Wow, does this place get crowded at lunch time. Â When you walk in, there is a crowd of people rummaging through the case usually. Â But the rummaging is for a reason; the food is good! Â I LOVE the egg salad sandwich here. Â I have also had the mac and cheese with sausage in it and it was good if a bit rich. Â The orange canned soda is alright. Â I also have tried the brownie bite, which tasted a bit like fudge and small enough for a nice snack. Â Prices are not cheap, but oh man, that egg salad sandwich. Â Might go for lunch today...third time this week...I have a problem. :)
Review Source:I sometimes miss the UK. Pret A Manager reminds me of Heathrow.
The manager of this location is actually from across the pond. So that helps.
Their Mediterranean Lentil Soup is my favorite. Mozzarella, Roasted Tomato & Pesto sammy. With Salt & Vinegar crisps of course.
I respect their business model as they donate the food every night that is not purchased.
Excellent quality and portioned correctly...I wish more Americans could recognize good things with food when they see it or try it. More doesn't always mean better. I grab a sandwich here and am glad that I don't have to worry about it being bad for me or that I will eat too much.
I usually get the slim chicken mozzarella with arugula and balsamic. Just tried the tomato feta soup-yummo!
Glad to have this as a choice for lunch in the Loop!
Pret a Manger is a wonderful place to grab a quick sandwich or salad. Sometimes, actually many times, all I want to do is get my lunch and get the heck out of the place so I can get back and lunch at my desk. And Pret fits the bill! I can grab and go. The food is tasty and the people who work at the LaSalle shop are quite pleasant and helpful.
Review Source:Started by going for breakfast and got a fresh squeezed juice (so good!) and a crescent (typical quality). Then for lunch: Delicious salad!! Quick as it was premade. Not normally a soda drinker but got their Sparkling Yoga Bunny Detox drink which was good but more flavor than I like in drinks. Then I went back for breakfast again for oatmeal but it was subpar (the toppings were strange to mix with the oats...granola). Overall, good food though and service was fantasic every visit!!
Review Source:Pret does a really good job of providing fresh sandwiches, pastries, salads and coffee. Â Everything is laid out nicely and their stores are clean and sharp looking. Â Nothing in hee is going to blow you away, but it is certainly better than the crap at Starbucks, or the other coffee chains.
Their cookies are even freshly baked and warm. Â
Check it out sometime, you will be pleasantly surprised. Â I always am.
Not every lunch has to be an amazing, ungodly tasty, calorie-splosion special event. Like, is it great to do Slurping Turtle once in while and pig out on a giant bowl of ramen? Yes. Do I wish I had the time, money, and metabolism to scarf a giant Xoco torta every day? Of course. Would I turn down a long, lazy sushi-and-saki feast on a Friday before a holiday or long weekend? Please.
But most days are just normal Tuesdays and I need to just grab something yummy that doesn't require a ton of effort, money, or time. For those days, Pret is exactly what I need. I don't have to wait in a long ass line to customize my salad or fight the throngs at Protein Bar or Hannah's. I just scan the cooler, grab whatever sounds good, and I'm out the door.
And no, the food isn't "amazing." It's a damn sandwich, and I could probably make a better one at home if I had the to grocery shop and prep and do all those things no one ever had the time for. But it's fresh, it's tasty, and it's not 1,000 calories and going to put me into a food coma. I think the prices are totally fair. If you want to pay $2 for a sandwich, go to 7-11. I'll pay $5 and enjoy it. Or rather, I'll pay $9 and enjoy a half sandwich, side of quinoa salad, and chips. How is that a rip-off again?
Okay, so I'm pretty sure I eat more of my meals at Pret than I do at home, and I'm pretty sure that would be true even if I didn't work approx. 10 feet away from the entrance of the store. Â Pret A Manger (or "ready to eat" in French) is with out a doubt the BEST fast food option I've even encountered downtown - and let me tell you I've been around the block. Â
For those who aren't familiar with the concept, Pret pre-makes delicious, organic food items of a wide variety to be stocked on their shelves throughout the day - all you have to do is pick and pay! Â Their sandwiches are all unique with options like the Vietnamese Baguette or the Cheddar and Crunchy Veggies Bloomer (a personal favorite). Â Their salads pretty much rock my world too (I always go for the Chicken & Avocado Salad). Â For a hot lunch, grab a BBQ Pulled Pork Hot Wrap or a Tuna & Swiss Melt. Â Don't forget their soups in the winter - try the Turkey Chilli first and then go down the list.
