Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Features

Inside First Watch’s bold new brunch menu

I sampled First Watch’s sweet and savory brunch menu—Here’s the verdict

By
First Watch
First Watch

First Watch is one of my favorite restaurants for a consistently delicious brunch that never gets old. With a rotating seasonal special menu, I always look forward to trying new brunch items at First Watch. To kick off the new year, First Watch just dropped an all-start lineup of brunch dishes that blend returning favorites with standout new dishes for the ultimate winter and spring brunch lineup.

This new menu includes the returning B.E.C (Bacon, Egg, & Cheese) and a newly debuted Chimichurri Steak & Eggs Hash. Of course, a First Watch seasonal menu wouldn’t be complete without a few sweet brunch items in the mix too, such as Lemon Blueberry Cornbread. Below, Shane Schaibly, Senior Vice President of Culinary Strategy at First Watch Restaurants, shares what inspired the unique flavor combinations behind the recently launched seasonal brunch menu.

A fresh new take on the season

First Watch
First Watch

A standout of the new brunch menu is the returning B.E.C, made with hardwood smoked bacon, folded cage-free eggs, aged cheddar, house-pickled sweet peppers and arugula with Calabrian chili aioli and roasted garlic aioli on griddled artisan sourdough. Per Schaibly, this returning favorite has made a comeback this season as it is one of the most ordered LTOs. “We consistently saw customers calling it out on social media and asking when it would return,” he shared.

Recommended Videos

“During testing, the Chimichurri Steak and Eggs Hash became the highest-mixing limited-time offering in First Watch history, which told us customers are craving bold, vibrant flavors. At the same time, Chimichurri is having a real moment in the culinary world – it’s fresh, herb-forward and packed with flavor,” he shares. This menu item is served with steak, fresh spinach, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, diced red bell peppers and house-roasted onions in a potato hash, topped with two cage-free eggs any style, crumbled Feta, house-pickled sweet peppers, roasted garlic aioli and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.

Sweeter options

First Watch
First Watch

While savory options at First Watch are my personal favorites, they do offer several sweet brunch items if you’re craving something indulgent. From freshly baked Blueberry Lemon Cornbread to Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast, there’s no shortage of indulgent options for your weekend gathering. If you’ve been to First Watch before, you know they’re also known for their exceptional juice flavor combinations. The newest Pineapple Express is a hit (I saw nearly every table with one of these), which is made from fresh juice featuring pineapple juiced in-house, orange, coconut water, lime and agave, finished with a mint crystal rim.

“Customers come to First Watch because they trust us,” says. “They know they’ll find the classics they love but they also expect us to surprise them. Our rotating seasonal menu gives us the perfect space to experiment and innovate. We usually start with flavors and ingredients that feel familiar, and then elevate them with a fresh twist or lean into relevant culinary trends. We want to create dishes that feel exciting but still fit naturally alongside the favorites our customers come back for,” he shares.

“We currently rotate our seasonal menus several times a year, and that’s intentional. It’s part of our “Follow the Sun” approach – building dishes around ingredients that are freshest and at their peak.”

Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving…
Nikka brings back a beloved 10-year single malt for the first time in a decade
Miyagikyo Single Malt 10 Years Old is the first age-statement release from the distillery since Japanese whisky's aged-stock crunch hit in 2015.
Whisky, bottle, label

Nikka Whisky is one of the most exciting names in Japanese whisky, so when they make a big announcement, it's almost always worth taking an interest. That's especially the case with the release of Miyagikyo Single Malt 10 Years Old, the flagship expression from its Miyagikyo Distillery — the fruit-forward, mountain-set second distillery Nikka built near Sendai, Japan, in 1969.

This release is the first age-statement Miyagikyo since 2015, and it follows the 2022 return of Yoichi Single Malt 10 Years Old, its coastal sibling. Bottled at 45% ABV, the 700ml release has a $174.99 price tag, so it's not exactly an impulse purchase — and with just 1,572 bottles available nationwide, tracking down a pour may be tough in the first place.

Read more
Alberta Wants to Become the Next Great Whisky Destination
The province has created a legally protected whisky designation and launched an ambitious trail to showcase its distilleries, terroir, and craft spirits.
Adult, Male, Man

Our friendly neighbors to the north have created a new category of legally protected whisky. Under the Alberta Whisky Act, whisky labeled "Alberta Whisky" must be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, proofed, and bottled in the western Canadian province. Moreover, it must be made with Alberta water and a mash bill composed predominantly of Alberta-grown grain. The new designation aims to highlight the distinctiveness of Alberta's terroir and whisky-making traditions. The legislation also lays the foundation for the emerging Alberta Whisky Trail, spearheaded by Burwood Distillery.

While not as celebrated as Scotland or Kentucky, Alberta boasts a long and venerable whisky-making tradition. The high prairie, with its cold climate, pristine water, and fertile soil, is ideal for growing rye. Alberta Distillers, founded in 1946 and the oldest distillery in Western Canada, has long been a powerhouse contract producer—more or less Canada's answer to MGP. Now owned by Suntory Global Spirits, it has quietly supplied rye whisky to a host of Canadian and American brands. If you've sipped WhistlePig, Jefferson's, or Very Olde St. Nick, chances are you've tasted rye from Alberta.

Read more
Código 1530 is launching a new double-barrel, 15-year-old tequila
This is the collectible bottle for serious tequila drinkers
Codigo 1530

Fans of long-aged, rare tequila have a new expression to add to their home bar this summer. Código 1530, known for its ultra-premium expressions, is releasing an extremely limited 15-year-old Extra Añejo tequila.

Código 1530 15-Year Extra Añejo

Read more