Croutons

Rest in peace, Croutons. You were a dietary staple during my college years at UCSD — the scene of many great lunches and dinners. I was genuinely saddened to stop by on a recent trip to San Diego (craving a chicken pesto panini) and discover its doors closed.

I wish there were more croutons than panera!
I usually get the combo where you can pick the sandwich and a side salad for about $ 8. My go-​to is the chicken pesto panini and the Granny apple chicken salad. The chicken pesto panini is lightly buttered and crisp on the outside and inside you’ll find juicy chicken, gooey melted mozzarella cheese, and a light pesto sauce to bring all the flavors together. Perfect panini in my book. And the Granny Apple chicken salad is delicious as well – it’s basically an Apple chicken salad tossed with a light dressing and gorgeously toasted croutons that are seasoned to perfection. The croutons are on a whole ‘nother level – they aren’t the kind that are going to break your teeth after biting into them. They’re toasted to perfection where you get that crunch and lightness from the pesto seasoning.
I highly recommend croutons to anyone looking for a light, healthy, affordable lunch.

I would choose Croutons over Panera almost any day of the week, if only they had more locations! Sighh. My absolute favorite soup is their chicken and wild rice. It’s so delicious and filling, sometimes I will make the trek out to La Jolla just for this stuff. It’s a little sweet and the rice is nice and soft. There are plenty of veggies mixed in but you can’t even taste them. Their Californian panini is also great! It has all the fillings I love in my sandwiches and never fails to satisfy me. I’ll usually order the cup of soup and half panini combo, just to get the best of my favorites from this place. It’s a bit pricy but it’s totally worth it!
The La Jolla location isn’t typically too busy, there can be a lunch rush though. Parking is not bad at all since the lot for this mall/​plaza is huge.
Tip: Their triple chocolate brownie bites are seriously little bites of heaven! They’re very delicious and sweet, they have chocolate chips in them too. They have perfect the texture as they are a bit chewy but also nice and soft. Just seriously buy some. You’re welcome in advance.

A STEP BELOW PANERA BREAD.
The only saving grace is the staff. The girls during the lunch rush were nice and helpful! (plus 1 star). Other than that I don’t have anything positive to say.
It was free brownie day and that was delicious! (Plus 1 star).
Negatives:
1. Overpriced
2. Flatini Sandwiches were lacking in meat
3. Tables are small and you feel on top of one another
I had the BBQ chicken salad and was highly disappointed. Shredded chicken which looked and tasted a lot like shredded pork. And what BBQ chicken salad doesn’t have french fried onions? They put CROUTONS on it. Ugh! And a weird dual dressing of bbq and ranch. Just weird.
My 2 friends each at a flatini sandwich and we’re still hungry after. And for $ 7+ they looked really meager. Taste was ok but just not worth the price for a thin sandwich.
$ 21 for a salad, flatini sandwich and 1 fountain drink. WTF?

On my recent visit to Croutons, I decided to try a combo. For about $ 8, you get a choice of two of the following: small salad, half a panini or a cup of soup. I opted for the first two and chose the Chicken Pesto Panini and the Classic Croutons Salad.
The panini was great with a perfect ration of chicken, mozzarella and basil pesto. I highly recommend it!
The salad was okay but I don’t like that it came with the dressing already mixed in. I never feel like there’s enough dressing on the premixed salads so I asked for an extra ranch on the side and that helped a bit. The ranch isn’t my favorite but it was doable. I don’t know that I’d have the urge to get another salad here though. I guess I’m just that picky about my ranch.
Service is great though! The cashier noticed that my friend and I had brought our dogs onto the patio with us and offered to give us water bowls for the dogs.

My go to soup and sandwich place in La Jolla since I went to school at UCSD. I used to live down the street from this place and I always got the same thing (which is actually the same thing I still get): ½ Southwest panini and ½ cup of chicken and wild and rice soup. BOTH are freaking fantastic. Seriously, they have some top quality meats and always the freshest ingredients. I also really like the Mediterranean salad with the feta in the dressing. Ask for the dressing on the side because they usually drench the crap out of the salad.

