The Complete First Watch Gluten-Free Menu For 2025
Let’s review the First Watch gluten-free menu to check out which of their breakfast skillets, omelettes, salads, and more are suitable for celiacs.
Known for their bright morning cafés and fresh‑feel breakfast and lunch fare, ordering at First Watch can feel quite daunting, especially if you’re a celiac or have gluten intolerance. 🚫🌾
Besides, most of their menu is built around pancakes and pastries, which are the #1 enemy to celiacs, given all that wheat and gluten, just waiting around the corner to ambush you. 🥞🥐
However, it turns out that First Watch might actually be a decent place to consider if you’re a celiac, but only if you’re wary of the pitfalls to watch for, and which parts of the menu are safe.
First Watch offers a range of naturally gluten-free entrées, from vegetable-packed omelets, in addition to power bowls and crisp salads, and protein-ride sides… All made gluten-free! 🥧🥗
Aside from that, there are even more menu items elsewhere that can be made celiac-friendly, with a few customizations and modifications, alongside simple swaps and other omissions.
With this in mind, let’s dive deeper into the First Watch menu and let us help you suss out the dangers in the First Watch menu that you need to be careful about, and which ones are safe.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
That said, while First Watch makes commendable efforts to try and accommodate gluten-free diners, it’s worth bearing in mind that they don’t operate dedicated gluten-free kitchens. 🍴🔪
Instead, they rely heavily on shared kitchen spaces, equipment, fryers, and utensils, and not to mention that most ingredients and components are prepped on shared surfaces, too. 🥩🔥🍖
With at least a moderate risk of cross-contamination, First Watch also doesn’t test their menu items to meet the FDA’s strict <20 ppm threshold for food to be labelled certified ‘gluten-free’.
This means that even First Watch’s safest, most wheat-free menu items here by ingredients or by recipe, may still be able to pick up trace gluten from cross-contact or gluten exposure. 🌾
So, personally, I’d highly recommend that you treat their ‘gluten-free’ recommendations more like ‘gluten-friendly’ or ‘gluten-sensitive’, just to be safe, especially if you’re highly intolerant.
There are other tricks up your sleeve to further minimize cross-contamination, like letting your server ask the kitchen staff to wear fresh gloves, use clean utensils, or wipe down prep areas.
First Watch Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)
Still, at least First Watch makes it pretty easy for you to filter out their menu and figure out all the items that you could safely order, and it starts by heading over to the First Watch website.
Once you’re there, scroll all the way down, and tap or click on that button that says ‘Nutrition’. This should now open up the official First Watch Nutrition & Allergens Guide webpage. ✍️📝
- This entire page lists every single First Watch menu item, as well as their nutritional data, such as their calories, cholesterol, fat, fibre, and more, which is neat if you’re careful with your diet.
- Crucially, and particularly as a celiac, this is also where First Watch lists down all the allergens that come included in each menu item, such as milk, eggs, nuts, soy, celery, and loads more.
- For celiacs, or if you’re highly sensitive or are intolerant to gluten, make sure you take note of all the menu items here that contain the allergens ‘Wheat’ and ‘Gluten’, and avoid them. 🚫
- This is probably the easiest and fastest way to filter out First Watch’s menu for the dishes you can’t eat, but given how customizable their foods are, it might also help to check their menu.
The First Watch website has an online menu, and after clicking on a specific food item, you’re now able to customize each one to your heart’s content, such as adding or removing toppings.
Here, you can also check out, in real-time, how specific add-ons, ingredients, and toppings can affect the allergens list: e.g., removing the wheat tortilla removes wheat and gluten from the list.
Before ordering anything at First Watch, you might want to play around with the online menu to find the specific combination of ingredients and components that make your meals safe.
Seasonal Menu
One of First Watch’s unique selling points is its seasonal menu, featuring limited-time dishes that rotate as frequently as the seasons pass by, and as of writing, it’s currently summer! 🌯
Capturing the flavor of the moment, some of them rely on wheat-based ingredients or batter, but with how highly customizable First Watch’s menus are, they could still be modified. 🍤🥓
⚠️ Elote Breakfast Burrito
⚠️ Shrimp and Grits
⚠️ Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast
✅ Watermelon Wake‑Up
✅ Spiked Watermelon Wake‑Up
⚠️ Blueberry Lemon Cornbread
✅ Million Dollar Bacon
There’s clearly an asterisk attached to many of these seasonal menu items, so let’s see why:
Elote Breakfast Burrito: A flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, avocado, pico de gallo, queso fresco, and a chili‑lime mayo drizzle, which naturally contains wheat in the tortilla. Although it is possible to customize this without the wheat tortilla, so it could still be made gluten-friendly.
Shrimp and Grits: Gulf shrimp sautéed with bacon, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and smoked tomato butter, served over creamy cheese grits. By default, it comes on a Ciabatta Crisp, so that would add gluten into the mix, but you can omit it via a special order and make it safe.
Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast: Thick slices of brioche‑style bread soaked in three‑milk batter, griddled, and topped with macerated strawberries, which naturally contain wheat in the bread. However, customize it without the Challah Bread and French Toast Custard, and it would remove wheat and gluten ingredients from it.
Watermelon Wake‑Up: Fresh watermelon juice blended with pineapple, lime, and mint, and it is also made without wheat or gluten ingredients, making it quite a safe pick for celiacs.
