14 Panera Menu Items To Avoid Ordering, According To Customer Reviews

Panera Bread has been a popular fast casual chain for years now, falling somewhere in between a fast food spot and a sit-down restaurant. Founded in 1987 under the name St. Louis Bread Company, Panera has since expanded to over 2,200 locations across the U.S. Students and workers alike flock to one of these many spots to take advantage of the restaurant's homey atmosphere, free Wi-Fi, and extensive menu. Whether you're craving a full meal or a baked good to pair with a cup of coffee, Panera is likely to have something for you.

However, while Panera sets itself apart from competitors by claiming to use the freshest and highest quality ingredients in its foods, the execution doesn't always follow through. Panera has made a few overhauls to its menu over the years, replacing many fan favorites with new offerings. And though there are still many well-loved items on the menu, many customers agree that not all Panera items are equal. From old classics that got an unfortunate revamp to not-so-great new additions, these are the items that customers feel consistently missed the mark. For more information on how this list was put together, check out the methodology slide at the end.

A good bowl of French onion soup encapsulates everything that a soup should be. It's warm, comforting, and complex in flavor. When you dig into this classic French dish, you can expect a savory broth with a hint of sweetness from caramelized onions and richness from the layer of cheese melting on top. Pair it with bread on the side and you'll see why it's become so beloved outside of its home country.

Some might be excited to see more than your typical tomato and chicken noodle options but, unfortunately, Panera doesn't seem to do justice to the classic French onion. "I'm trying it for the first time right now and I think it's terrible ... it's giving me a funny aftertaste and no depth of flavor!" one Reddit user complained. This is a common issue with other reviewers attesting to the soup being bland. The texture doesn't fair any better. Another reviewer on Reddit said the texture was more akin to a gravy than a soup while our reviewer here at The Takeout found it watery.

No one wants to be left guessing when it comes to their food. Unfortunately, that's exactly what this soup does. Panera's consistency issues drag down what could be a star item. If customers find that even the signature gooey cheese is missing from their meal, it's no wonder many consider this the worst Panera soup.

You can't go wrong with a cookie. Lots of fast food and fast casual restaurants offer cookies as a quick dessert option for customers to enjoy after their meals. But few feature an entire bakery section the way that Panera does. Some customers forgo the restaurant's regular menu entirely in favor of the range of breads and pastries available. Among the offerings, the iced shortbread cookies catch the eye first. Depending on the season, you might see them decorated as brightly colored pumpkins, mittens, or flip-flops. But while they may be a feast for the eyes, these particular cookies may not live up to their appearance.

Depending on whether your Panera still offers freshly baked goods or has transitioned to par-baked and frozen, you may encounter two different versions of this cookie — both disappointing. At Panera's Fresh Dough Facilities, customers complain that all the varieties of shortbread cookies taste the same, with an unexpected lemony flavor. One Redditor said, "I'm not a lemon fan at all so I was disappointed." Others echoed this sentiment, saying they wished the cookies were flavored to match the seasonal designs or at least featured the usual sweet, vanilla icing they expected. Even the revamped version of these cookies has issues. Instead of a soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency, one person compares the new white chocolate icing to candle wax. Customers also report that the cookie itself is drier and denser than before. It seems that Panera solved one problem only to create another.

Panera found itself in hot water in 2023 when its lineup of Charged Lemonades led to a series of lawsuits. In response, the Charged Lemonades finally got the boot and Panera rolled out a new batch of drinks to replace them. Citrus punch was one of these replacement drinks and unfortunately customers aren't too keen on it. Despite being completely non-alcoholic, the most common gripe is that it tastes like it has a little more than just juice in it.

As it turns out, the citrus punch is prone to fermentation, especially if it's been sitting in the machine for too long without being replaced. "I went to two different Paneras and both of the citrus punches I got tasted slightly carbonated and like alcohol," said one customer on Reddit. Others said their drinks tasted sour or similar to Kombucha. This is a far cry from the refreshing, citrusy flavor one might expect. Even when the punch wasn't fermented, many reviewers still found the flavor to be lacking. Some said the drink was too sweet for their liking while others found they didn't taste all the different fruits it proclaimed to have. What customers end up with, either way, is a run-of-the-mill juice or a drink that's gone bad, neither of which are great options.

The brownies at Panera are another case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Despite the age-old adage, Panera has changed its brownie selection a few times over the years. Customers were partial to the Very Chocolate Brownie and the later Iced Brownie, so much so that some even created petitions to bring back these now discontinued menu items. In their place came the current powdered sugar-dusted brownie and it has not been able to replicate its predecessors' popularity.

