First Watch — Restaurant in Jacksonville

It is a BIG FAT NO from me. The wonderful experience I had at the Southside location made me curious whether the First Watch keeps its standards the same across all of its locations. The answer is a big NO. In this location (the Riverside), the A/C seemed to be turned off, so you can enjoy the sauna and the droplets of your sweat, slowly but surely, fall in your own food to add a special flavor. They do not serve the water in bottles like they do in the Southside location. They serve water in a cup/glass. If you want lemon slices, they will immediately place that in your cup. They will decide for you how many slices you should have. You do not get the chance to enjoy the smell of the fresh lemon while squeezing it in your water. My starter, my appetizer is fresh cold water with lemon slices at the side. I need to smell and squeeze the slices of the lemon so I will be hungry and craving for my meal. See, here in this location, the details do not matter although in real life all what matters are the little details that make every special rememberable moment what it is. Love, Passion, and the Devil ….all lie in the details. There is NO WOW, NO devil, NO love in this location. I never paid attention to the way a waiter would bring my order to my table, except for this time. It was hard to overlook that he was almost hugging my plate, holding it close to his chest and chin. I felt as if he was breathing in, on, and through my food. His long hair was hanging as if it was dipped in the food. This really did put me off. The food smelled awful though it was, supposedly, just served “fresh". The smell was the worst thing, it was not like rancid eggs but much more like sewerage. I took the food to go, not to finish it at home, not at all, but to dig into the food and to search for the source of the bad smell. I wanted to seek a second opinion of people living in my household concerning what the source of the bad smell might be. I am thinking of taking a sample to the lab to investigate this further. But then it might be better not to know the “ugly truth" and just hope that my food was not tampered. The design of the plate did not help. It has these dark droplets/spots and makes you think it is dirty at the first glance. In total, I just had to chew few bites while closing my nose and hating everything. Some portion of the potatoes were hard and overall there was a bitter taste. Of course I did not leave any tip. I just wanted to leave. CONCLUSION: do not come to the Riverside location. I still want to try the First Watch at the Beach Blvd though I have a lot of apprehensions now. Hopefully it will be similar to the Southside location or even better. I will tell you about it if I didn't change my mind and visited it. Wish me luck,...

Amazing Bacon, Great Service – But Skip the Donuts

I had the chance to visit First Watch in Downtown Jacksonville, and overall, it was a fantastic breakfast experience! From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere felt welcoming, and the hostess was outstanding—super attentive, friendly, and made sure we were seated quickly despite a busy morning rush.

Now, let’s talk about the food. First off, the Million Dollar Bacon is hands down the best bacon I have ever had. It’s thick-cut, perfectly caramelized, and has just the right balance of sweet and savory. If you’re a bacon lover, this is an absolute must-order. It’s one of those things that once you try, you’ll find yourself craving again and again.

On the other hand, I have to say the donuts were disappointing. They didn’t have the wow factor I was expecting, and honestly, I wouldn’t order them again. They weren’t bad, but they lacked the freshness and flavor that makes a great donut worth buying. If you’re looking for a sweet treat, I’d recommend trying something else on the menu instead.

Aside from that, everything else was great—the coffee was fresh, the service was quick, and the overall vibe of the restaurant was cozy yet modern. It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for a relaxed breakfast or brunch, whether you’re dining solo or with a group.

I’d absolutely come back, but next time, I’ll be doubling up on the Million Dollar Bacon and skipping the donuts! Highly recommend this spot if you’re in Jacksonville and looking for a great breakfast with...

Very disappointed. Never been to first watch so my partner decided to take me her for a breakfast date on our date day. We got sat outside and 10-15 min went by and no one even acknowledged us. Two servers walked by us and not one word. I decided to go inside to speak with the host and I said “do we have a server?” She was occupied with another guest and said “no one came by?.” Two servers walked by us and the host asked one the servers to tell the male server that table 91 was his. Not sure where the miscommunication came from but to know it took me having to go inside to get the attention of someone really pissed me off. Two of your servers walked right past us as we sat outside and said nothing and it’s not even busy. Your host should be paying more attention as well. After me coming in there, the male server came by, then all the other servers decided to touch the table after he had already greeted us. Both the female servers asked us if we were ready to order after completely ignoring us before. At that point we felt like now they want to rush us to order. You all gave no care in the world on whether we were being served before but now its all hands on deck?. We decided to leave because it was very unwelcoming and we felt uncomfortable. Unsure if everyone is just having a bad day or they pick and choose who they want to give good service to but it was a really saddening...