This Panera Ordering Hack Makes Your Favorite Bagel Even Better

Grabbing a bagel from Panera just delivers in a way that store-bought bagels can't. The chain's Asiago bagel already performs sandwich-duty in official breakfast menu items like the Asiago Sausage & Egg Sando. But, for a pleasure-oriented lunch (or the cure for a scorching case of the munchies), only one menu hack gets the job done — adding mac and cheese to an Asiago bagel with cream cheese.

The tip comes from a TikTok by @mukjamy. To assemble, smear plain cream cheese onto an Asiago bagel, order a small mac and cheese, spoon the mac on top, and enjoy. This sando can be enjoyed open-faced or closed-style. "Trust me on this," says the poster, "I know my way around food." Indeed, as a former Panera employee many moons ago, this creation sounds like something staff would have dreamt up during a slow closing shift.

The poster recommends ordering the bagel extra toasted as a personal preference. But, a crispier toast could also help the bagel stave off sogginess as a structurally integral vehicle for all that creamy mac. Comments on the TikTok rave, "[B]read + pasta is always elite, no matter the combo," and the post even drew a comment from the official Panera social media account ("You took that cheesy bagel and said 'make it a double.' Love the hack"). To complete the meal, foodies could pair their fully-loaded bagel with a hot coffee and the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken, our favorite Panera salad here at Tasting Table.

Panera's entree mac and cheese already comes with a baguette side. But, spooning the mac directly on top of the bagel expedites the bread-dunking process, packing a chewy cheesy crumb into every bite of mac. Plus, the cream cheese delivers a tanginess that complements the Asiago's slight funk. Foodies can add a thin layer of the cream cheese, or slather on a thicker layer that would help this creation border on New York-style bagel sandwich territory. In addition to plain, some locations carry different cream cheese spread flavors like chive and onion, which would complement this mac bagel with a kick of savoriness.

At a Panera Bread in Chicago, an Asiago bagel costs $1.99, plus $1.80 for cream cheese. A cup of mac and cheese runs for $7.39, including a side (crunchy chips to scoop up the leftover mac?), bringing this sandwich hack to a total of $11.18. Bonus points for affordability, compared to existing sandwiches in Panera's oeuvre, such as the Chipotle Chicken Avo Melt or the Chicken Bacon Rancher (both $12.49 at the Chicago location). Or, foodies could even skip the trip to Panera and whip up a dupe in their own kitchens with our homemade Asiago bagels and a go-to mac and cheese recipe. Either way, we've also rounded up 16 more Panera Bread menu hacks you need to know for your next trip.