I am really sorry about this, but I ended up just running inside to look at the restaurant. Â There was no real experience that I could write about. Â Honestly, I wanted to check in to another building but it wasn't available. Â
From what I saw, it seemed like fresh ingredients and worth trying at least once. Â :)
First, as other reviewers have noted, the address listed is a little confusing. Â 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. Â 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. Â Are there better places to eat in the area? Â Yes, of course there are. Â 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. Â 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). Â The soups, however, are all very tasty, and they always have a good selection from which to choose. Â 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). Â
Finally, I can't escape Au Bon Pain without at least one cookie, preferably one of the coconut macaroons with dried cherries and chocolate. Â Those things are amazing! Â Towards the end of the day, usually about an hour before closing, any cookies and pastries that haven't been sold are discounted. Â Bonus!
The entrance is closer to Adams/Michigan on Adams... don't try to enter at 122 N Michigan because it's a roundabout way to get there.
I don't love Au Bon Pain but I do enjoy their selections of soups (up to 12 a day) and their chocolate cherry almond macaroons.
Otherwise everything is ok and moderately priced.
Going to this location of Au Bon Pain is a treat... literally and figuratively! Â I love their coffee drinks, cupcakes, m&m cookies, and everything else I've tried. The fruit has always been fresh, and the soup and salad bar selections is pretty wide (don't forget one of the breadsticks, too!) Â Also great- they put the calorie count on EVERYTHING. Not great if you're trying to avoid thinking about how many calories are in that danish, but I find it helpful. Â I have been here the past 3 or 4 Fridays around noon (except for Black Friday,) and I always feel welcome and well taken care of by the staff. Â They don't just take your order or check you out. Â They strike up a conversation with you, say hi even if you're already being helped, and it feels like they really take pride in their store and in retaining you as a customer. Â My weekly Friday visits will definitely continue!
Review Source:Not bad - not the best, and certainly not the worst. Last night I was running late and needed to grab something quick. I asked to try the Chicken salad - the guy said I don't think we can do that. I said why not? He said all the portions are already measured out...........I said, then should I have you make a sandwich and then ask for my money back if I don't like it?
He gave me a sample, I ordered the sandwich. It was good.
They are a bit pricey but far better food than Subway that is for sure!
Went here for the first time for lunch today. Had a lobster salad croissant, a drink and some broccoli cheese soup. My bill was $22. Ridiculous. They had the nerve to charge me $5 for a cup of soup but when I asked for some basic saltine crackers they claimed they did not have any. Where does this place get off charging so much for cafeteria style fare... which was very mediocre, might I add????
Review Source:This place up until a month ago would have received a negative star however they must have gotten new management or something. Â They used to have the WORST employees ever. Â They would talk trash to each other in front of the customers, used to act like they would rather be anywhere but working and serving you. Â However about a month ago, this started to change and I have been going there more often. Â They still have one employee which I avoid because she is so rude but oh well. Â In general, the employees are happy, helpful and the managers are actually very visible when you there- jumping in and helping when needed. Â As other Yelpers have mentioned- prices way to high and the salad bar doesn't have that good of selection. Â However since I am located in their building, its too convenient not to have to put on my coat to get lunch!
Review Source:Au Bon Pain--it's served me well. Â I first heard of it when I was in Cleveland Ohio, and thought it was the fanciest place ever :) Â Then I moved here and worked at Rush Hospital for 3 years--lots of overnight shifts, and it was the only thing open in the middle of the night for coffee or a snack. Â So I've been coming to this ABP about three times a week when I'm in the area for the past 3 or 4 years, and the fact that I'm still not sick of it says a lot. Â I like the do-it-yourself coffee, and if they are out of a certain coffee they'll go and make a fresh batch for you. Â Also a fan of some of the pastries and bagels. Â And they won't charge you for water. Â Yes the prices are expensive but it's downtown Chicago, oh well. Â Free wifi and generally pretty clean, can't ask for too much more. Â AND if you really care there is computer thing you can look up nutrition info for anything they sell!
And yes, the address is misleading/confusing but not wrong, because the building it is housed in has a main entrance on Michigan.
We were here twice on our visit and in all fairness, neither time was at a lunch rush. I can only say that for breakfast and coffee this was a nice place to have it. I was wandering around trying to figure out what I wanted and a nice employee came to see if he could help me decide. Both times the employees were nice, smiling and seemed to be genuine about it.
The food is good, the bakery has good options.
My first experience was in Washington DC. It was all to-order and that was where I had my first experience with a Sobe beverage. Going to this one, it is mostly self-serve and is always busy considering the area. Some of their cookies are great, but you have to make sure how long they kept them out. They also have a great seasonal pumpkin soup... I got that a lot to enjoy in rainy weather.
Review Source:Most of the people who work here are super nice. The soups are usually very good, but the salad bar is hit or miss on freshness (and the price is wayyyy steep, but that's the norm for Au Bon Pain chain). The atmosphere is pretty dirty and the furniture is a little dated. They also stopped having water in the soda machine, which i'm bummed about (you have to ask someone in the sandwich area to get you water if you want it). I have to give this place 3 stars for the staff, who really make this place an option for me.
Review Source:The address is correct for the main building entrance on Michigan Ave, but not for the actual store itself, which can be navigated to through the building by going left just after the front desk.
