When moving to the metro Detroit area, I was surprised to see that they had a first watch. I had only been to the locations in Sarasota and Indianapolis. This location is trendy, lively, and a little smaller than the others that I have been to. My sister and I got donut bites, that were pumpkin flavored during the fall season. These were very good. Although I was not a fan of the dipping sauce flavors. Additionally, this is one of the more rare places that actually has a salmon eggs Benedict. It's okay - Wow the salmon and ingredients taste fresh, The flavor overall is bland and the bread is a little too thick for my liking. Overall, I think this restaurant is good, but it always just misses the mark on flavor the two times I have gone. read more

First Watch - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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This place is always busy! Seriously every time I've ever tried to dine in there's a wait. I live walking distance from here so I've always wanted to try it but didn't want to wait so I got take out instead. I ordered the eggs benedict with potatoes and a side of biscuits and gravy. I like to consider myself a eggs benedict, I always try the eggs benedict if it's on the menu, so needless to say I've had quite a few in my life. I wasn't the biggest fan of of this eggs benedict but it definitely wasn't bad. I didn't like how instead of two English muffins they were on just one long bread. I also didn't like the hollandaise sauce because it was a little too sour. I did however love how the eggs were poached perfectly and the ham was flavorful. The potatoes that came with were also seasoned well and soft. I ordered a side of biscuits and gravy that I thoroughly enjoyed. I feel like restaurants rarely have sides of biscuits and gravy so this option was awesome! The gravy was delicious and the biscuits were buttery and filling. Overall, I would love to dine in at First Watch to get the full experience and try a different order. This wasn't my favorite breakfast but it's down the street from me so I will definitely come back and try again! read more

First Watch - Eggs Benedict - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

This place is absolutely terrible, Yoy are literally paying for what you get. The food here was absolutely atrocious. Me and my friend wanted to go get brunch and we decided to get something that was cheap/macro friendly. We go and there it 20 unbussed dirty tables we order and once we get our waters the cups were dirty and the ketchup was unopened so I had to uncomfortably open it (the seal) my food was soggy and tasted very bitter. We had one napkin and the server kept saying sorry to me making me think like i did something wrong, the coffee was 4 dollars and the coffee creamer had a hair sticking out of one. If you want to waste $20 dollars the. go ahead and waste an hour on top of this on First watch. Please go anywhere else than this place I had a terrible experience. read more

The food and ambiance was ok. The server Quay could have been more friendly and on top of service. We had to ask for her to remove dishes, and for a to go bag. Otherwise, prices were reasonable and it wasn't too crowded thanks to people probably starting their Christmas shopping. read more

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BASICS: 4/5 -Free parking, short walk -No wait for seating -Uncrowded table spacing -Area under table had debris (food, napkin bits, crayons) SERVICE: 3/5 -Forgot drinks -Didn't offer box for leftovers -Brought check without having to ask FOOD/BEVERAGES: 3.5/5 -Water was so chlorine-y it was undrinkable, which made the fact that it was served in glasses hot to the touch a secondary point. Warm chlorine water: very pool-themed! -Carnitas breakfast quesadilla: good flavor but carnitas was on the dry side -Tres leches French toast: excellent, especially the whipped cream -First Watch potatoes (side): bland without added salt, but good crispiness on seared edges -Coffee: was given a pot for the table () but very bitter even compared to hospital coffee () read more

First Watch - Tres leches strawberry French toast and First Watch potatoes (side dish) - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

I came here with some work friends just before our shift and the food was great! Would definitely recommend the bacon! It was the perfect amount of salty and sweet and satisfied that bacon craving. The salad I had was also very good, great portion sizes! Other members of my party also had great experiences but service was a little lacking. Overall they tended to us well but it was difficult to ask any follow up questions to staff when they arose. Ambience can only be described as 'good vibes only.' Overall, would recommend just have to be a little more assertive to get questions asked. read more

First Watch - Crispy bacon! - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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I've been to a lot of first watch locations but this one was just simply amazing! Have never been to a restaurant with that many amazing and super nice and sweet servers. Alisha was the best! Thank you for this amazing service, the food was great! read more

Excellent food and atmosphere !!! The avocado toast on gluten free bread was excellent. So are the potato's and the grits!!! Pleasant service and very cute farm decor. Very fresh tasting food! And not all that expensive compared to other brunch spots. Thanks first watch, definitely will be back! read more

