Panera Bread

Been here a couple of times.
There has never been a wait when I visited this location. There’s always ample seating available.
When I came in on Friday I got the half size portion of mac & cheese it’s only $ 4.99 and it comes with either chips, apple or a baguette.
I love panera bread cookies and pastries but I can’t get one right now because I’m on a wedding diet :(boo
My favorite location used to be the one in downtown La Jolla but since that close I go either here or the one in Clairemont.

Food looks good but coffee here is a complete JOKE!
Very OLD coffee, over 2.5 hours old and not even warm, much less hot!
Terrible coffee!

Love this panera! Manny was so friendly and made us feel right at home as we were in the corner near the back for a while. the teas they offer are delicious, and the tables got cleaned immediately as soon as anyone got up!
Definitely the place to come for your next lunch date!

Oh panera! Way overpriced for the quality of food in general. A colleague of mine ordered food from this location for our lunch meeting. Generally, panera isn’t all that bad. I don’t think it’s as fresh as they say.
My colleague was about to take a bite of her sandwich and ladies and gentlemen… Wait for it… A bug was right there in the bread (SEE PHOTO). Not just a small bug. A pretty obvious big bug. Gross. I mean… Cmon now.

The guy that was working last night was super friendly. Explained the whole menu for us and the options we had. He had a lot of patience with us which was great. I didn’t feel overwhelmed at all. Their broccoli and cheddar soup was okay, I felt like it could of been better and their chili soup was really good. I’ve tried their pasta here before and its ehhh. They had free wifi and plenty of parking since its in a shopping center.

This Panera is located right by a movie theater which is convenient if you want to grab a quick bite before your show.
I came here during lunch with a couple of coworkers. 1 star for the super quick service, and another for friendly staff. I ordered off the «pick any 2» option and got the chicken apple salad with chicken noodle soup. The salad itself was decent and fresh, but I wouldn’t get it again. I thought it was strange that the apples in the salad were not fresh, but instead thin slices of dried apple. The soup wasn’t very flavorful.
My coworker got the steak sandwich and she said it wasn’t very good and had very little meat. So far, I’m not too impressed but I’ve heard good things about this place so I’ll try it again and order something else.

This review specifically is for the Panera on Mira Mesa Blvd.
Twice I have gone through this location to order catering for a corporate event — they deliver on time and the food is great — good cost per person for catering.

It was average… I felt rushed when I was ordering b/​c there was a line for lunch. The food was decent, nothing exciting. The sandwich was just thrown together and a little messy, and the salad was ok… I was a little disappointed in the amount of choices in the bakery.
Just average… nothing special…

$ 11 bucks for a tiny half sandwich and tiny bowl of bland Chicken Noodle soup? No thanks. The place was pretty dirty with crumbs and messy tables just kid of scattered about. They got my order wrong initially but staff was cordial about fixing it.
Maybe I came on an off day and ordered the worst things on the menu (turkey bacon BLT, and Chicken noodle soup), but I walked away pretty dissatisfied with my experience. The staff was pretty nice though and this is why they are getting 2 rather than 1 star.
Will not be returning.

Visited there Christmas Eve for breakfast, just after 8am and they were already sold out of soufflés and most bagels, many had pre ordered.
I was advised it would be another 20 minutes before any more soufflés would be ready and I couldn’t prepay for them.
I was prepared to wait so I purchased my beverages. I did notice four soufflés on the bagel toaster and inquired about them, but was advised they were for someone else’s order, fine.
Got back in the long line later on and was told two minutes before soufflés ready. Finally I got served by a guy and he went to pick up the soufflés off the top of the toaster oven that had been sitting there from my first visit…
Why didn’t I get offered them in the first instance?
I said I was told the fresh soufflés should be ready by now and I didn’t want the ones which had sat there on the toaster and when the server returned he only had one in the flavor I wanted, they only cook one of the bacon and spinach flavor?
When we left shortly afterwards the soufflé stand was already empty, they need to cook more soufflés and more than one spinach and bacon.

