Need to learn how to make the simplest of drinks. I've gone multiple times (Why? I don't know) to order a hot chocolate and a chai tea latte.
The hot chocolate tasted like warm milk. That's it. Almost zero chocolate. It was absolutely PAINFUL to watch the lady make my chai latte. She first seeped the tea bag in half a cup of hot water poured it over a cup of ice and then poured a little bit of whole milk and a little bit of skim milk. As she handed me the concoction she explained that the tea still needed to seep for a while.... and that if I wasn't satisfied, my next drink is on her. UHM...... I GOT LUKE WARM WATERY MILK WITH A TEA BAG IN IT. Is that how they really make a LATTE? It ruined my day.
My go-to place for lunch on school days. Relatively healthier foods than other options close to campus. Would have liked more options like Pret in London/ NYC but I am just happy that they decided to open one in Evanston :)
The service is amazing! The staff are always super friendly!
I love shrimp wrap, love bite, the salad is also fresh at the right portion. The soups are great too.
Tried breakfast here for the first time. Â Trust me, I'm a critic when it comes to pastries, but Pret A hit home with its croissants. Â They're flaky and crispy yet not hard. Even after a day, the croissants don't grow soggy or stale. Â I like the fact that Pret A doesn't douse them in butter, because that's possibly the worst you could do to a pastry! Â The "Little Cup of Goodness" parfait was delicious as well. Â The fact that of the yogurt cups, LCoG has the least amount of sugar makes it a winner in my book.
Review Source:Quite simply, this place is overpriced. Â BUT despite everything being 'pre-packaged' - it is all very fresh. Â I really enjoyed my chicken avocado salad. Â I went around closing time, so they gave me free cookie (since they always serve fresh daily). Â I was really excited to see that they had their own ginger beer, although it could have been stronger.
Review Source:I was pleasantly surprised by the Evanston newbie. They've been open a while, and I was hesitant to try them, but it was that or Chipotle and I preferred to eat lite. I had the California Club and the cup of Moroccan Lentil, and it was strangely both hearty and light. Both were very flavorful. The sandwich appeared light on turkey, but made up for the deficiency in hard boiled egg slices, avacado, sliced tomato and pesto aioli. Normally I snub my nose at pestos and aiolis, but it was worth it, and I'd recommend it. I don't know that I would buy coffee there, but they have plenty of good beverage choices that are packaged. The seating was a bit tight and slightly uncomfortable, which could be to keep you from overstaying your welcome. Â In all, the services was friendly and quick; I am likely to visit again.
Review Source:I stopped by with a friend for a casual dinner. I wasn't too hungry so I got the tuna nicoise salad, which was just okay. The flavors went well together, but it wasn't interesting or anything. I also got the miso soup, which they make from a packet or something for you when you order it. Problem was, I didn't realize that they didn't stir it and I wasn't told that I needed to stir it, so my first spoonful was a big bite of super salty miso paste that I spit out. The rest of my miso soup was just water since I basically ate all the miso in the first bite :(
My friend got a sandwich and said that it was pretty good. Both of us were sad though, since this place is quite overpriced for prepackaged sandwiches.
I am giving this five stars, because the food is very good quality. You know it's fresh! Even if you suspect they're lying about giving it away at night, you can taste it when you bite into it. The bread is not hard and too cold. It's perfect. They have a good selection, the sides are good, and drink choices are yummy! They also label the calories. I've always received good customer service with a smile. I just can't give it anything lower than a five. It has always been pleasant.
Review Source:Well-made, quality food that can be picked up and bought quickly on a lunch hour...this has rapidly become my go-to lunch location. Â Love the chicken mozzarella and vietnamese chicken baguettes.
However...
Who the HELL designed the front counter? Â Seriously, I end up having a neurotic episode every time I have to approach the damn thing. Â For one, building tip jars into your counter bespeaks a bit of entitlement, if not poor business sense. Â If you have to build in a tip jar, you're probably not paying your employees enough.
But moreover, the counters are at about a 30 degree angle, so you can't put anything on them without it rolling off. Â What was the plan? Â You wanted to prevent customers from actually putting something on the counter, for fear they might start up camp and spend their days expounding upon philosophical treatises with your cashiers? Â This is fricking absurd. Â There's about a four-inch space at the front of the counter upon which one might put a small item, and your cashiers don't seem to have any space of their own to put items on. Â
Occasionally, I'll have a little game, whereupon I place an item on the counter, just to have it slide down back to me, and I see how many times i can do it before a cashier actually asks if they can take it for me. (My personal record is six. Â Try it! Â It's a fun game!)
