Panera just told everyone about their big menu change, calling it a “new era.” They’ve never changed their menu this much before. They looked at what customers said and made more than 20 updates. One exciting change is they added four new salads, which started being served on April 4th.
Alicia Mowder, who works as Panera’s boss for product ideas, said, “We’re making Panera better with these menu changes, all based on what our customers like. We’ve talked to lots of customers to make more than 20 new or improved items. We’re happy to bring these changes to Panera stores all over.”
Panera said their new salads were full of flavor and really filling. I was curious, so I decided to give them a try. Each salad was different and had its own good points. Some were twists on old favorites, while others had unique flavors mixed in. I looked at each salad carefully and tasted them just like they were described.
Now, let me tell you how these new salads compared, starting from the not-so-great ones to the best ones. Which salads are worth spending your money on for lunch, and which ones might not be so tasty? Keep reading to find out!
Ranch Cobb Salad
NUTRITION (PER 1 SALAD):
CALORIES: 450
FAT: 35 g (Saturated Fat: 9 g)
SODIUM: 930 mg
CARBS: 20 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 11 g)
PROTEIN: 16 g
This salad features romaine and crisp mixed greens tossed in ranch dressing, topped with grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, applewood-smoked bacon, feta, and a hard-boiled egg. This salad was priced at $9.99.
The look: Anytime I see halved hard-boiled eggs in a salad I’m happy because I know that I’ll be getting protein in a delicious way. This colorful salad had bacon bits on top and the pickled red onions added visual interest.
The taste: This was an OK-tasting salad. It was pretty basic and not exciting or really delicious. I was confused by some of the choices here including feta (traditionally a Cobb salad gets bleu cheese) and the ranch dressing, which didn’t add anything (a vinaigrette with lemon and Dijon would have been so much better). The bacon was a nice addition, but not enough to make me crave this salad. I would eat it but it’s pretty forgettable.
Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad
NUTRITION (PER 1 SALAD):
CALORIES: 650
FAT: 45 g (Saturated Fat: 7 g, Trans Fat: 0.5 g)
SODIUM: 1040 mg
CARBS: 34 g (Fiber: 10 g, Sugar: 10 g)
PROTEIN: 31 g
This new salad features romaine tossed in ranch dressing, with grilled chicken and drizzled with chipotle aioli, topped with fresh avocado, grape tomatoes, roasted corn, fresh cilantro and blue corn tortilla strips. It cost $13.49.
The look: This vibrant salad looked enticing with pops of color from the red grape tomatoes and the bright yellow corn. The avocado appeared unripe, which was concerning.
The taste: The chipotle aioli gave this salad a nice, spicy kick. While the rest of the ingredients were pretty basic, the combination of corn and ranch did give it a delectable flavor. The blue corn tortilla strips added crunch in an unobtrusive way. While this salad was tasty, it wasn’t anything special. Maybe some cheese could have put it over the top, but as is, it was just OK.
Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains
NUTRITION: (Per 1 salad):
CALORIES: 580
FAT: 29 g (Saturated Fat: 7 g, Trans Fat: 0.5 g)
SODIUM: 1330 mg
CARBS: 49 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 12 g)
36 g protein
This salad has romaine and crispy mixed greens mixed with balsamic vinaigrette. On top, there’s whole grain blend, grilled chicken, sliced cucumbers, sliced pepperoncini peppers, fresh avocado, feta, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of Green Goddess dressing. It costs $13.49.
The look: This salad looked really green overall. Everything in it was green, and I wished there were more colors to make it more appealing. The pumpkin seeds looked like tiny black dots, which didn’t look too appetizing.
The taste: The first time I ordered this salad, it didn’t have pepperoncini peppers or Green Goddess dressing. Panera fixed the mistake, and my second salad with all the ingredients was pretty tasty (even though they said they ran out of cucumbers). I’m not a big fan of balsamic, but the Green Goddess dressing made this salad really delicious. A tip: they only give you a little drizzle, so ask for more on the side. I finished that second salad in no time and would definitely order it again.
Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains
NUTRITION: (Per 1 salad):
CALORIES: 670
FAT: 40 g (Saturated Fat: 8 g, Trans Fat: 0.5 g)
SODIUM: 1410 mg
CARBS: 45 g (Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 7 g)
34 g protein
This salad has romaine and crisp mixed greens mixed with Greek dressing. On top, there’s whole grain blend, grilled chicken, hummus, feta, red onions, peppadew peppers, sliced cucumbers, and a sprinkle of shawarma seasoning. It cost $13.49.
The look: This salad didn’t look too appealing at first, mainly because it lacked colorful veggies. I was a bit intimidated by the big slices of red onions, but I was excited to see the generous portions of hummus on the sides and the shawarma seasoning looked promising.
The taste: Surprisingly, this salad was delicious! Even though feta usually doesn’t go with other Panera salads, it fit perfectly here. The chicken was a bit thin, but the hummus added a nice touch. The shawarma seasoning really brought out the flavor. The dressing complemented everything well.
One small issue though: I found a lettuce end in my salad. Panera, please pay more attention to your ingredients and chop those onions smaller! Despite that, if I’m near Panera and hungry, I’d definitely order this salad again.