panera bread
yeah, it’s a chain. but it’s close to my house, they have free wi-fi, and if you stay and drink coffee there you can have as many refills as you want. i’ve been here a few times, to work or just to hang out and read, and its a nice place to go if you want to relax and drink a bunch of coffee and have a snack.
on this particular adventure, i hadn’t eaten yet that day and decided to go for a chicken salad sandwich. it was just okay. i forgot to ask for my bread to be toasted, which is the way i usually like to have my sandwiches. i got it on their whole grain wheat bread which was the first thing to suggested to me and it sounded good. i can’t ever remember all of their bread chocies, there are just too many and i don’t see a handy list when i’m in there. the sandwich was just okay - they used a bit too much mayo for my liking. i’ve also tried a panini sandwich which i also thought was just okay. the bread hadn’t been properly grilled. what they do excel in is their bagels. i totally love their french toast bagel - it has a good amount of cinnamon and flavoring. and their cream cheese seems to be extra good and i have no idea why. i think the rule of thumb here is to stick with breads and such. maybe i’ll try their salads and soups sometime and will have a more rounded out view of all of their food.
Panera Bread
10751 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA 92126
phone: (858) 530-4000
Multiple locations
I’m really not a big Panera fan, though I haven’t had their bagels. Irvine is really the land of large lunchy chains, and after having sampled the large chain baked good/sandwich joints, Corner Bakery is my pick for the money.