What a dump. We were in here on a Sunday and the place was filthy. Other people were complaining about the food. Our sandwiches were marginal. There was trash on the floors throughout the dining area. Many tables were coveted in left overs. The manager was hanging around but not doing much. The girl at the cash register was just leaning on it and I finally had to say something to get attention . Then in the middle of ordering she drifted off and started chatting with another employee who was texting. This Panera SUCKS. I've had great experience at other locations but the owner of this franchise wasted his $2.5 million.
(1)
Sarah J.
Customer service here is awful! The employees at the drive thru are extremely rude and short. It's is so hard to say please and thank you. This will be my last visit to this establishment. Please realize that there are plenty of restaurants in this area.
(1)
M T.
Delicious broccoli cheddar soup - Steak panini. (A pick two option). Awesome customer service. Accurate order - congested parking lot. Great location to shopping and medical offices.
(5)
Lauren D.
I am usually a big fan of Panera Bread, but I was thoroughly disappointed with my visit to this location. The service was slow, and the place was so dirty that there were cigarette butts under some of the tables. There weren't even any clean tables where we could sit. Completely disappointed. Stale bread and they no longer give you a cookie with your meal. I won't be back.
(2)
Sarah B.
My food items were a mixture of cold and gross which is odd for this place. I called and talked to a manager named Michael, he refunded my money and offered another free meal next visit. He was really cool and realized it sucks to wait 20 mins in a drive thru for sucky food.
(4)
Lou P.
This location is a lot closer to me but I still prefer the one on paseo. This location can be a bit tired looking after the lunch rush, they can clean up the dining area more often. I always get the combo- half salad and half wrap. It's quick and simple meal, the chocolate chip cookie is a real deal! It can be a bit pricey if I start getting more cookies.
(3)
Jamie R.
When I first saw the star level for this location I was pretty surprised as Panera's tend to be the consistant from place to place but an average of 2 is not so hot. After our first visit there, to some extent I understand the low scores for the service. It takes longer here than other locations for the food to come out (20 min for a salad, soup, and sandwich), the Mediterranean chicken salad from the secret menu was made incorrectly, and the cookies that come with the meals were cold and hard. For these reasons, I understand the 2 stars. But I give it 3 because the place is clean, has enough parking, the large outdoor patio with heaters is awesome (I'll be back for this reason alone), and the other items ordered were all as promised. We completely agree that the ridiculously small glasses for water are absurd, they almost shouldn't bother, and yes you do feel like a criminal for wanting water only. If they had decent diet soda choices I'd purchase a glass instead. Lastly, our stops at Panera's in other states have proven to yield some excellent bakery items, but this one is more like the Paradise side where it's mostly prepared food and a little bit of bakery, and that is disappointing.
(3)
Michael P.
Every time we gone here they are out of something. I could understand once but this was the third time! Believe it or not this time they were out of bread for the bread bowls! Panera BREAD was out of bread.
(2)
Dave D.
And this time it was a miss... Minus one star for a filthy patio area, yeah, dirt and leaves are to be expected outside, but no need for all the litter and gross food stains all over the place. Have a little pride and clean this place up! Minus a second star for getting my order wrong. Not sure how ham and swiss sounds like steak? I decided to eat it anyway, way too much pepper and the steak was overcooked for my taste. Minus star three for removing the free chocolate chip cookie on the side. Just my two cents...
(2)
Jordan S.
So I went to Panera two days in a row and got the same sandwich (judge me), ANYWAYS, I went to 2 different locations, this one and the one on Holly. I was closer to this one today so I gave it a shot, plus it's a drive thru which was a plus. The sandwich I got at the Holly location, WAS AMAZEBALLS. It seriously was the best sandwich I've ever had. Anyways, today's same sandwich, SUCKED. There was one pepper and about 1/16ths of the meat I got yesterday. The "steak" they gave was, I don't even have words, so I took pictures. So disappointing, gave me the wrong side, just horrible. Go to the one on Holly!!!! May be a tad out of the way, but a zzziiillllliiooonnnnn times better.
(2)
GD B.
Walk in at 8:30 PM. They are open til 10PM...out of soup. Out of bread, out of all iced tea. Dining room is dirty. Tables haven't been cleared. Food on the floor. Nice.... Kitchen staff was pleasant. Waitress was cordial. Salad and sandwich was decent. NO COOKIE??!
