First Watch

This place has some guy running the front who is slow as molasses. It’s a pain to get seated even when nobody is waiting and takes forever to pay. It’s great that they hire the developmentally disabled, but please find them a job where they can function.

Came to River’s location last Sunday. AWFUL AWFUL service! The place at the point we arrived it was not busy at all. Several tables available and it was like pulling teeth to be seated. 4 people at the register and still nothing. Finally got a table, 14 minutes later FINALLY. A server came over, anything to drink? Really? How about, Good Morning, sorry for the ridiculously long wait, or something. Food was fine, ran out of coffee and had to ask another server for more. I really wish I could remember the gals name. She was rude. In the serving industry, you work a lot on tips, well to get a good one, you gotta do what you were hired to do. Needless to say, $ 2 is all I could do. Crocker Park, well we will just go back there.

My favorite breakfast place hand down! Make sure to beat the church crowd and you are good to go. It can get a little crowded.
My favorite is the Eggs Benedict and it hasn’t failed me yet.

I must say I wasn’t too disappointed with this place in Rocky River. The restaurant was clean, and the service was attentive but not intrusive as I visited with an old friend. Kudos to the waitress for knowing when to interrupt and when to stay away. Water was continually filled and the table was always cleaned when she was there. And, wait for it… she smiled when she spoke… and wait for it… she said please and thank you, and you’re welcome. I cannot tell you how much nicer it is to have a well mannered waitress than the atypical breakfast/​diner server who’s just looking for a tip.
On to the food, I had a warm quinoa salad with kale, grilled chicken and a light cheese sauce. Very fresh, well conceived dish. My friend had pumpkin pancakes. Yuck! But, seemed to like it.
I had been to the Crocker location before and frankly was so underwhelmed that I really would never have opted to try again. And although it’s more than likely not going to be a regular haunt for me I can say with confidence, if your looking for a good meal at a reasonable price you’d probably enjoy this restaurant.
Only 3 stars because the first experience with this concept was so underwhelming as stated before.

It’s really just okay. You seem to get less food than you would expect from a similar place. Coffee is good, food is good. Just nothing special.

I went to breakfast this morning with my mother. The place looked clean, it was nice and open. When we left, I was surprised that there were so many people there (I was facing away from the bulk of the place), because it was pretty quiet.
The service was good. Our server was pleasant and attentive, and the other people that worked there seemed nice. Someone who I think was a manager was helping out and seemed to be very nice to the employees, which was nice to see.
The food was okay. I had a blueberry pancake with scrambled eggs and a sausage link (emphasize… a single sausage link). My mom had the breakfast scramble, which was hash browns, some fruit, scrambled eggs with veggies scrambled in on top of toast. Both of our meals were decent. They were nothing special, and at least for mine the portions seemed a little smaller than similar diners (again… just one sausage link? I’d expected to get 2 or 3), but I still wasn’t able to finish the pancake. The fruit that came with my mom’s meal also seemed like a pretty small portion. I tasted her hashbrowns, and I liked them. She thought they were a little too salty, though.
Something that I really liked was that they left a pot of coffee and pitcher of water on the table for us. I imagine that when it gets busy (we were there on a Tuesday morning, so it wasn’t busy), that helps a lot with servers being able to bring food, clear plates, etc, without having to worry as much about refilling drinks. In the little bowl of coffee creamer, they also had flavored! They had hazelnut, vanilla, and just regular creamer.
Overall, it was a nice enough meal. I wasn’t crazy about the food and given the amount of breakfast places close by, I probably won’t go out of my way to go again. If I’m with someone who wants to go, I won’t complain!

I’ve been thinking about their Floridian French Toast all day. What I enjoy about First Watch’s breakfast dishes are the massive quantities of fresh fruit you get with your meal. I actually feel like I’m eating something healthy that doesn’t end up sickly sweet.
I think the church crowd concern may be a little overrated. I’ve been at the Rocky River location the last few Sundays (at different times) and have yet to have a lengthy wait. Service can be a smidge slow, but the calm atmosphere allows you to relax and get into the «take your time» vibe.

This is a very wonderful café to eat at in Ohio. They have a lots of healthy options to eat and also some unique dishes. Loved it completely. I had Acapulco omelette and it was delish.

‘First Watch’ is truly a godsend! We have been coming here weekly for years, and have consistently obtained excellent, attentive service and food. We make the drive from North Olmsted when we want to sit down and have a real breakfast, instead of just grabbing a quick bagel at Einstein’s or Bruegger’s. Just like your typical diner or ‘family restaurant’, the prices are fair, and the portions plentiful. This place really does have a local, family owned warm atmosphere, and the friendly competent servers always know how to cater to our finicky child as well. In addition, it’s the small touches that speak volumes, such as the clean bathrooms, free coffee in the waiting area, and the nice variety of flavored coffee creamers and jellies available. This most excellent place never fails to put a smile on my face, and this comes from a stickler for quality (that’s ME), no less!

The staff at this restaurant are VERY rude. I gave this place 3 chances just to be fair, but they failed all three times.
The food is okay, but over priced.

Great place to go for brunch. There aren’t many brunch places in River, so it usually gets pretty packed. But the food is always great and I’m always happy with the service.

Great place for a quick healthy breakfast. Went with colleagues after a meeting. Good service and well prepared food a plus. I ordered the egg white omelet and picked my own toppings– very tasty!!!
My colleagues had not been previously been to here but were pleasantly pleased with the dining experience. My only rub was the bee «visitors» on the patio– they need to spray !!!
While my calorie counting fanaticism consumed me– and I elected egg whites– I will definitely be having French toast my next go round– it was very appealing to the eye.

