We’ll review anything if you offer us free food. Case in point. Of course, I go here anyway, I just don’t really review it anymore, but this is an exception to a rule that doesn’t actually exist.
I went to Panera Bread last week to meet my business partner for a little chat. Panera’s an excellent spot for meeting since it has free wi-fi and it’s cozy. I wasn’t quick enough to grab a booth though, the only sad part of my recent visit.
I peeked at the menu online before I headed to Panera for this visit, trying to decide in advance what I wanted. I was looking at the different sandwiches online to discover that a few of the delicious sounding sandwiches were very high in fat (like, 55 grams!) and I thought I’d better steer clear of those, even though they sounded really good. I decided on a couple of the lower-fat items and one of them was new to the menu – so score.
I decided on the soup and half sandwich combo: the Chicken Tortilla Soup was hearty and a little bit spicy, not too far out of my comfort zone (I don’t like spicy stuff). It was thick and had a good amount of veggies in it and wasn’t like those watery soups that you sometimes get (like, out of a can) that isn’t very fulfilling. Total opposite! Full of meat and veggies and stuff. I also liked the chips on top. Mmm, crunchy.
I also went with a plain old turkey sandwich (a half sandwich) on a whole grain baguette. The baguette was really tough and hard to bite through and not totally sandwich friendly. I would pick a different bread next time as the baguette was too troublesome to eat. Maybe it had just been out too long, but it was just not working for me. I would maybe just try it with what they recommend for this sandwich – the country white. The insides of the sandwich were good – plain and simple with just turkey, a little mayo and mustard, tomato, lettuce and onion. Defintely one of the most low-fat sandwiches on the menu.
Usually when I come here I go for a bagel. I love the french toast and the cinnamon crunch bagels. For the holidays they have a gingerbread bagel out which I really want to try, but haven’t yet. This is a seasonal bagel so if this sounds heavenly to you, you better get it now while the holidays are still upon us (can I say it’s the holidays yet or do I have to actually wait until Thanksgiving? Ahh well, too late).
Panera Bread
Multiple Locations
Yea, I like Panera, comfortable place. Not a big fan of their pastries but their bread is pretty good. Portions are not large but the prices are commensurate with what you get.