Au Bon Pain

The pastries are always fresh when I drop by. I usually get their pastries to go, but I made the mistake to stay once. I wouldn’t recommend sitting in the tables towards the back because the bathroom is there and it smells pretty bad there. All of the tables seem to be dirty with stain and crumbs. The floor is in the same situation. As mentioned in other reviews, the staff tend to hop on and off on the cash registers. Though the pastries are yummy, I lost my appetite due to the environment. I’d only come here to grab some pastries to go.

Rarely do I go for a fast food lunch, but I had a coupon good for a free (!) birthday salad or sandwich, thank you very much Au Bön Pain!
So I ordered the Southwest Chicken Salad, but omitted the «crispy wontons.» Decent portion, decently spicy. Worth the price they charge ($ 8.09), but even better as a freebie!
Good lunch, with a cup of Harney & Sons organic green tea. Not gourmet, upscale fare, but good for the middle of a workday!

So the food is amazing… until I found a hair in my sand which… The bathroom is unsanitary, the staff was pretty rude about me asking to use the restroom. I was pretty disappointed since the food is so great.

PROS:
— decently priced lunch
— Newport turkey sandwich (oven hot) — great sandwich minus the honey mustard sauce. I typically sub it for more chipotle mayo sauce
— they e-​mail you coupons once in a while if you subscribe to them on their website or in store.
THE OKAY:
— Chicken pomodoro (oven hot) — sandwich was alright. Too cheesy.

Definitely went before but somehow haven’t reviewed, so here it goes… dropped back in & redeemed an anniversary reward for Harney & Sons tea in place of free coffee, and a satisfying inasmuch as a cloying pastry can be (cherry danish). Inconsistent service — people hop off registers when there is a line and back on when there isn’t, some friendly some nasty. Useless website (at least the mobile version) lists no hours for their locations, but this one was buzzing before 8 on a weekday. Certainly won’t be returning even if that set you back less than $ 4.68+.
PS thanks Unilocalorithm for pointing out 2 people mentioned ‘particular location’ in their reviews.

I come here whenever I go to my doctors office or when I go to union square with my mom. The seating is eh (ok) but the food and price is awesome.

Spend $ 20 here and they’ll still kick you out after 2 hours of working here because «they need the tables.» Theres currently 3 other tables available. And it’s 3pm. It’s not getting any busier and they’re fucking dumb.

As trendy and slightly upscale as au bon pain appeared to me when I first discovered and fell in love with their spinach croissant, the novelty is slowly wearing off, my rose tinted sunglasses have been broken.
Each time I stop at one of their branches it’s almost always a bit dirty. This branch is no exception. Crumbs from past customerssss all over tables, napkins and food on the splattered sticky looking floor. I have no patience for this level of filth in a place that sells and invites customers to consume food on their premises. I understand mistakes happen, of course I do. But such messes shouldn’t be allowed to fester no more than 5 mins and I think I’m being generous with 5 mins.
Haven’t checked for washrooms yet but at this branch, I’ll pass.
2 stars for the scrumptious croissant and 1 for the pleasantries from cashiers.
The End.

I have been eating breakfast and lunch at ABP for 10 years. I work for Beth Israel Medical center at union square and ABP is in the lobby of the building. For the past 10 years I have received an employee discount for 10% for being an employee in the building. Today I purchased a coffee and an apple (about $ 3). I was wearing my operating room scrubs, a hospital lab coat, and OR shoe covers. The cashier, Cathy, who is also the manager today, asked me for my hospital badge to prove i was an employee. Since I did not have it on me she refused to give me my 30 cents discount. She said, and I quote, «just because you look like you work in the OR doesn’t mean you get the discount. My scrubs are paper thin and its 20 degrees outside. She couldn’t of possibly thought that I came from outside, right? Moreover, these scrubs are not permitted out of the building and that the OR scrubs are the ugliest purple and are unique to Beth Israel’s operating room. Not that I care about 30 cents but I find it insulting when everyone in the place knows and recognizes me by name. Fortunately there is a Panera right next door so I don’t have to go far since i will never be purchasing anything from ABP again.

