Panera Bread

I’ve always had exceptionally slow service here. One time I waited 30 minutes for a «grab and go» order I’d placed online an hour earlier. Would’ve been faster to order in person and wait.

Had Panera bread with a friend a week back, I must say it was really good. My first time there I had the 2 pick menu choice, ½ turkey and chicken flatbread and ½ size Caesar Salad. Food was made quickly even though they had a lunch rush.

What I love the most about this place is the ability to order ahead! Known for its salads, sandwiches and delicious pastries, Panera is a favorite place for freshly made food. That is apparently hard to come by in most areas. You order at the front and pay for your meal; you can also order from the app. This convenience is the reason this place is still thriving. Whether you’re craving a snack that is low in calories or a healthier choice over the average cheeseburger, you’ll have no problem dining here. Did I mention how group friendly this place is? Bring your coworkers, closest friends, or family for an outing. It’s worth trying at least once.

This Panera has 3 stars, and I’d call that accurate.
Panera is pretty much the same everywhere, yet chains in NOLA have a nasty habit of crappy consistency. This Panera suffers from this every now and then. I love coming here for the Apple Fuji Chicken Salad, French Onion soup, and Clam Chowder. I’d say about 80% of the time when I come here, everything is up to par, but every now and then I’ll get a salad that’s missing some ingredients or a panini which is obviously haphazardly thrown together. The service is the same way, most of the time it’s pretty on point but more than once they’ve immediately cupped my soup and then taken several minutes to plate my sandwich, resulting in lukewarm soup by the time I get to the table. Again, most of the time it’s fine, but with chains like this, consistency is key.
Breakfast is a strong point here, with their delicious egg souffles and better-​than-​average bagels. They also have self serve iced coffee which is a huge perk; surprisingly, the iced coffee here is much better than I remember at the Paneras up north (where it also isn’t self serve).
Parking is generally readily available unless you come during peak lunch hour. This is one of the biggest Paneras I can remember in terms of seating; it doesn’t appear that way from the outside but really opens up once you get in.
I’ll keep coming back, especially for breakfast, because it’s convenient, tasty, and somewhat healthy.

I like panera a lot, this location not so much. It is a freaking Dump. The carpet smells of mold and mildew. The staff is unfriendly, and not helpful at all. Poorly Lit, will never go back to this location.

Tbh, Panera Bread has never done me wrong besides the time when they ran out of sweet tea & I had to wait for another batch.

The different choices of fresh foods was amazing, I really enjoy my Salad it was fresh and Delicious, the only problem I had was the 25mins I waited for my salad, but the Lady apologize for my long wait, which I appreciated !!!

I really like Panera, and this is the one closest to our house. The staff is friendly and always knows what ingredients are in what I’m looking for. Panera is probably the only really healthy fast casual place in New Orleans that won’t break the bank. I like that when I go, I can work or do some internet browsing in peace without a ton of people making noise like at Starbucks.

This place is to go for organic food. The price is reasonable and foods are delicious. Highly recommended!

Panera Bread has always been a favorite of my mom and mine. I honestly don’t eat much else other than the broccoli and cheddar soup, which is fantastic! I’ve yet to find better so I shamelessly get it every time! This location is large for a Panera but the parking in limited. I had to park across the street in the winndixie parking lot. But this place is worth a visit with some friends to sit down and chat with good food!

