Panera Bread

12/07-08/25: Warm, delicious food here (Ciabatta Cheese Steak, Chicken Homemade Soup, Chips) at Panera with Sip club great deal. Wonderful service from Justin, Jeff, Xavier, Alejandra, Breanna, Elizabeth, Eric, Iris, Rico, and Josh. They all deserve holiday pay raises and special award recognition. A great spot for study work completion, and inspiring boost of productivity. Thank you all so much, and God bless. Delicious healthy foods—new warm Italian steak, mozz, crunchy potato chips, and unlimited sip club! Thank you so much Elizabeth, Justin, Jess for great service. They deserve a pay raise soon! Ideal spot for productive study work. Relaxing ambiance. God bless!

I stopped by the Panera Bread on Ventura Avenue in Encino and ordered the premium chicken soup with wild rice (around $10, bread included). The soup was rich, flavorful, and felt freshly made, and the bread was warm and tasty. The cashier, Miracle, really lived up to her name—she was friendly, patient, and very helpful, taking the time to guide me since I hadn’t been to Panera in a couple of years. The whole store was spotless, with a clean, fresh atmosphere that made the visit even better. It’s also easy to get to, with a free parking lot located conveniently in the back, which makes stopping in simple and stress-free. Overall, a very positive experience and one I’d happily repeat.

I am being extremely generous with this review. I have been a fan of Panera Bread since 2010. I recently found myself having a very common craving for Panera. The closest location I could find happened to be this one. It was a beautiful sunny day, PERFECT for a broccoli cheddar soup, in a bread bowl of course. I waited PATIENTLY for them to bring my soup. Phone in hand, they bring me a piece of PAPER to eat. I cannot believe what was once a safe place for me, is now serving PAPER to hint that I am bigger than the rest. I will not be returning to this location again. You WILL find me at another location eating my favorite Panera Bread original broccoli cheddar soup inside of a bread bowl.

I love this Panera. It's central on Ventura Blvd. The manager was so wonderful to speak with today. He has a great attitude. The staff were very friendly and my salad was ready for pick up when i got there.

We had a great brunch at this place! Their Greek salad and green passion smoothie were fresh and the Madagascar vanilla latte was amazing! Sergio was very friendly and respectful. Outstanding service and delicious foods!

Amazing Turkey & Cheddar. I love that it comes as two snall sandwiches making it easy to eat. ( attach pictures just one of the sandwiches). Americano iced was strong & refreshing. The manager was helpful and went above and beyond. Easy parking on the street in front or a small lot in the rear. Great selection of Breads and Pastries besides soups, sandwiches on all sorts of things..

The restaurant was clean. It was quiet. The food tasted good.

Sooooooooo good, as usual. Had my wisdom teeth removed and their soups helped tremendously. I also tried a green smoothie, it had mango passionfruit and spinach, way better than I expected. I’ll be revisiting this location, probably this week. 😋

Universal Experiences

I stopped by the Panera Bread on Ventura Avenue in Encino and ordered the premium chicken soup with wild rice (around $10, bread included). The soup was rich, flavorful, and felt freshly made, and the bread was warm and tasty. The cashier, Miracle, really lived up to her name—she was friendly, patient, and very helpful, taking the time to guide me since I hadn’t been to Panera in a couple of years. The whole store was spotless, with a clean, fresh atmosphere that made the visit even better. It’s also easy to get to, with a free parking lot located conveniently in the back, which makes stopping in simple and stress-free. Overall, a very positive experience and one I’d happily repeat.

Chessa del Rosario

12/07-08/25: Warm, delicious food here (Ciabatta Cheese Steak, Chicken Homemade Soup, Chips) at Panera with Sip club great deal. Wonderful service from Justin, Jeff, Xavier, Alejandra, Breanna, Elizabeth, Eric, Iris, Rico, and Josh. They all deserve holiday pay raises and special award recognition. A great spot for study work completion, and inspiring boost of productivity. Thank you all so much, and God bless. Delicious healthy foods—new warm Italian steak, mozz, crunchy potato chips, and unlimited sip club! Thank you so much Elizabeth, Justin, Jess for great service. They deserve a pay raise soon! Ideal spot for productive study work. Relaxing ambiance. God bless!

