First Watch — Restaurant in Charlottesville

First Watch Ratings: 4.1/5

Food: 4.25/5 - You can never go wrong with brunch at First Watch. I brought my Connecticut friends here to try, and they loved it. They have a good selection of items on their menu, and all of their dishes are delivered very aesthetically and packed with flavors. Please read the descriptions below or check out my Instagram page (noraeatsgood) for more content and detailed reviews.

Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl [GET]: One of my go-to item. This quinoa bowl is light, but filling and loaded with healthy and fresh ingredients creating it to be the most balanced meal you can get at First Watch. The quinoa is wonderfully cooked, slightly on the soft side and the chicken breast was delicious. It is thinly sliced, tender and juicy. I love the roasted tomatoes, its tangy and acidity, super refreshing. The kale and carrots added a crunch to the dish too. Pro tip is to ask for the white balsamic dressing and pesto sauce to be on the side, so you can adjust them however you like.

The Traditional [GET]: It is pretty hard to mess up a traditional breakfast. It is a classic and a staple here. My sister got two sunny side eggs with bacon, toast, and their famous potatoes. Eggs are perfectly fried with a running yolk, and bacon has a maple-y flavor, nicely fried and crispy. Potatoes are lightly seasoned with onions but packed with flavors. My favorite is their whole grain artisan toast and remember to pair it with their homemade strawberry jam, so FIRE. If you cannot decide what to get, go for The Traditional.

Ambiance: 4/5/ - It is loud and packed as soon as you walked in. The interior is nice though, clean and bright full of people and very energetic atmosphere. The college decor on the walls was a nice touch, loved my UVA school spirit. Also, I like the open-style kitchen and their farm to table vibes. It is a great spot for weekend brunch regardless, if you have a small or large group of people. Come for a great time and food!

Price: 4/5 - I got the pesto chicken quinoa bowl for $11.95, and my sister got the traditional for $13.95 before tax. I think it is pretty good for the quality of ingredients, and most dishes range from within the $12 to $16 price range, so budget-friendly if you are looking for something mid-range. You pay at the front when you are done, and I thought it was efficient and very convenient, and they were able to spilt our bill 16 ways.

Service: 4/5 - We were a party of 16 and was able to get two tables next to each other successfully. We got on their waitlist an hour and a half in advance to avoid the long wait times. The staffs were nice and friendly, able to accommodate for such a large group on a short notice. Our server was fast and prompt at filling our water, and she took our orders correctly despite it being super busy. The food came out relatively the same time and super fresh.

BLUF: A brunch chain serving hearty and comforting sweet and savory brunch / lunch dishes, and they are super consistent. It is a wonderful place to eat with great ambiance and nice people. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with anything, but if you are looking for healthier options, then get the pesto chicken quinoa bowl, it's one of my favorites. Got to check it out, especially if this is...

Updated review 10/27/2022: I gave first watch another chance after the initial wave of covid had dissipated. I didn't have a problem and got my orders for pickup with no issues a couple of times. That is until today! I ordered lunch online and when I went to pick it up it wasn't there. The employees ignored me for a long time, even as I stood at the cash register. Someone walked over and told me it should be out soon. So I waited again! When I finally got someone to go check on it, he said they didn't have some of the ingredients any longer. I told the man that I would like a refund. He reluctantly went to get a manager, which took a while. When I finally got a manager she discovered that they had not ring up my order and it was lost. I waited and wasted my entire lunch hour because they lost my order. I asked for a refund and the manager obviously didn't know how to issue one. She took down my cell number and said she would call me back after they closed at 2:30 to resolve the issue. I never received a phone call. I tried calling the store and no one answered. I looked in my bank account and it was issued. It would've been nice to get an apology. Not once during this entire encounter did anyone apologize or even seem remotely remorseful. Never EVER returning again!!

Updated review 10/9/2019: I had originally given First Watch a glowing review and 5 stars, but after today, I will not return. When I arrived my family was seated and we received our drinks right away. Unfortunately our waitress never returned. After waiting almost 30 minutes we flagged down another waiter. He reluctantly took our order. The food came reasonably quick but we were missing items. The waiter never checked on us to see if everything was correct and didn't offer to fill our empty glasses. As we finished he ran over, slapped the check on the table and said "you can pay whenever you're ready". My mother told him we never received part of our meal & he ran to the kitchen, grabbed the items and returned. The problem was, we were already finished and ready to leave. Instead of offering to comp these items, he just commented about how we were apparently already done. I then had to leave very quickly in order to return to work on time because my lunch is only an hour long. There was absolutely no excuse for this horrible service! There was plenty of wait staff on hand and it wasn't...

Had heard good things about First Watch. Tried going on a Sunday and it was way too busy. Had friends in town and tried again. It was a Thursday around 10 am. They were moderately busy. They have two entrances. We came in from the parking area entrance vs the shopping center entrance. No hostess at that entrance or signage to direct you to seat yourself or to walk through to the other side to the host stand. We walked through and stood at the host stand ( no hostess and again no sign ) as staff kept walking buy us and customers were trying to pay at the cashiers stand. A server finally seated us and apologized for the wait. It was a bit to see a server. We placed a beverage order ( they don’t have tomato juice ) and two of us just had coffee. The coffee cups are on the table as well as silverware rolls. Opened the silverware roll to find only a knife and fork. No spoon to stir the coffee. When the server came back with orange juice I mentioned the spoon thing. He said I know silly right. Never brought spoons. It was a while before he was back to get our order. He would apologize as he walked by. I ordered the eggs Benedict clasic. It was deli style sliced smoked ham with overcooked eggs on toast ( not English muffin ) and no Hollandaise. It was disappointing to say the least. Certainly not classic style. Server leaned across from the cashier stand behind us and handed us a bill. We were only half way through our meal. Never checked how it was or offered anything else. I don’t know how the other two meals were. They didn’t eat much. Cashier stand is crazy. Servers should self bank. We waited behind a family of 6 that was trying to pay so that forces you to stand in the middle in the way of everyone. I was hoping for a much...