When I was looking through the Panera app, I noticed they have some new sandwiches and salads. The Panera Chipotle Bacon Melt and Teriyaki Check Sandwich are the first two I chose for their You Pick Two.

First up is the Panera Chipotle Bacon Melt. On their site, the description says it has “bacon, smoked Gouda, American cheese, and chipotle mayo toasted on Classic White.” This classic white bread reminded me of Texas toast, and it was absolutely delicious. A little bit of crunch, but still has some softness in the middle.

There was melty cheese all around with bacon slices hiding in the middle. The chipotle mayo made this feel super indulgent and I was a bit guilty as I finished this sandwich. There’s no way I would ever order a whole one, only a half. With the half size at 450 calories (it tastes like double that, with all the cheese/mayo/bacon!), I suggest pairing this with a super healthy salad or veggie soup for a bit of balance.

Unfortunately, I really wanted to try all their new sandwiches so my other half was the Panera Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich instead of a healthy salad. Panera’s description says “seared chicken thighs tossed in teriyaki sauce, pickled red onions, diced cucumbers, emerald greens, fresh cilantro, and mayo toasted on Artisan Ciabatta.”

Maybe I ate too many pickled onions at once, or perhaps it was the fact that I wasn’t expecting chicken thighs, but I wasn’t a huge fan of this. Going into this, I hadn’t read the ingredients yet and thought there would be a flavorful teriyaki sauce over everything. The mayo on it was a strange addition. Overall, the Artisan Ciabatta bread was my favorite part; it reminded me of their baguette. With the calorie count for the half size at 430 calories, this wasn’t a very light sandwich. Not something I would order again.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t get either of these again in the near future. Only once in a while would I get the Panera Chipotle Bacon Melt when I needed some comfort food.

If you got to try either of these sandwiches, let me know what you thought. Later this week, I will post my review on their other new sandwich and salad. Thanks for reading!