Bites Nearby: Panera Bread

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Panera Bread

Overview: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, Panera Bread is there for you. It is conveniently located at the end of the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, so that you can stop by for a quick eat and then continue your shopping.

 Decor: The inside is homey and artsy with pictures of different pastries on the walls. Though the main walkway can be a little trafficked, if you walk around the corner, there is a little area with more seats where you can sit and not have to worry about the crowd after you place your order. 

The Drinks: It has the general soft drinks but there are also other drinks you can choose from, like the espresso bar which has café mocha, latte, cappuccino and hot chocolate. There are fruit smoothies and frozen drinks, and beverages like lemonade, organic juice, water, milk, and iced great tea. They also have freshly brewed coffee and hot tea.

 Appetizers:  Though there are no actual appetizers, they have breakfast sandwiches like ham, egg, and cheese on a jalapeno and cheddar bagel or breakfast power sandwich. These are served until 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. on weekends. They also serve soufflés and bagels with cream cheese.

 Entrees: There are a lot of different entrees such as hot panini’s in cuban chicken, smokehouse turkey, and tomato and mozzarella. There is an all-natural steak chili which is a blend of brisket, ground beef, onion, bell peppers and kidney beans. If you’re a vegetarian, mach and check with tangy Vermont white cheddar cheese sauce over shell pasta. There are also nearly a dozen different sandwiches to choose from such as chipotle chicken, Italian combo, Mediterranean veggie. All of these are offered with a variety of breads from country, French, and focaccia to whole grain, sourdough, and honey wheat.

 Sides: There are signature salads like Thai chopped chicken salad, Fuji apple chicken salad, or regular café salads like a Greek salad or a classic salad. There are also soups which can be served in a bowl, or bread bowl. You can also order soup for a group which serves 3-4 people. There is a soup schedule that they follow that organizes the soups into days. For example, for Friday the soups are chicken noodle, French onion, broccoli cheddar, creamy tomato, garden vegetable, and new England clam chowder. Additional soups are available seasonally and, as expected, the soups are subject to change.

 Desserts: For dessert there are baked goods such as cinnamon crumb coffee cake, brownies, scones, cookies, pastries, sweet rolls, and muffins.

 Service: The wait to order can be a bit long if you hit a rush (in the very morning, or around lunch time for example) but the staff always greets you with a smile. They are more than willing to explain what a certain food may be, or look it up if they don’t know off hand. If you’re confused about portion size, for example a cup of soup vs. a bowl of soup, they immediately go get the cup and bowl to show you the comparison. They are also very prompt with getting your food out to you with exactly what you wanted or needed. If you have a problem, you can go talk to them and they are willing to help try to fix it.

 Signature Dish: You Pick 2: You can pick a combination of two things between a cup of soup, half a sandwich, and half a café salad.

Panera Bread

Address: 201 Broadway Mall, Hicksville NY. 

Cost: $-$$