I Tried Every Bagel at Panera & the Best Was a Shocker

Grabbing a bagel at Panera is a treat for some and a ritual for others. Among its many soups, salads, and baked goods galore, the chain has a huge variety of bagel flavors. You have options with how you dress them up, too, whether you love yours with butter or cream cheese or take one to go without any spreads.

Panera's bagels are a popular choice for breakfast, but they also make a great midday snack when you need extra carbs. From sweet to savory to cheesy—oh, yes!—Panera's got the variety you crave.

Which bagels are the best at Panera, and which should you skip? To find out, I purchased every bagel on the Panera menu for a taste test. I sampled each bagel on its own with no spreads or toppings. I didn't toast the bagels and tried each of them as they came in the name of fairness. The bagels were priced at $1.89 each, plus tax.

As a bagel connoisseur, I had my own preconceived notions of what the best bagel varieties are (everything is a go-to, while flavors like blueberry are verboten in my book). But tasting the bagels at Panera turned everything I thought about bagels upside down. I found myself enjoying flavors I never would have otherwise gotten—and some of my regulars actually ranked as some of the worst on the list.

Read on to get my hot take on Panera's bagels, ranked from worst to best.

Blueberry

Oy vey. When it comes to bagels, blueberry doesn't work. This fruit should be reserved for muffins. Still, in the name of fairness, I bit into this bagel with an open mind.

The look: This somewhat shiny, misshapen bagel had a nice brownish color. Small blueberries were dotted throughout, and one of the blueberries looked a little oozy, which was appealing.

The taste: Whether or not you agree that blueberries don't belong in bagels, there was no getting around the fact that this bagel had an overly sweet, synthetic blueberry taste. Panera says there are "blueberry flavors baked inside," which to me means not real. Cream cheese won't save this, so skip it.

Rating: 1/10

 7 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Bagels

Chocolate Chip

You can put chocolate chips in almost anything, and it would make me want it more, so when I saw this bagel with milk chocolate chips on the menu, I was excited, thinking it would be a treat.

The look: This bagel was nice and brown and had a good deal of visible chocolate chips, making me believe I was about to bite into the bagel version of a chocolate chip cookie.

The taste: Oh no! This bagel was hard and bland, and the chips were so tiny you could barely taste them. It wasn't vile, but because it had tempted me into thinking it would be delicious, I was extra angry at it. If you're craving chocolate, take a pass on this bagel and find a chocolate chip muffin instead.

Rating: 2/10

Everything

Everything bagels are usually one of my favorite bagel types. When done right, an everything bagel is such a burst of flavor, with all of the seasonings taking the bagel to the next level.

The look: When I saw this bagel, I was suspicious that the seasonings were only on top. Panera says it is topped with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, toasted onion, and kosher salt. To my eye, the seasonings looked sparse.

The taste: I'm still not sure how an everything bagel could be bland, but this one was. All I tasted was white dough, and the seasonings were too scant to make a difference. The onion, though, was overwhelming. Everything seasoning should be a medley of spices but that onion hit the wrong note. In order to make this work, I'd need to slather on cream cheese and a lot of Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning.

Rating: 3/10

 I Tried 7 Store-Bought Bagels & There's Only One I'd Buy Again

Sesame

Sesame seeds go perfectly on a bagel—they give it that subtle extra flavor and a nice texture and crunch.

The look: This perfectly round bagel was nice and fluffy with a good coating of sesame seeds.

The taste: This bagel was perfectly fine but nothing special. It mostly tasted like bland bread matter and made me crave a good sesame bagel that is tough on the outside and hot and fluffy on the inside. It was a middle ground between everything and plain.

Rating: 3/10

Plain

A plain bagel sounds basic—and in many ways, it is. But when done right, it's the perfect base for any spread or topping.

The look: This bagel appeared very shiny on the outside. Based on looks alone, I would have opted for any of the other flavors.

The taste: The inside of this bagel was chewy, and the outside was crisp. Panera says the bagel is "lightly sweetened with brown sugar," but I could not taste that. The plain bagel was indeed basic but surprisingly OK.

Rating: 4/10

RELATED: I Tried 7 Trader Joe's Cheeses & the Best Is Super Creamy and Rich6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Multigrain Bagel Flat

While this item is certainly not a bagel, I was glad to see a healthier bread option on the Panera menu. And why not slather this baby with butter or cream cheese and call it breakfast?

The look: This "bagel flat" looked more like a small sandwich roll. I liked the nice brown color and that it was topped with oats.

The taste: This item was nice and chewy inside and a good alternative to a traditional bagel. I could see myself getting this as a bagel flat sandwich.

Rating: 5/10

Cinnamon Crunch

Made with cinnamon and vanilla-flavored chips and topped with a sweet cinnamon crunch, this "bagel" reminded me more of a doughnut.

The look: This bagel—and I use the term loosely—looked like a sweet pastry. The crunchy looking topping was tempting, and swirls of cinnamon made me think of a cinnamon bun.

The taste: I was surprised by how delicious this was. It was super sticky (annoyingly so), the inside had the texture of a croissant, and the cinnamon topping had a great, sweet crunch. I think of this more as a pastry than a bagel, but it was yummy.

Rating: 6/10

 The Best & Worst Cream Cheese Spreads, According to Dietitians

Cinnamon Swirl

I usually put cinnamon raisin bagels in the same category as blueberry bagels—they just don't belong. Panera says this is a sourdough bagel swirled with cinnamon and cinnamon-flavored chips, brown sugar, and raisins.

The look: I liked that this bagel was darker in color, and its asymmetrical shape was appealing.

The taste: Wow, the dough on this bagel had a nice flavor. There were just the right amount of raisins. This bagel would be great with some cream cheese. Who knows, I could be a cinnamon raisin convert!

Rating: 6/10

Asiago

Panera describes this bagel as having "chunks of asiago cheese baked inside and topped with more asiago." I never really thought of adding a savory cheese to a bagel, and I had to work to get my hands on this one. This bagel was sold out in my local Panera, requiring me to travel to another location to get it. I was curious as to why it was popular.

The look: This fluffy, roll-like bagel was plump and had melty cheese baked on top. It didn't look like any typical bagel.

The taste: Holy cow! This was one savory, delicious bagel. The inclusion of the Asiago cheese had me going back for second and third bites. I could see this bagel being a great vessel for a salad like tuna. I never would have tried it, but I was so glad I did.

Rating: 7/10