Their bagels and Cream-cheese are extremely delicious. Coffee isn't bad too - makes my weekend mornings sometime.. Its always too much rush every-time I come in here, but for their amazingly tasting creamy tomato soup - its all worth..
(4)
Amanda A.
I have Celiacs and so am allergic to bread. Why am I eating at Panera Bread? I am visiting family and am without a vehicle and I needed someplace to sit at 7:30 AM, so here I am. I went up there expecting to order the fruit cup and be done with it, but I explained to the lovely cashier that I am allergic to bread, do they make the egg and bacon separately? She told me they indeed did, and proceeded to go back to the food prep area and talk to the people. She came back and told me she'd asked the people to change their gloves when they came to my order. So thanks to this wonderful woman, I was able to eat some protein and not get sick. I am incredibly thankful for the genuine kindness and service the woman went to, it was busy and she didn't have to do that. I really do appreciate it. I wish I had her name, but whoever you are, thanks you are awesome! Who'd have thought I could eat gluten free at a place with "bread" in the name? :)
(4)
Paige P.
Standardized airplane (slash) fast food. If you want a LITERAL no-brainer meal, off the Panera trailer-truck meal and atmosphere, go to Panera. Go to any Panera! However, expect a 50 minute wait at this particular Panera. They don't staff appropriately for rushes. For instance, you can step up to the counter and the staff person ignores you purposely. Then, they force everyone with guilt to sign up for a promo card that requires an extra step of registering off-site. Top it all off, this Panera is dirty and old. They prey on the unwitting who don't know how to look outside of the box.
(1)
Terry B.
Great Panera. Friendly prompt service!
(5)
Ed F.
Some businesses try to be all things to all people. Others seem to cater to a certain clientele. For example a quick look around Barbecue This will tell you it's a guy place. Panera is, without a doubt, a chick place. When was the last time a guy on your bowling team said, "Hey instead of going to our usual bar tonight, let's all meet at Panera!" You can get your dude card revoked for a lot less than that. Any place that offers apples or bread but no fries for your sides is not guy-friendly. You'll find on the menu soups, "signature" sandwiches, frilly salads, sweet rolls and of course bread. What's up with bread anyway? And why do you need more than one? I like the free wifi. They have outdoor seating at this store, however it's just 6' off I-Collins Rd. You won't find big screen TVs on the wall and if you did they wouldn't be tuned to ESPN. Anyway, the free wifi is good here.
(3)
Jessica W.
First and foremost: their mac and cheese is the best, and I mean ZA BEST in the area. All of their sandwiches and soups are really, really good. Salads are yummy but I think you get ripped off for the price and portion. Their apples suck. Don't even try ordering an apple as your side. You will be presented with a teeny little green round thing that you'll probably mistake for a tennis ball. The self-serve coffee isn't that great. It's waaaaay too weak I feel. Their bagels are amazing, but their pastries are only okay. They are made with frozen stuff and you can pretty much tell that. Especially if you've ever had a made from scratch pastry or scone. You'll be pretty sad with their overly frosted (and expensive) choices. Their smoothies are DELICIOUS. Smoothies (peach or strawberry especially!), the everything bagel, bread bowl with broccoli cheddar soup and their mac and cheese are my #1 choices. I feel like Panera's model for order and pick-up is very disorganized and confuses a lot of people. I think it would be to their favor if they brought you your food and then cleared the table instead of having customers up and doing all of this. I think this for a number of reasons.......I feel a rant brewing so i'll try and wrap it up. And sometimes I feel like they offer too many choices for the type of restaurant this is...the lines can get incredibly long and I think that is mostly due to the number of indecisive folks, and the number of options you have for your meal. Overall, Panera is very consistent with their food, and I appreciate that. I like knowing what I'm getting. There is something for everyone here and the staff is generally pleasant and helpful.
(3)
Elias C.