Texture is the main concern for these brownies. Most people say they find them dry, with some even saying they taste stale. "Sadly, the brownie is a little dry and leans closer to a cakey texture as opposed to fudgy (which I prefer)," said one Instagram reviewer. Even heating up the brownie can't seem to fix those dreaded textural issues, leading one Redditor to call it "one of the worst brownies I have ever had in my life."

Alongside coffee and pastries, Panera offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches. There are plenty of different egg and meat combinations available, as well as a meatless option for vegetarians. However, though these might seem like a good on-the-go meal in the mornings, most customers agree that they aren't worth the stop.

The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich was the main source of disappointment for most reviewers. One person on Reddit noted that their bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel only had two half pieces of bacon despite costing $10. "I'm starving still," said another Reddit user about their similarly skimpy sandwich. When you're looking to buy breakfast, you want something that will keep you feeling full until lunchtime, especially at this price point. Another complaint reviewers had was that Panera now only offers a folded egg rather than the fried eggs that used to be available. The overall consensus is that the prices of Panera's breakfast sandwiches have risen while the portion sizes and quality have declined.

Caesar salads are a staple at most restaurants. Some offer them as appetizers, others as sides or even full meals. Realistically, this salad is fairly simple to construct but quality can vary widely. Panera's Caesar salad should be a go-to, especially since there are many more complicated salads on the menu, but even without all the fuss and frills Panera fails to deliver.

"No Parmesan, almost no chicken. Piece of bread was bigger than the salad," said one customer. "Not worth $10." The portion size was a common complaint, especially for the half size salad, which is expected to be smaller but not so small that it barely fills the container. While the first customer had "almost no chicken," another Tripadvisor reviewer found that their salad had no chicken at all despite not being ordered as such. Though, other customers complained about the quality of the chicken not being up to par, so these reviewers may have dodged a bullet. Given this less-than-stellar feedback, you'd probably be better off boosting your chicken Caesar salad at home for half the price.

Dried fruits in savory dishes sometimes raise eyebrows. One example is the great debate over whether potato salad should include raisins or not. But Panera's cranberry walnut chicken salad sandwich has caused controversy, and not just because of the dried cranberries it contains. For one, many loyal Panera customers lament the loss of the Napa almond chicken salad sandwich, which was discontinued and replaced with the current cranberry walnut version.

Upon first glance, the purple color was off-putting for some customers. After digging in, some found it too sweet while others found the texture disappointing. "The chicken salad had a dry consistency and was in a lump form rather than spread over the entire piece of bread," said one reviewer on Tripadvisor. This strange texture may be attributed to the fact that the new salad is pre-packaged. Regardless of the reason, few Panera-goers want to bite into a sandwich that "resembles cat food" as one reviewer on Reddit put it.

We think Greek salad leaves all other salads in the dust. A combination of fresh, healthy ingredients and light, yet satisfying dressing makes this salad a great side or meal. At least, this is usually the case. When it comes to Panera's Greek salad, however, other salads are definitely taking the lead. Many customers found that their salad didn't have nearly enough of various ingredients. With a salad like a Greek salad, that shines in its simplicity, every ingredient counts.

Multiple reviewers noted that their salads had a significant lack of feta cheese or no cheese at all. Even lettuce was hard to come by despite this ingredient being the core of almost every salad. The ingredients that were present were also less than fresh. "The lettuce was wilted, the avocado was brown and there was no cheese on it despite [that] it was supposed to," complained one customer on Tripadvisor. Yet another reviewer said that the lettuce in their Greek salad was "very wet." Using browned and wilted ingredients stands out like a sore thumb in a dish like this and turns customers away immediately.

Panera's iced chai tea latte doesn't claim to be authentic. And while authentic chai is, of course, top tier, there are ways to make a more Westernized version good in its own right. However, customers haven't found Panera's take on the drink to be impressive in authenticity or flavor. Recent changes to the recipe mean that the chai uses a new concentrate that falls flat, especially compared to the previous recipe.

"It honestly tasted like the chai flavor had been left out haha, just a cup of iced almond milk," commented one Redditor. Flavorless is hardly a word you'd imagine being used to describe chai. Normally, this tea is rich and warming, featuring a variety of spices that add to its complex flavor profile. Panera's chai clearly doesn't fit the bill although, other reviewers seemed to have the opposite problem. One reviewer found the chai to have an overpowering flavor, which they described as tasting "like how a hair salon smells." Artificial-tasting is the last thing good chai should be.

One of the most well-loved comfort foods is a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup. Whether you're sick, the weather is cold, or you just need a pick-me-up, this soup is a go-to. Especially if you're feeling under the weather, you may want to pick up a bowl rather than make it yourself. But if you do feel that urge, customers say Panera's is one to skip.