(1)
Ania A.
When Panera Bread started building their new Westside location, I was excited, because other than the Flying Star/ Satellite franchise, we're a bit short on the bakery spectrum on this end of town. I guess I should stop complaining, because Flying Star has this place beat in spades. Let's go beyond the limited menu and the almost non-existent pastry counter and shoot straight for Panera's heart. The food wasn't good. It was bland and uninspired, and their presentation is a zero. I'm not about to claim that presentation is somehow key to a good eating experience, but the sad and lonely panini that was presented to me on a HUGE plate was a little sad. It looked so lonely without any garnish there, as if declaring I'd be unimpressed in a solemn Eeyore voice... "Here's your panini. I hope you can find it. :( " Let's add the fact that Panera treats you like a criminal if you tell them you want to drink water with your meal. Think you're going to get a normal-sized cup for that, buddy? Think again. At Panera, we want you to thoroughly be annoyed with your meal because you have to refill your sippy cup every few bites. Eeyore: "I guess I'll just choke this bland panini down dry. :( " Needless to say, this was my first and last visit. So disappointing. If you're anywhere near this place, drive a quarter mile east and hit up Flying Star instead. Even Starbucks would be better.
(2)
Eric H.
The quality of the food is on par with any other Panera Bread. The only difference between this Panera bread and others would be the selection on the menu. This location doesn't have the bread or apple choice as a side. You can't use the Panera Bread reward card and things such as the cobblestone. When menu is the same as every other Panera and if the food stays as delicious as it was to today I will be happy to give them 5 stars.
(4)
Andy B.
I was finally able to try this place out when it didn't seem as if every parking space was full. I have eaten at many Panera Bread locations (before they came to NM) and so the menu and decor at this place is very familiar. There are lots of choices - sandwiches, soups, salads, panini's & pasta before you even look at the bakery options. Today I ordered one of their pastas (pesto) and a cup of bistro onion soup (used to be called french onion soup). It took quite a while for our food to show up - I think almost 20mins which is unusual at most other locations. The pasta was overcooked (Scott Conant would not be impressed), but the pesto tasted very fresh & vibrant. The soup was good, perhaps they had put too much cheese in it, but the flavor was good. I think that the price of my pasta & soup (which also comes with a chocolate chip cookie) was fair at $9.99 I just left there with a "meh" feeling about what I had eaten - the place was heaving and so I don't think a two star review is going to harm their business, but I won't rush back.
(2)
James S.
Food is not very high quality and now they did away with the free cookie so I not goi g back
(1)
Linda J.
Went for lunch on a Sunday after the lunch rush so not pre time. Lots of employees visiting with each other. One even fooling with her cell phone. The dining room was dirty, lots of trash on the floor and tables needing to be cleaned. Food was okay but very disappointing experience. Certainly not the quality as in other states. Who ever owns this franchise needs to be much more attentive to their investment. You can only survive for so long on the good reputation of the other Panera locations. I wot be back unless things change.
(3)
Michelle M.
This is regarding our visit April 7,2013. My husband and I love Panera we often visit the one up on Holly, so we were excited to see one open closer to our side of town. This one is still new so I am willing to come back and try again, but to be honest if I wasn't a loyal customer I probably would never come back. It took over 30 min to get our food, my soup and pasta were warmish ad they forgot our cookies. We asked two different servers for them and when we finally got them they were terrible. Bitter and not up to panera standard at all. I think I will wait a few weeks so they can work out the kinks and for the newness to wear off before coming back.
(2)
Jennifer L.