If Yelp had 1/2 star ratings, I would bump up my opinion down to 2 1/2 stars. This chain is a limited sandwich shop which offers decent, if overpriced, sandwiches, soup, and salads, so-so coffee, and average tasting breads and sweet rolls. It's best value to the consumer is that it is fairly large and offers adequate seating. It has a been a very good place to meet the relatives for a quick light and fast breakfast or the friends for snacks and chats. There are certainly better coffee and bread shop chains around the nation. We just happen to be stuck with a few Panera's. Diners would be better off choosing one of the other independent shops situated around the area. One thing I can't forgive Panera's for is passing off those awful sweet rolls they mistakenly call 'bagels'. I hate to think about how many customers buy these things and think that they are actually real bagels. Yes they are round with a hole in it but it is there that the similarity ends. It is far from the real thing.
(3)
L. D.
When you come from a gastronomique rennaisance like the Portland, OR. area, it is really disapointing to be in a gastronomique black hole like Cedar Rapids. In Portland the Panera restaurants are better than this one. I think it is because they have to compete with boulangeries and real bakeries that make outstanding bread. There is no bakery in Cedar Rapids that makes their own bread except Panera (that I know of, does the Czech village make more than just rye bread?). I visited the local Hyvee on Collins Rd and bought a baguette. It was terrible. It tasted like it was several days old. I don't think they even have a baker on the spot baking fresh bread every day like Safeway, New Seasons or even Fred Meyer in Portland, OR. The other bakeries in town are pastry bakeries and don't make the miches and baguettes. I went during lunch to pick up a baguette after the Hyvee disapointment. Despite the bad reviews, the place was packed. I looked at the breads on display and asked if there was a baguette. She looked back and said there was some available. I looked again and noticed that the baguettes were on the tallest shelf. I asked for a baguette and the counter person appeared suprised that was all I wanted. Another counter person came to help me, which was odd. She wrapped up the baguette. I asked her when I could pick up a fresh hot baguette. She looked at me as if no one had ever asked her that question before, as if I was speaking Polish, and disapeared into the back of the store. She came back and said it would be available in 5 minutes. I asked her if they were avaialbe throughout the day or just at certain times. She had to again go back and ask the baker. Why did't the baker just come and talk with me? The counter person said they are available throughout the day but you have to ask when since they didn't always know when the baker would be taking fresh bread out of the oven. I thanked her and paid for my baguette. At home I made a liverwurst sandwich with head cheese, lettuce, Vietnamese pork roll and mayo. One thing about this baguette is that the crust is not crunchy. This is odd for a baguette which should be crunchy on the outside but moist and soft on the inside. Their recipe is not great and they probably don't use steam during the baking process. Even for home bakers we use a small pan with water in the lower compartment of the stove to emit steam or use a plant mister. The steam is very important for the nice rich crunchy crust. The baguette in appearance is very pretty but not the best. The flesh of the baguette is doughy and dense not light and fluffy with lots of air bubbles. I wonder if Panera places style over substance. One baguette - $2.75. I would give Panera 2.5 stars but Yelp does not have half stars so I will give it 2 stars. The counterperson was helpful but uninformed of the baking side of the business. The baker did not come out to talk to me about the bread after being asked questions about the bread availabilty. The bread selection itself is minimal and a disapointment. It appears to be the only bread bakery in town which is too bad because the quality is not good. Even Costco has bakery bread that is on par if not better than this Panera. The Panera bakery in Portland, Oregon is better than this location which is strange since they are supposed to be using the same recipes and baking methods for all their stores. Perhaps the dough, which is not made at Panera but by a supplier, is made by a different supplier with lower quality standards although this would not answer the question of why the crust was so low grade. That is the baker's fault. Service - 3 (because the counter person does not seem to know anything about baking or what the bakers do and the opposite for bakers, they do not interact with customers) Selection - 2 Quality- 2 Is there any place to get a real fresh baguette around here? If there is some homemaker or secret baker out there making crunchy crust delicious baguettes, I'd like to know their location and whereabouts. I'm serious. Many of the best bread bakeries and boulangeries started as home businesses. Update 10/17/2012 - On my way back from Anamosa I stopped by the Hyvee in Marion. It was my first time at this particular location. I stopped by the bakery and there were people actually working in the bakery. Did I miss this at the Collins Rd/Lindale Mall Hyvee? I saw the baguettes in their paper wrapers and squeezed one of the baguettes. I heard a "Crunch" and was excited. I ate a piece while in the car. I was very suprised by the crunchy skin and it was very soft on the inside with bubbles in the bread. I had crumbs on my shirt and lap. I like my baguettes super crunchy so it was not excellent but it was passable, better than Panera.