Pret a Manger, your sandwiches and croissants are top notch, but your interior design is nothing short of a geometric oddity.
Pret is sort of the perfect quick lunch spot, and although you can't order anything or alter anything, you never need to - everything is so tasty! GREAT salads with lots of tasty toppings, not just all lettuce. I've honestly never had anything I disliked here, although they did discontinue my all-time favorite sandwich...bring back the brie, tomato basil! Ahhh it was so good. Actually, if that were back, I might be giving Pret 5 stars...just sayin.
I also appreciate their quality ingredients and social responsibility. Lots of recycling, and they donate their leftover food! It's always a pleasant experience, the staff is top-notch in the friendliness department. Always smiling, always cheery. It's a happy place!
Great place for a quick bite. The service is always wonderful and the last time I was in I was debating the iced green tea since I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. The employee waiting on me gave me it for free since it was my first time--that won me over. I ended up loving it and I will be back just because of that wonderful customer service.
Nothing is made to order, but the food is fresh and tasty.
OK I am in love with Pret!!
Love, love, love!!
It's not perfect, admittedly, because nothing is custom made to your picky specifications, HOWEVER, anything you lay your little mitts on is absolutely above average in quality and taste, with comparable category pricing.
I am thinking of opening a Pret in Phillytown (not really) ...but I cant wait to go again!!!
I had the Carrot Ginger soup and 1/2 of Chicken and Avocado Sandwich on one visit; and the Shrimp Cilantro Wrap on another. All, OUTSTANDING.
And folks, you are not reading the review of an easily-pleased, noon the n-picky individual.
Oh, Pret, until we meet again....
Oh PS, one strike against you my Pret, I forgot, I got fruit and Steel Cut oats for breakfast one day, and they were just mediocre. should have tried a breakfast sandwich but I was trying to go easy on the calories since I was coming from a workout and had a whole day of travel eating in front of me. They did have great complimentary topping for the oats... but I do not expect this from you my Pret-ty.
If you're a calorie-counting health freak, then this place is for you, since the caloric content of each item is pre-calculated. If not, Pret-A-Manger is still a decent place for both meat and meatless sandwich and soup options. Nothing spectacular but decent. It also provides a casual setting for getting brunch with friends or just studying; they have free Wi-fi. But what really separates this from an A-OK place is that they guarantee the freshness of the food by donating what they don't sell at the end of the day to charity; this gets humanitarian points from me by default. Oh, and remember they give a 10% discount for Wildcats!
Review Source:I stopped in tonight just before they closed. I know the end of the night is a busy time for employees AND they want to go home. So I wasn't expecting anyone to be on their A game.
I stopped in though because it wasn't crowded with people wanting to grab a sandwich and I could finally have a look around without being in anyone's way.
The lady behind the counter was KiKi (I hope I spelled it right.). She could not have been friendlier and more helpful! She explained everything to me, offering me advice about the coffee and other favorites of hers.
I'm sure she was tired, at the end of a long shift on her feet. I can relate but she was delightful to me. She even offered me a sample of the desserts. It was delicious.
I will be back soon! Thanks, Kiki!
1 star.
In the age of 'have it your way', who creates sandwiches with the sauce already on them? Â
I absolutely cannot stomach even the thought of mayo anywhere near me, def not on my sandwich. Â But, all of them had some type of mayo-djion nonsense going on.
Plus, it took asking three different people before I learned that they do not make anything to order here. Â THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Â Def didn't hire the sharpest knives for this kitchen, eh?
Then, they have the nerve to charge an arm and two legs! Â WTF.
Might go back to check out the .99 cookies that someone mentioned in another review. Â But, I certainly will not be back for "real food".
I've been wanting these fast food sandwich shops to open in the States since 2002...and then they finally opened.......in NYC. But wait, just a few short years later, they finally opened in downtown Chicago....and now, *finally*, they've made it to Evanston!
I'm a fan of the breakfast egg and bacon sandwich and most of the lunch sandwiches. For a quick, easy bite, Pret is the sandwich to grab for on the go dining!
I also dig that they give their leftovers to local pantries/soup kitchens and that the calorie counts are on the shelves...no more guessing!
Thanks for finally making it out to Evanston, Pret!
Excellent addition to Evanston's lunch scene. Â Quick place to grab soups, salads and sandwiches. Â They use upscale fresh ingredients. Â I know the fact that the sandwiches are pre-made does bother some people - but they are freshly made everyday. Â I love that they donate the leftover food from each day to the homeless.
