Au Bon Pain

I used to come here all the time when the food was good and they always had fresh bread and bread bowls. Now so the soups are blah and the bread is at least a day old. I only come here now when I desperately want soup.

Has anybody been to an ABP that they’ve found to be above average? Because I haven’t. I come here for the egg whites + avocado on a skinny wheat bagel breakfast sandwich when I don’t have time to make my own and because this location is on my way to the office. The ingredients taste fairly fresh, and I always finish eating feeling fairly healthy. I came here around 9:15am, and the store was basically empty, so I was able to get my sandwich very quickly.

So I walked into Starbucks because I’m craving a nice large iced coffee. The line was so long I quickly exited and walked next door to ABP. Let me explain that I am not at all a regular of any coffee joint. I barely drink the stuff. I tell the woman behind the counter that I would like an ICED COFFEE and she replies so you want an iced café late, I’m thinking they are trying to pull the same shit Starbucks does with their sizes (renaming it) so I reply sure whatever you call it. I tell her I want barely any milk in it at all and unsweetened. She looks at me strange but goes on to make it. So then she comes back to me with half a large cup of espresso shots and milk. No I didn’t say i wanted an expresso. I was pretty clear about an iced coffee and wanting light ice. So she explains the iced coffee is self serve, maybe something that should have been explained when I originally asked for an iced coffee. You can’t assume I’ve been here before or that I know the way you business functions. So I said oh ok go on to get an iced coffee. I don’t like flavored coffee and of course all their coffee there is flavored, left with no coffee and the decision to not ever come back.

Nasty! That is the only word that can describe it! The venue is nasty so is the food! Don’t get why they so busy… Will never visit again!

I’m an Au Bön Pain fan; loved their special $ 1.99 espressos and corn muffin! Yay, so happy there’s one by the office :-)

This café’s address may be «80 Pine St», but it’s very misleading as the entrance is actually located on the corner of Maiden Lane and Water St – the total diagonal opposite of 80 Pine St.
Once you find it though, you’ll get good service and a spacious setting, especially compared to their tiny locations uptown.

Clean and friendly staff. I prefer their previous lunch special more. It was cheaper and had more variety. Overall better and tasty sandwiches!

I like this particular ABP because the staff is really nice. As a grad student, I get what I want and I can stay there for a while. Good management and good fun food.

One star only because the staff is friendly and tries hard. The food is not fresh. Prices are ridiculous given what it is. Not good.

I have to say that they took away a lot of great sandwiches from this location since they reopened. However the location is great (right downstairs from the office). I will say that you should be able to get a free bread sticks with a large soup (something to think about)

If i was to rate this place by their delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. i would give them a 5! They are humongous and smells amazing. and taste perfect! sigh… But i still have to be conscience. which is why i am giving them a 3 because of the overall experience and environment. The store gets really busy during lunch and gets a bit messy as well throughout the day from the crazy traffic.

I just had this «Napa chicken wrap with avacado» from this place and felt like writing a review which I usually don’t. The worst wrap I ever had, could eat only half of it and threw the other half in the trash. It had a rotten smell which I couldn’t bare but not sure if it’s from the avacado or something else. Stay away from this wrap.

As a staple lunch place, Au Bön Pain is fairly consistent, fresh salads, creamy soups, doughy bagels and rich desserts.
Breakfast foods at this Au Bön Pain however can be hit or miss, and as of late it’s been mostly miss. The egg and cheddar focaccia is often overcooked and dry and their spinach croissants hard and crusty, easily leaving injuries and scrapes to the roof of your mouth as you try to salvage any palpable piece of the croissant that may be left. to no avail.
And the ham and cheese croissants, which I usually adore, are almost never available after 9am. — Breakfast goers beware.

Yeah, it’s average food. This location is MUCH better than the disgusting, dirty one on Broadway.
Au Bön Pain used to be really good back in the day. Oh, how things change.
I can recommend the asiago bagels here and the multi grain bagel — tons better than the Leo’s bagels nearby colleagues rave about!

This place is not bad, but it’s not great. It’s a very convient location near my work place, so I stop by routinely.
It has sort of «cafeteria feel» to it. which isn’t all that great. I feel like too many people are interacting with the food before I eat it.
The food is very average. The bread is just so-​so. The onion dill bagels are good, and I pick them up often. The service is fast and efficent.
It’s a good place to grab something and go.

I love Au Bön Pain! It is such a cute and chic place to grab a quick bite, east-​coast style.
This one is unique because it is close to the Financial District and the Staten Island Ferry, but otherwise it’s just like the one I went to at Harvard Square in Boston. The service is quick if you just get the soup and bakery. Calorie counts are available for all items.
I especially recommend the SMOKED SALMON AND WASABI ON ONION DILL BAGEL if you like asian fusion food!

