately asked me about any other beverages and I opted for an iced coffee, which he warned me came sweet, but it honestly hit the spot. I also got the Morning Meditation juice and it was so yummy! I tried to savor it but I took it down in like 5 gulps. As my meal I ordered the Frittata Rustica, it comes with a side of toast and either potatoes or a mixed greens salad, I opted for the salad but I wish I got the potatoes. The salad was very lightly dressed so it was kind of dry. The frittata was so good with the kale mushrooms and caramelized onions then a nice kick of parmesan as well. Overall, my meal was great and I'd definitely come back either with friends or even solo again! read more

First Watch - Original Iced Coffee, Morning Meditation & Frittata Rustica! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

I've eaten here twice ,and I've really enjoyed each visit. Menu is diverse, staff is friendly, and the restaurant has a rustic feel. I love the morning meditation drink! it sounds like an odd combo, but it's delicious! Portions are large, and I haven't had an issue with the quality or temp of my food. Great place to also sit and have coffee. Plenty of parking available as well. read more

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I like First Watch generally speaking. I like the menu and the ambiance (it works well for family get togethers). The food is good for a chain restaurant. My only disappointment was that we ordered meals with avocado and the avocados were rock hard. We told the server who told the chef. He was very apologetic and brought us some mashed avocado he'd made. All in all, not bad. Met expectations. read more

It was a 30-40min wait to get a table so we shopped around the center for a bit! The host (Papi) was very friendly and hospitable. Our waiter was super busy running around. The food came out fast - faster than I expected considering the wait. read more

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Cool spot! I've been here a few times before. It's great to catch breakfast with some of my favorite people and catch up on life. It can get crowded. They don't take reservations but you can go on the website and put yourself on the waitlist so you're in the queue before you arrive. Our server Pete was awesome. We had the Avocado toast and a side of million dollar bacon. The toast is great and comes with eggs any style. read more

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They said a wait of fifteen too twenty minutes but we got sat right away!One of the workers had looked like someone famous thought that was cool!Waiters came right away and took our order.It was busy so it took a bit for the food.The place was interesting hanging doors and lights but it was cool I liked the ambiance.The food was great so filling.We got the million dollar bacon it was so good the sweet and spicy flavor was magnificent.The lemon ricotta pancakes were amazing so good made me so full.The waiter was amazing she was so nice! Overall it was amazing they should open more places. read more

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Today had a great time at the Montvale location. We were greeted with a nice welcome. I really needed coffee and our server brought it to us right away. I enjoyed my elevated egg sandwich. My husband always orders the same 2 eggs with a waffle. I also like their blueberry muffins. Also the kale tonic. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

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Recently visited when in the area. Waited 15 mins for a table it was busy right at peak brunch time. Not bad wait at all for how packed it was. Food was really fresh tasting the lemon in my dish could be smelt a table away. Food was good and the price was reasonable. My GF got the avocado toast and it was like 3inches thick of avocado. Friendly staff. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

The Montvale location is head and shoulders above the others ! We initially found the Montvale location because my son is a SJR student. We love the food & atmosphere but the staff make the experience five star! From the greeting at the door by Noel to the service by Pete or any of the other staff, you never want it need for anything during your meal. Let me start by saying that I live by the Paramus and were so excited for them to open there as it was closer. The Paramus location we have been twice and the experience was horrible! Toast came cold and after I was done eating, my mother's meal didn't come out with the rest and the staff only came back with the check. My family really loves the seasonal food and drinks and I guess we will take the drive cause the experience is as important as the food. read more

We ate here a few times and it seems like the things are moving in the wrong direction with the food. One of our orders was salty, similar to our last visit and our home fries were burnt and overcooked. Service is always good but it does not make up with bad food. We hope this place turns around and improves in the near future. read more

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Waited a while for a table, despite having a reservation. But the more disappointing thing was the cold food that was delivered (waffle picture easily shows the hardened waffle!), completely overcooked omelet and rotting avocado slices. Didn't live up to expectations at all. read more