Spiked Watermelon Wake‑Up: The non-alcoholic version of the Watermelon Wake‑Up, plus your choice of premium spirit, and it’s still free of gluten by recipe, but check the spirit.
Blueberry Lemon Cornbread: A sweet cornbread studded with blueberries and lemon zest, and it’s then drizzled with honey butter, which contains wheat flour in the cornbread batter. Yet, it could be made gluten-friendly if you customize it to omit the Blueberry Lemon Cornbread.
Million Dollar Bacon: Thick‑cut applewood bacon baked with brown sugar, black pepper, and maple syrup, and while the bacon and glaze are gluten‑free by recipe, that aforementioned glaze is applied on shared racks, so be careful with potential cross-contamination.
It’s clear that, while some of these naturally contain wheat and gluten in their default forms, you could customize them six ways to Sunday to gradually make them gluten-friendly. 🍓🍋🍉
Juice Bar
For a shot of all-natural antioxidants and vitamins, First Watch’s Juice Bar is made with fresh-pressed juices made in-house each morning, and they’re naturally gluten-free by recipe. 🧃🍹
✅ Morning Meditation Fresh Juice
✅ Kale Tonic Fresh Juice
✅ Purple Haze Fresh Juice
For context, let’s check out what makes these uniformly safe for celiacs and gluten intolerant:
Morning Meditation Fresh Juice: A blend of pineapple, orange, lemon, and some mint, with not a single gluten ingredient in sight, though it’s made in shared juicers, so be extra cautious.
Kale Tonic Fresh Juice: Kale, spinach, green apple, cucumber, and lemon, which is also naturally free of wheat and gluten, but once again, remember to be mindful of cross-contamination.
Purple Haze Fresh Juice: Cabbage, carrot, beet, apple, and lemon, and this only uses gluten-free ingredients, though if you’re highly sensitive, it’s worth being careful with cross-contact risks.
For those of you who are gluten intolerant, First Watch’s Juice Bar offers a comparatively safe selection of fresh and refreshing juices, but be wary of any cross-contamination risks. 🍸🧉🥤
Iced Coffee
Or, if fruity juices aren’t your kind of thing, the First Watch menu has a good variety of coffees, on the rocks, chilled, creamy, and they’re all gluten-free by ingredients and recipe, too! ☕️🍫
✅ Mint Mocha Iced Coffee
✅ Honey Caramel Crunch Iced Coffee
✅ Iced Coffee
✅ Cold Brew Coffee
Just to be extra safe that there aren’t any hidden gluten here, let’s take an even closer look:
Mint Mocha Iced Coffee: Espresso shaken with milk, mint syrup, and chocolate, with no gluten ingredients, though it’s served from a shared dispenser, so be wary of cross-contact risks.
Honey Caramel Crunch Iced Coffee: Espresso blended with milk, honey caramel syrup, and toffee crunch, which is gluten-free, but watch for any cross‑contact at the flavor pumps.
Iced Coffee: Freshly brewed coffee poured over ice, which is naturally free of any wheat and gluten, though ask for a fresh carafe pour to avoid any residual flavors or cross-contact.
Cold Brew Coffee: Slow‑steeped cold brew served over ice, which is also 100% gluten‑free by ingredient, with minimal handling risk when served from a clean dispenser, too.
The same precautions apply for all drinks, including those served at First Watch, and since they are prepped using shared equipment, it helps to be mindful of cross-contamination. 🧊🍵❄️
Cocktails
On the other hand, if you’re thirsting for some brunch libations, First Watch’s cocktails are the right fit for you, I reckon, and all of these are also gluten-free by recipe and ingredient. 🍸🍹
✅ Million Dollar Bloody Mary
✅ Mimosa
✅ Spiked Lavender Lemonade
✅ Pomegranate Sunrise
✅ Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk
✅ Pitcher of Blackberry Bramble Sangria
Let’s take these cocktails apart and see what they’re really made of, just to be certain:
Million Dollar Bloody Mary: Vodka, house Bloody Mary mix, and candied bacon garnish, with no gluten ingredients here, but make sure to ask for a fresh glass to avoid contamination.
Mimosa: Sparkling wine topped with orange juice, and it’s naturally gluten‑free, though make sure that the champagne flutes haven’t been rinsed with wheat‑based syrups, either.
Spiked Lavender Lemonade: Vodka blended with lavender‑infused lemonade, which is gluten-free by ingredient, but watch for shared shaker tin cross‑contamination risks, as well.
Pomegranate Sunrise: Tequila, pomegranate juice, and lime, with no gluten, though request clean bar spoons and equally clean jiggers, particularly if you’re highly gluten intolerant.
Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk: Bourbon shaken with cinnamon‑toasted cereal‑infused milk and a cinnamon sugar rim, which is gluten‑free when made without actual cereal pieces, so it may be a good idea to confirm with the bartender, just in case.
Pitcher of Blackberry Bramble Sangria: Red wine, blackberry liqueur, and fresh fruit, which is gluten‑free, but it’s best served in a clean pitcher to avoid any cross-contamination.