If you’re in Union Square and you find yourself at this ABP, know a few things first. ABP typically has more lunch and entrée choices than the average spot, but this ABP is best when you take your order to go. The tables are small and not that clean. The sanitary level overall was kind of questionable. But their food isn’t terrible.
ABP breakfast sandwiches are pretty good and can be somewhat healthy if you so opt. They have egg whites, avocado, veggies and thin breads. Their Create Your Own Salad option is perfect for those who are specific about their salad ingredients ie no cheese! The CYO line will accommodate your demands. If you’re in a rush, grab a premade salad from the fridge. This location technical doesn’t have outdoor seating, but it’s located across the street from Union Square — ideal to grab a wrap and a soda and enjoy a spring day in the park.
I know ABP’s business model allows for self service with the breads and pastries, so if that’s not your thing, you may want to opt for only the wrapped products. I wish this locations was overall more sanitary ie wearing two gloves instead of one and cleaner tables.

So there I was, between appointments, and desperately looking for some breakfast. (As an aside I am mystified why Whole Foods was sold out of oatmeal at 10 am — someone needs to assist with their JIT system.)
In any case, I hadn’t been to Au Bön Pain in years (since I saw a cockroach crossing the sandwich counter in their midtown location) and decided to give it another chance. And since they had oatmeal (good JIT system here apparently) I decided to give it a shot.
– Food: Oatmeal was fine and better than the clumpy mess that I make in my microwave. I can’t really complain.
– Service: Cashier was nice enough but called me honey. This confuses me because I probably had about 5 – 7 years on her? I suppose she could have called me worse.
– Ambiance: Here is where Au Bön Pain needs some serious help… this place is FILTHY. I don’t think the tables or floors have been cleaned since I last visited the store a decade ago. Wi-​Fi isn’t available either, which seems bizarre for a coffee-​ish place near a university.
– Prices: I paid $ 3.30 for a medium sized container of oatmeal. This would have been reasonable had the restaurant offered a reasonably clean eating atmosphere, which it obviously didn’t. Therefore I conclude my oatmeal was overpriced.
Bottom Line: I now remember why it took me a decade to return to Au Bön Pain and I won’t be returning. For another decade at least.

I like the food here. Everything is really tasty and well made. Pastries are delish! I mainly only come to this location because I work right upstairs. The staff is not friendly and they are pretty unhelpful.
The food is kind of pricy. A basic lunch sandwitch can cost $ 9 –_​–
But everything in this area is expensive for the most part
Also there is a methadone clinic right upstairs and a bunch of hipster/​homeless pople that live in union square park and the surronding area that also happen to frequent this Au Bön Pain. So if you don’t mind dealing with weird people that are always getting high and falling asleep in their soup then stop on by!

Went here for wraps because my girlfriend suggested them. They don’t have too much of a selection, but that did allow me to decide quickly. Had the avocado chicken wrap — it was extremely average, nothing special about it. The guy making the wraps seemed to be in a bad mood; we gave him our orders and his version of an acknowledgement was literally brief eye contact and him walking away. All the employees seemed to be crotchety. Whatever. One good thing about this place, though, is the soups. She had the split pea and asparagus, I tried an old favorite: broccoli cheddar. It was more than decent, and 4 bucks for a medium size. Last thing: beware the bathroom. It is absolutely disgusting, and I can’t stress that enough.

It was my first time in here today. Despite their efforts to convince you that they have this amazing menu of fresh pastries and a variety of lunch options, when i walked in it all looked pretty mediocre to me. I got a custom made salad, but as a vegan who likes to load her salads with condiments and no dressing, the «3 toppings» rule meant i had a pretty lack-​luster bowl of spinach, avocado, red grapes, edamame and walnuts. That might be just fine for some people but i would have loaded my container with very possible non-​meat option they had. For $ 8.26 i also got a ciabatta roll, but i dont eat bread so i gave it to a homeless person outside. Im still hungry :(
Staff wasnt rude or anything but they weren’t very warm or friendly.

