I Tried Panera's Fall Menu, and Here's My Honest Review
It includes new and returning menu items.
Image Courtesy of Panera
In the sweltering heat of August, a new fall menu is a pumpkin seed of hope that relief is near. Panera has a new fall bakery and beverage menu to welcome the season.
What’s on Panera’s fall menu?
The lineup includes seven new and returning pumpkin-flavored menu items, including:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte (Returning): Freshly brewed espresso combined with foamed milk and pumpkin spice sauce, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin spice crumbles.
- Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte (Returning): All the flavors and ingredients of the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte, served over ice.
- Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee (NEW): Dark roast coffee (with a new, richer brew) with pumpkin sauce over ice, topped with sweet cream cold foam and pumpkin spice crumbles.
- Pumpkin Spice Frozen Java (NEW): Frozen blended coffee drink with a blend of dairy and pumpkin sauce, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin spice crumbles.
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll (NEW): A sweet dough roll stuffed with cinnamon and pumpkin filling and topped with pumpkin spice icing.
- Caramel Pumpkin Slice (NEW): A cake slice with pumpkin pie spices, brown sugar, vanilla and salted caramel swirls, topped with pumpkin spice icing.
- Pumpkin Cookie (Returning): A pumpkin-shaped shortbread cookie, decorated with icing.
Image Courtesy of Panera
My honest review of Panera’s fall menu:
If you're used to Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte, I have good news for you — the Panera PSL will satisfy your craving. The Pumpkin Spice Frozen Java was my favorite drink, a nice treat if you’re craving fall flavors while it’s still hot outside, though it is quite sweet. Panera’s coffee doesn’t quite match the quality of Starbucks’, but the pumpkin spice mostly covered that up. However, I advise skipping the Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee altogether. It had a sour taste to it.
As for the bakery items, they were also very sweet: the Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll is clove-heavy with a liberal amount of drippy icing on top. The cookie (pumpkin in shape but not in flavor) had what tasted like a thick layer of white chocolate on top and a fun sprinkling of edible glitter. Meanwhile, the Caramel Pumpkin Slice had a light spiced taste, though I didn’t detect a caramel flavor. I enjoyed the cake’s spongy texture, contrasted with what tasted like bits of crunchy sugar inside.
When are other chains' pumpkin spice drinks coming out?
The long-awaited Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte returns on Tuesday, August 25, along with the store’s other fall menu items. Dunkin’s fall lineup is also available now, including pumpkin spice offerings and a new tiramisu menu.
Image Courtesy of Panera
When can you order Panera’s fall menu?
The fall menu is available now at participating Panera bakery-cafes for dine-in, delivery, Rapid Pick-Up and drive-thru.
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