As per usual with most drinks, all of these are naturally gluten-free by recipe and ingredients, but they’re then prepped with shared bar tools and glassware, so be on the lookout! 🧉🍶🥃
Classic Favorites
To accompany your brunch beverages, maybe check out First Watch’s brunch staples, which feature a hearty selection of eggs paired with breakfast breads or French toast. 🍞🥯🥪🍳
⚠️ The Traditional
⚠️ Tri‑Fecta
Let’s take a closer look and figure out how you could modify these to be celiac-friendly:
The Traditional: Two cage-free eggs cooked your way, and served with bacon or sausage and your choice of Multigrain Toast or Country Potatoes. The default whole grain artisan bread is made with wheat in mind, but you could substitute it with gluten-free toast instead.
Tri‑Fecta: Build-your-own trio of French Toast, Pancake, Fresh Fruit, Eggs, and Bacon or their Sausage item. Any selection of First Watch’s French Toast or Pancakes would naturally come with wheat flour and gluten, and the French Toast batter is made with wheat. However, just like The Traditional, you can customize this with the same gluten-free toast to make it safe.
These fan favorites might contain wheat and gluten by default, mostly from all the bread and pancake options, but when replaced with gluten-free toast, they can be made safe. 🥞🧇
Healthier Side
For some fresh, nutrient-packed options, the Healthier Side menu at First Watch includes a lot of hearty grains and breads that naturally contain wheat and gluten by default. 🍞🌯🌾🦃
⚠️ Avocado Toast
⚠️ Healthy Turkey
⚠️ A.M. Superfoods Bowl
⚠️ Sunrise Granola Bowl
⚠️ Steel‑Cut Oatmeal
⚠️ Tri‑Athlete
⚠️ Power Wrap
As with much of First Watch’s menu, these can be modified to be safe, so let’s check out how:
Avocado Toast: Mashed avocado on multigrain toast, which contains wheat flour in the bread, but you could make a custom order that omits the wholegrain artisan bread to make it safe.
Healthy Turkey: Sliced turkey, greens, tomato, and avocado on multigrain toast, which comes with wheat in the usual wholegrain artisan bread, but you can swap it with gluten-free toast.
A.M. Superfoods Bowl: Almond milk–blended açai and some banana, topped with house‑made granola, fresh berries, and bananas. The granola contains oats and wheat flour, and then you have the wholegrain artisan bread. If you really want to, you could omit both of them.
Sunrise Granola Bowl: Greek yogurt topped with house‑made granola, seasonal fruit, and a bit of honey. That granola contains wheat, not to mention the included blueberry muffin, which is also wheat-based. If you’re adamant, you could customize your order to omit them.
Steel‑Cut Oatmeal: Slow‑cooked oats served with brown sugar and fruit, and those oats would contain trace gluten, as well as the included blueberry muffin. Once again, you could customize this item to omit the oatmeal and the blueberry muffin, and maybe even swap in a GF toast.
Tri‑Athlete: Egg‑white omelet with smoked turkey, fresh spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and roasted potatoes. The only caveat here is that it naturally comes by default with a wholegrain artisan toast bread, which you could either omit or swap it with the gluten-free toast option.
Power Wrap: Egg‑white scramble with spinach, roasted peppers, turkey breast, and avocado in a whole‑wheat tortilla, which contains wheat flour in the wrap. Now, I’m not sure how you’d be able to eat it this way, but you can omit the wheat-based Tomato Basil Tortilla to make it safe.
That said, with some modifications in mind, these nutrient-packed meals can be made gluten-friendly, and remove all the gluten, though be wary of cross-contamination either way. 🍅🥑
Egg-Sclusives
First Watch’s aptly-named Egg-Sclusives consist of breakfast favorites that feature eggs with scrumptious bread and tortilla, but a few simple swaps will make them gluten-friendly. 🌯
⚠️ Chickichanga
⚠️ Classic Benedict
⚠️ Florentine Benedict
⚠️ BLT Benedict
⚠️ Smoked Salmon Benedict
⚠️ Elevated Egg Sandwich
⚠️ Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos
⚠️ Biscuits & Turkey Sausage Gravy with Eggs
⚠️ Farmhouse Hash
⚠️ Parma Hash
⚠️ Market Hash
Now, let’s take a closer peek at how you can make these deliciously eggy dishes celiac-safe:
Chickichanga: Scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado, pico de gallo, and your choice of either bacon or sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla. Remember to omit the flour tortilla, or maybe substitute it with the gluten‑free toast to make it safe for celiacs.
Classic Benedict: Poached eggs and Canadian bacon atop toasted ciabatta with a side of some hollandaise. To remove all this wheat and gluten, all you need to do is make a custom order to omit the ciabatta bread, or even swap in the gluten‑free toast.
Florentine Benedict: Poached eggs and spinach atop toasted ciabatta with hollandaise. Once again, to make this celiac-safe and friendlier for folks with gluten intolerance, make sure you omit the ciabatta, or consider swapping in the gluten‑free toast.
BLT Benedict: Poached eggs, bacon, lettuce, tomato atop toasted ciabatta with hollandaise. If you’d like to make this dish gluten-free, remember to omit the ciabatta or swap in gluten‑free toast, which is available as an option at First Watch.
Smoked Salmon Benedict: Poached eggs and some smoked salmon on toasted ciabatta with hollandaise. As with the other dishes here, remember to omit the ciabatta bread or swap in the gluten‑free toast option, thus making it gluten-friendly.