Because I’m not having a good week someone decided to get me lunch. Thx East coast friend who shall remain anonymous. Like The Unknown Eater. The Granny salad is Boombastic effen fantastic and the Flatini is pretty darn good. Its got pesto, tomatoes, blue cheese and the turkey wasn’t left over fr Thanksgiving. I’m not in the right frame of mind so Thx again friend for lunch. The salad dressing is amazing. Wish I had an amazing week but oh hell. Lunch was good. The only thing good this week. Well time to be like a burger and flip this b*tch

Paninis paninins and more panini
For the busy office worker, Croutons is wonderful. Fast, efficient and healthy eats — but if you’ve ever had a real panini from a dedicated sandwich shop, Croutons is almost too simple in their sandwich creations.
Not that this is a bad thing — its just the meats they use are so dry, without soup your mouth would turn into the mohave desert.
Lucky for us, they serve soup, which is their biggest selling point for me (and their little brownie bites)

I am not usually one to make rabbit food a main course, but I was super hungry and had an 8 mile run in less than 2 hours. Not wanting to load myself on a carb rich lunch, I decided to hop over to Croutons. I was impressed with the size of the menu and took note they they have a formidable panini and soup selection as well. I decided to go with the Small Chopped salad. It came with romaine lettuce, chicken breast, dry Italian salami, shredded mozzarella, garbanzo beans, tomato, herb croutons and dressed in an herb-​mustard vinaigrette. I would like to give this place better than 3 stars, but there were a couple things lacking. First, service was pretty lackluster. It kind of brought the mood of the whole place down. Second, although my salad was pretty tasty, it could have used just a bit more dressing as it was pretty dry. Finally, the presentation of the salad made it a little difficult to eat or toss as it came in a to go container sans lid. All in all, my experience was good enough to warrant a desire to come back and try a panini one of their soups or another of their many salad options.

Great concept for food, sadly disappointed after all the great things I’ve heard. Ordered Tha «California» sandwich. Food was good tasting, salad was great portion.
The only dissapointment for the expensive price, was how CHINCY it was. Almost 0 bacon, 0 avocado.
I won’t be returning

Happened upon this place looking for something to eat during lunch. So happy to have found croutons! I had the egg salad flatini and it was ahhhhhhhhmazing. Great portion size and the warm pits it was on was so fresh and tasty.
I can’t wait to try more menu items.

Californian sandwich is so incredibly mouth-​watering. Although I chose the unhealthiest item on the menu, there are several healthy selections. It is worth giving this casual restaurant a try.
The gentleman at the counter last night was super friendly and helpful. I wish there was a Croutons restaurant near my work and I would be eating lunch there regularly.

After snorkeling in La Jolla Cove with my boyfriend, we were craving something light and healthy… so I suggested Croutons. I came here once before a couple years back and remembered liking it and thinking that it was similar to Panera Bread.
What I did like about this place was that they offered combos. Choose 2 items listed in brown for about $ 9. I ordered ½ Pesto Chicken Panini & small Classic Caesar Salad.
I was disappointed with my panini. it was so. plain and bland. Barely any pesto flavor! :(It was basically bread, some pesto sauce, slab of chicken and cheese :(I could’ve easily made this at home and saved myself some $$$. My salad was good though. but I mean, how can anyone mess up a simple caesar salad?! I liked how they were pretty generous with the amounts of croutons they added to the salad though… I love croutons with my salad (:
Overall, it’s an OK place to grab lunch… I would probably prefer Corner Bakery or Panera Bread over this place though. Bottom line… It’s pricey with just «ok» food.

This place might be overlooked, but I entirely love it.
Everything I have ordered here has really satisfied. Whenever I come there are plenty of people with the same idea as me, no matter the time.
Paninis are great, salads are yummy and soups are delectable. They have certain menu items written in brown and others in red. You can get a combo for $ 8.25 that includes 2 of any item, one per category (sandwich, salad, soup).
I come here often now. I came here the first time thanks to Unilocal.
There ya go! :)

Love this place– probably the best place to grab lunch on UCSD campus! They are delicious, satisfying, and not too pricey. I always get their half-​half deal with half a sandwhich and «half» a salad (you can also do soup too I believe) for around 9 bucks. My delicious to-go’s include pesto chicken or margherita chicken for sandwich/​panini and the pear & blue cheese or sundance salad for salads. They are consistent and always fresh and tasty. Their salads are tossed with a variety of goods and colors including nuts, berries, cheeses, various greens, and light sauces.
Service is wonderful! You can ask for more pesto sauce for your pesto chicken or more dressing for your salad and they will pack you a generous cup free of charge. Today, I went towards the closing on a Friday and I was offered free brownies :). They obviously like to keep their things fresh!
Croutons has its own variety of seating. I love how its on the 2^nd floor, allowing for a nice view of campus away from the craziness of Price Center. There is both indoor and outdoor seating, and both are absolutely pleasant for nice lunches with nice friends and nice service.

