If you're looking to avoid a crowd, this location is much better to visit than the downtown spot; however, First Watch does food so well that I'd recommend any location for breakfast or lunch! My favorite lunch item is their BLTE - it's so good that I taught all of my local NYC diners how to make it the exact same way. For those preferring breakfast, the traditional is a large portion and plenty filling - (2 eggs with toast, potatoes and a choice of meat - GET THE BACON - it is thick sliced and so savory tasting!) Also, if you're visiting during the fall season, try to get a hold of their pumpkin pancakes! They don't stick around long due to their wild popularity but they are the perfect fall accompaniment, nicely sweetened with just a little bit of syrup! read more

For the third time, they have overcooked my eggs until they ate brown! At these prices, I expect my meal prepared correctly. read more

First Watch - Way overcooked eggs! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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This is ultimately a door dash issue. I was very disappointed to receive a burned delivery order. I can handle well done bacon but this was charcoal. (Pic attached). All else was good as usual and I eat at First Watch regularly. I wouldn't have been so ticked except that I ordered through Door Dash and when I went through the app to report that the item was inedible I was offered a $1.04 refund....on a 7 dollar order of bacon. This makes zero sense to me. I called First Watch and they are sending me a certificate for another order of bacon, which I appreciate. I called Door Dash and they are crediting me but said that could not be done through the app--you have to figure out how to get ahold of them and call and waste all sorts of time to get anything more than a nominal, partial credit. Uber would simply have refunded the item, and I would not have had to call Door Dash and call First Watch. I sincerely hope that First Watch (on Henderson in Tampa) will reconsider using Door Dash as their delivery provider in fairness to customers. I will not order First Watch again through Door Dash nor use Door Dash again. Uber only from Here on out. read more

First Watch - Bacon. Two pieces dark, two not. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Perfect breakfast this morning after fasting from last night till after my medical appt. Ordered the pork and egg dish and it's very juicy and tasty. Ate all the pork meat and egg and just tasted the apple sauce that I asked to put aside when served. I am Not a big fan of Apple sauce but my neighbor said it's really good. It also comes with some mushy corn cheese grits type which I ate half as the main dish is really huge portion. The promegranate mule drink is very refreshing mixed with cane sugar and ginger beer. Overall, happy tummy happy me! read more

First Watch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great menu and great service along with a great atmosphere is what first hits you at First Watch. The servers were great we came as soon as they opened and they did a great job. They served us (party of 5) in no time at all and did a great job. the menu is very vast and covers anything you could want for breakfast. I had the meaty, chicken burrito/omelette thing which was delicious. The pricing is also very fair especially when you consider the high quality ingredients that go into the food. I would highly recommend first watch to anyone in need of a quick and quality breakfast in the area. read more

First Watch - Chickichanga - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Wonderful staff. The menu is innovative but at the same time they have NO IDEA how to make an omelet. Millionaire's Bacon is a MUST try. They need to add something with Nutella to the menu. read more

Even though this is a chain, this is one of my favorite brunch spots in Tampa, the only thing it's missing is mimosas. I have never had a bad experience here and I come here very often. Their breakfast skillets are my favorite! I love that you can put your name in line ahead of time to avoid the wait. Service is always great, sometimes it takes a while for the food, but it will not disappoint! I also love that there's something on the menu for everyone. They've got gluten free bread and are great with allergies. read more

I love First Watch as a chain restaurant generally, but my only complaint that applies to almost all First Watch locations is the wait during popular times. OTOH, we all know that happens. This First Watch used to be a little dingy but when through the same renovations as other locations and is very light and bright now. Located in the plaza with TJMaxx and a super cute boutique, brunch and shopping without leaving the strip mall is actually a fun weekend activity. read more

Love this place!! Great service and fresh food. Can't beat that!! Highly recommend their carrot pancake

Food is good but get ready to wait 2 hours to eat on a Sunday. We used the app to get in line and the wait was 80 minutes. We knew it would be a long wait on a Sunday so we were prepared and got ourselves in the queue well before we were ready to go. When we arrived we were made to wait another 20 minutes even tho there were 2 empty tables. Now, I understand that they have to let the kitchen catch up and can't seat everyone at the same time. BUT if the kitchen is running behind you need to tell diners this WHEN THEY ARRIVE. we were seated and ordered on time but after our food hadn't arrived 30 minutes later we were told that the ticket times were running 30-45 minutes. That's completely unacceptable without telling us when we're seated and before ordering. Food was good but start to finish we got in line at about 11, and finally got our food shortly after 1:00. read more