Elevated Egg Sandwich: Fried egg, bacon, cheese, arugula, tomato, and aioli on a brioche bun. If you’d like to order this, as a celiac or someone who’s highly sensitive to gluten, make sure to omit that brioche bun or replace it with gluten‑free toast.
Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos: Two corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado, and your choice of meat. To make this dish gluten-friendly, customize your order to omit the corn tortillas or substitute them with gluten‑free toast.
Biscuits & Turkey Sausage Gravy with Eggs: Poached eggs over buttermilk biscuits smothered in turkey sausage gravy, the latter of which contains wheat thickeners. To make it celiac-safe, omit both the biscuit and the gravy, and serve those eggs on gluten‑free toast.
Farmhouse Hash: Crispy potatoes with onions, peppers, sausage, bacon, ham, and two eggs, served with wheat-based artisan whole‑grain toast. To make this celiac-safe, omit that toast, or consider swapping in the gluten‑free toast option instead.
Parma Hash: Crispy potatoes, prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, arugula, parmesan, and two eggs, served with wheat-based artisan whole‑grain toast. If you want this to be gluten-friendly, either omit that aforementioned toast or swap in the gluten‑free toast option.
Market Hash: Crispy potatoes with seasonal roasted vegetables, goat cheese, and eggs, then served on a wheat-based artisan whole‑grain toast. Once again, to make this gluten-friendly, you’ll have to either omit that wheat toast or swap in the gluten‑free toast.
This is proof of just how customizable First Watch’s menu is when it comes to making even the most gluten-unfriendly dishes here celiac-safe, but be wary of cross-contamination! 🥪🥙🍞
Omelets & Frittatas
There are even more eggs on the First Watch menu, with another hearty line-up of egg-based dishes that come with artisan wheat-based toast by default, but it can be changed. 🍳🍞🥓
⚠️ Bacado Omelet
⚠️ Ham and Gruyere Omelet
⚠️ Chile Chorizo Omelet
⚠️ Morning Market Veg Omelet
⚠️ Inspired Italian Omelet
⚠️ The Works Omelet
⚠️ Frittata Rustica
⚠️ Smoked Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Let’s see what you could do and customize these dishes to be gluten-friendly and celiac-safe:
Bacado Omelet: Three‑egg omelet with applewood bacon, avocado, melted jack and cheddar, and then served with whole‑grain artisan toast. To make it celiac-safe and gluten-friendly, all you need to do is either omit the wheat toast or substitute it with gluten‑free toast.
Ham and Gruyere Omelet: Filled with Black Forest ham and melted Gruyère cheese, served with whole‑grain artisan toast. Once again, ensure that you remember to omit the toast or swap in the gluten‑free toast option to make this dish safely palatable for a celiac like me.
Chile Chorizo Omelet: Spicy chorizo, caramelized onions, pepper jack cheese, and fresh cilantro, served with whole‑grain artisan toast. As with the other dishes here, you could customize your order to omit the wheat-based toast and maybe swap in the gluten‑free toast.
Morning Market Veg Omelet: Garden‑fresh seasonal vegetables and sheep’s milk feta, served with whole‑grain artisan toast. Be sure to omit the wheat-based toast, or maybe replace that with First Watch’s gluten‑free toast option for folks with gluten intolerance.
Inspired Italian Omelet: Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and mozzarella, and it’s then served with whole‑grain artisan toast. To make this gluten-friendly, just ensure that you omit the default wheat-based toast or swap in the gluten‑free toast.
The Works Omelet: Bacon, ham, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheddar, served with whole‑grain artisan toast. You could omit the toast, or substitute it with the gluten‑free toast option to make this dish far less hazardous for folks who are sensitive to gluten.
Frittata Rustica: Baked egg strata with roasted potatoes, onions, prosciutto, mozzarella, and parmesan, served with ciabatta toast. You can also omit the wheat-based ciabatta or swap it with the gluten-free toast to make it safe for celiacs and folks with gluten intolerance.
Smoked Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Frittata: Smoked salmon, asparagus, tomatoes, and goat cheese, served with ciabatta toast. As always, make sure you remove the wheat-based ciabatta from your order and customize it with the gluten‑free toast option.
While a simple bun and bread swap would easily remove all that nasty wheat and gluten from these dishes, remember to be extra careful when it comes to cross-contamination, too. 🍅🥔
From the Griddle
Another mouthwatering corner of First Watch’s menu is their sweet breakfast classics made with wheat-based batters, breads, as well as gluten-filled pancakes and waffles. 🧇🥞🍞
Of course, like most other First Watch menu items, they could be infinitely customized to have you remove the wheat-based breads, pancakes, and waffles, but is doing this really worth it?
After all, their griddle-specific dishes contain no gluten-free substitute for the bread, pancake, or waffle, so what’s the point of a dish around toast, waffles, or pancakes without them? 🤔
❌ Multigrain Pancake
❌ Two Multigrain Pancakes
❌ Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
❌ Belgian Waffle
❌ French Toast
❌ Floridian French Toast
Nonetheless, just so we know how to customize these dishes to make them safe, let’s see how:
Multigrain Pancake: Made from a blend of whole grains and wheat flour. Omit the pancake to enjoy the sides or toppings gluten‑free, but then again, what is the point of this dish without a pancake on top, especially with not much else on the plate otherwise?