(2)
Mrs. M.
Terrible service. Went today and they were out of croutons. Their signature croutons they boast about. So instead the salad was very plain and just like a bowl of lettuce. No mention of this when I ordered, of course. No apology. What a disappointment. And their bread was NOT Panera bread. It tastes like Italian bread from the grocery store and not a baguette. Won't be coming back to this location.
(1)
Trevor F.
Soups not bad here, I have to order my sandwiches with double meat because they seem to skimp out on it, but overall the place is not bad!
(3)
Paul S.
Worst. Panera. Ever. For the record, Panera is one of my favorite chains in LA. But just like everything in this part of the country, they take something good, franchise it off to some local redneck, and bastardize the food and service. The breakfast crowd at Panera is ususally a mix of young adults, couples, professionals, and families. Here it was overflowing with seniors, like an Indian Casino all you can eat buffet. Table after table of four or six 80 year old's with a steaming cup of coffee and no food, playing cards or whatever people do here. Cashier had no idea what she was doing, the girl helping her barely knew the system. Kept shouting blunt questions at me. Nobody listens to you, you have to repeat yourself 5 times for everything you say - even your name FFS. When your order comes up there's no "Pick Up Here" sign so you hear your name shouted angrily on the loudspeaker but you have no idea where to go. Food. Finally got my Bacon/Egg/Cheese breakfast sandwich - by far my favorite item from Panera in Los Angeles - and typically something you can always count on for consistent quality. Cold. Cold egg, cold bacon, cold cheese, cold bread. LAME! The chick who cooked it was like 300 lbs and couldn't care less about what she was doing. I would take it back if I hadn't already driven back to my hotel. Worst. Panera. Ever.
(1)
Cory C.
Always extremely busy I find myself spending a lot of time waiting in line but I must admit I sometimes crave there chilli and there breakfast sandwiches. Another problem I have is that they seem to be out of plain bagels constantly I mean I can see it happening sometimes but every week?? Other than the wait I really have nothing bad to say it's still one of the better places in cedar rapids.
(4)
Bud G.
Got the Chili and it was very good. The ice tea was freshly brewed.
(5)
Shawn M.
Yeah...I've eaten at quite a few Panera's and this one is no worse or better than the others. I love Panera and it's business model; it's one of my favorite places to go for lunch. Once upon a time I had an aversion to the place because it seemed like an overly expensive place to eat lunch amongst a bunch of yuppies (a category I would also loosely fall into), but now I appreciate their use of organic ingredients wherever possible and the laid-back atmosphere. My only beef is that it can sometimes be difficult to get a table at lunch, but that's how it is with most great places to eat lunch.
(5)
mel c.
Does every pastry have to have a blob of sugary MUCK on it? (and i'm a sweet tooth!) I got a blueberry scone and an iced green tea- the scone was 'drizzled' (entombed) in a powder suger icing and the tea had that high-fructose corn sweetener crap in it? EEK is right yelp- me thinks not!!! If I could give it zero stars I would. The options at this "Bread Shop" are all glorified cookies. Come on Panera- you're a chain- get a real croissant and step away from the sugar. PS- you're bagels crack me up just to look at them- please give your baker a real bagel and they wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that you've been hawking those large pcs of blobby dough as bagels.
