17 Items To Avoid Ordering At Panera

Panera is well-known for its line of breads and soups in bread bowls, but it has an enormous menu that goes quite a bit further. You could come for breakfast and grab a coffee, stay for lunch, take a soda or smoothie break, eat dinner, and snag pastry for dessert before heading out. It has sandwiches, salads, bowls, mac and cheese, and so much more on the menu. We already have a bunch of ideas on the best menu items to get at Panera, but you may be wondering what you should avoid. 

Well, we have you covered there, too. We primarily based this list on items that fared poorly on previous Tasting Table rankings and taste tests, pulling directly from our writers' opinions on the food, as well as our own experience working at Panera for several years. We occasionally found added context from social media threads to back up the poor review. Each of these items faced issues with flavor, texture, ingredients, quality, presentation, or value. There's no need to waste money on food that's sub-par. Spare yourself and avoid these items.

Panera's Toasted Garden Caprese is made with mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, basil, arugula, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a combination of the balsamic vinaigrette and garlic aioli. The elements are then served on a thick piece of the house ciabatta bread. As nice as the fresh ingredients sound, this sandwich is mainly comprised of bread. You don't get a chance to enjoy those garden-fresh components whatsoever. 

The ratio of everything is off, from the sad pieces of tomato to the lack of basil to the abundance of mozzarella. This creation is flavorless despite the supposed addition of the aioli and vinaigrette and left us wanting more — in terms of flavor and filling. This is deemed the worst of the 16 Panera sandwiches ranked.

Grilled cheese is a classic meal and hard to get wrong — with the minimal ingredients and all. And yet, it's deemed one of the worst of Panera's sandwiches, not faring much better than the Toasted Garden Caprese. The chain uses American cheese and its thickly cut Classic White Miche bread as the base of the sandwich. 

Normally, you'd expect a slight crispness in the bread's exterior thanks to the frying or toasting process, but here, it's sadly soggy. Nobody wants wet grilled cheese. Don't bother ordering this to go either, as it's even worse after several minutes because the cheese loses any notion of its formerly melted quality. Some even say that their cheese never melted in the first place.

The Chicken Bacon Rancher sounds tasty on paper, made with grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, aged white cheddar, and ranch, all served sandwiched between the company's Black Pepper Focaccia. This could be better if you received a decent portion of bacon (or chicken, for that matter), but it is severely underwhelming. 

The sandwich is quite dry, as the ranch doesn't do much to often moisture. Again, we face the issue of way more bread than anything else. It looks measly and unpleasant compared to the misleading, fully-stuffed image on Panera's website. People on Reddit have faced the same dilemma of it being bland and feeling like the sandwich is skimping on the essential ingredients. People are often left feeling disappointed in this meal and therefore, it's not worth the price (or even half the price). The flavor, texture, execution, and value are lacking here.

A tuna salad sandwich can be hit or miss, no matter where you buy it from. Tuna requires a level of freshness, and there has to be a mix of flavor and added texture to give it the right boost; otherwise, it's tasteless and mushy. Although Panera's version of the sandwich (made with sourdough bread, tuna, greens, tomatoes, and salt and pepper) isn't outright disgusting, it leaves much to be desired. 

In this economy, why pay for something utterly forgettable? It's worth skipping purely because of its mild, uninspired flavor. It's not worth the price, especially if you have a can of tuna and some mayo at home — you're already there. Reddit reviews have nothing nice to say either — mentioning that the tuna is too wet, the bread looks like it's of poor quality from the grocery store, and the sandwich is overpriced for what you get. It could be better if you order it on a more durable bread like focaccia, but it's still a gamble.

An iced caramel latte is a staple at many coffee joints, but let's just say that Panera isn't known for its quality coffee. This beverage ranked last in our Panera drink ranking because it was too cloying to enjoy. There's a visible layer of caramel that's nearly impossible to mix into the already iced drink. This is a relatively simple drink made with espresso, caramel, and milk, all poured over ice. You could attempt to rectify the issue by asking them to go light on the caramel, but you're still paying the standard price — it doesn't make it the best value. 

Another issue reviewers mention is the lack of consistency of the drink itself, whether it's ultra-sweet, bitter, and so on. Order it three times and get three results. Back when we worked at Panera, there wasn't a precise measuring technique like you might find at Starbucks; it was very much just eyeball it kind of style, which can easily account for the random amounts of caramel that customers get. Plus, we weren't trained baristas; we were merely cashiers who were also tasked with making drinks.