Anabelle Gonzalez-Baez

I am being extremely generous with this review. I have been a fan of Panera Bread since 2010. I recently found myself having a very common craving for Panera. The closest location I could find happened to be this one. It was a beautiful sunny day, PERFECT for a broccoli cheddar soup, in a bread bowl of course. I waited PATIENTLY for them to bring my soup. Phone in hand, they bring me a piece of PAPER to eat. I cannot believe what was once a safe place for me, is now serving PAPER to hint that I am bigger than the rest. I will not be returning to this location again. You WILL find me at another location eating my favorite Panera Bread original broccoli cheddar soup inside of a bread bowl.

James B. Golden

I love this Panera. It's central on Ventura Blvd. The manager was so wonderful to speak with today. He has a great attitude. The staff were very friendly and my salad was ready for pick up when i got there.

Addy Alkhatib

We had a great brunch at this place! Their Greek salad and green passion smoothie were fresh and the Madagascar vanilla latte was amazing! Sergio was very friendly and respectful. Outstanding service and delicious foods!

david holleb

Amazing Turkey & Cheddar. I love that it comes as two snall sandwiches making it easy to eat. ( attach pictures just one of the sandwiches). Americano iced was strong & refreshing. The manager was helpful and went above and beyond. Easy parking on the street in front or a small lot in the rear. Great selection of Breads and Pastries besides soups, sandwiches on all sorts of things..

Michael German

The restaurant was clean. It was quiet. The food tasted good.

J L

Sooooooooo good, as usual. Had my wisdom teeth removed and their soups helped tremendously. I also tried a green smoothie, it had mango passionfruit and spinach, way better than I expected. I’ll be revisiting this location, probably this week. 😋

Food was excellent Tasty ! The cashier customer service he provided was wonderful . I highly recommend this Location Thank you !

Panera Bread offers fresh sandwiches, salads, and baked goods with excellent customer service. Staff are friendly and attentive, making sure you get exactly what you want. The dining area is clean, bright, and comfortable for both eating in and working. I love their seasonal menu items and healthy options. Panera is consistent, convenient, and a top choice for casual dining.

Blanca Sifontes

Panera Bread offers fresh sandwiches, salads, and baked goods with excellent customer service. Staff are friendly and attentive, making sure you get exactly what you want. The dining area is clean, bright, and comfortable for both eating in and working. I love their seasonal menu items and healthy options. Panera is consistent, convenient, and a top choice for casual dining.

Food is good, service is good. It was $34 for me and my girl to have a small lunch. I guess I always thought it was a reasonably priced place. Not anymore I guess. I've been to Panera in other states and I have never seen it so pricey...

The food is good its just the tables that ruin the experience because it feels too tight and so small to eat.

Good service. A lot of space inside. Park in rear (Bank of A parking lot). -Only downside is Waiting time sometimes can be long…though u may just want to order a coffee, looks like only 1 staff is taking orders.

This Panera's got a nicer vibe than the one in Studio City for sure. Ordered a salad and BBQ chicken sandwich. Sandwich was just OK, but I threw some salad in there, and it took it up a notch. Pro tip: mix it up!

Delicious sandwiches great pizza friendly service, don’t forget Tuesday is 1 dozen bagel day

Joanne

Good service. A lot of space inside. Park in rear (Bank of A parking lot). -Only downside is Waiting time sometimes can be long…though u may just want to order a coffee, looks like only 1 staff is taking orders.

royce chang

This Panera's got a nicer vibe than the one in Studio City for sure. Ordered a salad and BBQ chicken sandwich. Sandwich was just OK, but I threw some salad in there, and it took it up a notch. Pro tip: mix it up!

Palmetto Aquino

Delicious sandwiches great pizza friendly service, don’t forget Tuesday is 1 dozen bagel day

Ramon

The food is good its just the tables that ruin the experience because it feels too tight and so small to eat.

The place need some updates.. it looks company doesn't care ..