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First Watch is a solid breakfast choice. This location has a cool interior, every table has a comfortable distance separation from others, and their booths have plenty of space. The breakfast choices were all flavorful. Every dish tasted fresh, were served with acceptable portions, and every bite is always happily consumed. We ordered the Farmhouse Hash (Two cage-free, sunny-side up eggs, seasoned potatoes, bacon, avocado, house-roasted onions and tomatoes, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, with whole grain artisan toast). Healthy Turkey (Turkey, house-roasted onions, tomatoes, spinach and Feta cheese in a cage-free egg white omelet. Served with whole grain artisan toast and all-natural house preserves). First Watch has my favorite coffee. Their description is spot on and it's amazing (creamy, sweet, cold, and refreshing). If you're into sweet, order it and enjoy every drop. Don't hesitate to come into First Watch. You'll leave content and will definitely return. read more

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Service was terrible waiter never came to check on our table. Food took an hour before I said something and had to get it to go which took 20 minutes to get it in a bag. Manager was very unpleasant and did absolutely nothing. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

Today went to go eat at 2:15 (I guess they close at 230). And who ever was hosting (maybe assistant manager or manager) said "we could sit you but kitchen closes in 10 minutes and no body is going to be happy to serve you based on the day we had" HOW TERRIBLE. the restaurant is still opened. Patrons were still eating. The kitchen was still open. Shouldn't the restaurant be happy they had a busy day. They were making money. We were left to feel so uncomfortable about eating there and like we were an inconvenience that we said we were going to leave. When I expressed to the man how rude that was he just responded with "okay" attitude. Very poor service. read more

The ambiance is a cute, comfy elegant chain breakfast spot. We were expecting a long wait but were seated quickly. The service was pretty good, considering how busy it was. But, it was not the best. The waiter seem preoccupied with other things. The food was average, not much flavor but good enough to keep us full for the car ride home. The coffee was watered down. Considering how things are described in the menu, you'll expect more flavor, but it was subpar at best. read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

I had roast beef and havarti sandwich here last time and forgot to leave a 4 star review. I came back today and was served the same sandwich, but it was cold and the cheese wasn't even melted. My wife ordered the shishedo and brisket hash. It was a special, and it was especially salty beef, thankfully they hardly gave any, about 3 little crumbles. Old meat is sometimes over salted to hide the taste, but I didn't detect any odd flavor. Though I do suspect they knew it was over as salted, so they gave less. I really don't know, I just know it was disappointing. This is in stark contrast to our last visit. It's surprising because we were seated immediately today, and the restaurant was half empty. Whereas the last time when the food was prepared with care, it was a 30 minute wait and a full house. Everyone was very nice as always, zero complaints about service. read more

Consistently delicious. There is a wait every time we come on a weekend but you can get in line and come back when your table is ready. We like that they have healthy food options as well as decadent, breakfast choices. Their drinks are also refreshing and food portions are decent. read more

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First time making it here and wow delicious! I ordered from their specials menu and the bread was so fresh, the strawberries were fresh and still had a great crunch, and whatever they put on top was delicious and perfectly balance that it did not even need maple syrup. My turkey sausage was flavorful and that is not an easy find! We did have a small wait but we're seated way faster than the expected wait time. We were instantly brought coffee and menus then able to order and our food was out in no time. I will definitely be back as their prices and food are fantastic! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

Bacon is pre-made or microwaved. No taste. Eggs were overcooked. Service was good - was attentive Ambiance- way too loud . Place was not full and host they put us right next to the restrooms. Our server had to ask for our table change since he wasn't helpful. She told him " you would not like to sit there either" He finally moved us . Won't be back read more

First Watch Was Delish. Presidents' Day was packed all morning. The front end was filled with folks waiting for a table. The wait was short & we were seated within 10 minutes. Our waiter Pete gave top notch service. A pot of coffee was on our table as Pete introduced himself. Our orders were taken w/special requests, no problem. Ten minutes later our food was served & was perfect. Highly recommend. read more