If you're like me and don't have the time (or the interest) to eat at home at 6:30am, stop into Pret for their organic steel cut oatmeal or one their incredibleee Yogurt Pots and a freakin' awesome cup of freshly brewed Organic Fair Trade coffee! Â (Don't be one of the suckers who walk the extra block to the Starbucks just to wait in a long line and pay far too much for an over-brewed burnt cup of coffee!) Â Furthermore, treat yourself to a magical warm, flaky croissant - if you're lucky you'll get there right as they come out of the oven!
Pret A Manger might be one of the best fast food options, but it surely not the cheapest. Â To me though, I'd much rather pay a little extra for a fresh, delicious, healthy salad or sandwich instead of getting another dang Subway sandwich. Â
Finally, I'd like to give a big shout out to the wonderful staff at Pret who now know my name, my usual order, and the lastest news of my love life - y'all make my days brighter!!
This is a great place to grab some lunch on the run, especially since I only have a 3o minute break. Â I had the Balsamic Chicken and Avocado. Â It was tasty and filling. Â
In addition, I like that the company donates all of the left over food of the day to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Â Not to mention, the other positive initiatives the company strives for in health and sustainability.
Maybe I'm the only one, but Pret a Manger always leaves me pissed off.
Why?
Because if I pay $7-9 for a sandwich I don't want to still be hungry when I finish eating it because it was only large enough to feed a small toddler in the first place.
There's never a time I've eaten here that I didn't say to myself: "I coulda had a $5 footlong" (apologies to V-8 AND Subway...)
Now, the little things that basically amount to finger sandwiches are good. But, alas, we are not in the U.K. This is lunchtime in urban America, people. Give me something that's gonna fill me up and get me through the rest of the day.
Won't happen at Pret A Manger -- you'll just leave there hungry and something close to broke...
Pret A Manger is upscale airport food.
When you have the time and a city like Chicago at your doorstep, I have no idea why people eat here. Everthing is prepacked, premade and ready to be picked up without much hassle. It's the type of place I'd love in any airport where I want a fresher option than standard fast food. I like the concept just not in Chicago. Definitely a pass.
Worth every penny! Â Pret A Manger is a British import whose claim to fame is freshly prepared organic lunch and breakfast fare. Â Everything I've tried here is tasty AND healthy and if this were a person I would give it a giant hug because I love Pret so!
The staff is always super nice, they have vegan options as well as meat options and plenty of dairy-free in between. Â The rotation of soups changes daily and while it is pricier than a lot of sandwich shops, you are paying for fresh food without gross additives. Â Staff is always nice, and their drinks are yummy! Â Try the ginger beer- it's better than Reed's if you like ginger, and the strawberry lemonade tastes just like the one that Wishbone makes! Â Which is nice if you love their strawberry lemonade but aren't by either of their locations.
Go here!
MMM this is my first time here for lunch and I really like it. We came around 115ish in the afternoon and it was still packed! My fiance and I were very surprised since we thought the lunch hour rush would have been gone by now.
They have some prepared food on the left side and if there isnt anything you like  you can order up front.
I had a buffalo chicken wrap and I am going to say it is AMAZING! I love how they have the calorie count for each food they serve. My buffalo chicken wrap was small, but it was filling for me. And I'm going to say it again, it was amazing! My fiance ordered a California club sandwich and he thought it was okay - the norm. We also had a medium size cup of New England clam chowder and that was yummy. We also had chips, and that was okay. I wish they have more variety for chips. There were only BBQ, sea salt, and salt & vinegar. They also have popcorn.
top notch fresh food!
i have bee here several times and love my "stand by" chicken bacon, avocado. This time i was able to get down there before the main lunch rush and had bee wanting to try their "toasties" whew! Awesome with a capital A! i tried the holiday favorite: turkey, cranberries, veggie stuffing, all served hot and as you might have guessed toasty.. fresh out of a panni press.
I will surely be back to try some of the other options, i suggest you do so as well.
I go here ALL the time to get lunch as I work a block away. Â Seriously, do yourself a favor and spend the few extra bucks here over other sandwich chains! Â The ingredients are SO fresh and the different combos they have are awesome (I typically get the roast beef, shaved parmesan and arugula on a baguette...mmmm...). Â I used to go here years ago in London and was beyond excited when it came to the US. Â Their soups are always delicous as well (Turkey Chili and Tomato Feta are my 2 favs), and their unique sides like the Lentil Salad are such a nice upgrade from a normal lunch menu. Â They are very fairly priced based on the quality of ingredients and options. Â Nice to know I'm getting a great lunch without so many preservativies! Â AND...they have the calories and price right next to each other in the case so no surprises to my waist line or wallet! Â Score!!!
