Panera Bread
“Close enough to Boltbus / Megabus / train station that it makes for a good, fast alternative to having to fall down the rabbit hole of Penn Station's food offerings.”
“If you are ever by Chelsea or by the flower district you know where to go. :D”
“Great place to just eat and study, read, do work, etc. Outlets near some seats.”
Panera Bread
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I'm a fan of Panera Bread in general because of the nice quiet atmosphere and easygoing relaxing ambiance. The upstairs is quite nice, especially on a busy hot New York City afternoon. I came here to charge my electronics, rest up a bit and enjoy the AC while sipping on an iced tea. The seats upstairs are spacious (crazy to think in NYC!), and the quiet comfort is what I really like about it.
Being from California, entering this Panera Bread instantly reminded me of home especially since i am not used to the hustle and bustle the city. The staff seems to be very friendly. The breads looked amazing and who can really resist a freshly baked cinnamon roll?
The usual Panera chain setup, but in a handy location near work. While the options may not be as exotic as Hale & Hearty or Fresh & Co, the membership points & ordering via app for speedy pick-up are pretty useful for a busy weekday lunch. It's hard to find $10 lunches in midtown so this is a decent option.
Slow service for sure. But the bread options were elaborate and all looked great. I was also happy with the many options of iced tea (homemade) that were available for self service. You buy the cup and then select your own tea. I can't say that this specific location was particularly clean and the seating area in the back was dark. But, I can't hold too much against them since its hard to expect more from a fast-foodish location just south of Penn Station. Oh, yeah, and its pretty cheap.
Panera is of course pretty much the same, and it feels a bit lame to be a tourist stopping here instead of a real New York eatery. But here I was. It was near Penn Station and a bus stop, and it was the easy option. This one has multilevel dining, a waiting area, and a few outdoor seats as well, and was a very nice facility. As usual, there are a few things you can have on or with your bread.
Close enough to Boltbus / Megabus / train station that it makes for a good, fast alternative to having to fall down the rabbit hole of Penn Station's food offerings. With 2 levels, it's also bigger than most Panera locations in town. Thus, you're usually more likely to find a seat, and less likely to get told they're packaging all food to go across the board.
All Paneras are wonderful, and Panera is probably one of my favorite chains in terms of options and food quality. The food here was just as I expected; yummy and hot.
Relative to other Paneras:
+ This one has a great location! I often need to be at Penn Station or Boltbus, so this is very conveniently located. There are also a lot of subway stops that run around here.
– Unfortunately that means there are a lot of people here. I came on a Sunday at 4, and there was only one open table. It may be hard to come here with more than 1 person
– The cashiers are a little slow. There were some standing at the front, but not accepting a line, which I didn't understand.
So for starters…it's Panera, a pretty decent lunch chain.
This particular location has a lot of seating with an upstairs section. We went around 1 PM and the lines were short but the seating limited.
We ordered what we always do half Greek salad, half Italian sandwich, and baguettes. All items come in to go boxes which is odd to me but whatever!
The food was pretty good but I swear the Italian sandwich is different at every location…weird but not completely annoying!
Overall it's a pretty good spot, clean and a good stand by for lunch!
This isn't really a 3, but a 3.5.
I like Panera in general, though it's not the cheapest place to go and sometimes the quality doesn't match up to what you end up spending. Even though there's "bread" in the name, it doesn't necessarily seem as if their breads and bagels are really all that fresh or special. If you come with some frequency, you should sign up for their rewards card so you can get stuff like a free dessert and $2 off of the You Pick Two. If you want a sandwich, soup, salad, quick pastry, or hot or cold drink, it's not a bad option in the area. You order and then go to the back to wait being called – I like that Paneras now have a screen that show where your order is in the queue.
This Panera is located in a good location for commuters – just down the street from Penn Station. They offer free wifi; it does get busy during the lunch hours and there could be a limit during those times. They have an upstairs area with a few electrical plugs but they should have a few more. If you're looking to work plop down here and work with your laptop, it's not the greatest during the rush but the Internet speed is good. They also now have computer kiosks, so you can order at one of those with credit card instead of waiting at the long, which can get quite long.
Their breakfast sandwiches are good (but I've been disappointed numerous times when I came after 11 and they weren't serving it anymore). I usually order the You Pick 2 and get a half sandwich with half salad or soup. Their soups, like many soups, are pretty salty but they do taste good for a little while. I would recommend one of their signature sandwiches (or something hot) – since the sandwiches with just cold deli meat like turkey are really sub-par when compared to local delis–and it's not worth the money! Their mac and cheese is also pretty good…of course, all have a good helping of salt! Of the bakery items, I like the scones, especially the orange scone, and brownie.
The service has been fine – but it's not a sit down and have someone wait on your every need. Sometimes they'll come around and take your tray but that's about it.
When you come to a Panera, you pretty much know what you're getting.