Charleston Edition: First Watch

Though First Watch is technically a chain restaurant, there is only one in the state. And I consistently hear it being referred to as one of the best breakfast/lunch options in town. I went a little before the lunch rush on Sunday. This place gets pretty packed so if you're needing your fix, check it out before the church crowd lets out.

I found out later that their real stand-out offerings are breakfast items, but on this particular day, I opted for lunch. They have omelets, sandwiches and salads. I was a little worried that all I would see here are turkey sandwiches - or what I refer to as plain, boring sandwiches I could make at home. But the opposite happened.

There were actually a few different things that sounded good on the menu , so I tried the "2 For You" where you can choose two of a selected list of smaller portion items. So, it's as close to I'll come to a sampler here.

I ordered the "Monterey Club," which has turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack and mayo on multigrain. And I also got the "Cobb Salad," with bacon, turkey, egg, tomato, avocado and bleu cheese crumbles.

Both of which were actually tasty. The multigrain brain kind of blew my mind. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it was fresh and had some more flavor than what I'm used to with - well - bread. The sandwich was good, but it does kind of fall into the category of something I could make it home. But I probably couldn't have made it taste that good.

The salad was my favorite. The ratio of toppings to lettuce was perfect. Usually you get a heap of lettuce with a couple pieces of tomato and call it a day. This salad was incredible. Everything was crisp, on point, blended together seamlessly and filled me up without feeling heavy. Really, pretty good. I will want to check out the breakfast offerings next time, though.

Checking out here was kind of a cluster. It was very busy, and the person in front of me was trying to use many, many coupons. If you have cash, you have priority, but if you have a card, be prepared to wait.

Grade: B