Julie/​Julia,
What ever happened to this franchise… It use to be such a joy to dine here even with the extra cost of having a sandwich here vs. a deli.
The bread was always fresh and delicious and the meats and cold cuts always blended well with the sauces that they had.
Now the place just looks beat up… And it’s not just this location. It’s others as well. I ordered a chicken on foccacia recently and the chicken was rubbery and small. The bread was not tasty at all and not what I expected since this has always been my choice sandwich at au bon PAIN… On another occasion, I had a pre-​made croissant that was barely edible and seemed to have been in the heating shelf for days…
So my fall back here now is a chicken or beef rice bowl. Until they royally screwed it up. The portions of beef was ¹⁄₃ of what I usually receive. I’ve just about had it and don’t know why I keep coming back here ???
ABP has been eclipsed by the likes of Cosi and Panera and it’s just too bad. They are still busy because they have situated themselves in locations that involve tourist and it’s too bad that tourist have to deal with lousy offerings from a place that I use to really enjoy dining at.
Thank goodness for Unilocal and being able to vent as my food sits next to me getting cold…

Au bon pain — you lost a point because people avoid saying your title out of fear, and sometimes I question how I say it… [awwe ban pan]
I don’t like you just because you are near the Staten Island ferry, I like you because you have provided me with quality soup throughout my years of college… I still find myself getting the half a sandwich and soup deal…
Broccoli and Cheddar — I dream of you at night, you make me think I may be able to be somewhat healthier… just because you have broccoli somewhere in this cheese soup I am eating… and dipping heavenly bread of my choice into…
Italian Wedding Soup — Not what I expected, just not the way i would make it, decent but not something I would order again
Clam Chowder — Yuck! Good luck surviving on the menu…
Chicken Noodle — Comforting, however if you are going to be in here with delicious bread may as well get a creamier soup to dip it in for the ultimate bread to soup dip…
So many sandwiches to choose from… take your time and decide everything you want… and if at the end you want it hot, just let them know at no extra charge of course… If you are on the go, muffins and cookies are ususally not disappointing so worth considering…
Oh man, how did I forget the BREAD BOWL for your soup… hey non-​atkiners. you are going to love this and you are going to be full of carbs so get ready to go running afterwards =)

Like with all Au Bön Pain establishments, expect a conveyor belt operation.
There isn’t much to comment on with respects to this particular branch on Au Bön Pain except for the following…
Pro’s:
1) Average turnover time for a sandwich is 3 — 4 minutes
2) Assortment of food in various sections are neatly displayed
3) Seating is available as the turnover rate is high
4) A wide array of assorted dessert ranging from cookies, pastries, etc…
5) Calorie contents. This helps when selecting items.
6) 8 different soups for selection
7) Ingredients used in sandwiches are always fresh
Con’s:
1) The establishment gets crowded (afterall, it is the Financial District).
2) Soup is sometimes cold (due to refills)
3) Dang… The $$$!!! $ 7.00 for a Sandwich and $ 3.50 for a Fruit Parfait???
The Food…
Ginger Bread Cookie: Granted, they used raisins as the eyes and buttons for the Ginger Bread cookie but nevertheless, the cookie was a welcoming treat. The texture of the cookie was soft and delicate, thus indicating freshness and perfect baking. The taste of the cooking had an abundance of ginger snap, brown sugar, and a hint of butter in the taste. One little additive by Au Bön Pain, there was a mild pumpkin flavor in the cookie that added to the structure and boldness of the cookie. Indeed, a welcoming treat!
New England Clam Chowder: It’s definitely not the best thing you’re going to get. The chowder itself was rather gritty, thus indicating that the freshness was not intact. There’s no denying that the abundance of clams, celery, and potato used in the application was evident, but the lack of the velvety texture that’s known from New England Clam Chowder produced an uneasy finish.
Custom Made Sandwich: I always go for the Tuna Salad with Fresh Mozzarella, Romaine, and Tomato on Multigrain Bread. It was an odd combination at first but a welcoming one during consumption. The size of the sandwich is nothing to comment on. If anything, I found it to be on the petite side. At first bite, it is evident that the ingredients used in the application are fresh and produced a clean finish. The tuna was not overly doused with mayo, rather had a nice balance of light mayo, Dijon mustard, and carrot. The fresh mozzarella added the mild subtle sweetness and texture contrast that the sandwich needed. Complimenting the two primary ingredients with a well balance (and not too grainy) multi grain bread and you have a well executed sandwich. I must state that the ingredients used could be a tad more but it’s a chain, everything is measured out prior to creation.
I would make the following suggestions to patrons going to Au Bön Pain…
— If getting the soup, avoid anything that’s made with a cream base. I’ve found the Chicken Noodle and Beef Lentil to be more satisfying than the New England Clam Chowder.
— When ordering the sandwich, get Fresh Mozzarella instead of all other cheeses. The clean and fresh feeling from the Mozzarella helps to balance out all the other ingredients used in the application
— Avoid getting anything from the refrigerator, the Fruit Parfaits and Yogurt Cups are EXTREMELY overpriced!