‘Tis the season for sweet indulgence, and First Watch is serving up a holiday lineup worth waking up early for. The popular daytime café just launched its new seasonal brunch menu, available through Jan. 5, and it’s stacked with decadent sweets, hearty comfort plates, and a few surprises that could make your go-to order feel a little basic.
Seasonal menus have become the unofficial start of the holiday food season, and First Watch knows how to make the moment count. From coffee chains to casual brunch spots, limited-time offerings are driving early-winter buzz, but few brands manage to pull off the balance of indulgence and freshness quite like First Watch. Its latest menu captures the spirit of the season without tipping into overload—cozy, playful and just refined enough to feel special.
While deciding what the star of the holiday show is, the Cheesecake Holey Donuts with Nutella is definitely in contention. This exclusive collaboration is pure holiday indulgence: warm, cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes are served atop a cloud of whipped cheesecake filling, generously drizzled with Nutella, and finished with glazed strawberries and gingerbread cookie crumbles, perfect for anyone with a holiday sweet tooth. It’s equal parts dessert and breakfast—though maybe a touch more dessert, and exactly the kind of over-the-top holiday treat the season calls for.
If savory’s more your lane, the new Carne Asada Breakfast Tacos hit all the right notes. Each tortilla is filled with seasoned steak, cage-free scrambled eggs, melted cheddar and Monterey Jack, house-made pico de gallo, avocado slices, pickled red onions, and a Valentina Hot Sauce crema, all served with black beans on the side. It’s bold, fresh and perfectly balanced.
The Double Bacon Parmesan Hash is comfort food defined: diced hardwood-smoked bacon, roasted onions, and spinach are folded into a potato hash, topped with two eggs, a Parmesan cream sauce, and lemon-dressed arugula. It’s rich, salty, and just refined enough to justify ordering it at least twice before it’s gone.
And because no brunch is complete without a First Watch griddle option, the Cinnamon Chip Pancake Breakfast brings warm-spice nostalgia to the table. Paired with your choice of bacon, ham or sausage, it promises to be a classic in the making. As Delish noted in its first-taste review, “The best part about this meal is that it isn’t just pancakes…if you like sweet and savory, this checks all the boxes.” That mix of balance and indulgence runs through the entire menu.
Related: Holiday Cheer is Coming to Hardee’s With Special Menu Items to Celebrate the Season
The lineup rounds out with the Tangerine Dream, a fresh-pressed juice made with tangerine, pineapple, organic ginger and cane sugar, topped with vanilla coconut milk—bright enough to cut through even the heaviest holiday plate. And for all its decadence, the menu never tips into excess. As Delish put it, “For a dish that looks really over the top, the balance is smart—you get fun and flavor without excess.”
From Nutella-drizzled donuts to carne asada tacos, First Watch has officially claimed the title of this season’s most crave-worthy brunch stop. Just don’t wait too long—like most good things in December, this menu’s gone for good after Jan. 5.
Related: Popeyes’ ‘Amazing’ Cajun Turkey Is Back for Thanksgiving—Here’s How to Order
