Holiday Brunch Items from First Watch – Price Included
First Watch is a consistently good brunch spot, known for their sweet and savory bacon, large pancakes and fresh juices. With a large presence in Arizona, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania, this American breakfast & lunch chain may have a location near you.
Their seasonal holiday menu named “Season’s Eatings”, has items such as Korean-inspired Sunny Seoul Hash, Gingerbread Spice Donuts and Cinnamon Chip Pancakes. The typical dishes I order are the pancakes, Parma Hash with Italian sausage and cheeses and the Market Hash with veggies, mushrooms and goat cheese. My mouth is watering just writing about this.
For this trip to First Watch, I’ll give my honest review on the Sunny Seoul Hash, Gingerbread Spice Donuts and side of Biscuits and Gravy, which I never tried before from this restaurant. They also have two seasonal coffee drinks on the menu which look delicious, but since I was already ordering a sweet item, I refrained from giving those a try.
Read the reviews on the dishes I ordered (to-go) plus the total amount I paid, below!
Let’s Start With Donuts
At first, I was hesitant to order the Gingerbread Spice Donuts for fear that they’d be too sweet, but I’m glad I was I wrong. The donut holes themselves are fluffy, caky and not too sweet. There’s just enough cinnamon sugar coating the donuts which had a soft crunch on the outside.
The dipping sauces are creme anglaise and caramel toffee sauce. At first, I just dipped the donuts in the creme anglaise which was quite sweet, but as soon as I tried the caramel toffee sauce, the game changed. If you like salty and sweet flavors, this is a must-try for you. Plus, I assume the donuts are a hit with kids at the table.
Want to get 10% Cash Back on restaurants such as First Watch? Open a Chase Business Checking Account and earn a $400 Bonus plus access to cash back rewards!
Sunny Seoul Hash
I love spice in the morning and the Sunny Seoul Hash caught my eye as soon as I read “gochujang aioli” from the menu. The dish comes with shaved pork, potatoes, bell peppers, kimchi, cheese, eggs cooked your way, topped with scallions, sesame seeds and the aioli.
I asked for over-easy eggs with crispy edges. I didn’t quite get that order, one of the eggs was over-hard, but the other egg had yoke that was a little runny – so we were in business. For those who love spice, this dish wasn’t spicy at all but had good flavor. The eggs, scallions, red peppers and potatoes were the highlights of the dish for me, while the kimchi and pork were not as impressive.
They made their own kimchi, which I applaud them for, however the sour, intense kimchi flavor that I was looking for was not prominent in the dish, and the pieces of cabbage were quite small. The texture of the pork was also a bit tough, similar to gyro meat, although well-seasoned. My dish also did not come with sesame seeds, which would have added flavor and texture.
If you want an introduction to South Korean food, I actually recommend that you try this dish, as the flavors are not intense. However, if you prefer flavors that knock your socks off, this might not be the dish for you.
Looking for fashionable and durable athletic wear when you’re not treating yourself to brunch? Check out these styles from Just Strong Clothing! Use promo code JANSMITH10 to save on your purchase.
Biscuits & Gravy
As a girl who grew up in Southeastern Virginia, biscuits and gravy is a nostalgic dish for me. I’m not typically a fan of the Southwestern take on this dish, so I was delighted that this location had traditional-looking biscuits and gravy.
The side order comes with 2 large biscuits and white sausage gravy. I’m not sure if First Watch is really known for their biscuits, but they should be. The biscuits were toasted and buttered on the top and pillowy soft on the inside.
The gravy had good flavor with a subtle spice from the sausage. I ordered this dish to-go and even though it sat in the car for about 20 minutes while I took photos, it was still fresh and delicious by the time I ate it.
If you’d like more flavor, I recommend seasoning with salt and pepper or even Tabasco if you’re up for it, but a touch of salt and pepper was all this dish really needed. This item is also a must-try, especially for faithful biscuits and gravy fans.
Including tax and excluding tip, the total came out to $32.21 for all the listed items plus a small drink. Overall, it’s a good price for what I got, although I’ll probably stick to the Parm or Market Hash for my next visit.
If you’re going to visit First Watch again or for the first time, my recommendations are the Gingerbread Spice Donuts from the holiday seasonal menu and biscuits and gravy. Have you been to First Watch, before? Let me know your thoughts on the holiday menu or your favorite brunch items in the comments!
Credits:
All photos taken by Jan Crystal. Photo of the restaurant taken at a First Watch location.
Food descriptions provided by https://www.firstwatch.com/. This article is not sponsored content. It’s written as an honest review by a paying customer.
Affiliate links in this article may generate a commission for the blog owner. Making a purchase or creating an account via these links help to fund this blog and is much appreciated. The blog owner is a customer of Chase Bank. This is not sponsored content for any brand or company.
