I Tried & Ranked All The New Panera Menu Items—These Are The Absolute Best
In case you haven’t heard the news, Panera is entering a new era. The chain just revamped their entire menu from top to bottom. They’re changing and enhancing a few classics you already know and love, like the Bravo Club Sandwich and the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt. They’re offering bacon as a topping for their beloved mac and cheese. But, most importantly, Panera is launching four new salads and four new sandwiches.
The Panera culinary team spent months developing new and exciting dishes to add to their menu. And starting April 4, customers can stop by a Panera and experience this new era for themselves. But the best part? Many of these new menu items cost less than $10.
I had the chance to get a taste of some of the new salads and sandwiches from Panera ahead of the launch. And I’m going to be completely honest with you: there’s not a single bad option in the bunch. Anybody who has ever been skeptical about Panera’s food will eat their words once they get a taste of this new menu.
Not only did I love every bite of Panera’s new items, I genuinely struggled to pick my favorites. I tried my best to rank them from my least to most favorite, but you truly can’t go wrong with any of these.
Salads
Ranch Cobb Salad
A Cobb salad is a classic for a reason. We’re normally used to enjoying them with a homemade vinaigrette, or with Green Goddess dressing at Panera. But let’s be real: everything is better with ranch, and this salad is no exception.
Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains
This is the menu item for people who don’t think salads are filling enough. This blend of romaine and mixed greens is bolstered with the addition of farro and red rice. Then Panera adds grilled chicken, hummus, feta, red onions, Peppadew peppers, and cucumbers. But the cherry on top of this salad is really the dusting of Mediterranean shawarma seasoning. It’s savory, filling, and so delicious.
Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains
The Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains starts with the same base as the Mediterranean Chicken, but the toppings turn it into something truly special. There’s cucumber, pepperoncini, avocado, feta, pumpkin seeds, and plenty of herbaceous and tangy Green Goddess dressing.
Southwest Chicken Ranch
I’m going to go ahead and say it: the Southwest Chicken Ranch is a perfect salad. The romaine is crisp and serves as the ideal bed for grilled chicken, charred corn, avocado, tomatoes, and cilantro. The chipotle aioli drizzled on the top should be sold by the bottle, and the crispy tortilla strips adds the right amount of texture.
Sandwiches
Tomato Basil BLT
A BLT is not a bacon sandwich with tomato; it’s a tomato sandwich with bacon. And this version at Panera doubles down on the tomato by building their BLT on tomato-basil bread. We can see ourselves eating this all through spring and summer.
Chicken Bacon Rancher
Name a better combo than chicken, cheddar, bacon and ranch…we’ll wait. We can confidently predict that this savory and sharp sandwich will soon become a fan favorite. But our favorite part of the Chicken Bacon Rancher is the pillowy black pepper foccacia.
Toasted Italiano
I actually can’t choose a favorite sandwich, so the Toasted Italiano is tied for first. There’s ham, soppresssata, and melty provolone. There’s a refreshing layer of red onion, romaine, and pepperoncini. And there’s not one, but two different sauces: garlic aioli and Greek dressing. We would eat one of these sandwiches every day if we could.
Ciabatta Cheesesteak
If there are 100 Ciabatta Cheesesteak fans, I am one of them. If there are none, that means I’m dead. The soft ciabatta is the perfect vessel for the layers of tender steak, melted provolone, and garlic aioli. But it’s the toppings that take the whole thing over the edge. The caramelized onions and sweet, tangy Peppadew peppers should belong on every sandwich.
When you get the chance to try the new menu, let us know what you think! What's your new favorite?
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