Au Bon Pain

Napa Chicken with Avocado:
all natural chicken, fresh avocado,
romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, lemon
aioli & lemon shallot vinaigrette=a great frickin' wrap!

I am really sorry about this, but I ended up just running inside to look at the restaurant.  There was no real experience that I could write about.  Honestly, I wanted to check in to another building but it wasn't available.  

From what I saw, it seemed like fresh ingredients and worth trying at least once.  :)

First, as other reviewers have noted, the address listed is a little confusing.  Yes, technically that is the address for the building that houses Au Bon Pain, but it also houses a number of other businesses, and entering through the Michigan entrance is a bit of a confusing roundabout way to get to the restaurant.  It is much easier to go around the corner and enter through Au Bon Pain's main entrance on Adams, between Michigan and Wabash.

Au Bon Pain has become my usual lunch spot before or after a visit to The Art Institute.  Are there better places to eat in the area?  Yes, of course there are.  But when all I want to do is sit down and have a quick meal after a visit to the museum, then Au Bon Pain hits the spot.  I'm not a huge fan of their sandwiches (they aren't bad, but they aren't great, either), and I don't care for their salad bar (not too many items available).  The soups, however, are all very tasty, and they always have a good selection from which to choose.  My favorites include the potato leek soup, the wild mushroom bisque, the minestrone, and the butternut squash and apple soup (I believe it is seasonal, as I usually only see it in the fall).  

Finally, I can't escape Au Bon Pain without at least one cookie, preferably one of the coconut macaroons with dried cherries and chocolate.  Those things are amazing!  Towards the end of the day, usually about an hour before closing, any cookies and pastries that haven't been sold are discounted.  Bonus!