First Watch

Found this place on Unilocal called to make sure if we needed reservations with they don’t take any bug they did tell me to download «no wait» and it places me in line before I even arrive which was perfect ! Food, drinks and service were amazing !!!

Favorite breakfast on the peninsula (there aren’t many places, so it’s not like there is stiff competition…), hands down. We’ve become regulars, and eat here probably 3 – 4 times a month. And every single thing I’ve ordered has ranged to really good to really delicious.
The first time we went, we were really annoyed by the horrible service. But they were new, and the manager made it right. The service isn’t consistently great. Last time we waited 8 minutes (yes, I start timing the second I sit down) for someone to greet us and bring us coffee/​water. But, most of the time the service is nothing to complain about. They leave water & coffee at the table, and do a pretty good job of keeping my Diet Coke refilled.
I love the food, though. I’ve tried a variety of things on the menu, ranging from omelettes to pancakes to avocado toast, and I’ve never been disappointed. Just a note: their pancakes are MASSIVE. Just get one, seriously. And get the blueberry. They are perfect. Super fluffy and amazing flavor. The carrot cake pancake is the only thing I’ve been «meh» about, and it was just a texture thing (it had amazing flavor though!). The bacon is consistently hot & crispy, and the omelettes are my favorite in the area (I can not handle runny eggs/​wet eggs, and their omelettes are never wet & gross).
The prices are fair, considering portion sizes. And to everyone complaining about wait times: download the NoWait app! On a Saturday morning, when they’re on a 45 minute wait, I’ve never had to wait more than 5 minutes.

First Watch is delicious! I am from the Pacific Northwest and we don’t have any First Watch locations in my state. I met the manager, Brad, on one of my connecting flights to Newport News. He was super nice and suggested I come by the restaurant to try it out. It’s conveniently just a couple of miles from my hotel, so today I hopped in my car and headed over.
I went in and Brad remembered me, which was awesome. I got a seat at the community table and he pointed out some of the favorites on the menu. I ended up going with the Sunrise Granola & Yogurt bowl, as I am kind of obsessed with yogurt parfaits, and a scrambled egg. The parfait was SO GOOD, one of the best I have had. The granola was amazing (and apparently made fresh every day) and thankfully they sell it in the store because I had to get a bag to take back with me. Now I can eat it for several more days — yum! My scrambled egg was fresh and didn’t need any salt and pepper — it was good on its own. I was also given a big tasty muffin that I didn’t have room for (although I did sneak a bite) and will be a delicious snack for later or maybe tomorrow’s breakfast! Brad also brought over a glass of their Kale Tonic, which was SUPER tasty. I ended up taking the rest of my glass to go and plan to sip on it the rest of the afternoon.
Brad ended up comping my entire meal which was totally unnecessary, but a really amazing thing for him to do. I left a nice tip for my waitress, who was very sweet and attentive (wish I could remember her name!).
I really liked the layout of the restaurant — very open and welcoming, with a bit of a farm-​type feel. There is plenty of parking since the location is in an area with several other businesses.
I definitely recommend this place and I really wish there was one in WA State because there are soooo many more things on the menu that I want to try! The sandwiches look amazing and some of the breakfast goodies sound fantastic (Ciabatta French Toast with Nutella Drizzle? Smoked Brisket Hash? Hello!).

I got home fries, fruit and a muffin — each was really good. Other people at table got a salad and sandwich and the trifecta and both people liked their options. Nice floor plan and good location. No issues with service
The ding is for a long wait — even with using the app. Then food was a bit of a wait too, so brunch took about an hour, which seems a bit much
Also, just note they dont have any brunch liquor drinks– totally fine but people in my party who don’t know in advanced were a little bummed

Free coffee while i wait? Why Thank You!
Why wait though when you can bypass that line by simply downloading the app?
Once you arrive and are pleasantly seated order some fresh coffee. You get the entire pot at your table to refill unlimited mugs as you wish. The food is great too! I have had the benedict to the omelette and pancakes. It’s all good! There is a quinoa and Kale bowl i am so ready to try along with the juice/​smoothie selection.
This concept is everything I have been looking for in this area. It’s fresh all day breakfast with vegetarian/​vegan options in a clean and comfortable atmosphere with a subtle style. Give it a gander, there is something for everyone. This place is sure to please and the customer service AMAZING!

