Au Bon Pain

While I generally like Au Bön Pain, this one just isn’t up to par. The food is decent, but the service is lacking. Ordering is a hassle because I can’t understand the cashiers and doubt that they can understand me (even though my enunciation is impeccable!) The people making the sandwiches are more involved in their conversations than their job. It took too long for my sandwich to be made when the place was virtually empty and they had at least 4 people working!
It gets 2 stars from yours truly because I do enjoy the sandwiches and there is nice outdoor seating from where you can watch the passersby through Harvard Square. My verdict: Step it up, ABP!

ABP. ABP. You are back to the one star for your tasteless, stale bread Caprese sandwich.
Never again.
I’m done with you, ABP.
Shame on me for thinking this sandwich relationship would work.

Au Bön Pain used to be the place you could count on to have delicious soups on a cold day and a reasonably priced meal for lunch. Lately, I just find that it is overpriced and the food is more than just mediocre. I went there the other day and decided to switch it up a little and order something different from my large soup and whole wheat bread. I decided to get a medium soup and a half sandwich and a lemonade and the bill came to $ 11 and my colleague purchased a half sandwich of turkey and cheese, a bag of chips and a fountain Pepsi… and it came to $ 9! What is wrong with this picture when a $ 6.99 full sandwich is cut in half and sold for $ 4.50. If I wanted to stand in line at the counter and wait an eternity to be waited on, I would have purchased a full sandwich and split it if I knew that it was more cost effective. after all, how complicated is turkey and cheese on ciabatta? The soup was supposed to be pasta fagiole and it tasted more like a mac-​n-​cheese with beans and had very little flavor unless you added a lot of salt and pepper. Next time, I think I will go back to my broccoli cheddar soup… or a more healthier option and hope that it tastes good.

Overpriced… Filled and smells of homeless people.
Two stars for the location and fact that it’s open until 2 AM

au bon pain is ridiculously overpriced, I go to the one on central square. The atmosphere is ok is you dond mind homeless people lurkin around. The food is better than mcdonalds and thats why I go to abp. There are other restaurants but none has the relax/​casual atmosphere of abp, i think that is why this restaurant is sucesfull.

My place of employment actually got a memo about this location closing… and how much they loved serving their Harvard Square nieghbors over the years.
HA! Indeed.
Yes, your most welcome for toasting my bagel 2 times out of the 23 897 387 287 times I’ve stepped in there, most welcome for charging me $ 2.00 for a banana and then giving me a dirty look when I said they were like 80-​something cents, food-​poisining one of my co workers with your chicken noodle soup, giving me a ¹⁄₃ full latte in a cup, and never having the same fucking breakfast foods in the little open refrigerator. Haven’t seen the muesilli in several months guys?
Peace out and good luck with opening somewhere else and torturing new customers for the next several years until OSHA steps up in that bitch.

Yes I am guilty of getting suckered in. I did get the ‘wild mushroom bisque’ with the demi whole wheat honey baguette. I was impressed by the variety and ignored the sterility of this fast café/​bakery fakery. It’s true, I was happy to know that they close at 2am too –you know how I like those late night cafs but no doubt about it and I quote Kristen C’s review:
«I don’t like fast food that pretends its good food»
and that’s that.

Its a chain bakery, if you’ve been to one you’ve been to them all (except Panera, much love for Panera). Had the Pumpkin Harvest soup and it was pretty good. The bread bowl was a solid C student though, it held the soup well enough but it had no flavor and the crust was appalling.

I love this place… this really works as a surrogate canteen for the students and visitors. I was on a quick stop tour of Harvard last weekend just as all the students were returning to college too. But Au Bön Pain managed the heavy traffic admirably with its self-​service counter set-​up and ample seating.
My belly and I was most impressed with the range of salads and dressings in the cold cabinet. That was before I saw the chicken stew and rice and soups behind the counter. Damn! That’s what I really wanted. But it was too late. I consoled myself with an amazing crème de Fleur pastry and a coffee.
$ 11 for lunch in a college town. I even said out loud to the cashier: «that’s cheap». Is it the lower tax that makes the difference compared to CA? Or is it ’cause I went to USC? Anyway, Au Bön Pain is great value, great food. Where is there one near me in LA? I’m on a hunt ;-) !