(1)
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Address :5010 Council Street NE
Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Shunty M.
Their bagels and Cream-cheese are extremely delicious. Coffee isn't bad too - makes my weekend mornings sometime.. Its always too much rush every-time I come in here, but for their amazingly tasting creamy tomato soup - its all worth..
(4)Amanda A.
I have Celiacs and so am allergic to bread. Why am I eating at Panera Bread? I am visiting family and am without a vehicle and I needed someplace to sit at 7:30 AM, so here I am. I went up there expecting to order the fruit cup and be done with it, but I explained to the lovely cashier that I am allergic to bread, do they make the egg and bacon separately? She told me they indeed did, and proceeded to go back to the food prep area and talk to the people. She came back and told me she'd asked the people to change their gloves when they came to my order. So thanks to this wonderful woman, I was able to eat some protein and not get sick. I am incredibly thankful for the genuine kindness and service the woman went to, it was busy and she didn't have to do that. I really do appreciate it. I wish I had her name, but whoever you are, thanks you are awesome! Who'd have thought I could eat gluten free at a place with "bread" in the name? :)
(4)Paige P.
Standardized airplane (slash) fast food. If you want a LITERAL no-brainer meal, off the Panera trailer-truck meal and atmosphere, go to Panera. Go to any Panera! However, expect a 50 minute wait at this particular Panera. They don't staff appropriately for rushes. For instance, you can step up to the counter and the staff person ignores you purposely. Then, they force everyone with guilt to sign up for a promo card that requires an extra step of registering off-site. Top it all off, this Panera is dirty and old. They prey on the unwitting who don't know how to look outside of the box.
(1)Terry B.
Great Panera. Friendly prompt service!
(5)Ed F.
Some businesses try to be all things to all people. Others seem to cater to a certain clientele. For example a quick look around Barbecue This will tell you it's a guy place. Panera is, without a doubt, a chick place. When was the last time a guy on your bowling team said, "Hey instead of going to our usual bar tonight, let's all meet at Panera!" You can get your dude card revoked for a lot less than that. Any place that offers apples or bread but no fries for your sides is not guy-friendly. You'll find on the menu soups, "signature" sandwiches, frilly salads, sweet rolls and of course bread. What's up with bread anyway? And why do you need more than one? I like the free wifi. They have outdoor seating at this store, however it's just 6' off I-Collins Rd. You won't find big screen TVs on the wall and if you did they wouldn't be tuned to ESPN. Anyway, the free wifi is good here.
(3)Jessica W.
First and foremost: their mac and cheese is the best, and I mean ZA BEST in the area. All of their sandwiches and soups are really, really good. Salads are yummy but I think you get ripped off for the price and portion. Their apples suck. Don't even try ordering an apple as your side. You will be presented with a teeny little green round thing that you'll probably mistake for a tennis ball. The self-serve coffee isn't that great. It's waaaaay too weak I feel. Their bagels are amazing, but their pastries are only okay. They are made with frozen stuff and you can pretty much tell that. Especially if you've ever had a made from scratch pastry or scone. You'll be pretty sad with their overly frosted (and expensive) choices. Their smoothies are DELICIOUS. Smoothies (peach or strawberry especially!), the everything bagel, bread bowl with broccoli cheddar soup and their mac and cheese are my #1 choices. I feel like Panera's model for order and pick-up is very disorganized and confuses a lot of people. I think it would be to their favor if they brought you your food and then cleared the table instead of having customers up and doing all of this. I think this for a number of reasons.......I feel a rant brewing so i'll try and wrap it up. And sometimes I feel like they offer too many choices for the type of restaurant this is...the lines can get incredibly long and I think that is mostly due to the number of indecisive folks, and the number of options you have for your meal. Overall, Panera is very consistent with their food, and I appreciate that. I like knowing what I'm getting. There is something for everyone here and the staff is generally pleasant and helpful.
(3)Elias C.