Two Multigrain Pancakes: Double stack of the same wheat‑based batter. Once again, you can omit the wheat-based pancakes in First Watch’s online menu, which subsequently makes this a safe choice for celiacs, but you’re then eliminating 90% of the dish itself.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: Fluffy pancakes studded with lemon zest and ricotta, and made with wheat flour. As with the other pancake-based dishes here, you could remove the pancake and make this gluten-friendly, but I can’t see how this would go far in satisfying you.
Belgian Waffle: Classic yeast waffle made with wheat flour and sugar. As with those pancakes from earlier, omitting the waffle technically makes this dish gluten-friendly, but there isn’t that much else on the dish itself to make up the difference, filling-wise.
French Toast: Thick‑cut artisan bread dipped in vanilla‑cinnamon egg batter. You can omit the bread to keep your plate gluten‑free, but doing this, like the other griddle-based dishes here so far, you’re essentially removing about 90% of the dish from your plate.
Floridian French Toast: Brioche-style bread topped with seasonal fruit, egg‑battered, and then griddled. To make it gluten-friendly, you can omit the bread, but without a gluten-free option, you’re taking away a huge chunk of the dish you paid for, with no practical substitutes.
Overall, if you’re a celiac or if you have a severe gluten intolerance, there really isn’t a point in ordering these pancakes, waffles, and toasts, as these modifications aren’t exactly practical.
Power Bowls
On the flipside, if you’d like to order something a bit more definitively gluten-friendly, the First Watch menu’s Power Bowls offer up delectable, grain-powered breakfast bowls. 🥣🥗🍲
✅ Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl
✅ Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl
To make extra sure, let’s double-check that there’s no hidden gluten hiding under these bowls:
Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl: Tri‑colored quinoa tossed with sautéed spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, and a sunny‑side egg, which is also naturally free of wheat and gluten.
Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl: Grilled chicken breast, quinoa, roasted tomatoes, baby greens, as well as basil‑pistachio pesto, and it’s made without any wheat or gluten ingredients, too.
I’d say these are among the safest food items in First Watch’s menu for celiacs to order, but I’d also suggest being cautious with any potential cross-contamination with trace gluten. 🥬🍠
Salads
Back to pimp my food, the First Watch salads menu equally requires a bit more customizing to get rid of that pesky wheat and gluten, but at least it’s a lot simpler, and less compromising!
These fresh, crisp salads and their ample amounts of toppings typically come, as standard, on an artisan Ciabatta toast (with whipped butter, too!), though you can omit this. 🥗🍞🥯🥙
⚠️ Superfood Kale Salad
⚠️ Chicken Avocado Chop Salad
⚠️ Sweet Honey Pecan Salad
⚠️ Cobb Salad
Let’s figure out what modifications you’d have to make to these salads to make them safe:
Superfood Kale Salad: Shredded kale, baby spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds tossed in a lemon‑tahini dressing. Omit the default artisan Ciabatta toast with whipped butter, and request clean prep surfaces and utensils to keep it celiac‑safe.
Chicken Avocado Chop Salad: Grilled chicken breast, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, as well as bacon, and hard‑boiled egg over romaine with a citrus vinaigrette. Simply leave off the artisan Ciabatta toast with whipped butter and confirm a fresh bowl to reduce cross‑contact.
Sweet Honey Pecan Salad: Mixed greens, strawberries, pecans, feta cheese, and their honey-mustard dressing. Ask your server to skip the artisan Ciabatta toast with whipped butter and ensure that the dressing ladle is clean, just in case there’s any cross-contamination.
Cobb Salad: Chopped romaine with grilled chicken, bacon, avocado, blue cheese, hard‑boiled egg, and tomato, served with your choice of dressing. Once again, omit that artisan Ciabatta toast with whipped butter, and request a clean prep station to avoid any trace of gluten.
It looks like these salads could be made gluten-friendly with fairly simple changes, though be on the lookout for potential cross-contamination when your salad is being prepped. 🍅🍠
Sandwiches
Next up, we have First Watch’s juicy sandwiches, offering you a delicious variety of handhelds layered with premium fillings, though each one comes on wheat-based breads by default. 🥪
While their online menus don’t show it, it’s possible to ask that your server omit those wheat-based buns and swap them for gluten-free toast, but it will be location-dependent. 🍞🚫🌾
⚠️ Monterey Club
⚠️ BLTE
⚠️ Baja Turkey Burger
⚠️ Market Veggie
⚠️ Roast Beef & Havarti
⚠️ Ham and Gruyere Melt
⚠️ Veggie Burger
That said, let’s check out how each of these sandwiches could be modified to be gluten-free:
Monterey Club: Turkey breast, applewood bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and some mayo on a wheat-based sourdough bread. Omit that sourdough bread and ask for gluten‑free toast with fresh gloves and clean prep surfaces, which should now make it quite safe for celiacs.
BLTE: Applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on wholegrain artisan bread. You can try omitting the wheat-based artisan bread and request a gluten‑free toast, plus a wiped‑down toaster to minimize any cross-contamination, but it will be dependent on location.
Baja Turkey Burger: Seasoned turkey patty with pepper‑jack, avocado, pico de gallo, and some chipotle aioli on a brioche bun. Omit the brioche bun and ask for the gluten‑free toast, making sure also that the grill is clean, to further reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Market Veggie: Roasted seasonal vegetables, hummus, mixed greens, and pepper relish on a wholegrain artisan bread. Leave off the artisan bread and swap in gluten‑free toast, and also confirm that the vegetables weren’t sautéed with any wheat‑based sauces, too.