Staff is super friendly and they always have multiple cashiers so even at the height of lunch hour I only have about a 30 second wait to get rung up. Â Thanks so much to everyone there, keep up the good work!
When I get homesick, coming here helps.
Good, healthy and wholesome food for very reasonable prices.
I especially like that they are very open with calorie counts and ingredients, plus they make most of their sandwiches in half portions - I can never eat a whole sandwich in one sitting at lunch!
This is the closest branch to my work, but I have to admit, the one on Adams has a wider variety of choices. This branch however, has friendlier staff giving faster service.
Guaranteed fresh food made daily with leftovers going to the Chicago Food Depository. Why don't more places do this?!
The New York Times has a very good article about their business practices -worth a read if you have the time.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2011%2F08%2F07%2Fbusiness%2Fpret-a-manger-with-new-fast-food-ideas-gains-a-foothold-in-united-states.html%3F_r%3D1&s=03dbfa04c2bb2e308db72ced5c31a487b920819bd1bc8d3ef695d2494bac3870" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2…</a>
I am always a satisfied customer.
Came back and tried a the Chicken & Avocado Salad. It was excellent. I got the lemon salad dressing too which was light, sweet, and not too tart at all! The bad thing is that they charge you .75 for the dressing. Bummer!
There was a whole avocado in there, plenty of cranberries, seasoned chicken, and a surprisingly deep amount of mesclun lettuce.
I would suggest dumping it in a bowl if you can, kind of hard to mix it in the square box it comes in.
I never really knew much about Pret a Manger until very recently. I'd never really heard of it until my husband told me there was one by his office that he'd sometimes go to. It was the only Pret a Manger in Chicago. Then.... then I saw that they were opening a second location on the street where I work. And one day I happened to walk past it at lunch time, so I gave it a try.
I was a little iffy because when you walk in, on one side there are just shelves of food. Premade food. Just sitting there. And on the other side was seating.
Usually if I can I will always ask a deli or restaurant to make something fresh for me, because I don't like food that is just sitting there. You can't do this at Pret a Manger. No custom orders. You just take what you want off the shelf. Then you take it over to the registers to check out.
I took my order to go and went back to the office. I got the Chicken & Avocado Salad (Murray's grilled chicken, avocado, cranberries, walnuts, tomato, baby leaf, Pret's seasoning). Pret a Manger says "Our salads are freshly made using Earthbound Farm organic romaine lettuce and baby leaf blends (like a luxury cruise nothing ruins a salad more than running into a bunch of icebergs). The salad was tasty. I'd go back. I thought all of the ingredients were fresh tasting.. they must turn the product on those shelves over really fast.
Pret a Manger is based out of London and it's name comes from the French "pret a manger," meaning "ready to eat." They use all natural ingredients and their food is made fresh the day of purchase in the location where it is sold. The company was founded in 1986 and 85% of their business is in London. They have been expanding rapidly in the past several years, though. They now have 10 stores in Hong Kong, 24 in New York, 3 in Washington, D.C., and 2 in Chicago.
I love this place. Â Very easy to deal with - you walk in, grab what you want, and check out. Â Everything is all natural and organic "when they can." Â The cold sandwiches and wraps are usually what I go for. Â I love their rotating selection of veggie sandwiches and the Vietnamese baguette. Â The bread is always wonderfully fresh.
The soups are actually my favorite part. Â I love the lentil soup and the chili (which they have some of the time). Â
Good selection of drinks.
I need to add that it's totally not cheap. Â A cup of soup, drink and sandwich is $12. Â Great quality however.
Pret's food swings back and forth between "a-okay" and "really tasty". Â I've eaten there many times and I never give up on them because nothing has ever been bad and I love the concept of nothing having a shelf life. Â Everything is made and sold the same day, organic when possible, so you're getting fresh food which I personally think is important in a sandwich and a wrap. Â No one wants a soggy sandwich that has been sitting for hours absorbing the juices and sauces, yucko! Â So Pret is perfect for fast and fresh. Â
My favorite wraps are the Chicken Caesar and the Roast Beef. Â The Roast Beef has some kind of sauce on it that's sweet and tangy and I love it! Â Probably the best thing I've had from them. Â Great flavor, crispy peppers, and the portion size is perfect. Â The edamame and chick pea side is pretty great although not crazy about the bean and lentil side. Â I've had a few of the salads as well. Â They are pretty standard, none really stood out as exceptional although I have loved all the dressings I've tried.