How does this rock 4 stars???
Bland, salty and horrible atmosphere inside!
Very under whelmed due to the fact that this has high reviews on Unilocal

Look Right! Or you’ll miss the place looking at the stores in the center of the lot. This is on the outside rim of the strip mall by the cycling store.
I’ve tried this place before and I couldn’t remember if I liked it. In the area, we wanted something healthy, light and delicious. With rave reviews, it was worth another try.
I ordered the half sandwich/​soup combo, Applewood Three Cheese Panini with the Chicken and wild rice soup. He ordered the half Margarita chicken Panini with a mixed berry salad. The soup was perfect! Rich, creamy and hearty. My Panini was more like a grilled cheese Panini with a couple of slices of bacon (the tomato would’ve helped, but I ordered without it). I tasted his Margarita chicken Panini, and I fell in love! Thick slices of chicken, sun dried tomato, and pesto… yes, he let me switch his Panini with mine. :)
Half sandwich/​soup or salad combo for $ 8.95, great deal!

The best location in La Jolla for a soup, salad, or sandwich/​panini! I recently stopped in for lunch (no line, amazing!) I had the soup and panini special. The special is actually two different items you would like to mix for lunch from many different soups, salads, and sandwiches/​panini’s.
It was less than $ 8– I love the chicken & wild rice soup! They give you a side of house made croutons that add this amazing texture to the soup! MUST TRY!
Parking can sometimes be a pain but well worth it! This location is near a pick up sticks and a bike shop.

Rainy day blues? Get your SOUP on at Croutons in the La Jolla Village mall. I’m enjoying a cup of the cream of artichoke soup for $ 3.45. They offered me a free taste and I couldn’t resist buying a cup to go after lunch. Hello, crunchy croutons! You add great texture to my creamy soup.
SANDWICHES:
I enjoyed sharing 2 panini sandwiches at Croutons with one of my favorite peops. I had half of the Southwest chicken panini and half of the Californian turkey panini. The Californian turkey panini had a lot more flavor, surprisingly. The Southwest chicken panini was too bland, despite the name and description. Both sandwiches were panini style, and although they are tasty, they had too much white bread for me, and not enough filling. Also not enough veggies in the paninis. They don’t come with mustard, so I asked for Dijon mustard on the side, since the cool dude I shared sandwiches with hates mustard. I love mustard!
There were 3 of us, and the 3^rd person had another Southwest chicken sandwich. He thought it was tasty considering the fair price.
COMBOS:
Will I visit again? You bet I will! But next time I’ll get a combo with either a half sandwich and a salad of my choice, or a half sandwich & soup. Frank’s spinach salad with strawberries and bacon sounds good.
PRICES:
Prices are very reasonable. A panini sandwich is $ 7.95 or less. Or you can get a Combo with your choice of 2 of the following: soup, salad, or half sandwich. Combos range from $ 7.75 to $ 9.95, depending on what items you choose. Just need a snack? A cup of soup is $ 3.45 and comes with crunchy croutons, of course!
LOCATION:
This café is located in La Jolla Village mall, near Pick Up Stix. There’s a Ralph’s, a Trader Joe’s, the La Jolla Village 12 theaters, and a Starbucks in the same mall.
Be careful that you don’t check into the wrong Croutons, as for some reason the Unilocal ap allowed me to check into a different Croutons by mistake the first time! But now I’m checked into the correct Croutons, at 8707 Villa La Jolla Drive.
I recommend this Croutons if you’re in the area, as the prices are reasonable, and you can enjoy a decent lunch for under $ 10. But I wouldn’t drive out of my way to eat here. You order at the counter, and there are tables inside and outside.

First, an apology. I somehow checked into the wrong location, even though I was sitting inside this particular store when I checked in. Operator error?
The food here is pretty good. I had the Southwest sandwich, which is a Panini consisting of sliced chicken breast, avocado and pepperjack cheese. I washed this down with a Coke zero, which a lot of places don’t carry, unfortunately. The sandwich was $ 7.95, and the Coke zero was only a buck 65.
If you want to grab a quick lunch, this place is A-​OK.
The sandwich was large and very filling, but not really gourmet by any stretch. Then again I don’t expect amazing things from sandwiches normally.