Wow.. Love hate relationship.. I mean I practically lived in paneras in college and professional school. I haven't had any issues with service and my food arrived quickly....Unlike other reviews I had a couple issues with the bagels... Their first few weeks open..For example one morning in the drive through they told me they were out of them at 6:40 am... Interesting since they open at 6. So I said ok... Bye... But they really should have offered like a rain check...anyway My next attempt at getting a bagel was pretty disappointing.. It was very doughy on the inside like almost as though it was undercooked but it looked ok on the outside..it was sticking to my teeth... Very strange. I called to ask them about if anyone else thought this and I suggested maybe if it was something with the altitude because interestingly enough I felt the cookies that week were also under-done compared to the paradise locations..(though i liked that in the cookie... Not in the bagel). The manager did refund my purchase over the phone and apologized which was nice and I wasn't expecting that really.. I just wanted them to get the recipe right so I can order more bagels as I love their veggie and their hazelnut cream cheeses. Also mad I can't use a Panera gift card there yet or use the "my Panera" card as I missed out on my "free birthday pastry" which that card gets me...and I can't use my gift cards until 90 days after they have been opened apparently...sad as my mom in the Midwest found out I had a Panera near my work so she bought be giftcards for my bday and I can't use them
(3)
Jay W.
I was pretty surprised that this Panera had gotten such bad reviews. I work close by so I've been here 5 or 6 times since it opened a couple months ago. I've found the food consistently good and up to what I was expecting. I really appreciate having a place to get pretty good food close by and not too expensive. And I've actually really been impressed by the staff; one staff member even recognized me the second or third time I came there and said welcome back and asked me how I was liking the store... They have a drive-thru, which has been really fast for me, and it's also clean and comfortable inside.
(4)
Terie W.
I love this place! I grew up with these restaurants in St Louis. It's nice to see that the quality of food hasn't changed. Everything here is really good and the service is fast. The ambiance is very nice and relaxing as well.
(5)
DonkeySmell ..
Went for the first time last night, 4/7/13, funny another poster was there the same day and had poor service too.. The tables were dirty, the floor was filthy, and the staff went to wipe the tables down using their bare hands! The food is overpriced for what you get, I spent $10 on half a crappy turkey sandwich with no flavor i could have made at home, soup that tasted like it came from a mix, and a cookie and drink. They ran out of tea and would not make more after I asked twice. Other tables were getting their orders mixed up or the wrong food delivered. The only good thing i had was the cookie. I will think twice before going back again. There are far better places to spend my money on.
(2)
Dawson M.
Love it! Love it! We come here all the time!
(5)
Becca P.
Having been to "Paradise Bakery" on Paseo 3 times and loving it, I was excited to try this one much closer to home! BLEH!! WTF?? My boyfriend and I went today 5/11/13 around noon. After standing in line about 5 min to order, the young and clueless girl had to leave us after every, and I do mean EVERY item requested to see if it was still available. (Oatmeal, Hibiscus tea, cinnamon roll.) She handed us our empty cups and hard crunchy cinnamon roll and we set out to find a table. The back of the restaurant smelled like homeless men had spent the night and the rest of the itty bitty tables were dirty. After finally finding one, we sat down to our cinnamon roll. I was shocked that it was hard and cold so darling BF went to ask if it could be heated up.... and was shown the do-it-yourself microwave. He said "I didn't realize the food was self service here too." It was good once warmed. We leisurely ate our cinnamon roll and it had been 25 minutes and the oatmeal still hadn't arrived. 25 minutes for OATMEAL???? REALLY?? Jeez! The oatmeal was just that, Oatmeal. NOT with granola, cinnamon, sugar and cream, as the menu indicated it would be. It had about 5 blueberries and was so dry it was inedible without some sort of liquid added. I was too dismayed to go fight it, so I added skim milk from the self serve station (there was no cream!) and a packet of sugar. After I "fixed" it, it was good, but not 5 dollars and 30 minutes good. I'd say about 2 dollars and 5 minutes good. Flying star has been and will continue to be my all time favorite restaurant. Less than 5 minutes away, a million times tastier, Its too late for us, save yourselves. :)
(1)
John N.
As a long time Panera fan, I was glad to see this cafe open. However, on initial visit my order was missing ingrediants/items that are standard at Panera. Quality was inferior to any Panera I have visited in multiple states. Manager did not offer to correct the salad order as they were "out" of a main ingrediant. When I asked that it be replaced with a different salad she did so but in a much smaller bowl. When I pointed out the menu item on the Panera website, she advised me that Panera referred to as 'they" do things differently than her store which is really a Paradise Bakery referred to as "we". It looks like Panera in there but that's about it. No plan to return but will continue to visit Panera outside of New Mexico when travelling.
