First Watch — Restaurant in Geneva Township

When I heard that First Watch was coming to Geneva Commons, I was SUPER excited; back when I lived in Tampa, there was a FW across the street & I always loved their food. We tried to go on Saturday but there was an 1hr long wait, so we came the following Monday. There was also a 1hr wait, but we entered their waitlist via their website prior to leaving the house. I would definitely recommend this process. We arrived, checked-in, waited approx. 20 more minutes & then were seated. The environment is very nice & farmhouse-chic. Noisy, so don’t expect to come here for a meeting or conference call. I ordered the Morning Meditation juice ($6) & the Mint Mocha Iced Coffee ($6). Both were good & I would def order them again. For our meals, they we got a BLT Eggs Benedict ($13) with the side of Lemon Arugula Salad, side of Multi-Grain Toast ($3), The Tri-Fecta with bacon, scrambled eggs & Belgium Waffle ($12). We also got a side of chocolate chip & carrot pecan pancakes ($9). The Eggs Benedict was good, but I don’t think I would order again. Just wasn’t my thing. The side salad was okay but I wish I had gotten the potatoes instead. The toast with preserves were my favorite food item. Bf said the Tri-Fecta was good also. Scrambled eggs were some of the best he has had & he loved the waffles. The bacon was good but thin & you don’t get many slices. It took a bit to get all of our items, but that is understandable for how busy they were. Our waitress, Jocelyn, was awesome & so kind. FW Geneva will become a...

Tucked into the charming streets of St. Charles, First Watch feels less like a breakfast spot and more like a breezy resort café. The atmosphere is positively delightful—think: sun-drenched, stylish, and calm. The bar area opens to the patio through two wide windows, letting the fresh air and soft sounds of the street float right in. It’s the kind of place where you could linger all morning with a good book and a better latte.

But I wasn’t there to linger—I was there to eat. And that’s where Kristina stepped in. Warm, kind, and full of great suggestions, she steered me straight to the Elevated Egg Sandwich, her personal favorite.

Let me tell you: she did not steer me wrong.

It arrived at my table in what had to be record time—no exaggeration, I don’t think five minutes passed. And from the very first bite, I knew I had found something special. A perfectly over-easy egg oozed over smashed avocado and smoky bacon, all hugged by melty gruyere and zingy lemon-dressed arugula, piled high on a pillowy brioche bun. It was absolutely the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had in my life—no contest.

My only regret? That I don’t live closer. Because if I did, I’d be back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

⸻

Overall: 5 stars Atmosphere: 5 stars The Elevated Egg: 5 stars Service by Kristina: 5 stars

First Watch, thank you for setting the breakfast...

This was disappointing. Service was slow, even though the restaurant was only 80% full. There were a number of clean, open tables when we arrived, but three parties were already ahead of us waiting to be seated.

Once seated, the waiting continued. It was several minutes before a waitress arrived. Our initial request for water and coffee took probably close to ten minutes to arrive at the table. Our food also arrived slowly. My wife's order included a toasted ciabatta, which was missing and was promised to be brought immediately. My wife was at least halfway through her breakfast and still hasn't received the toast, when she flagged down our waitress. When asked about the toast, she was told that they ran out of toast and had to make more. When it arrived a few minutes later, she received a heel of the ciabatta. She also didn't care for it, as it had some toppings she said tasted weird. She enjoyed her main course.

My order was for chilaquiles. They were okay, but whatever hot sauce they used was too vinegary for my taste, so I could eat only about half of them. The eggs were good. Coffee was a notch better than weak diner coffee, but still much weaker than I like.

The dining room is quite loud. All hard surfaces. On the plus side, tables are well-spaced. It is a bright room -- the polar opposite of its predecessor in that space,...