Panera Bread

Panera Bread
20807 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 996-9131
www.panerabread.com

Vitals:

Kid friendly

This seems to be a new franchise that serves some good food at good prices. Their specialty, not surprisingly centers around bread. They have a lot of different types of sandwiches, whether they are standard cold or hot sandwiches or paninis. They also have a variety of salads and soups. This is not a full service place, but it is like many sandwich places.

Ordering is pretty simple. You go to the counter and place your order and they give you a buzzer when your order is ready. A good value is the “Pick Two” combination in which you can choose two of the following choices – bowl of soup, half sandwich and half salad. I’ve always been partial to the half sandwich and half salad (around $7). The portions are generous and you can choose any sandwich, soup or salad that is available. Favorites include the Frontega Chicken Panini (smoked and pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil and chipotle mayonnaise) and the Turkey Artichoke (smoked turkey breast, spinach artichoke spread, asiago parmesan cheese and onions) Paninis. I like the Paninis because they are served warm and the heat melds the flavors together. The salads are not ok, and I generally go for the grilled chicken Caesar or the Asian Sesame Chicken (although the salad dressing for the Asian Sesame Salad is definitely too sweet). If you want something warm, then the soups are ok (although the French Onion soup is actually pretty good for a place like Panera Bread – the broth was rich and full of flavor, but more cheese would have been good). Below are two combinations. One is with a half Turkey Sandwich with a half Ceasar salad, and the other is a half of a Frontega Chicken sandwich and a French Onion soup. Each combination came with with a choice of a side (piece of French or whole grain baguette, chips or apple. A fruit cup can be substituted for an additional charge).

If you don’t want a combination, then the sandwiches are substantial and are served with a spear of a pickle and a choice of sides.

A new menu item is the Crispani (thin hand crafted pizzas). I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with this. I ordered the Tomato and Fresh Basil Crispani and the bread was a bit soggy (not crispy as it should be with thin crust pizzas) and the toppings were very sparse and not that flavorful. Even after I ate everything, I was still hungry as the portion was very small.

If you need a casual place to eat with kids, then Panera Bread is a good place. They have a kid’s menu that includes some favorites with an organic twist. Whole grain sandwiches with grilled organic American cheese, standard peanut butter (all natural) and jelly or a deli meats (roast beef, smoked ham or turkey breast) with organic cheese are available and the set meals come with your choice of organic apple juice, chocolate milk or milk. The meal also comes with an organic lowfat squeezable yogurt. Pictured below is the grilled cheese sandwich, which was fine except that the cheese wasn’t melted all the way through.

Overall, this is a place where you can get good, filling sandwiches at a decent price. Definitely a Good South Bay Eat.