(1)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :3550 State Highway 528 NW
Albuquerque, NM, 87114
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Doug J.
What a dump. We were in here on a Sunday and the place was filthy. Other people were complaining about the food. Our sandwiches were marginal. There was trash on the floors throughout the dining area. Many tables were coveted in left overs. The manager was hanging around but not doing much. The girl at the cash register was just leaning on it and I finally had to say something to get attention . Then in the middle of ordering she drifted off and started chatting with another employee who was texting. This Panera SUCKS. I've had great experience at other locations but the owner of this franchise wasted his $2.5 million.
(1)Sarah J.
Customer service here is awful! The employees at the drive thru are extremely rude and short. It's is so hard to say please and thank you. This will be my last visit to this establishment. Please realize that there are plenty of restaurants in this area.
(1)M T.
Delicious broccoli cheddar soup - Steak panini. (A pick two option). Awesome customer service. Accurate order - congested parking lot. Great location to shopping and medical offices.
(5)Lauren D.
I am usually a big fan of Panera Bread, but I was thoroughly disappointed with my visit to this location. The service was slow, and the place was so dirty that there were cigarette butts under some of the tables. There weren't even any clean tables where we could sit. Completely disappointed. Stale bread and they no longer give you a cookie with your meal. I won't be back.
(2)Sarah B.
My food items were a mixture of cold and gross which is odd for this place. I called and talked to a manager named Michael, he refunded my money and offered another free meal next visit. He was really cool and realized it sucks to wait 20 mins in a drive thru for sucky food.
(4)Lou P.
This location is a lot closer to me but I still prefer the one on paseo. This location can be a bit tired looking after the lunch rush, they can clean up the dining area more often. I always get the combo- half salad and half wrap. It's quick and simple meal, the chocolate chip cookie is a real deal! It can be a bit pricey if I start getting more cookies.
(3)Jamie R.
When I first saw the star level for this location I was pretty surprised as Panera's tend to be the consistant from place to place but an average of 2 is not so hot. After our first visit there, to some extent I understand the low scores for the service. It takes longer here than other locations for the food to come out (20 min for a salad, soup, and sandwich), the Mediterranean chicken salad from the secret menu was made incorrectly, and the cookies that come with the meals were cold and hard. For these reasons, I understand the 2 stars. But I give it 3 because the place is clean, has enough parking, the large outdoor patio with heaters is awesome (I'll be back for this reason alone), and the other items ordered were all as promised. We completely agree that the ridiculously small glasses for water are absurd, they almost shouldn't bother, and yes you do feel like a criminal for wanting water only. If they had decent diet soda choices I'd purchase a glass instead. Lastly, our stops at Panera's in other states have proven to yield some excellent bakery items, but this one is more like the Paradise side where it's mostly prepared food and a little bit of bakery, and that is disappointing.
(3)Michael P.
Every time we gone here they are out of something. I could understand once but this was the third time! Believe it or not this time they were out of bread for the bread bowls! Panera BREAD was out of bread.
(2)Dave D.
And this time it was a miss... Minus one star for a filthy patio area, yeah, dirt and leaves are to be expected outside, but no need for all the litter and gross food stains all over the place. Have a little pride and clean this place up! Minus a second star for getting my order wrong. Not sure how ham and swiss sounds like steak? I decided to eat it anyway, way too much pepper and the steak was overcooked for my taste. Minus star three for removing the free chocolate chip cookie on the side. Just my two cents...
(2)Jordan S.
So I went to Panera two days in a row and got the same sandwich (judge me), ANYWAYS, I went to 2 different locations, this one and the one on Holly. I was closer to this one today so I gave it a shot, plus it's a drive thru which was a plus. The sandwich I got at the Holly location, WAS AMAZEBALLS. It seriously was the best sandwich I've ever had. Anyways, today's same sandwich, SUCKED. There was one pepper and about 1/16ths of the meat I got yesterday. The "steak" they gave was, I don't even have words, so I took pictures. So disappointing, gave me the wrong side, just horrible. Go to the one on Holly!!!! May be a tad out of the way, but a zzziiillllliiooonnnnn times better.
(2)GD B.