Convenient location by the Union Square station. Long checkout line in the morning, but it moves quickly. Nice staff.
–Strawberry & Sweet Cheese CroisBun: Good. Crispy edges on top, soft and doughy in the middle. I like the flavor combo.
FYI:
–No Au Bön Pain locations carry non-​dairy creamer.
–Sign up for their eClub and get a free Travel Mug, anniversary gift (free bakery item & coffee), birthday gift (free sandwich or salad), and coupons.

I don’t come to Au Bön Pain but once or twice a year & it seems I keep running into issues. Now I remember why I don’t come often…
Just recently, a Somalian girl working the register was about to overcharge me. She was playing dumb, like she didn’t know baked goods are ½ off after 9pm.
I corrected her nicely. She said they weren’t. I walked over to where I bought my goods…
Then all of a sudden she puts the discount on the items.
I know how to do math quite well. I don’t appreciate being undermined at a bakery.
I see this location already has a low overall score. They keep playin around, they’re going to have ½ a star.

What a great little place for fresh breakfast! Au bon pain seems to be pretty popular in the states! I thought this place was great for a couple reasons: the prices were reasonable, the staff were really friendly and the coffee was actually quite delicious.
I feel like it’s fairly rare to have all three in one breakfast place. I would definitely come back here again and I thought the service was really quick, making it ideal if you need to stop by on your way to work… the train station is just across the street! I was also happen to learn that they had flavoured coffee… delicious!

I usually pop in here to get their chocolate croissant in the mornings. It’s a little too sweet but I like it like that. I had their skinny bagel with turkey, egg and cheese once, it was ok. I find their hot croissants too greasy for my liking. Ergo, I stick with their chocolate croissant!
So happy they renovated it as it looks cleaner, brighter and bigger. Better seating area now too.

Why is this place always dirty? Why is it always impossible to find a table? Why are their sandwiches overpriced and practically tasteless?
I always ask myself these questions when I come here. Walking in, the front is filled with tables in disarray, covered in crumbs and sticky soda spills, usually with every seat occupied.
Next I get in line, which is always lengthy despite the time of day. Order a sandwich, then wait for it to be made. I never understand why the guy making the sandwich has to ask me a million questions. Aren’t there some sort of guidelines as far as each speciality sandwich and what does on it? Why would I need to add more dressing if it comes with dressing? I don’t care what kind of bread you use — just put it on whatever it’s supposed to be on.
The only good thing ABP has going for it is their decent bread and good snacks. They have a nice little selection of hummus & crackers, fruit & cheese, yogurt, etc. My favorite is the turkey, asparagus, cranberry chutney, & gorgonzola all rolled together for a light, healthy snack.
I always seem to have trouble finding a quick, cheap bite for lunch in Union Square, which constantly (& reluctantly) keeps bringing me back to this Au Bön Pain. So honestly, feel free to hit that little «Send Message» button and give me recommendations. I promise to write dazzling Unilocal reviews on them.

Au Bön Pain does lunch?
Hmm well maybe they shouldn’t… went with their new chicken salad sandwich for lunch yesterday and while the chicken salad itself was pretty good… the bread it was on was not so good. Actually ruined the sandwich in my opinion, it was soggy and far too crusty on the edges… in short it was gross. However the chicken salad, which I now ate sans bread was impressing, nice balance of cranberries, almonds, lettuce, and of course chicken.
I’m not a big fan of this location because I always feel rushed… please just give me one moment to take a look at the menu and decide. But nooo as soon as I’m facing in your direction (also the direction of the menu) you start hassling me… «step up! nice in line! Can I help you?!?» It drives me crazy, when I’m ready I will step up to the counter, hold your horses for 2 min.
I suggest not eating in the restaurant itself, it’s to crowded and the set up is weird… just take out and walk a few short steps to Union Sq Park across the street, that way you can at least keep some of your sanity. Look out for the homeless people too, they tend to hang out in this area, why I couldn’t tell ya, but there hasn’t been one time I wasn’t harassed by someone asking for money as I pass by this location… again, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.