Pret A Manger

Despite the fact that Pret can be found in London as frequently as a Starbucks in Seattle, I only stopped in one once. At this location. But throughout the trip we were intrigued with how many we saw and perplexed by the naming — what could it possibly mean? «Ready to eat.» How appropriate!
I loved that they had free WiFi. For starters, that and a bathroom was what drew me in. Feeling obligated to buy something (more forced by all the «no pay no pee!» signs in London) we settled on a «protein pot» and caramel bar with a hefty helping of protein rich seeds and nuts. We were impressed! The protein pot had prawns, sunflower seeds and quinoa to name the primary components. It really felt healthy and was still delicious (thanks for the lemon to squeeze on top!). Then the caramel bar. It was so loaded with seeds I was only looking forward to a bland flavor. Yet they jazzed it up well with pumpkin seeds, sweet caramel and dashes of salt. It was soft enough to break apart and enjoy in small bites without chewing for a lifetime. We practically fought over the last bite.
The service is meh. You know, what you would expect at a place such as this or Starbucks. A mixed staff that’s hit or miss based on which side of the bed they woke up on. This location is not far from the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. But I bet there’s one closer.