First watch — Restaurant in Raleigh

Where do I start. My overall experience was not as great as I anticipated. My daughter just got married at the courthouse. We decided to commemorate the moment at First Watch. Two mimosas were ordered. I asked the server (the trainer), which was better between the mimosa and the pomegranate spirits. She said the pomegranate. So I changed one of the mimosas to a pomegranate. However, the server (the trainee) brought two mimosas to the table and realized her mistake. She asked the groom if he wanted the mimosa. He said yes and she said it would be free. I paid the tab, got the parking ticket validated, and walked outside. One of the guests with us came outside and told me the host charged my daughter (the bride) for a mimosa. I insisted he refund her as he knew we already paid because he initially arranged for us, a party of seven, to sit in a booth. I told my group the seating arrangement would not work. The groom heard me and asked the host for more room. The host gave us another area to sit and did not make sure the seats and table were clean even though I requested it. Last, we validated our parking tickets and still had to pay. This was our first experience for most of us and it left a negative impact. And I said last but I want to also share that one of the cooks took his baby to the kitchen. I am not sure why people don't realize we need to be careful about allowing unauthorized individuals in the kitchen and not treating work as your home. Overall, the experience was not as great as expected. However, the server (trainee) was great and made sure to come check on us. The server (trainer) didn't do as good of a job. She seemed to have an attitude about some of us not hearing she was being water for the table and she was too busy socializing with the cook's family who...

Polite staff, very kind people. The environment was clean (tables, floors, dishes, silverware.) The plating of our food was so cute! Everything tasted great! The eggs were cooked exactly how we asked (I know that is a big deal for some people.) Our waiter checked back on us frequently. Great service. My partner got an iced coffee. The ice coffee comes with cream and everything already in it, it is very light in color and on the sweeter side. I am not sure if they do milk substitutes for it. Just a heads up that when you order it, everything will be mixed in already. I’m sure you can ask for it black if you want. I got a decaf coffee, it seems like they only have hot decaf. I don’t think they can do the iced decaf. Not sure. Will have to ask next time. Both coffees were really good though! Love the decor and the atmosphere. It is an open space with high-ish ceilings, so this is definitely one of those restaurants where it might be a bit noisey or overstimulating if they are busy. They have some pretty secluded booths though. They also have outside seating. They have a pretty big menu to choose from! Lots of options for picky eaters and for people who want to try something new. I just got the Tri-fecta (scrambled eggs, bacon, Belgian waffle.) I love First Watch. This was my first time at this specific location. I tray to avoid the downtown area. It’s actually not that deep into downtown Raleigh at all. It’s kind of close to NC State and Pullen Park. Also they validate your parking! We parked in the lot behind the hemp store, it was $3 for 30 minutes but $13 for 1 hour! So definitely park in the garage and get your parking validated when you go inside!! (show them your ticket) Will definitely be...

We decided to have an early Mother's Day breakfast here. I have never been but I am quite picky when it comes to cooking tecnique so I was interested as so many people had told me to come here. Finally, I have.

I would absolutely come here again. My experience was quite delightful over all from the atmosphere, staff, and flavor!

Our table ordered the cornbread, million dollar bacon, rustica omlet, eggs benedict, and lemon ricotta pancakes. First of, everything had an incredible flavor profile that was balanced and felt intentional. I appreciated the passion I felt from the kitchen to the table and then my fork.

My only critques was that one of my two eggs on the benedict wasn't runny, the cornbread was all bit more cooled than I expected, but, it helped keep the butter from being melted to aid in it's adorable presentation. I also felt the million dollar bacon wasn't as good as it was hyped but, still exceptional on it's own. Maybe my expectations were set a bit high due to the name, would I pay a million dollars for it?

Those few things aside, this breakfast was wonderful and perfect for Mother's day. The pancakes were flawless, and the omlet had an amazing balance of ingredients to create a transportive experience for me. The option of greens instead of potato for my side was a refreshing way to eleviate the weight that we traditionally feel when delving into breakfast food. The benedict other than the tecnique of the 2nd egg was exceptional. That dish takes skill and I was impressed.

I would 10/10 come here again and am excited to explore more of this menu as the time draws near for my return.

Thank you to the staff for their friendly demeanor and...