Hello and welcome to the third edition of PA Food Spots: Do(s) and Don’t(s)! This edition is an examination of my third place restaurant pick and its menu, a PAHS frequent: Panera Bread. So, let’s begin!
My third place pick may be controversial, as just about every PA student has hung out at Panera at least once. Even though our school has faced our fair share of issues with Panera (like being banned), it’s a community spot that many of our students love. However, I’m pretty sure we don’t love Panera for their food, other than a cookie every now and then.
Panera has had one of the biggest downfalls on my restaurant tier list ever since they started removing things from the menu. For the longest time they were a solid dinner spot that I’d always beg my parents for, now they’re sort of a last resort. While there are still a few of my favorite meals on the menu, Panera hasn’t gotten rid of so many staple items and replaced them with strange creations.
In April 2024, Panera discontinued my favorite menu item, the chocolate chip bagel. When their new menu came along, they replaced old goods with random sandwiches and bacon mac and cheese, which I’m personally not a fan with. Not to mention, the new CinnaScramble which features egg and cheese on a cinnamon roll, I’ll pass on that.
While I’m still not impressed with the newer Panera additions like the Cinnascramble or the pizza (which is from 2020 but still “newer” in my eyes), I do still have a couple meals that I’ll willingly go back for. In particular, Panera soup cannot be matched, it’s truly the best. I’ve tried recreating some of my favorites at home like the tomato basil, broccoli and cheddar, and even the wild rice soup, but I can never seem to capture the flavor Panera does. And who could forget about the bread bowls, a truly gluttonous and delicious idea.
When it comes to sandwiches, I’m not the biggest connoisseur nor the most tremendous fan. I’m pretty basic, slap some cheese, meat, and sauce on some bread and call it a day. However, Panera helped me broaden my horizons and explore more complicated sandwich combinations. For example, the Bacon Turkey Bravo, a sandwich on tomato basil bread. You really can’t get much more unique than that, or at least not in my eyes. Another favorite sandwich of mine from Panera has to be the Toasted Steak and White Cheddar sandwich. This particular item has a strong taste and probably requires a certain taste palette because of the strong horseradish but it’s truly delicious. However, because I seem to fall in love with items Panera has other plans for: they removed it from the menu! So yet again I’ve been let down and lost one of my favorite meals, how will I ever recover?
One of the most memorable parts of Panera’s menu has to be their bakery section. The second you walk in all you see are cookies and pastries. It’s impossible to miss, especially when you’re checking out, since the sweet treats are checking you out from behind the counter. Panera’s brownies and cookies are some of the best desserts at any fast dining restaurant. The Candy and Kitchen Sink cookies are absolutely delicious and I can admit there have been multiple times I just had to grab one with my order. While Panera does have a lot of hit-or-miss options, the bakery is not one: every single dessert is always spot-on.
Lastly, I have to touch up on the smaller area of Panera’s menu, their drinks. I’m not really a fan of their smoothies, but their lattes and cold coffees had me in a chokehold for a while! Personally, Panera’s iced chai is far better than Starbucks. For a 20 ounce drink you pay five dollars at Panera while at Starbucks you could be paying six. While I recognize it isn’t a huge difference, considering the depth in flavor Panera’s variation brings to the table compared to Starbucks, this is a major point for me.
Overall, Panera is a great place to dine, just not constantly. I think the menu can get a bit boring and even bland if you continue to eat there multiple times a week or even on a regular basis. The only definite ‘don’t’ I have about Panera is the new menu, mainly the CinnaScramble. But as a whole it’s a great spot, despite all the renovations they’ve made to the menu.
Come back next time for the last edition of this column where we cover the final pick of “PA Food Spots: Dos and Don’ts”!
