Pret A Manger

Great Customer Service from Michael and Andres !!! They were both friendly and helpful. I was feeling a bit dehydrated and they suggested a very good tasting smoothie called Passion Pop. It has passion fruit, orange and apples and mangoes it’s so delicious I can’t wait to go back soon.

Family and I stumbled upon this gem after being shut out at Gaucho (well we didn’t have a reservation and would have to wait 2 – 3 hours).
First off, this was a Thursday evening (9÷26÷13) and it wasn’t crowded at all which given its location right in the midst of all these business high rises screamed this was more of a lunch time location for crowds. Great when you have two little ones (almost 4 years old) with you. Service was fine and location clean and tidy.
I had the spicy (was really a hint) Wild Crayfish and Rocket (arugula) sandwich. Wow, what a treat. It probably does help that I love crayfish but it tasted delicious, fresh of high quality ingredients. Partner had a salad (forgot exactly which) but she said it was delicious and exactly what she craved and that she knew looking at this place (we’re visiting from Los Angeles, CA, USA) that it was going to be good quality, great tasting and healthy fare. She was right! Had some edamame which was satisfactory (fine given it was cold as opposed to piping hot when served in a sushi restaurant).
Kids fared less well although our little boy did eat the ham, Classic Ham and Eggs Blomer very well and said he liked it. Our little girl didn’t like it, so tried the egg salad sandwich and she also didn’t like that which I tasted and thought was okay but maybe just a little bland. My partner also tasted the egg salad but thought it tasted fine. The gingerbread cookies were a hit and treat tonight!
I found it funny Amanda D. s comment that «there is not much to distinguish» each location of this chain of take away and felt it more like a McDonalds in that regard. I think the one nice thing about a chain restaurant is that the food is indeed consistent and if it is winning fare, then you know what you are getting, in a consistent quality and taste department. Pret a Manger offers a much higher quality fare than McDonalds and I found it amazing that there are so many in London (literally dozens when I tried looking up this location to do this review) which speaks volumes to the consistent quality and taste Londoners come to expect when dining there. If there were something to distinguish them from a food standpoint, then each visit would be more like an adventure which could be high risk if you didn’t like what you ate and that I believe is not the intention of this restaurant chain.
It was so good I’d love to see this chain make it to the states as I wouldn’t hesitate to dine there again!

A smallish Pret, in the shadow of the Shard building and just down the street from the London Dungeons. Several tables outdoors, all with the wonderful «No smoking» signs. I think it’s awesome that Pret does this and I wish more places would reserve their outdoor tables for the non-​smokers. Don’t give me crap about it being outside. If I’m within 20 feet of your stinky butt (the one that’s on fire, not the one you sit on), I’m inhaling the smell and it’s messing up my lovely Pesto & Mozzarella Bloomer.
Pret also makes amazingly good latte and cappuccino. If they’re not slammed, they’ll use the «star» template to put a star of chocolate dust on top!
If all you want is a very inexpensive sandwich to quiet a rumbly tummy, the egg mayo is a deal at £1.50 or the Emmental (it’s swiss cheese) with lettuce and tomato at £1.99.
As for Amanda’s issue with her swipe card, I have this problem every so often. I usually have to remind the counter staff that it’s a swipe card. In the less touristy areas (this is a high tourist area), they might not have ever seen an «swipe & sign» credit card. And they certainly won’t have a pen handy!

I would typically think of rating a take away place like Pret A Manger. All of the store locations are the same, the food is fine, and there is not much to distinguish them. Rating a Pret A Manger would be like rating a McDonald’s in the States. That being said, I was so frustrated with my lunch visit that I had to comment.
The store was packed, which can be expected at lunchtime in London. When I got to the register, the cashier said my card wouldn’t work because it didn’t have a chip in it. Did the cashier realize that if that were the case, no American would be able to use their cards at her store? No. I have been to multiple Pret A Mangers in town, even this one before, and had my card work just fine. She didn’t know how to swipe and kept telling me I had to pay in pounds. Finally, I asked her manager to come over, all of this happening while the store is bustling and people are body to body. The manager was able to swipe my card just fine. Ten minutes wasted at the register.
Morale of the story: Pret A Manger needs to train its employees on how to swipe credit cards without chips.