First Watch — Restaurant in Hanover

I got an excited call from a friend on Wednesday wanting to try First Watch on Thursday. when she read the menu to me, I already knew what we were going to order. We ventured down, braving the unusual traffic for.a Thursday, to try it out.

The atmosphere was good. It was a little loud and cramped but they had a few cute details like the colourful menu boards and menus that look like newspapers.

We were served impeccably by our server, Sarah. She was attentive and responsive to our needs. She remained calm and present when we encountered some hiccups during our dining experience.

The blueberry lemon cornbread was really tasty. I just found myself wishing for a bit more lemon. A little lemon zest in the batter, lemon-infused butter or compote on the side could’ve really taken it to the next level. Still, the overall flavor was solid. I left inspired to develop a recipe of my own.

The million-dollar bacon had great flavor too, but it really needed to be crispier to live up to its name.

Unfortunately, things took a turn when our entrées arrived. My grits looked more like corn mash than actual grits. There’s a big difference, grits should be smooth and creamy, but this was thick, dry, flavourless and hard to eat. The shrimp and sausage were well-seasoned and nicely cooked, but the texture of the grits really ruined the dish for me. I sent it back, hoping for better, and while the second version was slightly improved, it came back oily and even more bland. The shrimp and sausage were still fine, but now they were topped with burned onions. I honestly don’t know how that made it past the kitchen. I couldn’t help but wonder who’s checking the plates before they go out. Why was there such inconsistency?!

My friend had the Works omelette, and it started off well, but was also full of burned onions.

At that point, we were just disappointed. Our server, Sarah, was kind and did her best, she let the manager know, and my friend received a gift card since most of her meal was left untouched. But when the bill came, we were still charged for it, which didn’t sit right. They eventually took it off, but it was frustrating that the manager never came by the table, and that there didn’t seem to be a standard practice for handling clearly flawed dishes.

We weren’t expecting perfection, just a thoughtful meal and attention to detail. Sadly, that wasn’t our experience, and we’re not...

The music was too loud when we first walked in, especially for breakfast first thing in the morning we asked them to turn it down and they did although Katie did not seem to like that but she did turn it down and then later agreed when she came back telling us yes it was too loud for first thing in the morning. she left again and we were ready to order. We looked around for her, and she was standing at the front door, holding it open for people coming into the restaurant. when we finally managed to get her attention, she was very curt and her bad attitude was diminishing even more.

my sister ordered the farmhouse, hash dish with the eggs over medium. They came back over easy too runny they were not medium, but Katie decided she was going to argue that with us. Katie Folded her arms in front of her chest and said well do you want them hard because this is medium what’s in front of you? I said no it’s not and they took them back and when they came back, they were over hard they either didn’t know how to cook the eggs or we’re upset we sent them back.

I ordered the steel cut oatmeal which the menu says is made to order and in my opinion this was not steel cut oatmeal and it looked like something you would get at a breakfast buffet at a three star hotel. It was hard it was lumpy It was cold. The strawberries on top which they only list as berries they don’t specify were horrible. The bananas on top were OK it came with a blueberry muffin that was mostly grease in my opinion. overall, not a good experience with the food and the service. Katie had a really bad attitude we were made to feel like we were inconveniencing her. She loves folding her arms in front of her chest. She loves putting her hands on her hips when she’s not happy about something this was our first time there and probably our last. We are usually good about giving second chances, but Katie really upset us so unprofessional. She’s lucky she got a 10% tip. please take a look at the eggs in that picture of those over medium no but Katie decided to argue with and wouldn’t let it go. To the management and the owner Katie needs more training and teach her to be nice and not argue with the...

Had the pleasure of dining here on opening weekend. We had first learned of it from YouTube about their Orlando location. The reviewer went on and on about the food and service and they were 100% correct. EVERYTHING we ordered was fresh, delicious and presented as if they were being judge by Guy Fieri. Big portions of amazing food nicely garnished. I started off with the Purple Haze as a recommendation. I'm normally a chocolate milk guy with breakfast, but damn, that was refreshing and delicious. I started off with the Million Dollar Bacon and Million Dollar Potatoes. I figured I'd might as well test them out. That's a pretty big boast to give your food million dollar status. They were worth that and more. Potatoes that were crispy on the outside and pillow soft inside, smothered in that parmesan cream sauce with just the right amount of bacon. This will be a staple for me when I come back. Don't even get me started on that Million Dollar Bacon. It's the stuff of dreams, again with the presentation, they bring the plate out and its like your getting an award. Four little beauties just sitting there perfectly crisp and lightly drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with pepper for that little bite to go along with the sweet. This will sear into your brain. The biscuit and gravy were phenomenal. hearty flaky biscuit that was drowning in that perfectly peppered gravy, yet it still held up and then when you add some of that Million Dollar Bacon to it, Chefs Kiss. My wife and kid were there but I was so in a fog from the deliciousness of it all I cant remember what they said, my wife did love the house coffee tho. Everything was amazing from the décor, the staff and the pricing. This place is going to be a problem for my wallet and waistline, but you only live once.

Thank you First...