On a Friday around 11:30a, we were seated immediately. We ordered within 5 minutes and had coffee or water in no time. Unfortunately, the OJ we ordered never came. The food took about 40 or so min to arrive. We ordered a blueberry pancake with turkey sausage and the Tri-fecta- 2 eggs, waffle or pancakes and choice of sausage. The dishes did NOT come out together. The 2nd was about 7 minutes later. Still had to wait for my eggs which came out a couple minutes later. That was a bit of a let down. It's clear there was a struggle in cranking out orders in the kitchen. However, the food was great!! A delicious brunch! Unless you hit this place at the right time, this may be a spot to order and pickup. read more

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Came here for lunch just before they closed. My coworker and I sat outside and each got a hash. She got the farmhouse hash and I got the market hash. The food was so fresh and tasty. read more

First Watch - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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First Watch - as always comes through with high quality, creative foods that are sure to catch your attention. In particular I like the healthier options for breakfast that are just a little twist on traditional favorites. Lots of fruit is always a plus for me. This particular location is a bit chaotic for checking in/paying, etc all at the same spot in the restaurant but people seem to do a fair job of distancing themselves but it would be nice to have check in and payment in separate areas. read more

First Watch - Breakfast Menu - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

I had the smoked salmon eggs Benedict, to go, and it was OK. I love eggs benny and this wasn't a fantastic version of it. The bread was chewy and hard to cut, it wasn't a good portion of salmon, either. My guess is that it's better in person? Either way, I ended up with a stomach ache afterwards, unfortunately. Two others in our group had ordered pancakes & an omelet, they also thought they were OK. Million dollar bacon was pretty good. read more

This brunch here is really good ! I had the shrimp & grits and the millionaire bacon. The shrimp and grits were really flavorful, and the bacon was cooked perfectly. There is a long wait. But get in line online before you head there and you'll be fine. The service is awesome and the prices aren't bad at all !! I'll be back soon !! read more

First Watch - Shrimp & grits - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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This is the third First Watch location I've been to in the Metro area. We really enjoyed our breakfast here. This is the first time we've been to a First Watch without having a dish remade or not being totally satisfied with the meal. For me, the star of the meal was the million dollar bacon. I am a bacon fan and this one hits the mark. I also enjoyed the pancakes and my friend enjoyed the Works omelette and the seasoned potatoes. We will definitely return to this location soon. read more

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10/29/24 through doordash order! are you kidding me first watch!? on woodward in royal oak, mi please beware of this establishment!! my sister just sent me video of a green maggot-worm like bug crawling from her sandwich after a few bites!! who knows if she may have eaten one or two or three!!!?? do not eat here for your healths sake! a health inspection needs to be conducted asap! this is beyond crazy!! read more

First Watch - MAGGOT/WORM LIKE BUG IN MONTEREY CLUB SANDWICH! - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Love this place! For carry out every location is different and I have only dined in at Royal Oak. Potatoes are amazing with fried onions which gives them flavor. The million dollar bacon is my absolute favorite!!! Morning mediation is the best drink everrrr- gotta get light ice though! read more

First Watch - Traditional w/ million dollar bacon - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

I had been dying to go to this place, put my overall experience was mediocre at best. My fiancé and I were checking the online waitlist to see if there was any wait, but there wasn't. So we headed in, I even checked the waitlist in the parking lot and it said there was no wait. When we got in she said they will be about a 5 to 10 wait, which ended up being about 15 minutes. So that was a little annoying. Once we got seated it took at least 10 minutes before our waitress came up to us. People were walking by us and no one was even acknowledging us as we were sitting at our table. I almost got up and left. We ended up ordering the farm stand breakfast tacos, sub potatoes instead of black beans, and the market hash with ham added. When our food got delivered they gave me black beans instead of potatoes but our waitress fixed it right away. The food was really nothing to write home about. The best thing was honestly probably my fiancé's toast and jam and then second up were the potatoes. The place was super cute inside but I just don't think we will be rushing back anytime soon. read more

First Watch - Farm stand breakfast tacos - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Finally! This is my first time being here. The last time I was here we had no reservation and the wait was 2hrs. But this was not the first time eating their food. My wife and kids brought home some leftovers and it was good. Because of our reservation the wait was only 5min. Please reserve a table !!!' The menu is simple but they do expose you to many different types of breakfast options. Don't expect to see your normal stuff. Everything on the menu is hyped and glorified. Nicely done to make you feel like your breakfast is going to be spectacular. In some ways, yes. If you order the right food. I chose the "eggs Benedict blt", which can be very good if done right. Excellently cooked! It was right on! My wife had the "traditional breakfast " Highly recommended. read more

