Panera Bread
Categories: Sandwiches, Salad, Soup
452 5th Avenue(between 39th St & 40th St)
New York, NY 10018
Neighborhoods: Midtown West, Midtown East
(212) 938-6950
- Nearest Transit Station:
- 5 Av (7, 7X)Grand Central - 42 St (S)42 St - Bryant Pk (B, D, F, M)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
- $$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Caters:
- Yes
Mary C. said: "Great little neighborhood take-out! I had the veggie empanada, chili and pulled pork, prickly pear juice and carrot/mango juice. The food is fresh with lots of great flavor." read more »
58 reviews for Panera Bread
Review Highlights What's this?
"...the salad with the roasted turkey & avocado BLT which features thick..." In 3 reviews
"A few favorites: Broccoli Cheddar, French Onion, and Chicken Noodle." In 4 reviews
"And don't be spooked by the line that often stretches out the door." In 6 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
58 reviews in English
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Review from Karol L.
I came here yesterday for lunch and the line was long! I waited on the line for about 15 minutes until I can finally order.
The staff here are super friendly and the food took about 5 minutes to come out.
As I was leaving, there was about another ten people on line waiting to order. So if you're going to lunch around 2:00 PM and you're in a rush, do not come here!-
Broccoli Cheddar Soup -
Mediterranean Salmon Salad -
Chipotle Chicken Panini
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Review from Eve C.
New York, NYWaited over 10 minutes for one "frozen cherry limeade"
I won't even get into the price since 4$ is standard for 1 drink in NYC.
Finally when I asked the workers if they had forgotten about my drink they just looked at me dumbfounded as if they had no clue what to do about it. The manager (I think he was the manager given his different clothes) stepped in and got me a drink immediately.
Which was not frozen just cold and juice-like
The taste was just mediocre.
The staff was friendly but lacked basic customer service skills.
Then tried to sit in a booth but the seat was covered in food so I had to move.
Finally sat down and tried to use their free wifi but gave up after waiting a minute for each page to load.
I would go back to try the food and see if maybe they just had an off day. But only if there was no where better to eat.
I would prefer to go to pax just around the corner and one block down. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Forest Hills, Queens, NYI love any and all Paneras. Panera is one of my FAVORITE fast food spots that doesn't actually serve greasy, unhealthy fast food!
I was just so excited about one opening up near my office, that I don't really have anything specific to say about this particular establishment. I will mention that the lines are going to be long because of its great location and honestly, who doesn't love Panera! Also, this restaurant is pretty large and they do "waiter service" which basically means that if you're dining in, they'll bring your food to you.
Peronsally, I switch up my meals every once in a while, but my all-time favorite dish to get from Panera is their creamy tomato soup. Sometimes I'll get it as part of a the U-PICK-2 or I'll get it in a bread bowl. Any way is good for me! Also, don't forget the absolutely addictive iced green tea! -
Review from Parisa S.
I waited over 20 minutes for a BAGEL. Yes, a bagel. How is that acceptable under any circumstance??
Panera has been a guilty indulgence for many years. There's a reason their food tastes great - it's super unhealthy. But putting the calories aside, sometimes you need a tasty meal on the go.
Next time, I'll think again before coming to this location. Their order-taking flow makes no sense at all. Why is there not a separate line for basic orders such as coffee, tea and baked goods? This is the only Panera I've ever been to that doesn't have this feature. Were the people who planned layout at this location just plain morons? It seems to be the case.
Staff is slow and not very pleasant. It was 2pm on a Thursday and the line to order was at least 20 people deep. Let's not even talk about the line of people waiting to get their food.
Someone fire current management and bring in people who know what they're doing. It's a shame that given how few Panera's there are in Manhattan, this one has to be run so abysmally.Listed in: The Yelp 100 Challenge -
Review from Matthew D.
Newark, NJCoffee and tourists. -
Review from Christian D.
Kreis 11, Zürich, SwitzerlandI had to wait for over 1 our to get a Cesar salad. After one hour I asked: "Where is my food?"
I the end I didn't received my food, I was waiting for over 1 hour. Nobody felt responsible.
I will never visit this place again! Worst service ever! -
Review from Hak K.
Manhattan, NYNo doubt why the review is so low. The workers are not friendly and return no answers to the customer. Dishes are not cleaned from the table and had to wait long time. What a disappointment. Pannera used to give ambient of a good image but this one ruined it all. What a shame and fire the manager. -
Review from Dante C.
New York, NYJust ok. Salad look great but not fresh enough. -
Review from Jamie M.
Astoria, Queens, NYPanera is where you go when you end up at work hungover.
Super-caloric carbs including delish mac&cheese, but the best part is the fountain soda. You can have an ounce or two of something you never drink, like Dr.Pepper while waiting for your food, maybe a little seltzer, then fill your cup with strong iced coffee.
Of course, most of the times I've wound up here I don't have a hangover to blame, and it's okay, but there are better places around. I like their summer soups, the winter soups are too heavy. The salads are thrown together, just not very good.Listed in: The Yelp 100 Challenge -
Review from Will F.
Manhattan, NYWhere do I start?
I guess I'll start with the positive: Their iced coffee is good. Okay, that's it.
Now for the negatives:
SERVICE:
Laughable. Literally laughable. I stopped coming here for lunch because if you want lunch at a normal hour, you're literally looking at a 45+ minute wait from the time you step in the door to the time you get your food. And the percentage of orders they get exactly right? About 10%. The other 90% of the time, something is messed up.