I love this place! First time here and I love the atmosphere, it’s kind of farmy feel but new age. It reminded me a LITTLE bit of panera at first. It seems like everything is fresh, from the containers that they bring the water in (an old school milk bottle) to the ingredients! After I ate, I felt light and not like I had just eaten something very heavy and greasy! I WILL be back!

I love this store. Wait staff are attentive, professional and actually happy to see you! The food is fresh, delicious and the bread they use is absolutely the best!!! The menu is innovative with avocado toast, fresh eggs, good coffee and sweet treats and servings are very generous! The store is bright and immaculate and we were thanked for dining there! Welcome to Newport News First Watch!

Great food and selection, great atmosphere. The fresh juice was amazing and the staff were amazing. Wish there were more vegetarian/​vegan options, but maybe someday!!!

Everything was as fresh as it gets. We went here because the Lunch Bell is closed on Sunday, now I’m really glad they are! I would have tried FW out otherwise. The line is usually very long on the weekends, so try to go earlier than later. I had the quinoa breakfast bowl, and I could not believe how delicious it was. The turkey sausage was bursting with flavor, and the cremini mushrooms and tomatoes were well cooked. My friend had the skillet and hash, which had incredible flavor. The onions like were caramelized :) I am definitely going back!

We love this place where you can get a great healthy breakfast or lunch. I love their steel oatmeal which comes with fruit on top and their daily muffin. Also love their French toast. The soups are good. My husband is more into their soup and salads or sometimes their sandwiches. Wish they were open at least an hour more, but that and getting your beverage filled a bit quicker is my only qualm. I also love their no wait option!
We frequent there at least 2 times a week. Did I mention that they are also close to great shopping!

We have not been disappointed, every time we stop by. So far we have only gone for breakfast, but to us, it’s all we need to know. We used to be bothered by the wait times, until we downloaded the app, so that’s a non issue now. The food is fresh, hot, made to order. The specials are delightful and seasonal. The staff is extremely friendly, and even the coffee is amazing.
This is not your typical «down home» type breakfast joint, but it’s not overly complicated either. simple ingredients done very well.

I’ve come to this establishment on two occasions and the food was great both times. On one occasion I had the power wrap which was sizable and the other time I have the chickichanga. Both great!!! Servers are very good– professional, friendly and responsive. Highly recommended!

I placed this restaurant on my bookmarks because I love breakfast and going to brunch with pals and I have heard of this chain and the semi healthier options on the menu intrigued me– so when my friend hit the road to TN and wanted to meet off the highway for breakfast I was like BLAM! First Watch!
I drove from Oceanfront to Newport News and hit the Planet Fitness up there before getting a breakfast. I was somewhat stinky and super ravenous when I got there. The location is right by all my hipster loves-​Whole Foods, Starbucks and others-​so its my scene.
We were seated very quickly, the restaurant is very open and easy to navigate-​oh and the parking wasn’t too bad but I could see it being a nightmare during rush times. After seated the waitress took a rather long time to take our drink order… Ugh, HELLO! Coffee please?
The menu is small, but that’s ok-​that means they can focus on what they do make-​right?! I ordered the Turkey Sausage Gravy and Biscuit with poached eggs and home fries. My friend got the Italian Benedict. I honestly can’t recall how fast the food service was-​normal I guess?
When my food arrived I laser focused on the biscuits and gravy-​but to be truthful the home fries portioning was really small, like ¼ to ½ of what you get elsewhere. Buuut the biscuit and gravy was banging. My friend said her Benedict hit the spot.
But here is where the 3 stars really comes in. The food was good, but not nearly enough to justify a $ 35 price tag. Honestly, Cracker Barrel would have been a cheaper and very comparable option. So… Yeah.

Forget trying to go on the weekend. The shortest wait I’ve seen was 30 min, and I’ve seen it over an hour. I recently went on a Monday around 10 and the place was still almost packed full. The crowds come out because the food is good. They have complimentary coffee while you wait, but I don’t care how good your food is, I’m not going to wait an hour just to be seated.
On my most recent visit, I got an elevated egg sandwich — an over easy egg on a soft bun with bacon, avocado, and gruyère, served with potatoes. It was really tasty, but the kitchen did something with the presentation that I thought was just downright stupid. They built the sandwich and then stuck a bamboo skewer through it, right through my over easy egg. So when the sandwich came out, all my delicious egg yolk had run out onto the plate. Leave off the skewer, dummies. I’d rather my bun be slightly ajar than lose my egg yolk.