Reviewers have found that this menu item comes with an unfulfilling ratio of broth to other ingredients. One Yelper said theirs "only came with eight noodles and ½ full." But where the chicken and noodles are lacking, surely the broth makes up for it, right? Unfortunately, some customers don't think so. The broth can end up thick like jelly and is usually very bland in flavor. Interestingly enough, it has garnered multiple comparisons to Progresso. But unlike Progresso, which we ranked as the best canned chicken noodle soup, this one won't be making it into the high ranks.

Rolling out at the same time as Panera's citrus punch, the pomegranate hibiscus tea is another new addition that has failed to win many customers over. It sounds promisingly refreshing, with floral and fruity notes. Despite the potential, though, customers have deemed this drink a fail. The general consensus is that the tea lacks flavor.

"I'm sorry to say that this location's tea is weak, watered down, and is like drinking water," said one customer on Tripadvisor. While this person only calls out one specific location, other reviews indicate this is a more widespread problem. For many, the drink simply tasted like waterwith very little evidence of the pomegranate or the hibiscus. Since this is one of Panera's naturally-flavored options, others also found it to be too sour or bitter. But before you blame this drink's lack of appeal on its health, even with sweetener, reviewers describe it as distinctly medicinal.

There's nothing better than a fresh, gooey cinnamon roll straight from the oven. One bite and you'll find a sweet, spiced flavor that is second to none. Panera sets the bar high, describing its pastries as "deliciously crafted" rolls with "decadent icing." But the real thing isn't nearly as awe-inspiring as the description suggests.

In lieu of the "decadent icing" advertised, customers once again encounter the dreaded lemon-flavored icing. But while the shortbread cookies at least provided a somewhat neutral base for the citrus flavor, lemon and cinnamon clash even more in these rolls. "Are you trying to be tangy and refreshing or comforting and rich?" questioned one reviewer on Reddit. Even just looking at these rolls will make you reconsider purchasing. Customers said that they paled in comparison to the larger cinnamon rolls Panera used to carry. And it's not just the appearance that was downgraded. Another Redditor mentioned the unfortunate texture, saying the anticipated soft center of these rolls quickly became "crisp/dry like the outside." Pair the textural issues with the oddly flavored icing and you're left with a cinnamon roll that doesn't really know what it's trying to be.

A good grilled cheese shouldn't be too hard to achieve. After all, it doesn't need a lot of frills to live up to the sandwich many of us grew up with. The indicators of a classic grilled cheese are simple: toasty bread and melty cheese. We won't get into the great grilled cheese debate of whether mayo or butter is better. Other additions can level up your sandwich but those are the basics — and surprisingly, Panera doesn't manage to nail those down either.

The bread, for starters, is described by customers as too thick and barely toasted. One Redditor said "it's more like a warmed cheese than a grilled cheese." Without the crunch of a toasty exterior, this grilled cheese is one note all the way through. Even the cheese doesn't attain the trademark melty consistency you'd expect. "You have about a five ... minute window before it solidifies completely," said one reviewer, in response to another customer who said the cheese was "more liquid than I remember." To top it all off, this grilled cheese is not cheap. Overpriced and underwhelming makes this sandwich an easy pass.

The toasted Frontega chicken sandwich was once one of Panera's paninis that eventually transitioned into its toasted sandwiches line. With this transition, came some upset among customers as the original version of the sandwich was a fan favorite. The most notable difference is a switch from chipotle mayo to chipotle aioli, but reviewers have also noted differences in the sandwich, overall.

On Reddit, one customer said, "Well, that was an unwelcome surprise. It's spicy and the bread doesn't have that crunch anymore." This was a common complaint. The new sauce packs more spice than the original, an undesirable change for many who were accustomed to the chipotle mayo. Other issues continued to call out the bread used, potentially due to the switch to frozen breads in many stores. One reviewer also had issues with the chicken on their sandwich, saying there was only "a thin spread of chicken like it was just a sauce." So, though the original was great, customers seem to agree that the revamped version is one to avoid.

Whether you head to Panera to grab a cookie and go or decide to sit down and enjoy a meal with friends, you'll want to enjoy the experience. That's why we wanted to figure out which menu items are really worth your time — but more specifically, which ones aren't. We gathered customer reviews from across various platforms including Reddit, Yelp, and Tripadvisor to pinpoint which Panera menu items should be avoided. As well as coming from different platforms, these reviews were sourced from customers at Panera locations across the United States to get the most accurate read on which dishes were repeatedly underwhelming.

We specifically looked at which menu items customers were consistently unsatisfied with the quality of. The criteria we focused on in these reviews were flavor, texture, and portion size. This helped us determine which foods didn't give customers a bang for their buck. While preferences vary, these were the items most reviewers agreed belonged in the bottom tier of Panera's menu.