I had a bad experience in this location yesterday. I ordered a caramel latte from the fast lane kiosk. After 45 minutes the order didn't still arrive. This was happening while the restaurant was not that busy. I went to the cashier and asked them about my order and I think it was then that they remembered they had an order pending! I think the best thing to do is not to use the fast lane kiosk here if you are in hurry. When I wanted to order my lunch the same day, I went to the cashier and the order was ready more quickly. The flatbread pizza and a fountain drink cost around $15. I think that's too expensive for the amount of food they provide!

Visits this location Friday in tge morning to get breakfast. I walked in and shortly after a man lined up after me. I received no greetings or a welcome or any acknowledgment from the worker who saw us and decided to continue to clean tge bread crumbs before assisting us. This continued while waiting until I asked her she can help us. No thank no have a good day. Zero customer service.

I have never been to this place until a client of mine asked me to pick something up for her. Smells good another soup is great. But I don't think my kids would enjoy it.

I’ve been a loyal fan of Panera Bread for years, particularly for their bread bowls, which used to be a highlight of my visits. However, my recent experience has left me quite disappointed. The bread bowl I ordered was more like a hollow piece of bread with just a couple of spoonfuls of soup inside. The portion of soup has noticeably decreased, making it feel like I was paying for bread rather than a meal. I always appreciated Panera for their quality and consistency, but the recent visits have made me rethink my choice. If this trend continues, I might have to start looking elsewhere for a quality meal. It’s unfortunate to see a place I once enjoyed so much let its standards slip like this.

I can’t do it. I just can’t give these guys more than two stars just for the food. I paid $32 for a half sandwich and a full salad. They included a piece of bread and a bag of chips. The salad was really so small And barely had any Toppings. The sandwich was super dry And gave me cottonmouth.

Dont waste your time ordering the day before from the app. as they will not put bagels in reserve for orders that are made a day prior, someone that comes in that day before your order is made will get priority... Ridiculous I have had now the four times in a row that i have ordered an asiago bagel breakfast sandwich and all of a sudden they are out of that bagel. A thought for management, maybe if you are constantly running out of a product you should probably make more to fulfill demand. Just to be clear, everyone is always nice here, food is delicious, planning to fulfill customer orders/making enough of a item so you dont constantly run out is awfully done. This is purely a management issue

The service yesterday was terrible. I called in my order & the girl didn't know the menu , she wasn't pleasant and sounded like she didn't know what she was doing. I come here a lot and for the past couple of Saturdays it hasn't been great. My oatmeal is always cold & I have to keep coming back all the time. The workers need a lot of improvement. I would like to get an incentive for my troubles. I spend a lot of money here and I expect great service and great food and great customer service.

01/19/2026 I've never been here before and I just came from a wack coffee shop across the street, so I gave this place a try. It was slow and nobody other than couple of customers were there. I ordered their "sesame chicken salad" and half of their "B.L.T. chicken sandwich" I have to mention that neither was that good because the "chicken" meat that was on both the salad and sandwich were too cold. Nothing was special.

They need to do a better job at pickup, go figure. The people behind the counter are non responsive and do not even greet you when you pick up at the counter. I’ve experienced this multiple times. Rude staff at the pickup counter and they have people waiting around (when their order is already ready), due to negligence.

Johnnef C Mendoza

01/19/2026 I've never been here before and I just came from a wack coffee shop across the street, so I gave this place a try. It was slow and nobody other than couple of customers were there. I ordered their "sesame chicken salad" and half of their "B.L.T. chicken sandwich" I have to mention that neither was that good because the "chicken" meat that was on both the salad and sandwich were too cold. Nothing was special.

Stella Laveau

They need to do a better job at pickup, go figure. The people behind the counter are non responsive and do not even greet you when you pick up at the counter. I’ve experienced this multiple times. Rude staff at the pickup counter and they have people waiting around (when their order is already ready), due to negligence.

siamakzg

I’ve been a loyal fan of Panera Bread for years, particularly for their bread bowls, which used to be a highlight of my visits. However, my recent experience has left me quite disappointed. The bread bowl I ordered was more like a hollow piece of bread with just a couple of spoonfuls of soup inside. The portion of soup has noticeably decreased, making it feel like I was paying for bread rather than a meal. I always appreciated Panera for their quality and consistency, but the recent visits have made me rethink my choice. If this trend continues, I might have to start looking elsewhere for a quality meal. It’s unfortunate to see a place I once enjoyed so much let its standards slip like this.