If Yelp had 1/2 star ratings, I would bump up my opinion down to 2 1/2 stars. This chain is a limited sandwich shop which offers decent, if overpriced, sandwiches, soup, and salads, so-so coffee, and average tasting breads and sweet rolls. It's best value to the consumer is that it is fairly large and offers adequate seating. It has a been a very good place to meet the relatives for a quick light and fast breakfast or the friends for snacks and chats. There are certainly better coffee and bread shop chains around the nation. We just happen to be stuck with a few Panera's. Diners would be better off choosing one of the other independent shops situated around the area. One thing I can't forgive Panera's for is passing off those awful sweet rolls they mistakenly call 'bagels'. I hate to think about how many customers buy these things and think that they are actually real bagels. Yes they are round with a hole in it but it is there that the similarity ends. It is far from the real thing.
(3)L. D.
When you come from a gastronomique rennaisance like the Portland, OR. area, it is really disapointing to be in a gastronomique black hole like Cedar Rapids. In Portland the Panera restaurants are better than this one. I think it is because they have to compete with boulangeries and real bakeries that make outstanding bread. There is no bakery in Cedar Rapids that makes their own bread except Panera (that I know of, does the Czech village make more than just rye bread?). I visited the local Hyvee on Collins Rd and bought a baguette. It was terrible. It tasted like it was several days old. I don't think they even have a baker on the spot baking fresh bread every day like Safeway, New Seasons or even Fred Meyer in Portland, OR. The other bakeries in town are pastry bakeries and don't make the miches and baguettes. I went during lunch to pick up a baguette after the Hyvee disapointment. Despite the bad reviews, the place was packed. I looked at the breads on display and asked if there was a baguette. She looked back and said there was some available. I looked again and noticed that the baguettes were on the tallest shelf. I asked for a baguette and the counter person appeared suprised that was all I wanted. Another counter person came to help me, which was odd. She wrapped up the baguette. I asked her when I could pick up a fresh hot baguette. She looked at me as if no one had ever asked her that question before, as if I was speaking Polish, and disapeared into the back of the store. She came back and said it would be available in 5 minutes. I asked her if they were avaialbe throughout the day or just at certain times. She had to again go back and ask the baker. Why did't the baker just come and talk with me? The counter person said they are available throughout the day but you have to ask when since they didn't always know when the baker would be taking fresh bread out of the oven. I thanked her and paid for my baguette. At home I made a liverwurst sandwich with head cheese, lettuce, Vietnamese pork roll and mayo. One thing about this baguette is that the crust is not crunchy. This is odd for a baguette which should be crunchy on the outside but moist and soft on the inside. Their recipe is not great and they probably don't use steam during the baking process. Even for home bakers we use a small pan with water in the lower compartment of the stove to emit steam or use a plant mister. The steam is very important for the nice rich crunchy crust. The baguette in appearance is very pretty but not the best. The flesh of the baguette is doughy and dense not light and fluffy with lots of air bubbles. I wonder if Panera places style over substance. One baguette - $2.75. I would give Panera 2.5 stars but Yelp does not have half stars so I will give it 2 stars. The counterperson was helpful but uninformed of the baking side of the business. The baker did not come out to talk to me about the bread after being asked questions about the bread availabilty. The bread selection itself is minimal and a disapointment. It appears to be the only bread bakery in town which is too bad because the quality is not good. Even Costco has bakery bread that is on par if not better than this Panera. The Panera bakery in Portland, Oregon is better than this location which is strange since they are supposed to be using the same recipes and baking methods for all their stores. Perhaps the dough, which is not made at Panera but by a supplier, is made by a different supplier with lower quality standards although this would not answer the question of why the crust was so low grade. That is the baker's fault. Service - 3 (because the counter person does not seem to know anything about baking or what the bakers do and the opposite for bakers, they do not interact with customers) Selection - 2 Quality- 2 Is there any place to get a real fresh baguette around here? If there is some homemaker or secret baker out there making crunchy crust delicious baguettes, I'd like to know their location and whereabouts. I'm serious. Many of the best bread bakeries and boulangeries started as home businesses. Update 10/17/2012 - On my way back from Anamosa I stopped by the Hyvee in Marion. It was my first time at this particular location. I stopped by the bakery and there were people actually working in the bakery. Did I miss this at the Collins Rd/Lindale Mall Hyvee? I saw the baguettes in their paper wrapers and squeezed one of the baguettes. I heard a "Crunch" and was excited. I ate a piece while in the car. I was very suprised by the crunchy skin and it was very soft on the inside with bubbles in the bread. I had crumbs on my shirt and lap. I like my baguettes super crunchy so it was not excellent but it was passable, better than Panera.