I usually have a lot of work to do in my laptop – whether it is for school or my business, I come here sometimes to work on things. The atmosphere is calm and nothing more than your usual chatter. Once or twice will you be in the same area with a parent who doesn’t discipline their screaming toddler and let them run around distupting other dine-​in customers. The employees are okay. Usually the cashiers have a sarcastic undertone to their words and they always seem annoyed. Oh well. The servers are mostly high schoolers or straight out of high school. They change frequently but they are quiet and nice.
It’s your usual Panera bread food. It’s always satisfactory. Nothing special. They did eliminate the Chipotle Chicken Panini from the menu which was saddening and disappointing. I love that sandwich :(. The temperature of the restaurant it very cool so my food usually gets cold fast. Especially the bread and soup if one doesn’t eat it quickly. Salads are great to eat here. Good portions.
It is a little dirty and some of the booth cushions are worn down and broken down.
Knowing all these flaws and downsides to the establishment, I still go here and will continue coming… power outlets, privacy [despite being in a room full of people], and food.

I love the idea of fresh, simply salads, soups and sandwiches at Panera. I always feel like I’m eating something wholesome and healthy when I dine here. My favorite is the asiago steak sandwich with a side of chips. The steak is delicious every time and their sandwich breads are always on point. The entire sandwich is just very well seasoned and there’s nothing too overpowering, even with horseradish sauce. Their salads are also well tossed — enough dressing to coat the lettuce, but their salad leaves aren’t soaking in dressing like many other restaurants. At that point you might as well be drinking the dressing.
I do find it a bit pricey for what you get, but if what they say is true about donating their leftover bread etc at the end of the day, I’m definitely down to paying some of that cost recovery, especially if food goes back toward the community.

Date of visit: 12/​13/​2015
My parents, Cam, and I came here around 1pm on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn’t too crowded. The table we found to sit at still had dirty dishes all over it, so my mom and I had to clean that up and moved those dishes to a smaller table. No one came to pick up those dishes until we were done with our meal, which seemed a little unusual for a Panera Bread.
I always get the chicken noodle soup at Panera Bread and it’s pretty consistent wherever you go. It’s not the best chicken noodle soup, but it’s decent.
This time, I got the Turkey Avocado BLT, which was pretty terrible. The turkey was way colder than normal sandwiches and it just wasn’t a good sandwich. Even the bacon looked sad and bacon should never be sad.
My mom and I got the apple muffin to split, which was dry and not very tasty. After we ate the top of the muffin, Cam finished the rest for us because it just wasn’t pleasant. This is also unusual since we usually like the baked goods at Panera Bread.
At least the coffee was good — nice and hot! I also really liked having a real mug to drink my coffee from since it’s less wasteful than a paper cup.

Panera is my go-​to place when I need to study. It’s way better than Barnes n noble because of the comfy seats and, though limited in the number of outlets, has that coffee-​shop vibe but with bigger tables and more space. I highly suggest getting a rewards card — They give discounts and oftentimes free food!
The blended coffee hasn’t wowed me but they’re not bad either — get the broccoli and cheddar soup! The bread bowls are REALLY good but you have to be REALLY hungry to finish them. This location in particular has some great service with friendly people who work hard to clear tables and check in with whatever you need. I love this place and it pains me to write this review because I know it might mean less study room for me!

Its shy of 9am, I don’t come here often — perhaps 2−3x per year for off site meetings.
There’s a Panera bread back home (Irvine) so I’m writing this review based on service.
For the last hour or so, Kelvin, one of the employees has been more than attentive to me and has consistently checked in on the other patrons. That is great to observe and represents the service-​oriented culture the Panera franchise ought to strive for.
The people behind the counter are nice too– greeting me with smiles and also checking in asking if there’s anything else they can do.
Overall this location is clean, wifi is nice, and it’s a popular meeting location for other off site meetings.