Searched for a breakfast/ brunch spot in the area while we car shopped and found this place. I called a hour before they where closing and the receptionist answered and was very polite and friendly . We ordered the Multigrain Carrot cake pancakes & Biscuits and turkey sausage gravy with eggs and a morning meditation drink and everything was good and taste full . Will definitely be coming back again. read more

Update 10 months later, even after they responded to my original review. Still the only First Watch in town that shuts off delivery for brunch. Crazy read more

Use the "add to wait list " option. This place is always packed and we decided to use the waiting list feature. We arrived 10 minutes later after adding our name to the list and we were sited The food is awesome. Healthy fresh food. read more

First Watch - Energy bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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My first trip to First Watch was a few years ago when I lived in South Florida. I remember I got the French toast and the potatoes and mostly remember it just being "okay." After some convincing, I made another trip to First Watch here in Tampa, expecting the same decent food that I remembered from a few years ago. I have to admit, I was really selling First Watch short and wasn't really looking forward to going. I ended up there however and decided I had been all wrong about First Watch. The place was pretty busy for Sunday brunch, but I know why. After perusing the menu for a little, I decided on the Via Veneto omelet. I ordered a side of greens as well as sausage. The omelet came out reasonably quickly and was a good size. There was plenty of food -- I was only able to eat one sausage link because I was so full of yummy food! Looking around, it seemed like pretty much everything looked and smelled amazing. The waffles and pancakes looked incredible! The prices at FW are totally reasonable too. My omelet was $8.50, a good price for such a large amount of food. The service was friendly here as well and I really enjoyed my breakfast here. First Watch, I'm sorry I didn't want to go to you today. I hope you accept my deepest apology, because I see lots of trips to you in the future! read more

If you are into farm house decorations and ambiance then this is the place for you! Beautifully decorated, very clean kitchen (which you can see from dinning area), super friendly and helpful staff. I pre-ordered our meals ahead of time so I wouldn't have to seat for a long time with the kiddos, food came out quick, looking great and tasting delicious! Everything was very fresh. I asked the waiter if they had a microwave because I need it to warm my babies milk bottle, and he mentioned that they don't have in their kitchen any microwaves, deep fryers or heat lamps, everything comes out fresh and healthy out of their kitchen which was actually a good thing to hear even though I didn't get to warm up my baby's bottle! I would totally recommend this place and wish there was one close to our home! read more

First Watch - Eggs Benedict - Florentine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Great place for for breakfast. Can get on wait list online and walk in and be seated pretty quick. Good and service has always been great.

I wish I could give this place no stars. We tried to give it another chance after the last time we went it took an hour for our food and we left. We tried again because it's fun to bring our kid out for breakfast. After 45 minutes we still didn't have food and saw that a ton of tables after us got theirs. My kid was starving. Our server after finally inquiring said she couldn't stand in the kitchen and watch them make the food. Walked out again with no food and a cranky kid. The manager could have cared less when we told her how long it took. WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. Figure out your kitchen. I saw a ton of to go orders keep going out. How about prioritize the customers that are there. Breakfast food shouldn't take an hour. Horrible horrible. read more

I was staying at a nearby hotel and wanted to get out for breakfast, and First Watch came up at the top of the ratings. It's a cool, farmhouse vibe and the food is create comfort style. I had one of the seasonal specials, a Cinnamon Chip pancake with two eggs and turkey sausage (you have a choice of sausages or bacon). The pancake is huge, the cage free eggs are very fresh and the sausage links were mild. Mariana my waitress was friendly and knowledgable about the menu. read more

Always a great experience and I've never ordered anything that wasn't delicious! Staff are always smiling and fast to refill coffee and water Carrot cake pancakes are an absolute must to order My favorite savory menu item is the elevated egg sandwich -- avocado, bacon, egg, and a lemony dressed arugula. Amazing read more

First Watch - Carrot cake pancakes, elevated egg sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I think that any chain restaurants goal, if they are a good one is to become your neighborhood go to place. Well thats how I feel about First Watch. Ever since we moved to south Tampa we have been coming and every time we are greeted with a smile, a pat on the back and even sometimes a nice hug. They treat my kids like family and just love it when I bring in our baby, talk about getting the good treatment. I have had everything from the Pancakes and Bacon to the Biscuits and gravy and I have never had a bad meal. My wife's favorite is the Avocado Toast so we are a bit all over the menu. Oh! and when I am feeling healthy the steel cut oatmeal with muffin is fantastic. Plentiful Coffee and OJ and just about everything you need for a great breakfast. The big plus for me is that they also have a baby changing station in the mens room which means i can relax and not worry about what to do if my morning gets hit by a diaper and #2. I totally recommend it and they use the NoWait app so getting in line on the weekends helps judge when to go an so your not waiting around. Overall I give it the big two forks up. read more

Such an amazing little breakfast/brunch place! So cute and the menu was simple and everything we tried was delicious!

