I wish I had tried it sooner!
Written: Apr 11 '06 (Updated Apr 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Delectable food, fresh ingredients and great atmosphere.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: I recommend Panera for those tired of the burger scene.
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| kgate1024's Full Review: Panera Bread |
I wish I had tried Panera bread sooner! I knew I liked their bagels, especially the Asiago cheese one when they had been brought into the office for meetings and such. But their food I always considered “fru-fru” and gourmet, was I wrong! I decided to try some soup one day when some co-workers were going to get some carry out for lunch. I got the Broccoli Cheddar and it was absolute heaven! I was hooked. And the baguette portion that comes with it is great for dipping and definitely makes this a meal. They offer soups on a rotating basis during the week with Broccoli Cheddar, French Onion and Low Fat Chicken Noodle being offered every day.
Next I tried their sandwiches when co-workers were getting Panera again (my co-workers really liked this place)! I tried the Asiago roast beef and again this is an excellent sandwich. Beware though the Asiago bread it comes on is a little tough so if you like soft sandwich bread this sandwich probably isn’t for you. It also has horseradish sauce on it and I always request for this to be left off. You can make changes to any sandwich except for the panini sandwiches. I don’t quite understand the reason for this though. I’ve also had the Sierra Turkey (I like to add cheddar cheese to this), Smokehouse
Turkey (panini) and the Chicken Bacon Dijon (panini) which I believe is seasonal. All their food is made fresh to order with the freshest ingredients. The only thing I have left to try is the salads. From reading other reviews here on epinions it looks like I’m in for a treat!
I think they have just about every bread you can imagine baked fresh daily and they offer free samples. There are lots of other sweet goodies in the bakery also but I try to stay away from those!
The prices are a little high but worth it in my opinion for the quality of food. A bowl of soup is just $3.39 and sandwiches can run you around $6. As I said I haven’t tried the salads yet so I don’t know about prices on those. Your best deal is the “pick two” which lets you pick a bowl of soup, half sandwich or half salad for $6.29.
The atmosphere at Panera is that of an upscale fast food restaurant. There are mostly tables with a small row of booths which it seems are always taken and some tall tables in the bakery area. There is also a fireplace in the middle for great ambiance in the winter.
Your order is taken via counter service in the back of the restaurant so as not to disrupt the dining area. You give your order to one cashier then walk down to another counter for your name to be called. I actually got a buzzer the other day when I went in to notify me of when my order was ready.
The staff is great about getting people moved through quickly, once I've placed my order I rarely wait more than a couple minutes for it to be prepared. I've always dealt with pleasant workers at Panera, it must be a great place to work!
In summary I love Panera bread, it's my favorite casual restaurant!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kgate1024
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Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 2 members
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