Review Source:I was excited to have a new place to go to for lunch, and so far, so good. I've had some delicious sandwiches here, plus I like the chips. The coffee is great, and I'll often come here just to grab an afternoon cup. The staff is very friendly. One detriment though is the layout of the joint--they have the sandwich selection area in an amorphous space with the checkout registers, which is fine during off-peak hours, but pandemonium otherwise. Â it's not always easy to figure out where to stand when selecting food or to check out, or someone may not think you're in line and step up to the register in front of you. It's a little frustrating. If they could separate these areas better, it'd be awesome.
Review Source:I was so excited to hear Pret was coming to Evanston and have been there a bunch of times once it opened. I love the concept of the place: fresh, healthy, yummy. I'd say its pricey especially for a place where you just grab and pay for the food yourself. However their salads, sandwiches and juices are all great.
The highlight for me though ARE THE COOKIES. The espresso cookie and cocoNUT are delicious and only 99cents! Since its a pretty good work spot during the day, grab a cup of coffee, a cookie and your set.
Today was my first time there and I will be back. Â
The roasted tomato caprese sandwich was YUM-O.  The staff is very friendly, the tables are very clean. Pret A Manger has free wifi. BIG PLUS, there are echo-friend / recycle - when you go to toss out your trash there are separate  bins for the type of trash that you have.
I will be back.
This place so far out-classes Cosi and Panera, if you can't taste the difference, then you deserve the lesser offerings at those chains. This chain has good taste, and a conscience. The soups here are the real star attraction. I've had the Italian wedding soup, tomato basil, goulash, and ale/cheese soup. All were top-rate, homemade tasting and delicious, served with a fresh baked roll. A good value, too: small soup with roll and a double espresso was about $5.
Sandwiches seemed expensive until I tried one, the ham/cheese/mustard "toastie" (paninni). They toasted it quickly in a high-tech machine - the bread was perfectly crispy and seeds on the bread had an excellent roasted flavor, from the heating. The cheese melted perfectly, mixing with the mustard like a fine sauce; the ham was piled on fluffy-like, thinly shaved and delicious. Tasted like imported Spanish ham. A lot of places give lip service only to things being "natural", so I asked the staff, and they verified that the ham they use is free of nitrates. (They were very pleasant and didn't seem to mind my picky questions.) I don't know if it was imported, I didn't ask that; but the quality is there. Taste is comparable to sandwiches from Whole Foods Market, not like most pre-packaged fare.
I would mark them down 1/2 star if I could, because they have no hot sauce for use in the soup, and won't sell a pound of coffee beans to take home. Also there are too few trash receptacles -- I think I saw just one small station for trash, recycling and dirty trays. I don't know if other customers were rude, or confused, but a lot of people were leaving their trash on the tables. I mostly blame them, not the store -- but more trashcans might help. Otherwise, it is a pleasant place, very clean, and a very nice staff. I would not make a trip just to go here, but I highly recommended it to anyone in the area.
My first time at this chain. Â Overall, pretty good experience. Â Some of the missteps may be because I arrived at 4:45 on a Sunday afternoon (very late lunch), shortly before closing time. Â
An interesting cooler full of sandwiches, though not as large a variety as I had been expecting from looking at the online menu. Â The cooler shelves are taller rather than wider, so I was stuck for several minutes trying to see around a couple who, like deer in the headlights, were completely transfixed and blocking half the cooler I wanted to view. Â I chose a good-tasting Vietnamese-styled chicken sandwich, on a crisp half-baguette with grilled red peppers, leafy cilantro, shredded carrots and other nice veggies. Â Along with the sandwich, and the highlight of the meal, I got a small cup of bacon-bean stew: a thick mass of barbecued beans and smokey bacon in a sauce; a wonderful rich satisfying cup of umami goodness. Â To drink, I got a can of the house-brand ginger beer, made in Canada and using grape juice as a sweetener rather than cane sugar or (gasp!) "high fructose corn syrup". Â The pop was good, though it could have been a bit more sharply ginger flavored and a bit less honey flavored for my taste. Â
The check out counter was a little confusing, as I stood at a register just vacated by a sales woman while several people behind me sidestepped and checked out at the register to my right. Â I waited almost long enough to leave the counter with my lunch without paying, just to get some attention, but finally a guy did turn to me. Â I heard several staffers remark that they closed at 5:00 on Sundays, as if they were a little too anxious to clock out. Â I noticed I was given a little shopping bag for my lunch, rather than a trray, as if to tell me to not let the door hit me on the way out. Â But I ate in anyway, as my stew would have cooled by the time I walked the three blocks home. Â
The dining area was chock-full of Northwestern students camped out with their laptops, seemingly for extended sessions, so I expect finding seating here is probably a challenge at times. Â The table that was unoccupied, that I sat at, was covered in crumbs, which I mopped up myself with a napkin, so perhaps at the end of the day, the upkeep of the place begins to slip a little. Â The bathroom was clean and fully functional. Â
Total for my three items came to a little more than $11, roughly double the typical fast food meal, but  I'm sure I'll be back.
