Panera Bread

Cheap meal, adequate service. No complaint

The employees at this location are SO NICE, they just made my day. I’m not crazy about panera’s food, but it’s worth going to this one! It’s big and clean and kind of right on the way to everything too, which helps.

I’m giving up on Panera Bread. It used to be good, but every location I have been to in Illinois has failed. This location sold me a $ 9.00 turkey sandwich sandwich that was so tiny it might as well have been served on Melba toast. Instead of the garden vegetable I ordered, I got stuck with a $ 4.30 cup of chicken noodle soup. With tax, I paid approx. $ 15.00 for a snack that would be barely sufficient for my grandmother.
My wife ordered Mac & Cheese that was not even warm, although it tasted okay. The garden vegetable soup that the wife ordered, and actually received, was good.

You always know what you are going to get at Panera Bread. It is reliable on taste, menu and price. This Panera is no exception. I’ve had a solid meal every time I’ve come here. The majority of the staff are friendly and attentive. Because of the reliability, Panera is always busy. Sometimes the wait can be pretty long and things can get lost in translation. But this is not the norm. As a result, this is a quality Panera that is reliable. I will definitely be back!

The manager, Dee, is so helpful and understanding. I ordered in advance a large order of bagels for later in the day, and to my disappoint Panera did not set them aside. I was very upset, and they said they would credit the missing bagels. So I accepted that and moved on. But I later discovered that I hadn’t been credited so I called, and complained. However, Dee was so nice and understanding. She right away took care of the problem and threw in 10 Chocolate Chip Bagels and Cream Cheese as an apology – great customer service. I will definitely go back to this Panera. Yes, they may make mistakes, but they apologize and treat the customer fairly. Thank you!

I love Panera, lets establish this.
But, this Panera needs to get it together, there is no excuse for this…
Most people expect a non-​intrusive experience while dining here. You can’t control other customers (like the guy over there listening to videos on his cell phone at full volume despite many dirty looks from me).
But, there is a major issue with the music and speakers here to the point its a major distraction. There is something wrong either with their signal or the speakers and the music is fuzzy, cuts out, changes volume or just sounds like its on the wrong setting (i.e. white fuzz punctuated with some music). its awful. I have been here 4 times now and its the same thing, and no reasonable person would listen to it… like you would listen to that in your car without switching the station. only here at panera you have no choice.
I keep forgetting, ordering food, and then leaving because I can’t stand it. Fix it! Its really stupid to subject your customers to this, no music is better than this crap. This is why everyone here outside the lunch rush is wearing headphones.
Also a major lack of booths here. Its a big panera, I like the window single seating but there is a major lack of comfortable seating.

Every single time I go here. And believe me I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to. They are so busy. Not enough staff to take care of the customers. ALWAYS out of cookies. Who the hell runs this store? It’s a busy evanston store and they run it like crap!

This place is close to the Davis stop. Went there once and really loved it. They have really big seating area. The food was simply amazing. I had one of the combos. I noticed a lot of people eating salad bowls. Will try that next time.

I come to this Panera fairly often to study and I have always had a great experience! The staff is extremely friendly and engaging, willing to help and quick to fix any problem I might encounter (which in my case has only been the result of bugs in the app, not anything at this location in particular). I’ll definitely keep coming back until I graduate and move away.

Pretty decent Panera. Service is always quick and its a great place to grab a quick bite to go or spend hours doing work or studying in.

Let me preface this review by saying that I love eating at Panera. I love my bread bowls. I love the bear claws. Today, though, was just not a good day.
First off, the internet here is obscenely slow. Do not come here with the intention of doing work, because you will spend more time cursing at your connection than you will doing work.
Also, there were no bread bowls. Like I said, I go to Panera pretty exclusively for bread bowls, so this was a bit of the disappointment. I ended up going with half soup (with baguette) and half turkey avocado BLT sandwich (on white bread, with mayo). Both were good, but not as good as my bread bowl might have been…
I ended up ordering a bear claw for dessert, and when the lady gave it to me on my plate, I asked for her to heat it up. She gave me the dirtiest look and then she said, «There’s a microwave right behind you.» Is it just me that doesn’t think pastries should be microwaved? Is it just me that thinks that if I ask for my pastry to be warmed up, you should just take it and toast it? I was probably a little more annoyed than I should have been, but come on.
Also, there is this one lady who frequently goes around to all the tables at Panera asking for «subway money.» (I try not to be so pessimistic about it, but seriously, is it possible for someone to forget their CTA card every day?)
Overall, just not super pleased with Panera this time:(I’ll probably be back anyways because I’m always craving a bread bowl, but I won’t be happy about it.