We decided to give First Watch another try! We were pleasantly surprised had the lemon ricotta pancakes and the scramble tacos. all the food was super delicious and the service
was great, attentive without being overbearing:) Will definitely be back for an after workout breakfast!

The last time I went was a stark difference to my first time. Our waitress was AWFUL. She interrupted constantly, talked more about her personal life than the menu, and used any excuse to blather away. My food was burnt too. Overall I have no intentions of going back. Burnt food a blabbie mc blab blab waitresses do not equal a good experience.

I love brunch, and this place does it right. Interesting juice bar, healthy menu options with a sprinkle of not so healthy, free coffee and wifi while you wait (15 – 20 mins is typical) though there is an app that can make that time shorter.
I love the cinnamon chip pancake deal, but honestly, everything is awesome. The bread is thick sliced, the avocado is never disappointing – and how they manage that in the dead of winter is a neat trick.
We have been here 5x and can’t wait for the next time.

I’m definitely a fan. I would come here for the cinnamon chip pancakes everyday (if it didn’t increase my waist size). haha! They large, moist, and the flavor from the cinnamon chips makes me not even need syrup (shocking!) … but I have to add syrup bc theirs is also good and is brought to the table warm.
I gave this place ⁴⁄₅ bc I was underwhelmed by the eggs benedict (which is supposed to be great based on the reviews). I thought it was similar to an eggs benedict I could order at any other decent restaurant.

wow, in lowercase, so meaning not in a good way. Had high hopes as this place was full and the reviews seemed good. Ordered the Salmon Eggs Benedict. Borderline cold, uninspired Hollandaise, and a side of mixed greens that was not at all appealing first thing in the morning.
Plus, I specifically asked to have the ciabatta underneath it all toasted/​grilled dark. Why was that so hard to accomplish? The bread came out the color of… well, bread. My other pet peeve: spotty silverware and glassware. Ugh.
Ordered a DayGlow: Orange, carrot, and ginger juice blend. not very tasty, and I drink similar drinks like this all the time.
I expect this is a pancake or waffle-​centric place, but I’m a morning protein eater, so pancakes are not my thing. Other people seemed to be enjoying it, so my opinion may be in the minority, but I’m not going to hurry back.

I was so excited to see a First Watch opening up in Newport News! I love love love First Watch in Northern Virginia and had pretty high expectations for the Newport News one.
I’ve been here a couple of times since they’ve open, and I have enjoyed the food every time. The Tech Center parking lot is always pretty busy, but you can find parking with no problems. I’ve only ever really had to wait 5 – 10 minutes for a table, they do seem to get super busy, especially on the weekends. Service is above average. They’re usually super friendly and very accommodating. They have seemed to get into the hang of things during my more recent visits. The food takes a little longer than normal to get to you. But it’s worth the wait.
Their menu is a little bit more on the healthy side, but everything looks SO good. Every time the waitress walked by with plates of food, my friend and I would change our order. The food looks that good. The have a couple of pancake selections, and the pancakes are HUGE. 1 is probably enough to fill you up. The carrot cake pancake is delicious. There are strips of carrots, raisins, and cinnamon in it, and it’s absolutely amazing. If you like carrot cake, you will hands down like this. Even if you don’t like carrot cake, you should try it. Seriously. The cinnamon chip pancake is loaded with cinnamon chips. Even after I was full I kept eating it.
They have sandwiches, soups, and salads if your’e not in the mood for breakfast. The half sandwich/​half soup combo is just the right amount of food. The sandwiches are flavorful and fresh. The Monterey Club is fantastic. But who doesn’t love a good Turkey BLT with avocado?!
I like that they leave the water on the table so you can refill it whenever you want to. They have fresh squeezed juice as well, although it’s a little pricey. You pay at the register up front. The décor is rustic and beautiful. I love the cheerful morning atmosphere of the place, it definitely puts a pep in your step in the morning. If you’re in the area, check this place out. I’ll definitely be back here because of my weekend brunch obsession, and this cute place has amazing food!