Calling the service slow would be a compliment. Calling the service and the wait worse than the DMV would be accurate. There is absolutely no urgency at all from any of the employees. During the morning rush, the line is usually about 20+ people deep with two cashiers. Then you have about a dozen employees standing around in the back.
When they opened up a location on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, you would think they would have been prepared for the crowds. They are not. I can't even begin to tell you how many times this place has made me late for work. I have spoken to management multiple times about the ridiculously long wait times and I generally get the same answer: "We know it's a problem. We're working on it." Well, you've been open more than a year now. Stop "working on it" and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Maybe have a separate line for people who just want coffee?
When I was in there this morning, most of the people online were giving each other incredulous looks as if to say: "Is this really happening?"
FOOD/DRINK (and more comments on service):
Again, I stopped coming here for lunch because the waits were too long and the orders would always get messed up. That being said, when I still did eat lunch here, I can honestly say that I never walked away thinking, "Wow, that was great." Bread on sandwiches is dry. Meat on sandwiches is dry. Overpriced for what you get. Just an all-around pass.
As for breakfast...Isn't bread supposed to be Panera's specialty? The only food I get now from Panera are bagels and rolls. And they are always chewy and terrible. They don't know how to toast properly. I don't know how you can mess up toasting a bagel, but they have found a way. I'm confident when I say it is the worst bagel in New York City. You'd get a better bagel from one of those food carts where the bagels bake in the sun all day. You'd DEFINITELY get a better bagel from Berger's on 39th between Madison and 5th (Bergers' bagels are among the best in NYC).
I generally stick to the sourdough roll now because it's only 75 cents. When I order a sourdough roll toasted with butter, the cashier is the one to go get the roll, cut it in half, put it in the toaster, wait at the toaster, and then give me the roll. Remember me telling you about how there are only two cashiers? Well when this process goes down, there becomes ONE cashier. Doesn't make any sense when there are so many employees standing around doing nothing. When I eventually get the roll, it comes in a brown paper bag with no wrapping -- no paper, no tin foil, no nothing. They also don't even spread the butter on the roll. If they remember to include butter packets and a knife in the brown paper bag, I consider that a success. Most mornings, they forget and I am forced to get the butter and knife myself.
On two occasions, I have ordered a toasted sourdough roll and the cashier has told me, "We can't toast the sourdough roll -- It catches on fire." I respond: "Really? I've had the toasted sourdough roll here before and it's never been on fire." She responds: "It catches on fire -- We can't do it." Again, just add that to the list of incompetence.
And the coffee? It's good. For a large iced coffee, it ends up being about $2.50 for a very big cup. Not a bad deal in NYC. Having said that, when you order an iced coffee, they just give you an empty cup and you are supposed to make it from start to finish -- Put in the ice, put in the coffee, get the lid, get the straw, get the sugar, get the milk/cream. All of these ingredients aren't in the exact same location either. Thinking about it more though, it's probably better that I make my own coffee because that's one less thing they can mess up.
CONCLUSION: I want this place to succeed. I really do. They just don't seem to get it. I'm guessing they do pretty well because it's always crowded in there, but they could be doing SO MUCH BETTER with just a few simple changes. You can't run a business on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and have it run like you're in the middle of nowhere where nobody is in a hurry. This is New York. We all have places to be. They need to have a meeting with all of the management and all of the employees and completely overhaul the way this Panera functions. Hopefully it will eventually get better. -
Review from Emily Y.
My fave spot for late night dinners on a budget when working the budgets at work late!
It's not the epitome of Panera Breads, however, for a close Manhattan location, it does what it needs to do. I hear the lines go out the door at lunchtime. I have been lucky enough to come late at night when there are only those lost tourists out for a late night cup of tea/coffee.
There is surprisingly lots of seating at this location which gives it a huge plus.
I am disappointed that it lacks a few of the other items on the menu like my fave Black Bean Soup! -
Review from Mai Y.
A bit pricey, but I really love their bread. I also consider it a much better alternative than Starbucks and Pret. Their coffee is not bad, also. It can get really crowded in the morning, but I come here when I have enough time to pick up my breakfast and walk to my office. Don't worry, the line moves pretty quickly and the people that work here are professional and friendly. I also really like that they have the calorie count for everything since I am somewhat of a health nut. I have the Panera card, which adds up pretty quickly and you can get free espresso drinks or bagels. You can't get that at Pret a Manger or Starbucks.
On the side note, I have actually never sat down to eat here, but there is a lot of seating here. -
Review from Eri S.
I think I've basically tried all the Paneras in Manhattan. (I think I have an addiction...) And this is probably my least favorite. The quality of food doesn't really differ but I just found this place to be lacking in customer service compared to other locations.
I felt rushed during my order even though I was the only one in line. Girl gave me stank face. And she didn't even ask me what side I wanted! The seating area was unkempt despite being quite empty on a sunday night. The norah jones music was overpowered by the loud/roudy employees complaining about work. Sigh! I wanted to read :(
It's not their fault but their soda machine was broken and prevented me from getting my favorite diet coke. Maybe that's why this meal was so damn unpleasant.
But my faves are still: napa almond salad sandwich + thai chicken salad! -
Review from Patricia C.
Flushing, NYTuna Salad on Honey Wheat!! Perfect tuna salad taste. Perfect honey wheat bread softness. Best first time experience ever thanks to my dear friend, D. Zhen!!
"Tuna Salad - Our special recipe tuna salad, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and red onions with salt and pepper, all served on your favorite sandwich bread."
http://www.panerabread.c…-
Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat!! :)
Listed in: COMFORT Food! -
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