Roast Beef & Havarti: Thinly sliced roast beef, Havarti cheese, caramelized onions, and some horseradish aioli on Parmesan‑crusted sourdough. You can opt to skip that wheat Parmesan sourdough and swap in the gluten‑free toast, and verify that the aioli uses no hidden wheat.
Ham and Gruyere Melt: Black‑forest ham, Gruyère cheese, and honey‑mustard on their challah bread. Omit the challah and replace it with gluten‑free toast, and ask for a clean skillet to melt the cheese, which would otherwise have a decent risk of cross-contamination.
Veggie Burger: House‑made patty of black beans, quinoa, and veggies topped with lettuce, tomato, and avocado on a wheat-based brioche bun. Making it gluten-friendly is a bit of a stretch, as you’d have to omit the brioche bun (and the standard patty mix‑in if it contains wheat), and ask for different patties to be served over gluten‑free toast with clean utensils.
Long story short, these sandwiches aren’t 100% confirmed to be modifiable to be gluten-free, as it will depend on the discretion of specific First Watch locations, but it’s possible. 🥓🥬🍅
Kid’s Menu
For the little ones out there, First Watch has a nice selection of fun, kid-friendly plates, and a lot of them can be made gluten-free by omitting certain items, but it’s not entirely practical.
Just like the griddle-based dishes earlier, omitting the default wheat items would be removing the main item off your plate, though it might still be possible, so try asking your server. 🥞🧇
⚠️ Bacon & Egg
⚠️ Chocolate Chip Pancake
⚠️ Half Waffle
⚠️ French Toast
⚠️ Grilled Cheese
⚠️ Steel‑Cut Oatmeal
⚠️ Granola Bowl
With that in mind, let’s take a closer peek at how you could customize these dishes to be safe:
Bacon & Egg: Two eggs cooked to order with a side of sourdough bread. Omit the sourdough and swap it with gluten‑free toast, if available, ensuring fresh gloves and clean prep surfaces.
Chocolate Chip Pancake: Single pancake studded with chocolate chips. Omit the pancake and offer scrambled eggs and fruit instead, cooked on a clean skillet. Since it’s a pancake dish, it’s not entirely certain that your specific First Watch location might even offer to remove it.
Half Waffle: Half‑portion Belgian waffle with butter and syrup. Omit the waffle and serve eggs and fruit, using a clean griddle to avoid cross‑contact risks. Again, the dish is based around the waffles, so removing it will be dependent on whether your First Watch location allows it.
French Toast: Thick‑cut challah bread dipped in custard and grilled. Omit the challah bread and substitute it with gluten‑free toast or serve eggs and fruit, while also making sure the griddle is wiped between uses, though the gluten-free toast isn’t technically an option on the web menu.
Grilled Cheese: American cheese melted between sourdough slices. Omit the wheat sourdough bread and replace it with gluten‑free toast, and request a clean pan for melting. Again, it’s not possible, via First Watch’s online menu, to swap to GF breads, but it’s worth trying.
Steel‑Cut Oatmeal: Oatmeal made with steel‑cut oats. Verify that the oats are gluten‑free, and if alternatives or substitutes are not available, omit and serve eggs or fruit instead to avoid any gluten risk, though heavy customization like this will be dependent on specific locations.
Granola Bowl: House‑made granola with yogurt and fruit plus sourdough toast. Omit both the granola and the toast, or request a certified gluten‑free granola if they offer it, and use fresh utensils to further minimize any cross-contamination risks, too.
Modifying the kids’ menu to become gluten-friendly isn’t completely impractical, but it’s worth bearing in mind that specific locations might not be able to offer these custom orders. 🥓🍳
Sides & Small Plates
To complement your entrées, the First Watch menu has a wide array of cozy accompaniments, from savory meats and delicious grits to fresh fruits and gluten-free toast, too! 🥓🥔🧈🧁
✅ Million Dollar Bacon
❌ Million Dollar Potatoes
✅ Bob’s Red Mill Buttered Grits
✅ Bob’s Red Mill Cheesy Grits
✅ Cup of Fresh, Seasonal Fruit
✅ Fresh, Seasoned Potatoes
✅ Hardwood Smoked Bacon
✅ Pork Sausage
✅ Turkey Sausage
✅ Chicken Apple Sausage
✅ Smoked Ham
❌ Biscuits & Gravy
✅ One Cage‑Free Egg
✅ Two Cage‑Free Eggs
❌ Whole Grain Artisan Toast with All‑Natural House Preserves & Whipped Butter
❌ English Muffin
✅ Gluten‑Free Toast with All‑Natural House Preserves
❌ Freshly Baked Blueberry Muffin
✅ Lemon‑Dressed Organic Mixed Greens
❌ Bowl of Tomato Basil Soup
❌ Cup of Tomato Basil Soup
❌ Biscuit with Butter, Honey, and Preserves
For context, let’s take a closer peek at each one of these sides to see what they’re made of:
Million Dollar Bacon: Thick‑cut applewood bacon laced with brown sugar and cracked pepper. It’s also naturally gluten‑free, but just verify clean prep surfaces to minimize cross-contact.