I think their food deserves a three star rating BUT I gave them 4 stars for what another poster stated that Pamera donates their bread, etc. I love that!!!
This place is good for something quick and I guess decent.
The food is sub-​par. This might be a teeny weeny step above fast food. Actually it is fast food that they try to make look better by the store design and layout.
I only really enjoy their breakfast. I love the Mediterranean sandwich, that is Delish!
I really don’t care for their lunch items. The quality of ingredients are pretty bad to me.
Yesterday I had their grilled cheese sandwich, which come on NO ONE can mess up a damn grilled cheese sandwich aka perfection. Butter, cheese, bread= EASY! No Panera MESSED up a grilled cheese sandwich (so this is the scale of «CHEFism we are dealing with, okay people). Bread: just bad, Cheese: tasteless I mean less flavor then mild cheddar, really??? BLAND ass grilled cheese!!!
Chicken Caesar salad: you know that type of lettuce that looks almost wilted, dry-​ish, and tastes like fake lettuce. Basically something I think a gas station or McDonalds would sell.
Bagel: good, cream cheese: good.
So I went with my mom and sister. Our bill was $ 50.00 expensive for a sandwich fast food place!
3 mediocre sandwiches that are SMALL,
3 bags of chips,
3 waters,
one half salad,
and a bagel with cream cheese.

I was a semi-​regular at a Panera when I lived in Portland, and for some reason, I really like the concept. There is a same-​ness at all of the locations I have been to. The staff here is typical, friendly yet unfriendly. They seem to be more interested in talking to each other.
I have tried many of the menu items. I like the Clam Chowder in the bread bowl, but it is seasonal. The bagels are good, but seem to go stale quickly. Today I had the turkey avocado BLT. It was good, but bland. I do like the nutritional calculator online. I do like that you can refill your own drink. The restaurant is always neat and clean, and napkins are always well stocked.

Very rude manager, and almost every time I have ate here they have made my sandwich wrong. The employees don’t know what the different types of bread are. I am often given the wrong bread with my sandwich. When I ask for the correct bread they tell me I am wrong. Tip: asiago cheese Focaccia means there should be cheese on top of the bread. A Focaccia bread would have nothing on it.
Worst manager ever!!!

I love Panera as a general rule. I have regular cravings for their french onion soup in a bread bowl. The salads and sandwiches are always a treat, and the you pick two gives you a lot of options.
This location is always SUPER BUSY. Be ready to wait. The parking lot is a bit of a nightmare. They definitely did not plan that properly. If you go in the back behind the Panera or on the side near the pet/​garden (random?) shop you can usually find something.
Once there was a man presumably on drugs harassing customers at the tables outside. Another patron complained to the employees inside but they didn’t seem to care. I was very disappointed because it was a lovely day and wanted to eat out there.
The employees here seem to hate their lives. Not very helpful or friendly. Like I said, I love Panera but this location leaves me with a «meh» feeling.

This is a great Panera Location. I use the Panera Catering Service In about 20 states and this is the most efficient operation I have dealt with. When I arrived early morning for a pickup they must have had another 10 catering orders going out the door. No confusion here… I was in and out within 5 minutes. Superior service with super cool professional people working here too!

Panera is a chain, but I think their company is a fairly altruistic one. They donate all of their bread and leftovers at the end of the day to local shelters and they donate funds to Second Harvest Food Bank. I know they also donate meals to Habitat For Humanity during builds, so I don’t mind patronizing the company.
That being said, this Panera was stellar when they opened and has taken a severe downhill turn. I don’t remember the last time they got my order correct the first time and I think the food quality has gotten worse.
I most often get breakfast at Panera, typically altering the menu items slightly (add tomato, no cheese). I’m often really disappointed if I take the meal to go and find that it’s incorrect.
It get three starts because the iced coffee is really tasty, as are the specialty teas. (Plus, I appreciate it when a national chain gives back locally.) It’s never my first choice for breakfast, but a much better option than fast-​food.