The Madagascar Vanilla Latte, a blend of espresso, the titular vanilla syrup, milk, and ice suffers the same fate as the caramel version. Once again, it's too sweet to appreciate. There are no other flavor profiles to pull from to give it balance — it's merely sugar, sugar, and oh, did we mention sugar? There's a mild whiff of vanilla, but it's not enough to justify ordering this, nor enough to balance the sweetness. Although not unpalatable, it doesn't taste all that special or interesting.

One Redditor actually shares that it strangely tastes like soap. This could come from the floral vanilla notes or improper cleaning of the espresso machine, but it's difficult to say. Either way, you don't want a soapy beverage. 

As you're buying a morning pastry or soufflé, you may want to wash it down with something besides coffee. If you were looking at the Green Passion Smoothie, we encourage you to reconsider. It seems colorful and tasty with its duo of mango and peach puree, grape juice, passionfruit juice, spinach, and ice, but it's way too spinach-y to be palatable. 

It's not a one-time issue either. It happens frequently, according to reviews, which call it bitter with a funky texture and large ice pieces. You may think that this could be fine as long as it's a healthy smoothie to start your day, but it still boasts 50 grams of sugar. Somehow, the purees and juices can't mask that spinach flavor. It seems this drink always comes out with an unpleasant taste and texture, so it's best to opt for something else (like the No. 1 ranking Peach and Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk).

Can an iced tea be all that bad? When we ranked nine fast-food iced teas, Panera's came in seventh. It's not the worst of the bunch, but it's pretty close, and chains like McDonald's and Chick-fil-A still beat it out. When our writer tried it, the main issue was the strength, which sounds like it could be a good thing, but the drink is overly herbal and has an unpleasant sour aroma. 

However, another issue you might come across is inconsistency. It could sometimes be super weak, while other times it could taste like coffee. It's a gamble because you don't know what you'll get. For the price, it's simply not worth the risk. Instead, get a hot tea that you can customize yourself. You can always add ice if desired. 

The Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli Bowl strays from some of Panera's more well-known options like soups and salads. It feels like a leap into new territory, and it tastes that way too. This was the lowest ranked option when we tested out a range of salads and bowls from the establishment. It has more of a Panda Express vibe than Panera with its cilantro lime brown rice and quinoa combination, chicken thighs, pieces of broccoli, and then a soy sauce-based teriyaki glaze with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro to top it all off. 

As you can see in the photo, it's positively drowning in the teriyaki glaze. It gets into every crevice and then pools at the bottom like a teriyaki soup. You can't taste much of anything other than that. The ingredients are unbalanced and could benefit from a smidge more broccoli to offer freshness. Other reviews say it needs more chicken, the rice is mushy, and as a whole, every ingredient faces issues. This dish leaves people feeling let down and is best to be avoided. 

The Asian Sesame Chicken Salad is utterly sad. Look at it. It's supposed to be comprised of romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, wonton strips, sesame seeds, sliced pieces of almonds, and then a touch of fresh cilantro and sesame vinaigrette. The chicken is virtually unseasoned and incredibly bland, with a barely visible sear (not at all grilled like it says). The pieces are so thin and sparse that Panera should just take chicken out of the salad's name entirely. The toasted almonds are missing, and although the dressing is pretty good, it's not enough to justify purchasing this lackluster meal. 

The execution is a big fail for this salad, and there's not enough flavor or chicken to make it worthwhile. Get the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken instead; it's considerably more flavorful with a better balance of ingredients (like crunchy dried Fuji apple, toasted pecans, zesty onions, and decadent gorgonzola). This was always a fan fave when we worked there.

The Baja Bowl with Chicken certainly looks more promising than the previous bowl and salad we covered. It's made with chicken, black beans, corn salsa, salsa verde, cilantro lime brown rice and quinoa combination, sliced grape tomatoes, avocado, feta bits, and Greek yogurt. First, our biggest gripe is that the feta cheese seems out of place for a dish that has Mexican-Californian notes and would be better in something more Mediterranean-inspired. The flavors are off and not too cohesive, and it's lacking in avocado. Facebook reviews talk about the rice being undercooked and that the main components are missing, like avocado, feta, and yogurt salsa verde (which is basically half the salad).

It's a decent dish as far as flavors go, but it still has a few issues. More than one reviewer considers it disappointing, and for that, we can't deem it worth your dollars — especially when there are better picks on the long list of Panera items. If you still want a bowl, then we suggest the Mediterranean Bowl instead.