Million Dollar Potatoes: Crispy breakfast potatoes tossed in brown sugar glaze. It does contain a wheat‑based glaze, so try asking if you could omit it, and if not, avoid it completely.
Bob’s Red Mill Buttered Grits: Creamy stone‑ground grits made with butter and milk. It’s also gluten‑free by ingredient, but check for dedicated cookware to prevent contamination.
Bob’s Red Mill Cheesy Grits: Grits blended with cheddar cheese. It’s also naturally gluten‑free, but as always, request fresh utensils to minimize any potential cross-contamination.
Cup of Fresh, Seasonal Fruit: Hand‑cut melon, berries, and pineapple. Not only are there no gluten ingredients, but there’s also a relatively low cross‑contamination risk, too.
Fresh, Seasoned Potatoes: Herb‑roasted potatoes with sea salt. It’s also gluten‑free by recipe, though it’s then cooked in a shared oven, so ask about clean pans, just in case.
Hardwood Smoked Bacon: Traditional smoked bacon, which is naturally gluten‑free, though confirm that none of the seasonings or marinades contain wheat, just to be extra safe.
Pork Sausage: Classic breakfast sausage links. Plus, it’s also gluten‑free by ingredient, but it’s then cooked on a shared griddle, so see if you could request a clean grill, too.
Turkey Sausage: Lean turkey sausage patties. It’s gluten‑free by recipe, but ensure that they’re using separate prep stations from wheat items, as it presents a cross-contact risk.
Chicken Apple Sausage: Savory‑sweet sausage with apple bits. It’s also gluten‑free by recipe and ingredient, with relatively minimal cross-contamination risk, as well.
Smoked Ham: Thick‑sliced, pit‑smoked ham. It’s naturally gluten‑free, though just confirm that the glaze or the seasoning is wheat‑free, and bear in mind the cross-contact risks.
Biscuits & Gravy: Flaky buttermilk biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. Sadly, it comes with wheat in both the biscuits and the gravy, so avoid this if you’re a celiac like me.
One Cage‑Free Egg / Two Cage‑Free Eggs: Cooked any style, and it’s naturally gluten‑free, but it won’t hurt to request a clean cooking surface to help minimize cross-contamination.
Whole Grain Artisan Toast with All‑Natural House Preserves & Whipped Butter: Multigrain bread with preserves, which contains wheat, so skip this if you’re gluten intolerant.
English Muffin: A classic English muffin, which does contain wheat, so avoid this if you need to maintain a strict gluten-free diet, or if you’re highly sensitive to gluten.
Gluten‑Free Toast with All‑Natural House Preserves: A dedicated gluten‑free bread with some preserves. It’s a pretty safe choice, though, ask that it comes sealed.
Freshly Baked Blueberry Muffin: Blueberry muffin made in‑house, which contains wheat, so avoid this if you’re a celiac or if you’re highly gluten intolerant.
Lemon‑Dressed Organic Mixed Greens: Spring greens with lemon vinaigrette, and it’s gluten-free by recipe and ingredients, but watch for shared tongs and other utensils.
Bowl of Tomato Basil Soup / Cup of Tomato Basil Soup: Creamy tomato soup with basil, which is then thickened with wheat flour, so avoid this if you’re gluten intolerant.
Biscuit with Butter, Honey, and Preserves: A single buttermilk biscuit, which contains wheat in the dough, so skip this completely if you’re a celiac or if you’re sensitive to gluten.
Most of First Watch’s sides menu is quite safe for celiacs, with a few exceptions, but no matter which way you cut it, it’s always worth being careful when it comes to cross-contact. 🌭🍅
Beverages
To help quench your thirst, First Watch has a massive selection of coffees, teas, juices, and soft drinks, all of which are naturally gluten-free, bearing in mind the cross-contact risks. 🥤🍵☕️
✅ Project Sunrise Coffee
✅ Iced Coffee
✅ Cold Brew Coffee
✅ Herbal Teas
✅ Fresh‑Brewed Iced Tea (Unsweetened)
✅ Fresh‑Brewed Iced Tea (Sweetened)
✅ Fresh‑Brewed Iced Tea (Blackberry)
✅ Hot Chocolate
✅ Reduced‑Fat Milk (Small)
✅ Chocolate Milk (Small)
✅ Oat Milk
✅ 100% Cold‑Squeezed Orange Juice
✅ Grapefruit Juice
✅ Apple Juice
✅ Cranberry Juice
✅ San Pellegrino (Sparkling)
✅ Coke
✅ Diet Coke
✅ Sprite
✅ Coke Zero
✅ Minute Maid Lemonade
Just to be extra sure that these drinks are celiac-safe, let’s take a closer peek at each one:
Project Sunrise Coffee: House‑blend drip coffee, which is also gluten‑free, but request a fresh cup to avoid any residual flavor or spillover, particularly to minimize cross-contamination.
Iced Coffee / Cold Brew Coffee: Chilled brews over ice, which are naturally gluten‑free, but ask for a clean glass if it’s been used for flavored drinks, just to be safe against cross-contact.
Herbal Teas: Assorted caffeine‑free infusions, which are gluten‑free by ingredient, but be sure that the tea infusers are rinsed between uses, especially if you’re highly sensitive to gluten.
