I Tried Panera's Controversial New Breakfast Items & Some Were Surprisingly Tasty

This year is quickly shaping up to be a major period of change for one of America's top bakery-café chains. Less than three months after rolling out its largest menu transformation in history and discontinuing dozens of popular menu items, Panera Bread launched a brand-new breakfast menu on June 26. 

The lineup includes several new takes on familiar breakfast foods. There's a Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich. There's a Bacon Double Take breakfast sandwich with an extra hefty portion of bacon. And there's also a Steak & Wake sandwich stacked with marinated, thin-sliced cuts of beef.

Meanwhile, the other new additions are a little more bold and unusual. Panera debuted two new sweet and savory breakfast offerings called "CinnaScrambles" as part of the new morning menu. They're effectively breakfast sandwiches that use a warmed cinnamon roll in lieu of the typical bun or bread. Panera also introduced a selection of three "CinnaTops," which feature cinnamon rolls topped with icing and bits of brownies or cookies. 

Both the CinnaScrambles and CinnaTops have already become a point of contention among Panera customers. Some have shared positive reviews of the CinnaScrambles on social media, while others balked at the idea of eating a cinnamon roll-breakfast sandwich hybrid first thing in the morning. Many also weren't sold on the whole CinnaTops concept, with one customer declaring them "totally unappetizing" in a Reddit post. 

In light of all these fervent, conflicting opinions, I recently put Panera's new breakfast menu to the test firsthand by sampling all of the additions and judging them on taste, texture, and appearance. I admittedly went into the tasting experiment with low expectations because of all the online criticism, but actually found some of the new options to be surprisingly tasty.

Read on for my review of every item, starting with my least favorite and ending with my top pick!

Candy Cookie CinnaTop

Panera's Candy Cookie CinnaTop features a cinnamon roll topped with icing, Candy Cookie chunks, candy pieces, and an icing drizzle. This and the other two CinnaTop varieties will only be available for a limited time. The treat cost me $4.89 at my local Panera in New Jersey.

The look: I could tell from the very first glance that all of Panera's CinnaTop varieties are not for the faint of heart. This iteration had a thick layer of icing and was covered generously in big Candy Cookie bits. The cinnamon roll itself reminded me more of a croissant, due to its deep golden brown color and flaky, layered texture.

The taste: This was clunky to eat and an absolute sugar overload. I have a pretty serious sweet tooth normally, but the combination of cinnamon roll, icing, and cookie pieces made for an overwhelmingly cloying option. Even if the sugar levels were more restrained, I still don't think this would have been a winner.

The cinnamon roll fell flat for me because it tasted and felt more like a croissant with a small hint of cinnamon. Meanwhile, the cookie pieces were crumbly, cakey, dry, and didn't really add anything in terms of flavor. I couldn't stomach more than a couple of bites.

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Choco Chipper CinnaTop

Panera's Choco Chipper CinnaTop features a cinnamon roll topped with icing, chunks of Chocolate Chipper Cookies, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a chocolate drizzle. The treat cost me $4.89.

The look: This CinnaTop iteration was a little more visually pleasing than the Candy Cookie version thanks to the color contrast provided by the chocolate drizzle. There weren't quite as many cookie pieces on this one and I could see a generous dusting of sea salt on top, which gave me hope that it wouldn't be quite as overwhelmingly sweet.

The taste: Many of the same issues I experienced with the Candy Cookie CinnaTop were also present in the Choco Chipper CinnaTop. It was crazy sugary, hard to eat, a bit dry, and surprisingly, didn't have all that much chocolate flavor. It only rose a hair above the Candy Cookie variety for me because the sea salt on top helped to slightly offset the intense sweetness.

Panera Bread Fudgy Brownie CinnaTop

Panera's Fudgy Brownie CinnaTop features a cinnamon roll topped with icing, brownie chunks, and an icing drizzle. The treat cost me $4.89.

The look: Ultra decadent and a bit over-the-top. The icing was layered on generously and the brownie pieces looked moist, rich, and fudgy as described.

The taste: Of the three CinnaTop varieties, this was by far the most palatable. The textures were a big part of what made it so superior. Unlike the crumbly, sort of dry cookie pieces, the brownies were soft and easy to bite through. It was still way too sweet for me, but thanks to the deeply chocolaty, slightly bitter notes of the brownie, the sugar levels weren't nearly as overwhelming.

I don't see myself going back for any of the CinnaTops after this tasting. But if you're dying to try one, the Fudgy Brownie CinnaTop is your best best.