Everyone is always raving about first watch to me so I finally took the drive and made it a point to have breakfast here. I loved the mere fact that we were able to add ourselves to the waitlist online while we drove over. The minute we arrived at the establishment we were seated and tended to. We ended up ordering the most delicious drink, purple haze. I couldn't get over how perfect the drink was and came home raving about it. We then proceeded to order and our server was nice and answered all our questions. For a busy Saturday morning everything came out quickly! I absolutely now see the hype and coming back with my fiancée. read more

First Watch - Trifecta - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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Don't ever get delivery from here they will never get it right. Always missing an entire item - an experience so consistent it's probably intentional. Forget this spot, treat yourself better, and don't support lazy entitled clowns read more

bacon, eggs, and home fries were the worst that I ever had. The over easy eggs were okay but they must use small eggs, the bacon was at least twice fried and hard as a rock and the home fries were just as bad, deep fried way to long. The place had empty tables on Valentines Day so people must know. There was plenty of staff but this falls on the kitchen. Don't waste your time going there, better off at McD's. read more

Thank you for your response Jennifer. However, 8 days ago, I wrote a follow-up review on how the District Manager wrote the following via email: "Hello thank you for your interest and feedback we have this under investigation much appreciate " 11 DAYS have gone by since my first review, and have heard no response after the DM's investigation? Does it really take that long to find out why everyone was in the kitchen? Don't you have cameras? Why, I had only 3 tiny slivers of carrots in my carrot cake and pecan pancakes? I took pictures... A picture says a 1,000 words. Yet no comment??! Why no one asked if we wanted anything else, LIKE COFFEE? How about the prices of the coffee - not being on the menu? I am running out of patience!! Please provide me with the name of the person that oversees the DM. I see where the problem now stems and want to tell that person!! read more

the food was immaculate! i loved it! the million dollar bacon was amazing! and pancakes were great too! we were seated quickly! but we did call ahead to make sure about timing! but I heard that on the weekend it tends to be a little crowded! The ambience was nice and I could tell it was a millennial joint, which is totally fine because I love it! There was hanging doors from the ceiling and hanging a bulb lights, but the joint was alive! so i don't mind it! the servers were also really nice and checked in to see if we were okay! The food took about 15 minutes, which wasn't bad cause it was kind of busy! Overall, really nice place really good food. Definitely recommend they should open up more locations in the Bergen County/ NJ area! read more

First Watch - Million Dollar Bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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I LOVE this place! The food is consistent and so delicious. This is hands down my favorite place. Griffin was amazing! read more

First Watch - Honey Chipotle Chicken Hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

We came here for brunch with a group of 6. The menu is large so it is a great brunch spot because there are many different options. I've been here before and for some reason there is always a wait but there are always tables available. Service is fine, a little slow but they don't rush you. Place just seems a little dirty to me. I did not like the salted caramel coffee drink it had a strange taste. Eggs Benedict was good but not warm enough. I might go back if someone else wants to go there, but rather try another place. read more

First Watch - Eggs BLT Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

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Service here continues to be spotty. During my last visit over the weekend, I had Arlyn, who simply didn't seem to care. It was early AM, with 3 or 4 tables of customers and she disappeared often to flirt in the kitchen with the only other waiter there. She forgot something simple I asked for, often walked past with takeout orders like a robot (no eye contact) never checked if our food was ok. Perhaps request a different server if you get her. Both Joseph and Emily were excellent and really made multiple visits enjoyable for us . This last time, I tried the "Pork al pastor hash tacos", which was on the seasonal menu and ending soon. Flavor of the dish overall was fine, but I only found at most, 1 tablespoon of some shredded pork. Kind of sad and disappointing. The flavors of the dish were good and eggs cooked to order. Just not enough pork. If this restaurant could implement consistent, solid service, they'd easily be at 4 stars. read more

First Watch - Pork al pastor hash tacos, from the seasonal menu - couldn't find much pork - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montvale, New Jersey

Came here for brunch with a friend. It was packed. Service was great. Erica was amazing. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes, which was my first time having and they were great. We ordered the bacon as appetizers which how could you ever go wrong. And coffee to drink which was delicious. Ambiance is trendy. I forgot to take pics of the decor. read more

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Delicious breakfast in a busy, bustling environment with decent service. Have the eggs