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I Tried Every Soup At Panera. Some Really Impressed Me, But There Are 2 I'd Never Order Again.
I tried all the standard soups at Panera Bread and reviewed them.
Steven John
- My local Panera Bread offers six different soups, and I tried each one to find the best and worst.
- The homestyle chicken noodle was surprisingly flavorful and loaded with noodles, meat, and veggies.
- However, both the rustic baked potato and bistro French onion let me down.
With over 2,000 locations in the US and Canada, Panera Bread is my go-to spot for a warm bowl of soup when I'm on the go. So, I tried all of its year-round options to find the best ones.
I skipped the seasonal menu items and the chili (that's like comparing apples to oranges, in my opinion).
With the chain's broccoli cheddar, creamy tomato, homestyle chicken noodle, cream of chicken and wild rice, bistro French onion, and rustic baked potato in front of me — along with a few sides of bread and chips — I got to tasting.
Here's what I thought of each soup.
The broccoli cheddar was rich, tasty, and comforting.I started with Panera's broccoli-cheddar soup.
Steven John
I was unduly impressed with Panera's broccoli-cheddar soup.
It's an incredibly easy soup to screw up by adding too much salt, going overboard on the cheese, or messing up the consistency.
However, this version was rich but not overly thick, and it had a cheesy, creamy taste with just the right saltiness.
The vegetables were cooked to an ideal softness but weren't falling apart.
My only complaint is that I would've liked a little more broccoli, but I'd still definitely order this again — especially when I need to warm up on a cold, rainy day.
I couldn't get behind the texture of Panera's rustic baked potato.The cheese didn't melt into the baked-potato soup, which wasn't ideal.
Steven John
I absolutely love a good baked-potato soup, and I tend to order it at restaurants when it's available. However, Panera's version didn't hold up for me.
The consistency felt far too thin and slightly over-blended, which meant an excess release of starch from the potato cells. This led to a gluey texture, as can happen with mashed potatoes that are whipped too much.
The soup also wasn't quite hot enough to melt the sprinkle of cheese on top, which didn't help.
All in all, I thought the baked-potato soup was a letdown.
The creamy tomato was thin but still tasty.I'm used to cream-based soups being a little thicker.
Steven John
If you're a fan of tomato soup, I think you're safe to order Panera's creamy tomato — ideally with extra croutons or chunks of bread to thicken it up some.
I found the texture to be a bit too thin for a cream-based soup, but the flavor was excellent. It had the slightest bit of spice to round out the herby undertones.
Although I think I would've preferred it served in one of Panera's bread bowls for a heartier meal, it was still one of my favorites. I'd order it again.
Panera's cream of chicken and wild rice didn't have a ton of flavor.The texture of the creamy chicken soup was great; it was just a bit bland.
Steven John
I enjoyed the cream of chicken and wild rice in the same way I might enjoy a piece of butter toast. It was good — satisfying, even — but there wasn't really anything special about it.
The consistency was good, and there were plenty of veggies and chunks of meat. However, the overall flavor was sort of bland — an ambiguous salty creaminess.
A little more spice would really elevate this soup.
The bistro French onion was a flop for me.I really like French onion soup, but this wasn't a great one.
Steven John
French onion soup is another favorite of mine, but Panera's middling take on the classic disappointed me.
The broth tasted too sweet for my liking, and the onions were cut a bit too thick. I also think they could've been cooked down more.
Furthermore, Panera garnishes its soup with just a sprinkling of cheese and a side of croutons. A French onion soup without a layer of melty, cheese-slathered toast on top is like a football game with half the team missing.
This one is, unfortunately, a pass for me in the future.
Panera's homestyle chicken noodle was remarkably good.There's nothing quite like a cup of chicken-noodle soup.
Steven John
The next time I have a cold, I'm ordering Panera's homestyle-chicken-noodle soup.
The broth was rich in flavor, with a satisfying but not overpowering saltiness and some umami notes. What really impressed me, though, was the volume of ingredients packed into the broth.
There were lots of noodles, chunks of meat, and pieces of sliced carrot and celery — but I almost wished there was less since the broth was so good.
Even sans any ailments, I'd order a cup of this again.
Overall, there are a few soups I'd definitely come back for.Broccoli cheddar and chicken noodle were easily my top picks, but I'd order creamy tomato again.
Steven John
The most humble of Panera's six soup offerings caught my attention the most. Every part of its chicken-noodle soup tasted good.
I'd also gladly order the broccoli cheddar and creamy tomato again. The cream of chicken and wild rice needs a little more oomph, but it's still a contender.
Even though (or perhaps because) they are usually some of my favorite varieties of soups, I wouldn't order the baked potato or French onion at Panera again. They just didn't live up to my expectations.
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