I'm all about staying fit, eating right, keeping my stress under control... you know living a healthy lifestyle. So I figure why not give this prepackaged food store a shot. They list all their calories by their sandwiches. All sandwiches are made that day & are super fresh. If they do not sell all their food that day, their containers say they give them to the less fortunate to do "the right thing". I am all about calories and doing the right thing so here we go Prety Pret!
Three other customers and myself are staring at this refrigerator, looking for our sandwich choices. I picked out a Mozzarella and Pesto sandwich which was 400 calories for the whole thing& might I add it was filling. The bread was kind of hard and dry to eat. Their other sandwiches went from plain to unique. Like a chicken and avocado one, chicken and bacon, etc. They also offer some Coca Cola options as well as organic drinks, some soups, cookies, chips, popcorn. Everything is super fresh and very organized. For less than $6 I got a sandwich and a diet coke. You can get half sandwich options which reduce the cost overall.
Things that could be better:
-More seating
-More space to stare at sandwiches
-Could be cheaper
I must say the staff their is super friendly. They actually seem like they are glad to be there, which I am totally all about & I dig smiling faces makes me want to smile! =)
I will say yes to the prets.
I've been coming here a lot lately. The decaf coffee is excellent. It's not burnt or gross, and they always have it made, unlike peets. Yes, I just freely admitted that I drink decaf coffee.
The choco croissants are really good! I never know how much accent I need to put on the phrase "pain au chocolat"... too little, and it sounds like payne-ow-chocklate, too much and I begin to annoy myself. Same problem with the name of the store. I now call it preeta-man-jer.
Sandwiches are OK. At least they have vegetarian stuff, and even if it sits in my bag for two hours, it still tastes fresher than the Kellogg Kafe wraps.
Stopped in to Pret A  Manger for a cup of coffee. The staff was so nice despite their despite horrible uniforms, and the coffee is good, but the clientèle were the worst! Despite my ridiculously bright red hoodie several people stepped right in front of me in line. Snobs everyone of them.I'll never cheat on other brother coffee house again.
Review Source:I drove by here the other day and decided to stop by for lunch today...
Since I read other reviews saying that sandwiches run out because of lunch rush, I decided to go at 11 o'clock. Unfortunately, enough of the sandwiches hadn't been made yet either.
I looked at the Pret website before arriving, and totally missed the "Chicago menu" section. I was totally excited for the mushroom risotto, which isn't available in the Chicagoland locations. That's my own fault.
I got the artichoke and mozarella wrap for 6 bucks. I was surprised how light it felt when I picked it up....for that price! I also ordered a chai latte.
The space is bright and the cashiers were friendly.
The food was nothing special (the chai latte with skim was good)....but my total came to 10 bucks! I decided not to go for a side and felt a little hungry afterwards..
Downtown evanston has plenty of sandwich options, and this place is good....but for the money and the quantity...did not seem terribly worth it. I'll give this place another try in the future because I appreciate that they have more than one vegetarian option.
good, fast, healthy food! I love how you can run in and get good food so quickly. I've had sandwiches, wraps, and the tuna quinoa pot and they all are really great. I love how they post the calories, and they have other snacks also. I will definitely frequent this place a lot. The staff is very nice, and it is a great atmosphere also!
Review Source:I stopped in for a late lunch. Â Lot's of cold sandwich options, but most of the hot wraps were gone from the lunch crowd. The chicken and mozzarella baguette I had was good and their Pure Pret Orange Soda was tasty.
The dining area is a little crowded together with lots of small tables. There was always someone cleaning tables and sweeping, but I wish there was just a little more room to maneuver around the place. Â
There was only one garbage/recycling area in the dining area. Not very easy to get to in my opinion. Â They should place a second one by the door for when people are done and leaving.
I would definitely consider eating there again but perhaps when it's not so busy and they have more available.
An update so soon? Also known as: I *really* need to stock up on groceries and stop eating out.
Anyway, I returned to Pret on a Monday evening. SO MANY SELECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM! I was very happy. New sandwiches! New soups! Plus, I finally discovered the iced green tea... and those fruit/yogurt pots! Hello new friends.
Besides all these new things for me to eat, the service really warrants an additional star.