My wife and I eat at this First Watch 6 o 7 times a year, usually breakfast. Ordinarily I would give them 4 stars since I love their blueberry pancakes. Thought I would try something different today, big mistake. I ordered cheese grits, bacon and toast. First there were no condiments on the table and the waitress failed to bring sugar for my coffee, had to wait forever to finally get it to the table. Service has never been a strong point at First Watch. Got my food and took a bite of grits, they were terrible. I thought they tasted like instant grits which I couldn't imagine a restaurant serving. Took a second bite, they were still terrible. Flagged down the waitress and sent them back. Hey, First Watch, you can do better. read more

Love love love First Watch for non alcoholic brunch! This is the first time I have visited since the menu changed. It appears that they are trying to offer healthier options. The omelettes now come with a side of greens. I love greens but here is the problem!!! I love First Watch potatoes even more!! They did substitute potatoes for me but I did not get the heaping portion they normally provide. Not sure if they changed the menu because customers wanted healthier options or because it helps their bottom line. In any case, still a great brunch spot. I think it is absolutely genius that they give free coffee while you wait. Makes waiting so much easier. Wish more brunch restaurants with long waits would catch on. read more

First Watch - Seasonal specials! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Too bad I loved this place for breakfast but 3 weekends ago was our last time. It took over an hour for our order to come out. Mind you it was a simple breakfast order. We were not the only ones. According to the wait staff they had new cooks in the kitchen who did not have much experience. So we decided we needed a new place for breakfast. read more

Unfortunately this location is terrible! We went in on Saturday morning at 830 and the restaurant was 1/2 full. We ordered the special steak burrito and 2 pancakes. After about 40 minutes, we asked our server if the food was coming up anytime soon. She went back to the kitchen and we didn't see her for another 10 minutes when she came back around and said it will be up. Are you kidding me????? 50 minutes waiting for breakfast at a restaurant that is only half full? I know that everyone is still hiding behind Covid and the less staff excuse but at what point do we just get back to normal? The location downtown doesn't have as ample parking as the one on Henderson but you will at least get your food within 30 minutes of ordering it. read more

The service is hit or miss but the food is consistently good. The seasonal menu offerings are typically my first choice as they taste like the season - pumpkin pancakes in the fall, etc. There are plenty of healthy choices on the menu and special requests are welcome. Enjoy flavored coffee creamers in a bowl on each table. read more

First Watch - Lemon blueberry pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I have never been a huge fan of First Watch, unlike many others. I popped in here Friday with my son to grab a quick bite. We were seated immediately around 1. We waited over 10 minutes for our server to greet us. She was not overly friendly. She was a run of the mill what can I do for you type. I felt like an inconvenience the entire time. I ordered the soup of the day, Italian Wedding, and my son ordered the classic breakfast. It took over twenty five minutes for the meal to come out. Our server was MIA the entire time. I was annoyed. My bowl of soup for $5 was a half filled bowl of watery tasteless broth with 3 dime sized balls of sausage. I asked the server if this was the right serving. She said yes and walked off. I did not eat it and she never even noticed because she was not attentive. I had to flag her down for more water. At this time she brought over a carafe. A little late for the carafe which would have been appreciated at the beginning of the meal and not at the same time she dropped off the bill. The only nice thing about this lunch is that I ran into many people I had not seen in awhile. read more

I might be bias, because I love this chain, but this location did not disappoint! My friend and I came on a Saturday about 10:30 a.m. and the place was packed. It was about a 20 minute wait, but time flies by quickly when you're chatting with a friend. The location is easy to get to and is located along a strip of shops. This is a nice shopping area, and we enjoyed standing outside while waiting to be seated. Inside is just a nice with light flowing in and bright colored walls. I got a bacon and cheddar pancake and the butternut bisque. Both were great. I could have probably done without the sour cream in the bisque, but that's a personal preference. Their pancakes are huge! I don't know who could eat more than one. I actually ended up taking almost half of my pancake home with me. My friend got the pumpkin pancake and loved it. I think the sign of a good menu is when I'm divided about what I want. I always want to try so many things! The first time I went to First Watch was in Charleston, West Virginia about a year ago and I'm glad my memory of this place being amazing is true. This is definitely a go to breakfast/brunch place. read more

