Restaurant Review: Panera Bread Drive-Thru

Panera Bread now has drive thru! We're busy peeps and my husband gets off work late every night - so sometimes dinner just doesn't get made. It's nice to know that we have a drive thru option other than burgers and fries! 

We got quite a sampling - let's dive in!

Panera had special Pink Ribbon bagels to support Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. A portion of the proceeds went to BCA. I had to try one - good stuff.

Larry is a simple guy when it comes to Panera - grilled cheese and tomato soup. Really that's all he wanted and I just didn't have either or I would have stayed home and cooked. He went for the simple grilled cheese and uses the tomato soup for dunking. I like the tomato soup but am not a big fan of their grilled cheese. But if you've got someone looking for simple - it's a good choice.

I decided to branch out as I often do and got the You Pick Two with the Frontega Chicken Panini and Butternut Squash Ravioli. They changed their bread that they give you into a dinner roll - no idea why - didn't like it.

The Frontega Chicken is always a good choice - it's got pulled chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red onions, basil and chipotle mayo on focaccia. With the Pick 2 - I try something tried & true with something new...

The new was the Butternut Squash Ravioli. The sage & egg pasta is filled with squash, butter, brown sugar and amaretti cookies then tossed in a leek & garlic cream sauce and topped with arugula and fried onions. I didn't like this at all. At. All. It's just odd - it's sweet but not dessert sweet - blech. I actually haven't liked any of their pastas I've tried - too mushy or too rich - just not my style. I'm going back to their soup. 

Why Should You Go? Panera is always a solid choice - while I didn't care for my pasta - the sandwiches are always great as are the soups and salads. I really like having a new drive-thru option nearby. You can also order from your phone as well.

Disclosure: Panera Bread provided me a gift card in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.