First Watch — Restaurant in Tyler

Let me say right off the bat that the two stars are for the excellent, friendly service. That is the best thing about this restaurant. And the place is clean. No problems there. The food? Yuck.

I ordered the Mediterranean "Baked" Eggs (their punctuation, not mine) from the LTO menu. This was to have been two eggs any style served over a baked dish consisting of tomato sauce, tomatoes, peppers, onions and chicken breast, sprinkled with herbs and feta cheese. The menu board at the entrance stressed that this was all fresh. I'm not too sure about that. The chicken strongly resembled Oscar Meyer Carver meats in thickness and consistency, except that it had grill marks along the skin side. Combing through this very thin tomato sauce with my fork, I saw no onions or peppers at all. I did see a few tomato skins, so it could be that they did make the sauce fresh in the store. I ordered two eggs over medium on the top, and they arrived over easy. The yolks were exactly like my husband's, who also ordered over medium. A very disappointing dish for over $10.

My husband ordered the traditional breakfast. His eggs were completely uncooked, like mine. His potatoes were overcooked; by this I mean that about 1/3 of them were dark brown bits. This dish comes with whole grain toast. It arrived cold. They present this with what appears to be whipped butter on the top of the toast, which would be melted into the toast if the toast were even a little warm. As it was, it was congealed and resembled white icing. This is served with about a tablespoon of their house preserves (strawberry). Apparently, that is the only choice? His breakfast also cost over $10.

Add coffee, which was just fair, and the cool water served without ice, a decent tip, and your really poor breakfast for two at First Watch will run you about $30.

OK. Atmosphere. Hard surfaces, corrugated metal, shades of gray on the walls. Something between a barn and a prison. Not a comfortable, appetizing setting.

Our waitperson was so sweet and accommodating that we didn't want to broach any of these complaints. Typically, I am polite and vote with my feet. We paid our tab, tipped the nice server and walked out, never to return.

La Madeleine is fairly nearby, as is Happy's, which serves an excellent breakfast all day. Too many good choices in Tyler to...

I love this place because my wife can eat here and not have any problems. What I mean is they gluten free and dairy free things they make for people who have sort of tolerances. Not everything is gluten free and dairy free which good for the "normal people" haha. I like getting the sandwich and soup combo. On certain months they have specials on like a black board which is cool. A lot of older folks come there but it's not a big deal. There is a waitress who know sign language which is good for the deaf. I have not had a bad meal there and I encourage people to go there and try it out.

Update they have changed. There are a bunch of new people also there is no dedicated non-contaminated area anymore everything is cross-contaminated. You just got to ask the right questions and make sure that you're okay with cross-contamination now going and going in there.

Update 10-26-23

Still nothing has changed except the price of coffee went up so that's fun (yeah right). A cup of coffee now costs $3.85 plus tax. The coffee is not that good so my advice is just bring your own. Also almost all the entrees cost over 10 bucks and when the food comes it does not look like it's worth ten dollars. Maybe it's me because I do not eat out that much but I could buy ingredients and have a much better experience. People are still coming here so I guess they do not mind paying but for me that I try to save money the best I can and go out to eat as a treat. I get that things are costing more but we need to be smart with money unless...

I visit this location regularly, and over time many of the staff have come to recognize me. I’ve consistently had positive experiences here. The service is usually excellent, and the staff always remain friendly and professional, even during the busiest times.

A special shout-out to Connor, one of the waiters here. He is consistently polite, attentive, and professional. His attention to detail stands out. He makes sure everything at the table is right and checks in at just the right times without being overbearing. Even when the restaurant is busy, Connor maintains the same level of excellent service and makes guests feel valued. Employees like him are a big part of why I continue coming back.

That said, during my most recent visit on September 21, 2025, I was disappointed to find what appeared to be blood on the outside of my orange juice container. While I understand that mistakes can happen in any environment, this is a serious health and safety concern that should not be overlooked.

This one incident does not erase the many positive interactions I’ve had here. The team is hardworking, attentive, and welcoming. I will continue to come here because of the excellent staff and overall positive experiences, but I wanted to share this feedback so it can be...