One reason that Panera Bread feels a step above other fast-food chains is that it’s constantly reinventing itself.
The momentum is pretty impressive, considering Panera Bread’s humble beginnings.
Started in 1987, the now-national chain was once a community bakery called the St. Louis Bread Company.
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Fast-forward 30-some years and Panera Bread is now found in 48 states.
To usher in the new season, Panera Bread has added a limited-timepumpkin cookieto its menu.
I paid $4.19 in New York City for a cookie that could use some tweaks.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
I immediately had a feeling this wasn’t going to be something I’d order again.
The taste:Confusing.
This cookie completely threw me off.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
I ordered this cookie as soon as the shop opened.
Could this have been one from the night before?
The icing tasted synthetic, the shortbread base lacked flavor, and the texture was way off.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
I dropped $8.89 on a breakfast item that has potential but tasted overall lackluster.
The taste:Good, but it could be better.
The croissant had an expected slightly buttery, greasy taste, and the eggs and bacon lacked flavor.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16IsWdoRBKmpSGj7w1nOd7u6lcZ7aIv1d?usp=sharing
It also had a slightly rubbery texture that made it hard to chew.
I probably wouldn’t order this breakfast sandwich again.
However, the restaurant’s brand-newcherry pastrydidn’t have the same effect on me.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
The look:It was pretty standard for a pastry, although smaller and flatter than I expected.
For starters, the cherry filling was, for lack of better words, nice.
It wasn’t overly sweet or congealed and had the consistency of smooth jam with bits of fruit throughout.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
But back to the texturethis pastry was simultaneously flaky yet had more “chew” than I expected.
Overall, I wish this one was bigger, thicker, and airier.
It also had just a thin layer of scrambled, folded eggs but, nonetheless, was assembled well.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Pared down and simple.
I’d order this sandwich again if I could get some ketchup packets with it.
Firstly, this pastry was also on the smaller, flatter side.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
It also wasn’t bouncy or airy, which is something I look for when choosing a pastry.
The taste:Pretty good, but not as good as something you’d get from an independent baker.
The bready pastry portion was flaky and tasted slightly of buttery.
Photo: Brittany Natale, Eat This, Not That!
Like the cherry pastry, this treat wasn’t as bouncy or airy as I would have liked.
It also skewed on the small side.
Panera’schocolate-dipped plain coconut macarooncost me $2.39 and is easily one of my new favorite desserts from the brand.
The coconut portion was a light brown-tinged cream color and didn’t appear gooey or flaky.
The taste:Very good!
I loved its flavor and texture.
Its interior was moist and soft but didn’t fall apart in my hands.
If you love Almond Joys, you’ll love this new Panera item.
Chocolate Macaroon
Oh,chocolate-dipped chocolate coconut macaroon, how I love thee.
I paid $2.39 for this macaroon, which I know I’ll order again soon.
It also was on the larger side and featured a dark-brown hue.
These macaroons came in a paper and plastic pouch together.
A Panera staffer even threw in a free one for me!
The taste:Holy moly, I’m already thinking about when I can order this again.
If you love chocolate and coconut, try this macaroon statit’s so delicious.
The taste reminded me of a cross between a chocolate truffle and hot chocolate with hints of nutty coconut.
Sure, the other croissant sandwiches were alright, but they all lacked something.
I’m happy I tried this one, however, because it proved me wrong.
It was definitely the best croissant breakfast sandwich of the trio and was well worth the $8.89 pricetag.
The look:Unlike the other croissant breakfast sandwiches on Panera’s menu, this sandwich had heft.
Plus, there was more cheese on this one.
The taste:Outstanding!
It also had an excellent texturenone of the eggs, sausage, or cheese had a rubbery mouthfeel.
After stealing a few bites, my boyfriend couldn’t stop raving about this one.
“This tastes and feels like real food,” he commented.
I didn’t feel uncomfortably full after eating this sandwich.
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The look:This slice of cake was thick and hearty (no tiny slivers of cake here!)
with a red-pink smattering of cranberries baked into it and a sprinkling of large sugar crystals along the top.
A delightful surprise was that it resembled cakes my grandmother likes to bake.
The taste:Incredibly good.
It had a light citrusy flavor punctuated by bittersweet cranberry pieces.
Some citrus cakes are too overpowering, but this had the perfect hint of orangey zest to it.
It also wasn’t overly sweet and didn’t taste chemical-y at all.
Not only did it look homemade, but it also tasted homemade, which I loved.
I could definitely see myself ordering this again.
In fact, I’m pretty bummed it’s only on the menu for a limited time!