I've never actually eaten in because if you go at peak lunch times it's crazy busy and totally packed.  But I've never had a problem getting in and out with something to go in under 5 minutes or less.  It usually takes me longer to pick what I want than it does to check out  Definitely one of my go-to places when I'm having a busy week.
I finally got around to trying this place after wondering about the one on Adams every time I went to Union Station. I've tried a vegetable wrap and a sort of vegetable baguette sandwich. Most of the things that looked appetizing to me had stickers promoting the new lighter items for summer so I kind of wonder what I would have gotten in the winter. It seemed very vegetarian friendly though, even though one of the employees kept trying to steer me toward chicken dishes. She meant well.
My boyfriend doesn't like this place because he says it's representing itself as healthy food but a lot of the items are high in sugar and blah blah blah. My opinion is that for something so quick and relatively inexpensive, it's more or less ideal for those days when you don't have a lot of time. The food is good. It's both tastier and healthier than Potbelly or something. (Sorry Potbelly, I still love you.)
Let's see. Â I can walk less than a block, and get a nice, good sized chicken Caesar salad from Corner Bakery for about 7 bucks. Â
Or, I can walk two and a half blocks, and get a good, but small, chicken Caesar salad for about 7 bucks. Â
I think I'll go with option #1. Â There's nothing wrong with Pret A Manger - its just a bit expensive for what you get.
Happy Camper here, i had the egg salad sandwich and loved it, not overly mayo-e. Had the corn and chicken chowder as well, the soup was full of chunky vegetables and chicken, hmmm.... yum.
I like the fact they put all the calories next to the selections, definitely helped me in making my choices.
Welcome to Chicago Pret A Manger, i have been waiting for you for a long time since i first had it in Hong Kong!
Excuse me. Â Oops. Â Excuse me. Â That's all I really remember about the lunch crowds in Pret A Manger.
Running out of time and needing a quick work lunch fix, I came in here and grabbed what I think was the jalapeno chicken wrap and a Pure Pret Ginger Beer. Â The wrap had a decent flavor, but there was more red bell pepper than chicken or any other filling. Â At least it was still piping hot when I opened it. Â It was alright. Â Admittedly, I had to try the Ginger Beer because I thought the 'no nasties' tag line was kind of funny. Â I know. Â Dork.
This place is good for its convenience in that stuff is ready-made. Â The prices are kind of on the higher end, but typical for the Loop. Â Come here if you are in a hurry.
I always pass this place getting out of the Willis Tower parking lot and finally figured I would try it. The sandwiches are made in the back and continuously brought to the front and seem mostly fresh. I asked the guy if they can make the one I wanted without the sauce and he said no, so I guess that is the standard there.
Once you pick up the sandwich you want, you go to the register to pay and get some soup if you want. Today, I tried the lentil soup and it was really good. I also got the avocado wrap and it was just okay. It would have been much better without the sauce.
Definitely worth going back to and trying some other of the 20+ sandwiches they have and some of their soups.
It's finally Friday, the sun is shining bright, the winter temperatures are slowly starting to fade into {somewhat} spring, and I am slightly hungover. Oof!
My hangovers always come with a big side of hunger pains that turn me into a hungry, hungry hippo. I needed food. Immediately.
Because I was unable to pry myself away from the Japanese tsunami/earthquake footage this morning, I was 20 minutes late for work but my grumbly tummy pulled me into Pret a Manger as I walked past. I was craving ham and cheese on a croissant and needed it fast. The only thing I could find in their grab-n-go coolers was a hard boiled egg and ham sandwich on wheat bread. Close enough!
I had eaten at Pret a few times before and always thought their food was average. It's kind of expensive, but I like that all of the food is organic and fresh. I also like that they show the calorie counts and ingredients on their signage. Still, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't get the food that I was craving. The hungry beastie cannot be denied!!
The hard boiled egg and ham sandwich was phenomenal. For realsies! It was so good that I'm contemplating walking back to Pret for another. The eggs were fresh and sprinkled with pepper. The ham was just the right amount of smokey pork goodness to compliment the eggs. And just for kicks there was a spicy brown mustard on the bread. So simple. So delicious.
I'm going to recreate this sandwich at home. Every day.
I like. Â I met a fellow yelper for lunch here and was pleasantly surprised to see a very wide variety of pre-made sandwiches and salads. Â I have some dietary restrictions, and normally sandwiches are tough to find without cheese and/or tomato on them, but, I saw a couple that fit the bill. Â There are cold sandwiches and some hot that are warmed up and brought to your table after you pay. Â
I had the Thai avocado sandwich and some pepper potato chips (I have no idea why I picked the pepper ones, I hate pepper). Â Surprisingly for a pre-made sandwhich is was fresh and crisp where it should have been. Â
If you're picky and always alter your order, Pret A Manger might not be for you. Â Everything is pre-made. Â Which is great if you're in a hurry and just want to grab a quick and tasty bite. Â Not so great if you're uber picky.