While Panera may have «bread» in their name, I have never tried any of the baked goods. What keeps me coming back to Panera for breakfast is their iced coffee and their power menu.
The moment you walk in to Panera your olfactory system will be overwhelmed with the smells of baking bread. If you are a human, this sensation will be quite pleasurable. If you’re not a human, I can’t help you. Despite that overwhelming desire to purchase an entire loaf of something, my trips to Panera are pretty routine at this point. I order a giant iced coffee and a steak and egg power bowl.
The iced coffee is very good with just the right amount of bitterness and coffee flavor one would expect in a cold drip coffee, It is also serve yourself, so the ratio of ice to coffee is always perfect. The large size is in the 32 oz. range so if you’re in need of a massive dose of caffeine, this is the size you need.
The bowl consists of two eggs, steak, tomatoes, fresh avocado and a few other things I can’t remember. That bowl is not only tasty, it is also pretty darn healthy, particularly if you have some aversion to carbs. This a’int your typical fast food breakfast.
The staff at Panera is very friendly and helpful. The ladies who make the breakfast are particularly friendly and will even remember you if you are even an occasional visitor.
If you want something different for breakfast, I encourage you to give this Panera a try.

I’ve been meaning to try this Panera since they came out to MidCity. I had them once before in Florida, and really enjoyed this chain. I finally has some time and some hangry to squash and decided to pop in.
The menu’s got a lot going on. I guess I’ve gotten so used to food trucks, ordering the «usual» and shorter menus that when I get to a place like this, I’m overwhelmed with a gaping mouth and squinty eyes trying to read the board. For some reason I assumed all Panera sandwiches were paninis ’cause I think that’s why I fell for them in the first place.
I order the very economical Pick Two with the Turkey and Avocado BLT half and the Autumn Squash Soup with a kettle chips and a drink. The lady at the counter was very pleasant and handed me my buzzer for when my food was ready.
I had no idea how expansive this location was. Tons of places to sit, though odd that a lady chose to sit caddy-​corner from me to stare into my soul… I digress. There is Free Wi-​Fi if you’re saving hoarding MBs of data, I know I am.
Buzzer buzzes, and I grab my food. The sandwich bread (for a place that is part bakery) looked haggardly and obviously wasn’t panini (since this was a sandwich) atop my half sandwich, but I was hungry so I wasn’t going to ask about it. The sandwich was pretty good, though when I’ve got avocado on a sandwich there is very little need for the reduced-​fat olive oil mayo, especially as much mayo as I got. The soup was pretty good, with a hint of cinnamon and the little seeds on top like how the fancy places do it. I really enjoyed it, and should’ve asked for some bread to dip in it. The kettle chips (in a town where Zapp’s is king) were meh.
The portions were perfect and the price was right, so I would say if I was taking out a band of younger people I was paying for and didn’t want to go the fast food route, Panera is a pretty great option. I’d go back to get an actual panini and a soup someday, I’m sure, but would skip the chips.

Man, I thought this place was gonna WOW me with awesome food!
Took me a while to find parking, so that set me off early on. I walked in to a line full of people and I am thinking WOW again. this food MUST be SLAMMIN! ahhhhhh… Mouth watering. and it is HOT outside. I ordered and the cashier was not understandable. She was not appropriately trained, which threw me off from my order. I can say the menu is very organized and makes it easy to decide on a meal. I ordered a SOUP & SALAD. I thought WOW, I am getting a PANERA soup and salad this should be worth the calories… The potato soup tasted like NOTHING. No flavor! The thai salad, well, it looked like something that I wouldn’t even make for myself. I posted a few pics on Unilocal of the desserts. I will go back again to give them a try, however, I must say — they are not cheap. I spent a little under $ 10 for this meal and was disappointed after lunch.

TRIED TO EAT LOCAL: but Wakin’ Bakin’ is closed Tuesdays!
SURPRISINGLY LARGE SEATING AREA with wifi, but the queue can be slow;
ONLINE NUTRITIONAL CALCULATOR has fully customizable options.
It’s a dilemma. I really like Panera Bread’s online nutrition calculator with drop down menus. But, do I really want to frequent a place with food so standardized it can be parsed down to fractions of transfatty acid grams or the percentage of recommended daily allowances for Vitamin A?
DANG! THAT PUMPKIN MUFFIN HAS MORE CALORIES THAN A BIG MAC!!!
(590 vs. 550)