We saved you a bite: First Watch (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)

Editor’s Note: Last year, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!

We had a chance to celebrate one critic’s birthday this past week. And with birthdays come free birthday meals from local restaurants.

For today’s meal, we opted for breakfast/brunch date at First Watch in Hershey. Being this fell on a holiday weekend, we reserved our spot in the app before we left the house. The wait times can be 45 minutes to 1 hour, ours was 35 minutes.

Our meal included the Bananas Foster French Toast ($12.99), which featured thick-cut, custard-dipped challah bread griddled and topped with fresh sliced bananas, pecans and caramel sauce and lightly dusted with powdered cinnamon sugar. To drink, we also got Tropical Sunrise juice ($5.49), mango, pineapple, strawberry, and lime.

The French toast was a sweet dish but wasn’t an overload. The pecans were a nice crunchy addition on this plate. We wish there would be an option to add a scoop of ice cream for an additional fee.

We also got the Traditional ($11.99), two eggs with seasoned potatoes, five strips of bacon, and toast. The little critic got the kids’ traditional breakfast ($7.29), one egg, bacon, toast, and a fruit cup.

The eggs are cage free and I was really in the mood for dippy eggs today. The seasoned potatoes were over seasoned (salty) and were unevenly cooked due to the varied size. Pairing them with other components of the dish balanced out the flavors this morning.

Our take: First Watch is a popular chain that serves breakfast and brunch. Weekends and holidays can lead to long wait times. They boast naturally sourced ingredients and fresh options. They have rotating seasonal menus as well as juices. Not every dish is a winner, but they get creative with the menu and do have lots of options. If you don’t want to wait while busy, they have a communal table that seats 10 where you can sit and eat with others.

We give this place ????.

If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.