Panera is always releasing random menu items, and it's sometimes hard to keep up. When we reviewed five breakfast sandwiches, the aptly named Ciabatta Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich didn't do too well. The Black Forest ham doesn't offer flavor and, more so, brings a touch of chewy texture to the bread, egg, and cheese. The salt and pepper are the only seasonings, and frankly, it's not enough. It's mild in flavor and so bland that you may find yourself tapping out after a few bites — not the best use of money, we'd reckon. 

It's not outright offensive like other items on this list, but seeing as the writer called this the "least substantial" of the five sandwiches they sampled, there's no way you should spend money on this food. It's not good value whatsoever for the dull, minimal ingredients you receive. There are so many other tasty brekkie picks to get instead (bagels, soufflé, or the Bacon Double Take breakfast sandwich, to name a few).

Avocado toast is a staple in many homes thanks to its simple ingredients and the minimal steps needed to make it. That's why if you're paying your hard-earned dollars for the green toast, it has to be scrumptious. When we tried the Panera classic avocado toast, it left us feeling underwhelmed and bored. The "chunky avocado spread," as it's called, offers both ripe and hard pieces of the delicate fruit — a most unpleasant combination of textures.

The everything bagel seasoning seems uneven, mainly composed of poppy and sesame seeds. It needs more dried garlic or onion, as it remains pretty flavorless if not for the sesame. The crust of the Country Rustic Sourdough is too hard, which risks tearing up the roof of your mouth. Although cheap in comparison to other items on the Panera menu, there's no way we'd ever get this again. And we certainly can't recommend it to you either because every single element of this toast misses the mark.

When our writer tasted seven Panera bakery items, the Almond Pastry turned out to be the least favorite. It has a buttery, almond profile with a touch of vanilla and lemon (which sounds promising). Despite the sweet almond filling and the icing, this treat, shockingly, is neither sweet nor almondy enough. The pastry itself is mainly boring and could benefit from a boost of almond paste or extract to help it live up to its name. 

While the almond slices add texture, they're plopped in the middle; it's not like you get an even bite as you eat the baked good. It feels as if the pastry was made in a rush. Additionally, the almond pieces are dull and dry. If you want a different nut-based pastry, then the Pecan Braid is the best option out there. It's noticeably more balanced, flavorful, and has a crisp exterior that holds up well with the filling.

While the almond pastry wasn't sweet enough, the Cherry Pastry was too sweet to be palatable. The dough is chewy and dense, not flaky like you might expect. Others on Reddit say the pastry was utterly disgusting and the cherry filling was likely spoiled. One person complained that the ratio of cherries to pastry is a bummer, and something you can clearly see in the photo, while another says theirs came with cherry pits (plural) that nearly took their tooth out. Not to mention this looks almost par-baked and underproofed compared to the glorious product photo shown on Panera's website. There's nothing too redeeming in this baked good, and you're better off opting for something else. 

When we worked at Panera, the Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup was a semi-popular soup option — not beloved like the Broccoli Cheddar soup but still ordered with a modicum of frequency. According to the food chain, this soup has pieces of diced chicken, both long grain and wild rice, as well as celery, onion, and carrots. Everything is simmered in chicken stock, with added cream and herbs — according to the ingredients list, we see dried parsley, thyme, and tarragon. 

But the quality seems to have gone downhill because it was deemed the worst out of all nine soups and mac and cheeses in a Tasting Table ranking. Luckily, it's not because of any offending flavors or funky aroma; it's just that the creamy base overthrows the rest of the ingredients, making it difficult to enjoy the individual components. The broth is a consistent issue, in that it's well ... inconsistent. Other reviews talk about how the creamy broth varies each time they get it; sometimes it's watery, and other times it's super thick.

The Creamy Tomato Soup has a good foundation of pear tomatoes, cream, red pepper, oregano, black pepper, and then sea salt croutons to give the otherwise smooth dish a touch of added texture. But the end result is a bit humdrum. Multiple people say it tastes more akin to classic tomato sauce that you'd use for pasta. It's a bit watery and thin and needs a touch of thickness to give it oomph and make it more pleasant on the tongue. It could benefit from more cream to give it richness, while adding more herbs would probably improve aroma and flavor. It may be better paired with grilled cheese, though, but that doesn't fix any of the aforementioned issues (just covers them up).

In order to pick the must-avoid items from Panera, we found dishes and drinks that ranked low on past Tasting Table reviews. We looked at what the writers said about the product, but we also used our experience working at Panera to offer insights. To further back up some of these picks and negative reviews, we also found reviews from social media channels such as Reddit, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and TikTok. These foods and drinks had problems with the overall flavor, strange textures, missing ingredients, bad quality or value, or poorly plated presentation. You can safely skip all of these.