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Pro tip: go on the website to get in line prior to going to the restaurant! The website will tell you the estimated wait time. I got in line from home and once we were at the restaurant we were sat in 5 minutes. We went to the Royal oak location which was very busy but the staff was awesome and parking is easy! Everyone was still kind and accommodating although busy. The food was fantastic! The shareable bacon wasn't worth the hype however the oatmeal and muffin were top notch! The drinks were also great! With the mimosas you get a glass with your juice and the small champagne bottle to pour at your leisure. Will be back when in town. read more

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Food and service were great even when very busy. They handle the rushes very well without a hitch

I did not enjoy sitting by the kitchen because all I could hear was this dark skin man with glasses and a chain on with a lock in the kitchen swearing, being very childish and inappropriate and extremely loud. I also heard him say "omg there kids in here, but what do I care" and I could barely hear my girlfriend talking. Management should get onto him right away for his behavior. He should be considerate of the customers around him. All around environment was terrible. read more

Can't say enough good things about the food & beverages. The service? Very good...but the problem is you hardly ever see them! They greet you warmly, take your order, drop your food...and then you're ghosted. So, make sure you have *everything* you need before your server leaves, because they won't be back. (This happened at this location on more than one visit). Nice & sunny & clean inside. read more

Terrible service!!! Sunday , not really busy, but lack of staff. Still waiting after 45 m and told it will be another 10-15m!!! Normally good here...but not coming back here ever again. read more

Grabbed a veggie burger on GF Udi bun for myself and a power wrap for my husband, carried it out. The bill total was $19.40 or so. My husband said his wrap wasn't bad. I tried a bit, it was average. The veggie burger was rather dry and quite tasteless. I had some expectations for this place as the pics look decent. The food and experience was underwhelming to say the least. Another sub-par spot on Woodward. read more

My friends and I started going to First Watch about 4 months ago. I liked their breakfast menu, and we've always had a good experience. Every month, our ladies luncheon group have a rotation of restaurants we each choose for our monthly gathering. I chose First Watch in Royal Oak, because I thought it was a nice place to eat out, but this day proved wrong. I got my usual breakfast. Pancakes/no butter, turkey sausage, and hashbrowns with cheddar and onions. The pancakes had butter on them, but mistakes happen, and the young lady took them back. The potatoes came first. They were old, with a tiny bit of dried up onions. I took them back to the manager who was also working the kitchen area. The pancakes came back with better hashbrowns, but they were the same pancakes, with the butter removed {probably with napkins of a towel. I knew because the middle was still saturated from the butter. Before I took them back to the kitchen area, I flipped them over, only to find chocolate smeared over the plate under the cakes. Back to the kitchen I took them to complain, only for the manager to say it was something off of the griddle. I wiped some of it up with my finger to show that it was definitely chocolate. The had my pancakes on a dirty plate and lied to keep from making more cakes. I asked to speak to a manager, not knowing that was the manager herself lying to me. I have a heart condition which prevent me from ingesting caffeine in any form, and could have had a bad reaction for their neglegence. Oh, the cold sausage went back as well, only to be given back to me still cold. She, the manager, came when I ask to see one, and gave me a $20 gift card, which I used to pay for that meal. The real problem was, it was close to closing time and I had the audacity not to accept old dried up food and pay for it. In a nutshell, I will never darken the doorstep of that establishment again, although the ladies I was with received their food without issues. I only gave it 2 stars because of my previous experience. At the top of this review, there is a generated title stating, "Could've Been Better", but I say, the only thing that would have been worse is, HAD I EATEN THAT CHOCOLATE FROM THAT DIRTY PLATE UNKNOWINGLY, I COULD HAVE ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL! TERRIBLE SERVICE read more

Food was great! Service was amazing and the ambiance was nice. Will definitely visit again!! read more

First Watch - Farmhouse bowl - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Really impressed with the atmosphere, size of the menu, and sheer quality of the food. I've ordered a bunch off the menu and nothing has disappointed. Happy and kind staff as well. read more

Review for ordering takeaway. All servers masked up. Tables 6 feet apart. Hand sanitizer at the register. And good waiting space outside. Ordered in person. Found out how to order online from the main page, and will do that next time for everyone's convenience. Looks like they have outdoor eating as well on a small patio. These guys just opened two weeks ago so want to support their business too. Pretty happy about this and covid-19 times ! read more

First Watch - Great waiting space, and in the shade! - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

This place is by far one of the busiest places on the weekends. Waiter was very nice. I had the healthy turkey, which is a egg white omelet with turkey. Omelet was bland. One thing about egg whites is that if you don't prep & cook properly then they turn into rubber. This was the case here. The potatoes were flavorful and cooked perfectly. Apparently, since inflation is so high you only get 1 slice of toast. Of course the toast was one of the best parts, but the jam had toooooo much sugar. read more

First Watch - Healthy Turkey - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

My family loves First Watch! Every time we've gone in we've had good service, the food has exceeded our expectations, and there's something on the menu that everyone likes. Which is hard with a family of 5. It's a little on the pricey side for a big family, but it's perfect for a couples breakfast/brunch date. We really like the fact that some of the menu rotates seasonally (including adult beverages). read more

Best food ever made, we had avocado toast with poached eggs. So delicious. Service was incredible - such a kind and cheerful human!