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Steak & Wake Sandwich

Panera's Steak & Wake sandwich, a limited-time breakfast item, features marinated sliced steak, scrambled egg, melty aged white cheddar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on ciabatta bread. The sandwich cost me $6.99.

The look: A bit messily assembled, but pretty generously portioned. There were thick helpings of sliced steak and scrambled egg packed within the golden brown, bubbly ciabatta. Unlike the red-tinged steak in Panera's promotional photos, the steak on my sandwich was more brown and sort of grayish in some areas.

The taste: Not terrible or terribly impressive. I love when breakfast sandwiches come with toasted bread, but the ciabatta on this option had either gone soggy by the time I tried it or wasn't toasted to begin with. The egg and cheese were tasty enough and the steak had a decently savory—albeit one-note—flavor. However, the pieces of beef had almost no texture and were way too small for my liking. 

Ham, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich

Panera's Ham, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich features Black Forest ham, scrambled egg, melty aged white cheddar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on ciabatta bread. Unlike the Steak & Wake, this is a permanent addition to the Panera menu. The sandwich cost me $6.59.

The look: A little humdrum, especially next to the generously portioned Steak & Wake. There was only one slice of ham and very little cheese. Plus, the egg didn't fully fill out the sandwich.

The taste: Sort of boring, but pretty solid overall. The ham I did get on the sandwich was savory and fresh-tasting. Yet, it was also subtle enough that it didn't overwhelm the funky aged cheddar. My only complaints were that the bread wasn't toasty and I could have gone for more of the star ingredient. The sandwich didn't blow me away, but it was serviceable and a step above all of the lower ranking options in both taste and quality.

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Bacon Double Take

Panera's Bacon Double Take features a double portion of applewood-smoked bacon, scrambled egg, melty American cheese, provolone, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on Black Pepper Focaccia. This sandwich, another permanent addition to Panera's menu, cost me $6.99.

The look: I was a little disappointed to see how haphazardly this sandwich was thrown together (just peep that scrambled egg and cheese cascading out the side). Even so, every element of the sandwich was pretty generously portioned, from the bacon to the egg.

The taste: Bacon, egg, and cheese is a breakfast time classic for a reason—and Panera's take is a pretty solid one. The bacon was smoky, salty, flavorful, and piled on thick, just as promised. Additionally, the American and provolone cheese combo was tasty and made it stand out from the other new breakfast sandwiches. 

I did have some issues with the textures in this sandwich. The bacon was a little tough and I wanted a bit more of a toast on the focaccia. Still, it was undoubtedly one of the best new additions to Panera's menu and one of the few that I'd be open to getting again.

CinnaScramble

Panera's classic CinnaScramble features scrambled egg, melty American cheese, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on a warmed cinnamon roll. This one and the other CinnaScramble flavor will only stick around for a limited time. The sandwich cost me $5.89.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Without the layers of cloying icing and chopped baked goods, I could see more than ever just how golden brown and flaky the cinnamon rolls are at Panera. As a whole, the sandwich looked a little meager with just a square of scrambled egg and a bit of cheese.

The taste: As I've previously noted in this taste test, Panera's cinnamon roll is much closer to a croissant than any cinnamon roll I've tried before. That actually worked in this sandwich's favor. The pastry was more firm than doughy, which made it function much better as a bread replacement in a breakfast sandwich. The sugar and cinnamon were also both very restrained, so the experience was like eating a croissant breakfast sandwich with a sweet and savory kick.

Given all of the criticism surrounding the new CinnaScrambles, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this option. However, there was still one new Panera breakfast item that managed to outshine the classic CinnaScramble in terms of flavor.

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Sausage CinnaScramble

Panera's Sausage CinnaScramble features a savory sausage patty, scrambled egg, melty American cheese, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on a warmed cinnamon roll. The sandwich cost me $6.99.

The look: This was undeniably the most visually pleasing of the Panera breakfast items I tried. It was neatly assembled and towered higher than the classic CinnaScramble thanks to the addition of that savory sausage patty.

The taste: The Sausage CinnaScramble had all the same yummy qualities as the other CinnaScramble, from the flaky, buttery cinnamon roll to the melty cheese. However, the sausage patty managed to heighten the sweet and savory factor that I loved in the other sandwich. It was super tasty and the only sandwich I wanted to eat more of after trying Panera's new morning menu.

To be clear, this is a hefty breakfast and a lot to handle first thing in the morning. But on the days when you wake up craving something convenient, flavorful, and satisfying, the Sausage CinnaScramble might just hit the spot.