I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can make the walk to Pret A Manger more often.
While I like the whole "made fresh" deal that they have going, I'm not thrilled about the fact that everything is all pre-made. I don't like tomatoes, I never have and never will. So when I get sandwiches I always ask for them without tomatoes. This is not an option here because everything is already made. I'm forced to pic the tomatoes out and then there is inevitably still the tomato taste that has seeped into the bread.
So aside from my tomato grip I like the whole principle of Pret. Good food that's fresh and readily available. The sandwich I had was good but it wasn't anything spectacular. It was just a regular sandwich. This isn't to say that I won't go back, but I probably won't find myself craving Pret either.
If you have the appetite of a bird, this place is for you. If you're interested in adding to your substantial girth, like myself, you're going to have to take three of these $6 finger sandwiches, peel the meat and toppings off two and load up one, in order to have a proper sandwich.
I can't do brie and apples. Where's the pastrami?
Lots of pre-made warm / cold sandwiches ready for consumption. Â
Great coffee / tea selection with prices cheaper than Starbucks.
I picked up a Falafel wrap from the warm sandwich shelf along with a small cup of Chai. Â Both were great.
Almost everything here looked healthy and fresh!
Great place to stop by for a meal before attending a traffic court hearing at the Daley Center! Â (I'm just sayin')
Looks like the fresh food option is catching on in the loop, and I'm loving the option of Pret a Manger. The name means "ready to eat" and the food is exactly that. You can scan the selection of cold or warm sandwiches/wraps that make up the left wall, see descriptions of what's in them and skip off to the register.
I had an Italian Margherita wrap and it was scrumptious, filling, yet not too huge and it didn't gouge my pockets. It was only 5.99. So long Hannah's!
I can appreciate that the food is good, the cost is low and love the fact that unlike most eateries, they offer the unused food to charity at the end of the day instead of being wasteful. Gold star to Pret for that alone!
PS. I'm on board with the rest of the reviews about the door. What the heck? Not only does it let in the cold, but you have to be a gladiator to open them, they're so heavy!
Pret a manger. Â From the French, meaning "ready to eat." Â This English retail joint has seriously got its message right. Â It's food is ready to eat, with little to no customization allowed. Â It's a quickly, easily maneuvered space, that offers fresh and healthy food in a core Loop district. Â While its many mix and match options can create a multitude of lunch options for the bored among us, prices quickly climb. Â My half sandwich, small soup, canned soft drink, and yoghurt side cost just over $13, making it a somewhat expensive option for a "quick" lunch.
Is the food worth it? Â I should think so. Â My spiced pumpkin bisque was lovely. Â Hot. Filling. Savory. Â My favorite part of the meal, though, was the low-fat yoghurt with a spiced apple & ginger compote with toasted walnuts. Â A deliciously healthy and filling snack.
The two stars that I deducted can be remedied with minimal fuss. Â Install some recycling bins. Â I peered around the premises before approaching a store attendant to inquire where I could recycle my soda can. Â Alas, Pret does not recycle. "Yet," the store attendant was sure to emphasize.
My second complaint? Â See David C's review from December, 2010. Â His advice, for Pret to install a revolving door or a vestibule is spot on. Â My companion and I were seated in a corner furthest from the entryway, yet we spent our lunch hour shivering every few seconds, as a door would open to admit or disgorge yet another customer.
Very happy to have another healthy lunch option in the Loop. Â It's refreshing to see nutritional information in line with what you would expect for lunch options instead of the inflated calorie and fat content at Corner Bakery et al. Â And you can choose a full or half portion for most sandwiches--wonderful.
Nicoise salad was delicious, service is friendly and fast, and community consciousness (leftovers get donated at the end of the day) is commendable.
Yes, Pret has tasty, cheap, and healthy sandwiches, salads, and soups with the nutritional value prominently displayed. Â Yes, Pret was a welcome relief for folks who visited London in 2006 when the pound was a shade over two bucks and $30 cocktails were standard. Â But . . .
Get a revolving door or a vestibule. Â The people eating in your establishment don't want to get blasted with twenty degree cold every five seconds when someone opens the door. Â Especially when most of your food offerings are cold. Â Huge design flaw. Â This is Chicago, not London.
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