Acapulco Express omelette: chorizo, avocado, green chilies. English muffin not toasted, hash browns not seasoned, omelette flat. Coffee was spectacular, however.

What the heck happened here? I’ve been coming to this location for years and this is the first time they dropped the ball on all levels. When asked for their standard allergy chart, the server had no clue what I was talking about. I explained and she said she’d worked there for two months and had never heard of such a thing. Eventually, she asked and found one in the back. Geez.
We ordered. One diner specified a BLT with no fried egg and white bread… also specified nut allergies. I ordered the bacon hash skillet and specified no bread or wheat products because of celiac disease. The first came with egg and On bread containing seeds and nuts? Mine came with an English muffin. Both orders were clearly wrong and potentially life threatening. What happened? Lack of Training? Nonchalance?
This location can NOT be trusted to deal with food allergy issues although they profess to be allergy friendly. Beware!

I know it costs a little bit more but look around, they don’t serve avocado at 9 am anywhere in 10 miles radius! It’s a lovely, fresh, fast and tasty, and a bit unusual breakfast food that will satisfy you. One word for you: skillets. Sizzling crunchy fresh.
Service here is fast and very blunt, your waitress is not going to tell you her autobiography and won’t ask you about your accent (haircut, mood, criminal record) either, which is just the way I like it. If I come for food, give me food, chatting me up is not gonna feed me, sister. So I am incredibly grateful for the lack of interest in me from the other side of the table. I am wiling to pay extra for that any day.
And of course it is all about turnover, so just grab your skillet and get going.
I totally understand and love this place, and I think that it loves me back.

I’ve eaten at a First Watch before and was craving some place different to have breakfast so I stopped in here. The décor is awful, I mean, really awful. It’s all beige and feels dark inside.
The server brought me coffee and immediately asked me if I was ready to order. I needed a few minutes, like 2 minutes. I kept looking around for her but she was nowhere to be found. At least 10 minutes go by before I even see her again, and then she comes back to take my order. I decided on a «savory crêpe.»
My food comes out and ew. The crêpe wasn’t a crêpe, it was like a mixture of an omelette with pancake batter or something. It was real dry and chewy and showed no actual signs of being a crêpe. The turkey is not deli turkey, more like, processed cube turkey. The potatoes were gross and had no flavor. The English muffin was cold, the butter wouldn’t even melt.
Needless to say, I won’t be returning. It’s too expensive for gross breakfast food.

I just wanted to comment on my Jul 4^th visit to their Beachcliff Market Square location in Rocky River, Ohio.
I have never been to that location before and my overall experience was less than satisfying.
First, when we entered we had to wait almost 5 minutes for a host/​greeter to come to the counter, welcome us and get our name. The place was not busy as we were able to be seated almost immediately after placing our name.
Our waitress was very pleasant, but the coffee she brought us tasted burnt. We needed to use a number of sugar and cream packets to mask the taste.
We ordered the «Traditional» breakfast with the ham slice and everything tasted overly salty or lacked taste all together. The best part was actually my English muffin.
I believe that it was the manager who was the individual who rang us out at the end of our visit. Nobody asked how the food or how our experience was so I decided to write their customer service office. I even included a scanned copy of my cc receipt. After a few emails exchanged, their service rep pretty much said that I should’ve disclosed this to my server. Oh well… my bad.

This is a popular spot for breakfast and lunch. While I’ve never gotten lunch here they do serve until 2pm. This is one of three locations in the area and is one of my usual breakfast spots. This particular location has a few outside tables however they are basically on the sidewalk between the restaurant door and the parking lot. There is usually a wait on weekend mornings for a table — inside or out. Personally I like the omlets however regardless of whatever you order the servers are very good about honouring special requests to sub things out or change the way something is made. Good coffee — they put a pitcher of it on your table if you order it (water too).

I know a lot of people really rave about the breakfast at First Watch, but I think it’s pretty mediocre, serviceable at best. It’s a chain and it feels like a chain.
The décor at this particular location reminds me of a continental breakfast lounge at a hotel. I think the restaurant tries to go for a Florida Keys vibe but actually hits more accurately on a Florida retirement home vibe. Fine if that is your thing. It’s not really mine.
I’ve never strayed far from the egg dishes and they are just fine. An omelette is an omelette is an omelette. Portions are decent so if you’re looking to stuff your face you can.
What I think is strangest about First Watch is they way they serve the coffee. They bring a carafe to the table, which is fine, but I have never received a carafe that was more than maybe ½ full. And I know the carafe is on the table so heavy coffee drinkers like me aren’t constantly bothering the waitress for more coffee, but once that ½ carafe is drained, I find myself bugging the waitress for more. Counterintuitive! Bring me a full carafe! In fact bring me two.
The service is also kind of weird here, like they can’t wait for you to leave. That might just be because I drink so damn much of their coffee, though.

A friend raved about the one in Cincy, so we tried it. It’s very 56 Westish in naming the dishes cleverly and having above average ingredients available for breakfast foods. Avocado, feta, and wheat tortillas to name a few. One might even say it has sort of a health food angle. Sort of. They only do breakfast and lunch. Lots of different takes on omelettes, salads, wraps and known for their French toast.
I had the Caps, etc. It’s mushroom caps with 2 cheeses melted on them with eggs and english muffin. Served with their patented First Watch potatoes. They taste like any old potato if you ask me. Caps were nice. Eggs were fluffy.
A little pricier than a diner, but comparable to IHOP. And a little bit more chic. Not a lot to do in that neighborhood except maybe go look at the river or pick one’s nose. Or both. But if you’re up that way, give it a try. The restaurant i mean.