(2)Mrs. M.
Terrible service. Went today and they were out of croutons. Their signature croutons they boast about. So instead the salad was very plain and just like a bowl of lettuce. No mention of this when I ordered, of course. No apology. What a disappointment. And their bread was NOT Panera bread. It tastes like Italian bread from the grocery store and not a baguette. Won't be coming back to this location.
(1)Trevor F.
Soups not bad here, I have to order my sandwiches with double meat because they seem to skimp out on it, but overall the place is not bad!
(3)Paul S.
Worst. Panera. Ever. For the record, Panera is one of my favorite chains in LA. But just like everything in this part of the country, they take something good, franchise it off to some local redneck, and bastardize the food and service. The breakfast crowd at Panera is ususally a mix of young adults, couples, professionals, and families. Here it was overflowing with seniors, like an Indian Casino all you can eat buffet. Table after table of four or six 80 year old's with a steaming cup of coffee and no food, playing cards or whatever people do here. Cashier had no idea what she was doing, the girl helping her barely knew the system. Kept shouting blunt questions at me. Nobody listens to you, you have to repeat yourself 5 times for everything you say - even your name FFS. When your order comes up there's no "Pick Up Here" sign so you hear your name shouted angrily on the loudspeaker but you have no idea where to go. Food. Finally got my Bacon/Egg/Cheese breakfast sandwich - by far my favorite item from Panera in Los Angeles - and typically something you can always count on for consistent quality. Cold. Cold egg, cold bacon, cold cheese, cold bread. LAME! The chick who cooked it was like 300 lbs and couldn't care less about what she was doing. I would take it back if I hadn't already driven back to my hotel. Worst. Panera. Ever.
(1)Cory C.
Always extremely busy I find myself spending a lot of time waiting in line but I must admit I sometimes crave there chilli and there breakfast sandwiches. Another problem I have is that they seem to be out of plain bagels constantly I mean I can see it happening sometimes but every week?? Other than the wait I really have nothing bad to say it's still one of the better places in cedar rapids.
(4)Bud G.
Got the Chili and it was very good. The ice tea was freshly brewed.
(5)Shawn M.
Yeah...I've eaten at quite a few Panera's and this one is no worse or better than the others. I love Panera and it's business model; it's one of my favorite places to go for lunch. Once upon a time I had an aversion to the place because it seemed like an overly expensive place to eat lunch amongst a bunch of yuppies (a category I would also loosely fall into), but now I appreciate their use of organic ingredients wherever possible and the laid-back atmosphere. My only beef is that it can sometimes be difficult to get a table at lunch, but that's how it is with most great places to eat lunch.
(5)mel c.
Does every pastry have to have a blob of sugary MUCK on it? (and i'm a sweet tooth!) I got a blueberry scone and an iced green tea- the scone was 'drizzled' (entombed) in a powder suger icing and the tea had that high-fructose corn sweetener crap in it? EEK is right yelp- me thinks not!!! If I could give it zero stars I would. The options at this "Bread Shop" are all glorified cookies. Come on Panera- you're a chain- get a real croissant and step away from the sugar. PS- you're bagels crack me up just to look at them- please give your baker a real bagel and they wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that you've been hawking those large pcs of blobby dough as bagels.
(1)