Walk in at 8:30 PM. They are open til 10PM...out of soup. Out of bread, out of all iced tea. Dining room is dirty. Tables haven't been cleared. Food on the floor. Nice.... Kitchen staff was pleasant. Waitress was cordial. Salad and sandwich was decent. NO COOKIE??!
(1)Ania A.
When Panera Bread started building their new Westside location, I was excited, because other than the Flying Star/ Satellite franchise, we're a bit short on the bakery spectrum on this end of town. I guess I should stop complaining, because Flying Star has this place beat in spades. Let's go beyond the limited menu and the almost non-existent pastry counter and shoot straight for Panera's heart. The food wasn't good. It was bland and uninspired, and their presentation is a zero. I'm not about to claim that presentation is somehow key to a good eating experience, but the sad and lonely panini that was presented to me on a HUGE plate was a little sad. It looked so lonely without any garnish there, as if declaring I'd be unimpressed in a solemn Eeyore voice... "Here's your panini. I hope you can find it. :( " Let's add the fact that Panera treats you like a criminal if you tell them you want to drink water with your meal. Think you're going to get a normal-sized cup for that, buddy? Think again. At Panera, we want you to thoroughly be annoyed with your meal because you have to refill your sippy cup every few bites. Eeyore: "I guess I'll just choke this bland panini down dry. :( " Needless to say, this was my first and last visit. So disappointing. If you're anywhere near this place, drive a quarter mile east and hit up Flying Star instead. Even Starbucks would be better.
(2)Eric H.
The quality of the food is on par with any other Panera Bread. The only difference between this Panera bread and others would be the selection on the menu. This location doesn't have the bread or apple choice as a side. You can't use the Panera Bread reward card and things such as the cobblestone. When menu is the same as every other Panera and if the food stays as delicious as it was to today I will be happy to give them 5 stars.
(4)Andy B.
I was finally able to try this place out when it didn't seem as if every parking space was full. I have eaten at many Panera Bread locations (before they came to NM) and so the menu and decor at this place is very familiar. There are lots of choices - sandwiches, soups, salads, panini's & pasta before you even look at the bakery options. Today I ordered one of their pastas (pesto) and a cup of bistro onion soup (used to be called french onion soup). It took quite a while for our food to show up - I think almost 20mins which is unusual at most other locations. The pasta was overcooked (Scott Conant would not be impressed), but the pesto tasted very fresh & vibrant. The soup was good, perhaps they had put too much cheese in it, but the flavor was good. I think that the price of my pasta & soup (which also comes with a chocolate chip cookie) was fair at $9.99 I just left there with a "meh" feeling about what I had eaten - the place was heaving and so I don't think a two star review is going to harm their business, but I won't rush back.
(2)James S.
Food is not very high quality and now they did away with the free cookie so I not goi g back
(1)Linda J.
Went for lunch on a Sunday after the lunch rush so not pre time. Lots of employees visiting with each other. One even fooling with her cell phone. The dining room was dirty, lots of trash on the floor and tables needing to be cleaned. Food was okay but very disappointing experience. Certainly not the quality as in other states. Who ever owns this franchise needs to be much more attentive to their investment. You can only survive for so long on the good reputation of the other Panera locations. I wot be back unless things change.
(3)Michelle M.
This is regarding our visit April 7,2013. My husband and I love Panera we often visit the one up on Holly, so we were excited to see one open closer to our side of town. This one is still new so I am willing to come back and try again, but to be honest if I wasn't a loyal customer I probably would never come back. It took over 30 min to get our food, my soup and pasta were warmish ad they forgot our cookies. We asked two different servers for them and when we finally got them they were terrible. Bitter and not up to panera standard at all. I think I will wait a few weeks so they can work out the kinks and for the newness to wear off before coming back.
(2)Jennifer L.