Looking for some hearty, delicious soups? This is your place!
They serve everything from breakfast, bagels, sandwiches, pastas, salads, desserts, beverages & a variety of soups! It is a great place to go to study since it has free wi-​fi (but it does have a peak time in the afternoon where it is not available). I ordered:
Pesto Sacchettini — Delicious & flavorful pasta pockets with cheese inside.
Clam Chowder (only served on Fridays) — Yummy!
Side of bread — They serve warm bread throughout the day & you will know when they say «Hot Bread!» Depending on the worker, you can get a side of bread for free or have to pay for it.
Green Iced Tea — My favorite green iced tea! Nicely sweetened & refillable!
My only complaint is that their food is always served room temperature or warm, never hot & I always have to go to their microwave to heat up my food.

The online order service works really well. If you want to order something specific, especially a salad with unique ingredients, I highly suggest using the online system. Your order will be ready as soon as you arrive.
WiFi is limited to only 30 minutes during peak hours. It also kicks you off at other times.
Most of the times the tables are dirty and that’s when there isn’t even a line and most of the tables are empty.
For those reasons, I remove one star each.
Their salads and meals are tasty and fresh. I’m glad Panera is transitioning to higher quality fresh foods to keep up with the competition.
The service is good and the cashiers are friendly.

*****3.5 STARS******
This location is great especially being in such a happening plaza and local to miramar college. You will find here many business people on their lunch or a lot of students taking advantage of the free wifi and studying. I am guilty myself as I am one of those bookworms studying at this location all the time. The place is pretty spacious, although I wish there was many electrical outlets nearby so youre not sharing or fighting for outlet to keep your personal laptop fully charged. Nonetheless, I love coming here for their espresso drinks and soups they offer.
I highly suggest to sign up for their rewards program and be part of their membership. Its free and easy to do and sometimes you get free little treats or rewards for joining.
I always get their pesto cavatappi pasta with a side of caesar salad. Its yummy and they give you the right amount of food to satisfy your hunger. I love buying their clam chowder as they serve it on Fridays. Their paninis are pretty good and so are their salads. The only thing I would complain about is the pricing, as everything just seems so overpriced at panera bread. But other than that, a great café to do homework or chill out with friends.

Looking for a healthy alternative? Or a place to study?
FOOD: my favorite drink here is the the Chai Tea Latte, second to the Iced Green Tea (w/​free refills). The food here definitely makes you feel like you’re eating healthy, food is a bit bland but that’s what makes it healthier right, hopefully… I typically get the pick two, a panini and a salad, always good and refreshing. The new broth bowls aren’t bad, I enjoyed the quinoa bowls more than the udon. And the pastries are always yummy!
AMBIANCE: I’ve been here more than I can count. I love to study here! Plenty of outlets if you need it and the employees don’t look at you like you’re taking up room for other customers. It’s quiet, not as loud as starbucks when it comes to the background music playing and hearing blenders every once in a while when they make frapps.
SERVICE: great service, cashiers are helpful and nice, food doesn’t usually take long to get, and I never had a wrong order. And am usually always asked if I need anything else. Don’t forget to signup for their rewards card, the more you go the more mystery rewards you get, also a free pastry for your first signup!
NOTE: Wifi is limited to a 30min session during the busy lunch hours 11−2pm.

Came here for breakfast on a weekend and it was packed! This was the only place that was open around 10am (with the exception of Starbucks in the next shopping center). The parking lot is shared with other neighboring businesses and Regal Cinemas.
I ordered the chocolate chip bagel (well done) with cream cheese. The bagel was toasted but wasn’t toasted to my preferred setting. Despite that minor issue, my breakfast was fine.
My fiancé ordered a breakfast sandwich. I think because they were so busy, the order took a long time for it to come out. I was almost done with my bagel when his sandwich barely arrived.
The space is great with indoor an outdoor seating. I’m sure this place gets packed when the movies start, however. Great meeting place if you’re in a group. We ended up getting a nice outdoor table for our business meeting.