Some food and two very scared children pretty much sums up my experience here today. When we ordered from a very friendly and very sweet cashier, we asked if our kids meals include drinks, which we were assured they do. All of a sudden, a manager, Natalie Drummer (sp?) came out to ringing us up and everything went downhill from there. When we questioned why our bill was so high, it turned out that my kids drinks were not included after all. The cashier even confirmed to the manager that she told us of the drinks are free, it wasn’t a big deal except for the huge amount of attitude we got from the manager because we were magically supposed to know their own policies better than they do. She went on a rant explaining how the drinks were clearly a different line order on her computer, except she had no idea how to explain to us how we’re supposed to see the computer from the other side of the counter. She rolled her eyes so much and was so rude that I actually had to stop and ask her to keep her frustration to a minimum and stop being rude in front of my children. At no point did she apologize or improve her demeanor towards us, she huffed and puffed and ran off before saying thank you or sorry or giving us a receipt. My poor children were so freaked out they were afraid to drink their drinks during lunch. The manager then proceeded to keep coming around and cleaning the tables around us, making us extremely uncomfortable and just ready to get out of there. Definitely not a place I would ever come back to you, but I do urge the owners to have some better management training for their employees, especially when small children are present.

Nobody at the counter. Used the screen instead but there weren't buzzers so I had to order to go. 8 Dollar fruit plate that had a great picture of a large bowl of strawberries and other fresh fruits. Actual fruit plate was a tiny cup with 4 pieces of cantaloupe in it for 8 dollars. Crazy price for bad service and bad food.

This is the worst experience I’ve ever had with customer service. A obnoxious young lady at the at the register wouldn’t answer my questions and when I asked her to elaborate on the menu she told me that I was personally attacking her?! At that point I asked for the manager and informed the manager that this young woman thought that I was personally attacking her… The manager proceeded to upsell me on items like apples and cookies and other other things. The macaroni and cheese that came with the sandwich was about 2 ounces it cost seven dollars plus tax total charge for my supposed steak and cheese sandwich with a iced coffee and a 2 ounce cup of macaroni And cheese… Wait for it $24! This place is awful and the girl needs to be fired. Fire her and I’ll remove the review.

If u order ahead and you receive a text saying your order is ready, it’s a lie. Twice i have come in and my order wasnt ready. Why did i get a text then? I used to work fast food and we would do tricks all the time to make it look like we were completing drive thru orders the fastest, so your business looks like it is doing better than the other Paneras. I mean that is why i sign up for text message alerts. At least give me something free if ur not processing my order properly. I dont like standing and waiting, so that is why i order ahead. Manager wouldn’t give me my choice of freebie. Never going back, and that was a good amount i would spend PER DAY! $35 bucks a day u aint ever getting again.

I had a delivery order on September 20, 2022. Sadly, nothing was correct with my order and I reached out to see if I can be compensated in any way. I did not receive a response until October 12. The manager, Nathan, reached out and I was grateful for a follow up finally! Unfortunately after I emailed Nathan back, I have had radio silence for 2 weeks. When I call they tell me he isn't in. All I want is a refund for my order since that was made incorrectly. update 11/30/23: never got a response back, no refund either.

They charge more for a single serving of cream cheese than they do for the bagel it goes on. Also ordered a cinnamon crunch bagel and it didn’t have any topping which is the best part. They charge way to much for way too little.

This place is good if you go inside to order, but ordering online is not a good idea. I placed a rapid order, I arrived 20 min later, my order was not ready. I went to check and they told me they didn't have what I had ordered, but when I checked online they did. They didn't even bother to send me an email about it. I used to go almost everyday, but now I avoid it for that reason.

Arrived at 8:10pm, doors were locked. The first guy didn't even bother to come to the door. The woman who finally came to the door and said they close at 8pm tonight and I could not pick up what i pre ordered.