I used to eat at an Au Bon Pain a lot when I worked close to it so when I had an unyielding hankering for their Arizona Chicken sandwich, I found this location.
In order to get a sandwich made, you go to this counter, and fill out a order paper... strange. Â They layout of this place is like a cafeteria where you collect all the accoutrements and go to the lunch lady to pay.
$22 for two sandwiches, a cup of soup, and a Pepsi.
I was familiar with the sandwich I ordered being a bit more spicy but it was not, big disappointment. Â I sauntered over to Millennium Park to picnic and unfortunately had to listen to a pretty crummy band play at the theater.
Think the photo will say a thousand words.... chain, strewn throughout this great city....solid.... not patisserie quality, but fresh ingredients. Very similar to the La Bou outfit of Sacramento. Crowded in this prime location...pre-CSO snack!
Creme de Fleur....nice sweet cheese (attempted in French-style) with soft bread.
Zero rating. Do not go into this restaurant unless you like being humiliated. I was accused of not paying a $4[!] bill and when I showed proof of payment I was pawed twice by the bovine manager even though I had said not to touch me. The regional manager told me the store manager was "so sorry" but never offered to pay the $4 to assuage my embarrassment in front of other customers who later came to me and offered their apologies for the ham-handed manner in which I was treated. A terribly managed store. Go there only if you are a masochist. An attempt to contact the CEO was fruitless.
Review Source:The Pasta Di Fagoli soup was probably the worst of it's kind. Bland & Too much macaroni which was subpar. The clam chowder was so-so. The Prosciuto sandwich wasn't bad-Yet i've tried better. The onion roll wasn't the best-despite it's red-purple onion shavings atop. However, The chocolate mint cake was REAL good. And THAT'S what give the place an extra star. But an extra-star for the Dark Chocolate Raisins I recently had.
Review Source:Au Bon Pain does what they do better than anyone else in this category. I am a big fan of this particular location. The staff is fast and friendly. The layout can get you playing bumpercars with your fellow patrons, and the bus from Gurnee with the blue hairs arrives almost daily [you have to time your visit just right to either see, or avoid them]. I like the sandwich ordering process and the soup and [help me!] macaroni and cheese [!] have crack in them, I swear, they are totally addictive. And since they are officially a bakery, they have some of the best bread and rolls, cookies and pastries anywhere. You really can't miss at breakfast or lunch ... or your 3:00 coffee and nosh at Au Bon Pain.
Review Source:After seeing these places everywhere, I finally managed to have lunch at one.  Two things immediately put this place in my favor:  Their wraps & the cream of chicken wild rice soup; two of my favorites.  Not surprisingly by the time I got to go to lunch, they were all out of chicken caesar wraps, I settled for southwestern tuna.  Unfortunately it wasn't so much southwestern in my opinion.  I really like the concept of the place, a cafeteria kind of layout but cozy and much friendlier.  All you fuckers should go here and stop pronouncing TARGET as /Targét/
Review Source:The address - isn't right. Au Bon Pain is located on Adams, between Michigan and Wabash.
I don't agree with Gail about the salad bar. There is an extensive selection. One said has regular veggies and stuff for make your own salad, the other side already made salads (corn chipotle, asparagus with almonds, etc) and sides. The sandwiches are yummy.
The desserts are even better.
The prices area  little high - but it's the loop, so can be expected.
This is the world's most confusing Au Bon Pain.
One, if you are going off the address alone, you'll never find this location. Â As other reviewers have noted, the entrance is on Adams, not Michigan. Â It's not even the corner of Michigan and Adams - its a ways down. Â
Two, this location is completely laid out weird. Â It has a salad bar, but its the most boring salad bar ever. Â My local Dominick's has a better salad bar. Â I'm not even sure where you'd order a sandwich - I grabbed my chicken caesar wrap out of the cooler. Â The pastries are sort of in this window nook, but its narrow enough that if you get more than 3 people looking for a pastry, it feels like a zillion. Â
Oh, and the entrance for the kitchen must be god only knows where, because you have to dodge folks carrying hot pans of soup when attempting to enter or leave. Â It just feels very crowded and confusing.
The registers are off to the side, sort of crowded in. Â And I only saw one kiosk for napkins and silverware, which was in another nook, which exactly one person could fit in. Â So, you had to wait in line to grab a napkin.
On the good side, the dining room proper, which may also be easy to miss, looks very nice and soothing. Â It was quiet and not at all crowded, compared to the main area.
I came here looking for my asiago bagels and a bit of nostalgia, and found myself a bit disappointed. Â
This store has reduced weekend hours, and no coffee/espresso bar. Â Additionally - you have to MAKE YOUR OWN SALAD. Â The travesty.
A moment of panic turned into happiness when the sandwich maker informed me that they had 1 bagel left behind the counter. Â (The regular bin was empty - oh no!) Â
My bagel was good though - almost as good as I remembered it. Â Fresh squeezed OJ was yummy too. Â The only thing I could have lived without are all those bees outside!
This bakery is along Adams in the same building (Peoples Gas Building) as the Bennigan's, just across from the Art Institute. I definitely would not imagine that too many of the selections are super-healthy or low-caloric, but most are quite good. The baked goods (croissants, coffee cakes, cookies, etc.) that are left at the end of the day are marked down to half-price, though this bargain time is now 6pm to 7pm.
Review Source:
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