I had a pretty bad experience here today. My husband and I arrived at 1pm. There were a line of people waiting to put their name in. I decided to add myself to the waitlist on the website thinking that may be faster. I was close to the front when this happened. The person in front of me was told 30 min wait. I told the hostess I just put my name in online and it said 45 mins but I'm guessing it will be faster. She told me it would be 45 minutes. I figured it would probably be a faster wait than they said as i just heard the people in front of me quoted 30 mins. Many people were seated before us. This was strange but we let it go. Our table was finally ready and they texted us. After being sat for 5 minutes I received a message that my table was no long available. Thought it was weird as I was already seated. Then 15-20 minutes goes by and no waitress comes over to help us. My husband hates to complain so we waited quite a while. A ton of servers walked right by. I finally went to the hostess stand and told them we still didn't have a server. The hostess proceeded to pour us coffee and water. More time goes by and we finally got a server. I had asked for my meal without some compote sauce. After a super long wait. I'm talking a full hour, my meal came out with the sauce on it. They took it back and I swear I had to wait for every other meal to be made before mine. My husband was trying to wait for me to eat but I told him to go ahead. The place closed at 2:30 and we were def there til at least 3:30pm. When we paid, the cashier asked if everything was good. I had to laugh because it clearly was terrible and she must have forgotten we were the same people who waited forever, had no server and had a food mix up! Terrible service. The food is alright. read more

First Watch - Muffin top griddle cakes - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Drinks were good! We had to ask for our appetizers which we could see I. The kitchen were ready! Food came out Luke warm...and it took them over an hour to get our food to us! Probably not ever coming back here! Used to be a staple for me 10 years ago! Also, the new menu is meh at best! read more

Always very busy on weekend mornings. Came without a reservation so about 30 min wait on a Sunday. Ordered the English muffin breakfast sandwich with their million dollar bacon. This sandwich is great. Potatoes on side not so great, they are just your average breakfast potatoes (not crispy on the outside and the seasoning is just ok). Loved the lemon curd pancake. Just wish the pancake itself was lemon flavored, and that there were blueberries (maybe a blueberry compote?) instead of strawberries. Solid choice for breakfast but be prepared to wait. read more

First Watch - @detroitdining lemon curd pancake - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Delicious food, friendly staff and great patio! I had a great time. so happy to have this location open. Everyone's wearing masks too. Ps the watermelon wake up is so good! read more

First Watch - Loaded smoked bagel and chickchanga - Cafes Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

oh my !! We were served a wonderful brunch of Monte Cristo made special order however my grandson needed to use the restroom so -- I informed the waitress we would be right back and not to remove our food (only half done with our sandwiches) Well minutes later our table was completely cleared of all food drinks etc!!! I was offered the option of making us more - not viable for me The manager only gave me 20 percent off :( Guard your food read more

Stopped in this location (normally go to the troy location) for breakfast while the whole covid thing is still in full swing so there are some changes to the place. Menu is about what we were used to at the other locations. Food was good and what we were used to, service was decent and they seemed to be handling covid well with the right precautions in place. Smelled weird in there, don't know why. Maybe next time we will wait for a seat on the patio. read more

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Awesome fresh food. The seeded bread is amazing and you can bring a loaf home. Breakfast and lunch done in a unique and delicious way! . read more

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Do not order online for pickup. I ordered online for pickup, status showed order complete. No order at pickup station. Staff refused to acknowledge attempts to talk to them. Call and the boss answered the phone. Lame excuse that was unlikely, for why the order wasn't done when marked done. Food was pretty good when it was done 15 minutes later, but who can trust a manager who was unbelievable and staff who ignore you? read more

I have not actually dined in, but carryout has been a great experience. I refused to wait 1-1.5 hours to dine anywhere. I get that its brunch, but wished they had reservations. My food is always fresh and flavorful. I have not had any issues with my food, so far. The Turkey BLT, butternut squash soup is a favorite. read more