First Watch — Restaurant in Baldwin

I pass this place on one of the main roads all the time, but I've never had a work schedule that would let me try it out. I always needed to leave too early to really make it count. Now that's different, so I stopped in and gave it a try.

And it was fine.

The food provided was appetizing. Given that it's a breakfast-brunch-lunch speciality place, you get a lot of activity in the morning. This can mean that the servers get swarmed, and they have my respect. It can be hard providing for so many people all at once.

They definitely have the seating to accommodate. Parking is a bit limited, but the seating was fine.

The food was good. It was kind of tricky finding something that really caught my eye. It's a mix of traditional fare and breakfast-bowl meal items that hit the trendy scene in the past decade. So, while it can hit Grandpa's breakfast preferences, its options will mostly appeal to people who were young adults in 2010.

The frittatas spoke to me so I got them. I wasn't disappointed, and I wasn't particularly impressed either. The coffee pot provided was piping hot, but the flatware - mugs included - were up to the task. I might not recommend it if you feel your mouth is sensitive to heat, or perhaps just have more patience than I do.

The portion I received wasn't terribly filling, but it did the job. I didn't order anything else due to my time preference, but I might have if I was willing to stay a bit longer.

If you're looking for a proper full breakfast, I might recommend pairing their standalone pancakes with a non-pancake platter, or two of their waffle offerings. This will quickly add up on the bill, but I think it's more in line with what some might want out of their portions. Not all, but some.

All in all, First Watch was a good experience. The only thing that brings it down is the combination of intense competition in the space, and the prices.

This corner of Pittsburgh is filled with morning diners to take a seat at, that cater to all kinds of preferences. It's not my usual scene, as my work has - and likely still will - prevent me from ever really taking advantage.

And this allows them to compete heavily on price. Whether it's the local Eat'n'Park with a larger menu and more hours, or a place that'll pile on portions with a humbler offering and a lower price? First Watch has a lot of eager rivalry.

That being said, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you eat here. If you go in knowing what to expect.

PS: Don't know who needs to hear this, but just in case. It definitely seemed like bottled orange juice. No skin off my bones, but I've heard some breakfast afficionados...

Okay so I’ve eaten at this restaurant every day for about a week. And this is my honest review about this restaurant, the people etc.

So I’m looking into eating more clean and Whole Foods and fast service without eating the typical fast food restaurants. My first day I order a turkey wrap with a fruit cup and a purple haze drink.

1. the turkey wrap was pretty good and very filling for the price. The taste was okay but the wrap was wet from the egg whites and there was still water in the container. The fruit cup was okay, but the berries were not fresh. The pineapple was fine but the strawberries and grapes were too soft. The purple haze drink was light and tasted like tea with only a little bit of sugar which worked for me.

2. I had the brisket hash. For $15 it was worth every bite. My favorite meal from here. It was flavorful, plentiful, and cooked correctly HOWEVER… I don’t eat pork and found chorizo in my brisket. It would be nice if they completely cleaned the grill or stove top before cooking different meats. That’s kinda what should be happening anyways but stuff happens.

3. the next day I had the egg whites with toast (can’t remember the name of the meal) but it was just mediocre but the bread was delicious. It was warm and filling.

4. I had the veggie hash. It was filled with mushrooms, some peppers and onion and potatoes with an over easy egg. I was full, it was tasty, but this day the potatoes were kinda cold (I wait in my car for the food).

5. my husband had the eggewich he said it was pretty good and filling he said the potatoes were cold, and didn’t finish them.

6. I had high hopes for the Chickichanga. It was only mediocre. The lemon sauce was absolutely delicious, but the actually filling wasn’t anything to brag about. I feel this would taste better if it was a creamy dish. But that’s my personal opinion

Overall I rate this restaurant a solid 4 stars The prices are equal to the portions you receive. It’s pretty filling all the ingredients are local and I believe this is a clean eats restaurant. The staff is pleasant (although some people try too hard instead of being genuine), the restaurant is clean, the bathrooms are clean. The overall atmosphere is cool, not a place for me so I went and ate in my car lol. I like this place and will...

We ate here for the first time in over a year, after giving them an extended break due to negative experiences in the past. Unfortunately not much seems to have changed, this remains by far the worst First Watch in the 412 area. There is a reason why you can get a table here with no wait while other FW locations will be on a 30-60 minute wait at the same time…it’s because this location doesn’t meet the same standards as the others in the area. For starters the manager sat us at the smallest 2 top table available when there were at least 10 larger tables and several booths available and clean for use. Our server was nice enough and gave us your average so-so service. I never received or was asked for a refill on my water which was a bummer as I drank most of it before our food even arrived. I ordered French toast, well done. My girlfriend ordered an omelette. We both ordered potatoes. Her omelet and our potatoes came out quickly but I was told the French toast was still cooking….which is fine because I wanted it well done. After almost 15 minutes the French toast finally comes out. The side of the toast facing up is cooked fairly well so I take a bite of the French toast. It’s completely uncooked and just messy with egg and completely inedible. I flip the toast over and the side facing down is completely raw like it hadn’t even been put on the grill at all. So it took them an extra 15 minutes to serve me half raw French toast and in the end they tried to trick me into eating it by serving the raw side down….really just some lazy terrible cook type maneuvering. We brought it to the managers attention and he honestly just seemed completely over it with his job. He was nice enough to take it off the bill and he offered to remake it but I didn’t want to wait another half hour for another potential disappointment. I’m sure it’s extra hard to find good help in this area but if you’re going to charge the kind of prices that this place charges then you need to offer some sort of consistent quality. Ever since opening this location has been the worst in the area, despite several managers. I think the sad truth is that the people that live in this area just aren’t good enough workers to handle...