Wow.. Love hate relationship.. I mean I practically lived in paneras in college and professional school. I haven't had any issues with service and my food arrived quickly....Unlike other reviews I had a couple issues with the bagels... Their first few weeks open..For example one morning in the drive through they told me they were out of them at 6:40 am... Interesting since they open at 6. So I said ok... Bye... But they really should have offered like a rain check...anyway My next attempt at getting a bagel was pretty disappointing.. It was very doughy on the inside like almost as though it was undercooked but it looked ok on the outside..it was sticking to my teeth... Very strange. I called to ask them about if anyone else thought this and I suggested maybe if it was something with the altitude because interestingly enough I felt the cookies that week were also under-done compared to the paradise locations..(though i liked that in the cookie... Not in the bagel). The manager did refund my purchase over the phone and apologized which was nice and I wasn't expecting that really.. I just wanted them to get the recipe right so I can order more bagels as I love their veggie and their hazelnut cream cheeses. Also mad I can't use a Panera gift card there yet or use the "my Panera" card as I missed out on my "free birthday pastry" which that card gets me...and I can't use my gift cards until 90 days after they have been opened apparently...sad as my mom in the Midwest found out I had a Panera near my work so she bought be giftcards for my bday and I can't use them
(3)Jay W.
I was pretty surprised that this Panera had gotten such bad reviews. I work close by so I've been here 5 or 6 times since it opened a couple months ago. I've found the food consistently good and up to what I was expecting. I really appreciate having a place to get pretty good food close by and not too expensive. And I've actually really been impressed by the staff; one staff member even recognized me the second or third time I came there and said welcome back and asked me how I was liking the store... They have a drive-thru, which has been really fast for me, and it's also clean and comfortable inside.
(4)Terie W.
I love this place! I grew up with these restaurants in St Louis. It's nice to see that the quality of food hasn't changed. Everything here is really good and the service is fast. The ambiance is very nice and relaxing as well.
(5)DonkeySmell ..
Went for the first time last night, 4/7/13, funny another poster was there the same day and had poor service too.. The tables were dirty, the floor was filthy, and the staff went to wipe the tables down using their bare hands! The food is overpriced for what you get, I spent $10 on half a crappy turkey sandwich with no flavor i could have made at home, soup that tasted like it came from a mix, and a cookie and drink. They ran out of tea and would not make more after I asked twice. Other tables were getting their orders mixed up or the wrong food delivered. The only good thing i had was the cookie. I will think twice before going back again. There are far better places to spend my money on.
(2)Dawson M.
Love it! Love it! We come here all the time!
(5)Becca P.
Having been to "Paradise Bakery" on Paseo 3 times and loving it, I was excited to try this one much closer to home! BLEH!! WTF?? My boyfriend and I went today 5/11/13 around noon. After standing in line about 5 min to order, the young and clueless girl had to leave us after every, and I do mean EVERY item requested to see if it was still available. (Oatmeal, Hibiscus tea, cinnamon roll.) She handed us our empty cups and hard crunchy cinnamon roll and we set out to find a table. The back of the restaurant smelled like homeless men had spent the night and the rest of the itty bitty tables were dirty. After finally finding one, we sat down to our cinnamon roll. I was shocked that it was hard and cold so darling BF went to ask if it could be heated up.... and was shown the do-it-yourself microwave. He said "I didn't realize the food was self service here too." It was good once warmed. We leisurely ate our cinnamon roll and it had been 25 minutes and the oatmeal still hadn't arrived. 25 minutes for OATMEAL???? REALLY?? Jeez! The oatmeal was just that, Oatmeal. NOT with granola, cinnamon, sugar and cream, as the menu indicated it would be. It had about 5 blueberries and was so dry it was inedible without some sort of liquid added. I was too dismayed to go fight it, so I added skim milk from the self serve station (there was no cream!) and a packet of sugar. After I "fixed" it, it was good, but not 5 dollars and 30 minutes good. I'd say about 2 dollars and 5 minutes good. Flying star has been and will continue to be my all time favorite restaurant. Less than 5 minutes away, a million times tastier, Its too late for us, save yourselves. :)
(1)John N.
As a long time Panera fan, I was glad to see this cafe open. However, on initial visit my order was missing ingrediants/items that are standard at Panera. Quality was inferior to any Panera I have visited in multiple states. Manager did not offer to correct the salad order as they were "out" of a main ingrediant. When I asked that it be replaced with a different salad she did so but in a much smaller bowl. When I pointed out the menu item on the Panera website, she advised me that Panera referred to as 'they" do things differently than her store which is really a Paradise Bakery referred to as "we". It looks like Panera in there but that's about it. No plan to return but will continue to visit Panera outside of New Mexico when travelling.
(1)