Fresh‑Brewed Iced Tea (Unsweetened, Sweetened, Blackberry): Fresh teas with or without flavorings, which are all gluten‑free, though spigots can harbor syrup residues, so ask for a quick wipe.
Hot Chocolate: Cocoa mix with steamed milk, which is a gluten‑free recipe, but make sure and confirm that no malt powder is added (which has gluten), and use a clean steaming wand.
Reduced‑Fat Milk / Chocolate Milk / Oat Milk: Sealed cartons or dispensers, which are all also gluten‑free and feature minimal cross‑contact risk, but just verify the dispenser head is clean.
100% Cold‑Squeezed Orange Juice / Grapefruit Juice / Apple Juice / Cranberry Juice: Fresh-pressed or sealed bottles, which are all gluten‑free and have the lowest cross‑contact risk.
San Pellegrino (Sparkling): Factory‑sealed mineral water, which is inherently gluten‑free, and with no prep needed, it also comes with a pretty low cross-contamination risk.
Coke / Diet Coke / Sprite / Coke Zero / Minute Maid Lemonade: Fountain sodas and lemonade, with gluten‑free formulas, but ask the staff to rinse the nozzle before pouring to further reduce cross-contamination risks.
As always, drinks are usually quite safe when it comes to wheat and gluten, but as most drinks share dispensers, spigots, or other equipment, be on the lookout for contamination. 🍸🧃🍹
To Sum Up
As a whole, First Watch offers a pretty significant variety of gluten-friendly dishes, and we can thank just how customizable most of their menu items are, with some caveats in mind. 🍔🥪
With the exception of maybe the griddle and some of the sides, most of the food here could be modified to become gluten-friendly by omitting wheat items or swapping them out. 🥙🥗🌯
The breads and buns at First Watch could easily be swapped for gluten-free alternatives, and if specific dishes are built with wheat in mind, you can remove them completely, like the waffles.
As impractical as that might be, at least it goes to show the extreme lengths that you can make a custom, specialized order at First Watch to completely isolate yourself from gluten. 🥞🧇
Naturally, there are some asterisks attached to this… 1) A lot of the modifications are dependent on location, and 2) you still have to be wary of cross-contamination in their kitchen. 🌮
Nevertheless, if you order carefully and bear in mind certain restrictions, First Watch is among some of the most gluten-friendly restaurant chains out there, and I’d highly recommend them!
In the meantime, if you want recommendations on other restaurants with an equally fantastic selection of gluten-free items, make sure to stay tuned to us here at Great Without Gluten for even more celiac-friendly and gluten-free eating out guides! ✍📝
And, while you’re here, you might also want to check out my other eating out guides and some tasty gluten‑free recipes!
If you’re craving other fast-food or casual dining chains and gourmet meals, do check out my other celiac-friendly, gluten-free dining out guides to Costa Coffee, Jack In The Box, Jersey Mike’s, Dairy Queen, Shake Shack, Cracker Barrel, Wingstop, Culver’s, Chili’s, PF Chang’s, Potbelly and more! 🍔🍟🍗
Stay safe and gluten‑aware, my celiac friends! 💖🥗
Frequently Asked Questions
As I was working on this First Watch gluten-free guide, I found quite a few interesting queries on social media and community forums, so here’s my attempt at answering them:
Does First Watch offer gluten‑free menu options?
Yes! First Watch has a huge variety of naturally gluten‑free items, like Power Bowls (Quinoa & Pesto Chicken), many omelets and frittatas (served without toast), and sides such as fresh fruit, potatoes, and eggs. You can also customize dishes by swapping in gluten‑free toast or omitting bread and pancakes to make your meal gluten‑free, with loads of possible GF modifications.
What are the best gluten‑free breakfast items at First Watch?
There’s a massive selection of delectable breakfast goodies at First Watch, which could also be made gluten-free, such as their Power Bowls, Omelets & Frittatas (those made without toast),
Egg-Sclusives (without the bread sides, or swap them out), as well as their sides and the small plates on the side. And, of course, let’s not forget their gigantic beverage menu, too!
Can I customize First Watch dishes to be gluten‑free?
Absolutely. Most of the menu items at First Watch could be modified, and just ask to swap out wheat‑based bread or buns for the gluten‑free toast option, omit the pancakes or waffles, and request no gravy on all their hash dishes. Remember to also let the server know that you need gluten‑free preparations, and they’ll guide you through every customization option there.
Are First Watch pancakes and French toast available gluten‑free?
First Watch’s pancakes, French toast, and waffles are made from wheat‑based batter and bread by default, so they are not gluten‑free. If you love the flavor, you can still enjoy some of the other breakfast favorites there, but make sure you omit the pancakes, waffles, or toast, as well as opting for celiac-safe eggs, omelets, Power Bowls, or gluten‑free sides instead.
How can I avoid gluten cross‑contamination at First Watch?
First and foremost, always let your server know that you need a gluten‑free meal, and request for a clean set of utensils, wear fresh gloves, and wiped-down surfaces to further minimize any cross-contamination, while also double-checking with the server when they’re swapping bread and bun options for their gluten-free counterparts, just to be extra sure it’s done right.
Photo credit
Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Becky Terrell ✍️
Hi, I am Becky. I am a passionate recipe maker and having been a coeliac (celiac) for 30+ years I focus on gluten-free recipes. My blog is my online cookbook of gluten-free tasty recipes. You can follow me on X: @beckygwg
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