I'm filing a Discrimination lawsuit against this Panera Bread. I THINK (I have to say that) informants work at his location. I THINK the cooks did something to my food. I wouldn't eat at this location. The tables are always dirty. it took a while, but I finally found the name of who owns this Panera. This location also kept my money for a $4.00 cookie that I never received. I have to file another dispute with my bank against Panera. I've won all of them. I was a Panera member & part of the Sip club. Bums get treated better than me. Don't eat here! Terron M. Fleming @realterronla

Terrible, terrible, terrible!!! I got the 1/2 chicken Cesare salad and asked to add some tomatoes. Got the salad,sat down, opened it and thought I got the wrong salad. It was topped with crunchies. I couldn't find the chicken. The pieces were so small and there were only about 6. And as for the tomatoes, the gave me 3 tiny cherry tomatoes that they charged me $2.00 for. This bowl of lettuce cost me $11.00!!!! Bye bye Panera!!!

We dined in on Monday March 9, ordered Full Tuna sandwich and a full bowl of Mac & cheese. My sandwich was not so great it was just Tuna with little lettuce and small piece of tomato. I went up to the lady who made the sandwich and I asked her add onions and more lettuce she literally told oh we don't put onions any more. I told her I always get my tuna sandwich made by panera with fresh bread and more ingredients. She literally just put only three little string of red onion in a bowl and said here. Please see picture of my sandwich. I always went to panera of freshness and more courteous service. Totally disappointed and not happy to spend $37 for two items. I hope Manager looks into this issue.

They literally let white people cut in front of Black people, and ignore black customers. They simply have prejudice going on at this location. There was five people behind the counter, Literally ignoring the customers, and not letting them pick up their order. The most entitled and evil spirited Panera workers you’ll ever find, it’s like they hate being alive. It’s disgusting how they treat people at this location. My friends and family have reported this location, and none of us will be back. Disgusting, ignorant, and prejudice behavior.

And for this I paid $16 plus a coffee subscription. I do not recommend having breakfast here because the portions in the picture look FULL but in reality it looks like they stole some pasta and cooked it for me. The manager could not help at all and advised me to contact support for something somewhere.

Pipin Hot Tea

They literally let white people cut in front of Black people, and ignore black customers. They simply have prejudice going on at this location. There was five people behind the counter, Literally ignoring the customers, and not letting them pick up their order. The most entitled and evil spirited Panera workers you’ll ever find, it’s like they hate being alive. It’s disgusting how they treat people at this location. My friends and family have reported this location, and none of us will be back. Disgusting, ignorant, and prejudice behavior.

Denis Zverev

And for this I paid $16 plus a coffee subscription. I do not recommend having breakfast here because the portions in the picture look FULL but in reality it looks like they stole some pasta and cooked it for me. The manager could not help at all and advised me to contact support for something somewhere.

We were just here and we right away noticed that the place was untidy. There were food debris of chips, bread and cups were left on tables. It wasn’t cleaned after the customers left. Food debris are also on the floor carpet. Spilled water is also on the floor next to the vending machine. It wasn’t the busiest time of the day being close to 6 PM but all the staff were all at the kitchen and counter. No one seemed to bother to clean the dining area for customers who prefers to eat onsite: There were just too many litter when we visited. They need to improve on cleanliness. The soup was also sloppy today. This is not thr same as before.

I got a cappuccino here today, it was disgustingly bland. There was almost no coffee flavor, it was warm frothed milk for $6. As for the interior, it's straight out of the 2000s, this place has never seen a renovation. And they have the audacity to ask for tips, invest some money in the renovation first. I will never buy anything here again.

rock fortress

We were just here and we right away noticed that the place was untidy. There were food debris of chips, bread and cups were left on tables. It wasn’t cleaned after the customers left. Food debris are also on the floor carpet. Spilled water is also on the floor next to the vending machine. It wasn’t the busiest time of the day being close to 6 PM but all the staff were all at the kitchen and counter. No one seemed to bother to clean the dining area for customers who prefers to eat onsite: There were just too many litter when we visited. They need to improve on cleanliness. The soup was also sloppy today. This is not thr same as before.

Dmitrii Rozhkov

I got a cappuccino here today, it was disgustingly bland. There was almost no coffee flavor, it was warm frothed milk for $6. As for the interior, it's straight out of the 2000s, this place has never seen a renovation. And they have the audacity to ask for tips, invest some money in the renovation first. I will never buy anything here again.