1) There staff constantly around - wiping down tables, and sometimes even offering to clear tables for you. Superstars!
2) After I had eaten dinner and was paying for my late-night to-go meal (this is how I work, learn!), I asked whether or not they had miso soup. A friend of mine talks about it all the time and I had yet to see it on the menu. Almost all of the cashier staff heard me, and were super informative and friendly - asking where I had heard about it, which location my friend frequented, etc. I never realized I enjoyed talking to people about miso soup so much! So, the 411 is that they have it ALL THE TIME (oh, happy day!) though it is not listed on their soup board. You just order it at the counter and they'll make one for you. The manager even offered to make me up a complimentary one, so I could try it. I wanted to give him a hug! Really super service.
I'm going to go ahead and pre-crown myself the duchess. ;)
It's nice that Pret A Manger opened in this location. Â There are several good options for lunch in this area but a new one is always welcome. I really like the chicken with apple and cranberry sandwich. I also like the chicken with avocado and basalmic. I like that you can pick only half a sandwich if you want. I had a banh mi sandwich here last week that at first seemed blah but got better with each bite - although the bread was really hard. The egg salad is pretty good and can be made even better with some pepper lemon from the Spice House. I've never had to wait in line here and that is a huge bonus as I'm usually in a hurry to get back to work.
Review Source:Grab-n-go sandwiches, soup, and coffee. Good quality items, though not imaginative. Like a really nice 7-11 with tables. I've enjoyed this place in Hong Kong, where the selection seemed bigger, particularly the hot sandwich wraps. I grabbed a small latte on the way out and found the roast to be very good. The steaming needed work. Particularly because the cup that it is served  in trumpets their microfoam. In that context, my bubbles were huge. Still, I'm certainly glad to have a place to grab a quick soup/sandwich and a coffee that far outshines Panera's. I see myself returning back often, especially in the evenings when the next best coffee you can find in downtown Evanston is Starbucks. Nice addition to the neighborhood.
Review Source:Pret is positioned as the fresh and healthy fast food chain with handmade ingredients and if you are into that, it is the perfect place for you. Â The soups here are great on a cold day but I find the sandwiches to be on the dry side. For similar price range, I find it not as tasty and the eating area not as roomy as the Panera across the street. Â Props to the cashiers and waiters for excellent service on opening day!
Review Source:I'm pleasantly surprised by this place. I didn't know much about it until I checked it out on opening day and I like what I see. I went back today, and as someone who usually orders lunch to go, I love how quickly I can get out of there. I also enjoy being able to look at the prepackaged food as I'm deciding what to get. And the food is seriously delicious. Today I had the mushroom risotto soup and the avocado chicken salad - both great. I think this chain is a little pricier than the Panera across the street but I think I'll be going here more than Panera now regardless.
Review Source:My favorite healthy chain from trips in London has finally arrived! This location is bigger than many of the others which makes it a perfect place to study.
My go-to meal would be any of the hot wraps. The lentil soup is also delicious and hearty. I love that the ingredient list and calories are all labeled clearly.
Overall I have been waiting months for this to open an will be frequenting this location quite often!
I was in a rush last night and stopped by for a quick dinner to go. I ordered a small version of their ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of their Italian wedding soup. Both were pretty standard with exception to the mayo in the sandwich, which had a nice touch of horseradish to make it interesting. I ended up spending a little over $7 for the meal, which was reasonable for the speed, but not the quality.
This new place fills a niche for fast, fresh sandwiches, in direct competition with Panera across the street (and many other sandwich shops within 3 blocks). I will concede that you will get your food faster than any other restaurant nearby, but beyond that it doesn't really stand out to me.
Pret is what it is, if you've been to one before. If you haven't, know that it's set up like a cafeteria. You enter, browse the pre-packaged sandwiches, pick up a cookie, some chips, some fruit or some yogurt parfait, then proceed to the counter with your selections and to order soup and/or coffee if you like.
The seating at this location is nowhere near as plentiful as it is across the street where you get an entire loaf of bread around your sandwich fillings, however, for opening day it wasn't that packed. I expect a lot of laptop campers here which could make it difficult to bring a large group from the office and obtain contiguous seating. I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap, a medium cup of turkey chili, and one of their delicious lemonades made of cane sugar, water, and lemons. The total came to just over $13. I could've easily gotten by with a small cup of soup or none at all. Everything was delicious.
I believe my favorite things about Pret are that they serve food that is wholly good for you, devoid of un-natural ingredients, they make a good coffee, and they donate every day's unsold food to the community's needy. I love this company's practices as much as I love their food.
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