The food is delicious, healthier than most fast food and plenty of selection. There is decent space for sitting as long as there aren’t squatters for hours on end, as there typically is at this location. The place is clean and the staff is professional and attempts to be friendly when someone isn’t yelling in their face about something small.
There are locks on their bathroom doors to help the customers to have a clean area. There’s a lot of homeless in the area that often steal from the coffee areas and use the restrooms as a place to shower.
Soon, customers will be forced to order their own food so that they can no longer blame everyone else for confusing their order because they’ve changed their minds. Hopefully, this will help their pick-​up area to remain non-​crowded.

This is by far one of my favorite places to be, and I prove it by being here every day. Well, close to every day. What can I say, the coffee is great, Hazelnut is my favorite one, bagels, scones, and oatmeal are great for breakfast. There are hot sandwiches for those who are on the go. Salads, soups, sandwiches, and pasta dishes are great for lunch or dinner. You can choose to add a desert or not. All dishes have the calorie count on the sign so it can help with your choice. Love the fact that there are seasonal changes. But also sad when some of them leave for the year.
They do cater and I have had their catered lunches, a great way to eat and keep focused on the meeting since everything but the drink are in the box.
They have added pre-​order food that can be picked up by the drink machine. I haven’t used this yet but it looks like a great idea for those in a hurry.
I have mentioned“great” several times in this review, mainly because that’s how I feel about the Evanston Panera store, managers and workers. I have been going to this location since 2003.

They can’t seem to get my order right. Twice I ordered a sandwich, got home, and then realized it was the wrong sandwich. I called both times, and spoke with the manager who was extremely kind and offered to get me a new sandwich. That’s great, but I tried this place again the other day, and they got it wrong again. 3 out of 3 times. Other than that, the food is fine.
Also, I do wish they offered at least one reduced fat or low sugar option in their bakery selection.

This is a fairly busy Panera. There is a large seating area at the rear, although since it is far from any windows it can be a bit institutional. Service is efficient and friendly.

I have been going to this location for 5 years. The overall quality of the food has not changed. it is still quite good.
The décor however needs a serious upgrade. Compare Evanston PB to Wilmette PB.
a hugh difference. Evanston PB carpet is filthy and falling apart at the seams. The tables are sticky, the floors and restrooms are dirty. It is a haven for street dudes who lounge around for hours.
The staff while often efficient, seem to be more concerned with talking and laughing amongst themselves than giving good service. I notice them standing around behind the counter fraternizing with the tables dirty and the customers ignored.
The coffee mugs are routinely sticky and dirty.
That said, I will continue to go and lament the shortcomings.

Really great food, and extremely fast service! We had our meals before we could even get our drinks ready.
The only reason I’m giving a 4 star is because I told the cashier I wanted no side (because I assumed it cost extra) and she only said «ok» rather than informing me it was free. Just a small thing, but made me kinda sad:(
Coming back for more though for sure!

This panara bread is subpar at best. It has nothing to do with the employees that work here, but everything to do with management and ownership.
I usually came here before class to get a bite to eat and work on some stuff. And almost every time I’ve been here, the internet has not been working. This is a deal breaker for me.
It is a very large space with lots of tables to work at. However, usually most of the tables are dirty and strewn with their previous occupants mess. I don’t believe this is a fault of the employees there– there are always far too few working. There’s usually two people working the counter and
two preparing food. No one to bus tables or take care of other matters.
They need to address the internet issues and their understaffing before I begin to return again.

I have been here quite a few times in the last few years. I usually end up getting toast with peanut butter which is rich and creamy .
The coffee is awesome. It will take less then 7 – 9 minutes to get your order if this place is really busy.
I noticed there was a complaint about table squatters… Sometimes You will notice homeless dudes who come in with what appears to be a cup of coffee with a lid on top and hang out for 2 hours or so. That saying «thy cup runneth over» does not apply to them because there is nothing in that cup,
If you are a coffee nut like me, they have awesome flavored coffee daily as one of the choices.
My only complaint is that the washrooms are too small and make me feel claustrophobic like I was in a small cell in the Lubianka Prison backin the early 1930’s in Moscow.

panera. is panera. its somewhere i go to eat something fast and healthy (if you pick the right dishes) and relatively cheap. I usually get the you pick two: chicken noodle and turkey sandwich with an apple.
Pros: fast and easy.
Complaints: really don’t like how the chicken noodle soup is 90% broth… there’s like two pieces of chicken and a scattering of noodles/​vegetables. There also have been several times where I present my wildcard and the cashier forgets to give me the discount.