I'm sorry did I miss something, since when do take out orders take priority over waiting customers? Or for that matter people waiting on a list to get into the restaurant? Is it me or if you're waiting , put your name down, told 30 minutes and we'll text you and after 40 minutes, no text , you go into the restaurant to find out the status and told oh sorry, our kitchen is destroyed because of all the take out orders, and when we seat you you'll probably wait another 30-40 minutes to get your food and we close soon. That's backwards and wrong. Another restaurant catering to the internet and not people wanting to actually go out and support their restaurant. read more

Delicious, quiet, clean, reasonably priced and YUMMY! First, I want to say that I was impressed they were open at 7am on New Years day! Kudos. Atmosphere: Loved the coffee mug on the wall which turned out to be a great place for a pic with my girl before leaving. Upon entering, they greeted and seated us immediately close to the food. Awesome! Food: Loved the menu upon first sight. Then I asked if they had gluten free and they brought me a menu explanation sheet that showed the gluten free options. Ordered the ParaHash without the muffin. Then i was so enamored, I ordered their Quinoa and Cherry meal as well for later. The food upon taste was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and divine! Yum! Not to mention that they brought a pitcher of water to leave at the table and a kettle of coffee. Wonderful! Service: The waiter was very attentive and kept the table laden with food and cleaned up quickly, as well as dealing with checks properly and effectively. Price was quite good for the food itself. Loved that they didn't kick us out even though we were done eating early and just wanted to drink coffee and chat. Had a blast catching up with my girl in this perfect spot. read more

First Watch - ParaHash without Muffin=gluten free - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

This is by far the best breakfast in the area. I am a snowbird so I frequent restaurants in two separate parts of the country. For sure, these are the best pancakes, hands down. Also the other breakfast essentials such as bread, bacon, etc. - all fabulous quality and perfectly cooked. I'm hard pressed not to order the pancakes but I also love their avocado toast with shirred eggs and the classic breakfast: bacon, eggs homefries and toast. The service is fantastic and the place is always super - clean. I miss it when we go north in the summer. We are back in Tampa for a visit and have come for breakfast twice and had two delicious meals. read more

Great breakfast last week. I've ordered the multigrain pancakes a few times in the past. They always ask how many you'd like - but they are huge so I can't imagine having more than one. There are a bunch of unique variations - banana granola, cranberry nut, carrot cake, and more. This time I tried the bacon cheddar pancake. When topped with syrup, it was the perfect sweet & savory breakfast. The bacon was a little sparse, but I'd still order it again. Check out more on my food blog: http://www.floridafoodlover.com/2014/07/first-watch-tampa-fl.html read more

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This place was amazing! Service was amazing and every employee was friendly! This was our first time here and the server Kyle did an amazing job at making it a great experience. read more

Ordered take out and was given a 31 minute wait time. Fine. Got here and have been waiting an additional 20 minutes and counting . Absolutely ridiculous. read more

The friendliness and service have improved since my last time at this location. I was eating alone at the community table. Jessica was great at making sure I was taken care of. The food is delicious as always. read more

ordered avocado toast, came out all brown not fresh, my friend didn't get his toast and side of sour cream, asked three times never got it, food was cold, took forever to be seated even tho the restaurant was not busy lots of tables available read more

I am changing my rating from 1 star to 4 since Gia the Director of Operations contacted by to apologize and listened to my concerns. Gia is working with this location with more training and staffing to make it run smoother. I really appreciate her efforts and the time she took to listen. read more

Overall not bad and I think others people's food looked better than mine. I got the chorizo omelette which was disappointing, mostly tasted like egg and no real spice or anything to lift it above "meh". The coffee was standard despite the whole backstory behind it. My other big qualm with the coffee is the price is not on the menu so I'm not sure how much it actually was. Service was pretty slow but they were very busy. My friend got the blt eggs Benedict Which seemed to be more flavorful than my dish. Prices are very reasonable for portion sizes. Not a bad option for brunch as the menu is large read more

Awesome place for breakfast and lunch! First Watch is located in the same plaza as TJ Maxx and Fresh Market. Parking is not an issue, unlike the location downtown so I prefer to come to this one. The inside has been completely redone and has a very modern but rustic look.Make sure to join the line using the NoWait app, it will definitely cut your wait in half. Just check in with the host/hostess when you get there. I started off with a Kale Tonic, which was actually pretty tasty. I ordered one of the specials, the Truffled Wild Mushroom Frittata which came with fresh fruit and a slice of ciabatta bread. It was so light and refreshing. My boyfriend got their fall, Pumpkin pancake special which he loved as well. We will definitely be back! read more

First Watch - Truffled Mushroom Frittata - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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It took over an hour to get food and to go orders were also over 40 minutes behind. The server never checked on us to apologize, offer coffee or any doughnuts while we wait. Would not recommend! read more