Au Bon Pain

The staff at this store, especially Ms Dee Dee is fantastic. Dee remembers me by name and remembers that I get the Salmon Wasabi on an everything bagel, unless I brought breakfast from home, then it’s just coffee.
They also have the best outdoor seating area in the loop for Summertime. It’s off the sidewalk in an alcove so you can still people watch in the summer but not have pedestrian bumpin into your lunch.

I come here regularly (almost daily for lunch) and have to say that the customer service at this particular location is fantastic. They’re very kind, bubbly, and extremely hard working. There’s a gentleman who prepares the sandwiches who does an amazing job every time that I come — these folks deserve a lot of credit.
The food itself is exactly what you’d expect– quick, fresh, predictable. The space isn’t the greatest for sitting down and having a meal (although in warmer months there’s great outdoor seating)… But overall, it’s the employees who take the cake (no pun intended :-))

Very bad cusromer service from the woman preparing the sandwiches.
There were no customers but I waited 15mn for a simple sandwich. She did one thing at a time, showing that she is exhausted. To cook my sandwich she reused a paper sheet previously used (and which was still in the oven). She put the minimum amount of stuff in my sandwich.
Finally when she gave me the sandwich she ask me with a smile: «how about your wait?». Like she was happy
Will not come back.
It was friday 16^th oct at 2.40pm.

The workers are so upbeat and friendly at this location! I was in there to grab lunch and watched the cashiers greet customers by name. That’s rare in the Loop!

Four stars because the staff here are excellent. They’ve come to recognize me and somewhat remember what I generally order in the morning, so that’s pretty awesome. They’re very friendly and pleasant. The sandwiches they make fresh are also delicious; I always get a cheddar and egg with ham on a asiago bagel, because I like to go big or go home. This beats anything else I could grab for breakfast from the surrounding competition (McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, etc.) Prices on the food can be a little high, and the premade stuff that sort of sits out all morning isn’t great. A large iced coffee is less than $ 2, though, and they always have a dark roast ready to go. Overall, it’s a great choice for a quick stop before work.

Besides the fact the food is pretty standard, the staff here is GREAT.
They remember my name, make small conversation when you’re waiting for your food, and are very kind. +1 for that because it really keeps me coming back.
I wish there was a tip jar, I’d tip them every time!

This place was alright. I mean, the food was good, but it’s no better than your standard panera or other chain like soup and delis out there. The offerings are not really adventurous and like I said, nothing unique.
The building itself is very nice, bright, and open. The front patio has plenty of seating. I got the chicken pomodoro on chibatta. Very simple sandwich and the flavor was there. I’d be back, but only if I was in a rush and close by.
I

«Ms De De» at the register is the John Nash (re Beautiful Mind) of retail.
Sees hundreds of people each day and remembers everyone’s previous order each and every time.
Besides her this food is tasty, reasonably priced and served quickly.
Big thumbs up!

Waste of money! Below average sandwich. Watery cream soup. Slow staff. Dirty dining room.

I like going out to Restrurant then I like to chill at starbuck or Dunkin’ Donuts, have some a coffee, Best place Ever, that’s all

The mac-​n-​cheese is piping hot, gooey and cheesy (not too cheesy), noodles are al dente and for a lunch under 6 bucks in the Loop, it can’t be beat. However, the salads are just so so and not worth your dime. Rarely if ever fresh as you wait, they’re a ripoff and nothing to write home about, much less eat. While ABP’s breakfast sandwiches seem so good in print; trust me, they’re not. While they are made fresh to order, the white cheddar is somehow lost in the rubberyness of the poached style eggs and you end up with lots of sodium (whether you have bacon on the sandwich or not) on a too salty bagel or greasy croissant. Stick with McDonald’s…it’s cheaper and tastier.

I work in the building across from this location and their customer service is exceptional. Every time I go in I see smiling faces and great attitudes. Every worker there does an outstanding job. If they make a mistake, they’ll even compensate with a sweet treat of your liking. Their jalepeno bagels and chocolate croissants are phenomenal.
My favorite Au Bön Pain location!!!
–Happy frequent customer

The roast beef and herb cheese sandwich is pretty good.

The food is always fresh and the service is good. I am by far not cheap but I always end up looking at my bill thinking «wtf did I order».Lol. You know the routine. It does lack atmosphere and is kind of sterile.

I’ve stopped to grab breakfast here several time, and the only reason I continue to do so is because I cut through 181 W Madison on my way from the train to work. Now that I’ve tried the Caffe Baci across the street, I doubt if I’ll ever come back.
The breakfast sandwiches are bland and over priced. I was incredibly excited to try the egg white and avocado breakfast sandwich only to be extremely disappointed by what I was given. The sandwich was flavorless, and the avocado was scarce. The lemon aoli or whatever was the only thing with any flavor, but it wasn’t good.
Initially I gave them one star, but the Chai Spice whoopie pie warrants a second star and possibly a return trip when I need a dessert…

I had the same experience as Amy H. I guess I’m just used to the Wells location and thought they made fresh salads. I waited by the counter with my order form and made awkward eye contact with the employee as he made a sandwich. I gave him my order form and he walked over to the refrigerated case and grabbed a pre-​made salad for me. I ordered a small soup at the register and the cashier acted like it was a huge hassle! I don’t know what possessed me to try this location but I will stick to the one on Wells.

Salads are a lunchtime staple for me. Usually I’ll bring a salad from home, but some days I go out in search of salad. One particular day brought me to Au Bön Pain.
I don’t know what I was expecting… no, wait, I do know what I was expecting. I was expecting a freshly made salad. I saw the pre-​made grab-​n-​go salads in their refrigeration case, but I wanted fresh! I saddled up to the registered and asked for a nicoise salad thinking that they would prepare a fresh one for me. Nuh-​uh! No ma’am! The clerk behind the register walked around front and grabbed one of the pre-​made salads. Say wha??? I coulda done that!
Boo! Au Bön Pain. Booooooo!!!

This is a terrible Au Bön Pain. Went in there for an early dinner. I was without my glasses and had trouble seeing the menu, so I asked for a paper one. They don’t have those. Granted, it was my fault I couldn’t see but still… come on!
I ended up building my own sammie but they don’t have pickles. How does a sandwich place not have pickles? My boyfriend ordered a sandwich that listed lettuce and tomato on the ingredients… he received neither.
I will NOT be returning to this location.

As far as lunch goes, this place is a last resort. It’s not that it isn’t tasty or there aren’t plenty of options; for some reason it just doesn’t rev my engine the way other lunch places do. And if I am going to be spending $ 9 on lunch I want them to put it in neutral and step on it. ABP, not so much. It’s your basic soup, salad, sando menu. You can combo it up, add a drink and some chips blah blah blah… I’ve been there, done that.
I do love their breakfast treats, so they get three stars. The asiago bagel with plain cream cheese is a good mild hangover cure. The asiago cheese breakfast sando with bacon is a good super duper hangover cure.
And a note to all of you orange soda lovers out there… They carry Tropicana Orange Soda which is, imo, the best of the best (sorry Orange Crush). Do with that tidbit what you will!

Designed by noted architect Cesar Pelli, the otherwise blocky tower gains some life from its implementation of slight setbacks at the top along with its use of metal finials on its exteriors. Au Bön Pain is one of a chain of nice bakeries, though no American can pronounce it correctly.