Lunch at Starbucks now has a lot of new options! Starting today, (April 30, 2013) there are four great little deli sandwiches available, and salad bowls too. I wanted to try as much as I could before I wrote this article, so for lunch today I had the Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad Bowl, as well as the Chicken BLT Salad Sandwich. By the way, this was too much food for lunch! However, I wanted to try at least a few items before writing this article.
I think all the new lunch items are much better than the previous options. It makes the idea of grabbing a panini a little boring! The Chicken BLT Salad Sandwich was pretty filling! It’s essentially a chicken salad sandwich – the bacon flavor in it is extremely mild, so if you’re looking for a ton of bacon flavor, this isn’t it. Having said that, it’s totally delicious. It was super moist, and the chicken tasted extremely good.
The Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad Bowl was delicious too. Although, when you first attempt to add in the salad dressing and stir a bit, you’ll quickly notice that the bowl seems a little too small. It’s hard not to make a mess. I really like feta cheese and this was perfect. I love that it has jicama. Growing up in Southern California, I ate a lot of it as a kid. The chili vinaigrette dressing is not spicy, which also is something I like. I was worried that there would not be enough dressing, but too my surprise it was perfect. And best of all, the chicken really tastes like chicken. That may sound strange, but just about one week ago, I wrote about the Grilled Chicken Salad at Carl’s Jr. and discovered a salad that was horribly processed-tasting. It was difficult to eat. The chicken tasted plasticized at Carl’s Jr.
Today, I managed to eat a salad bowl, and two of the sandwiches. Much later in the day, I had the Turkey and Havarti Sandwich, which might have been my favorite. The Havarti cheese was perfect, with just the right amount of dill flavor.
So it is really wonderful the quality of good food you can now get at Starbucks for lunch. And in case you didn’t know, you can use a MyStarbucksRewards reward to pay for the new salads and sandwiches.
If you’re looking for lunch on the go, here are all the hot new options: (I’ve lifted the ingredient descriptions from Starbucks.com)
- Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad Bowl – A blend of grilled chicken, black beans, roasted corn, jicama, tomatoes, feta, spring greens and quinoa with mild chili vinaigrette.
- Turkey & Havarti Sandwich – Carved oven-roasted turkey with scallion mayo, dill Havarti cheese and butter lettuce on harvest wheat bread.
- Chicken BLT Salad Sandwich – Grilled chicken, bacon, roasted tomato, scallion lemon pepper mayo and butter lettuce on harvest wheat bread.
- Chicken & Greens Caesar Salad Bowl – A delightful twist on the familiar favorite, prepared with grilled chicken, kale and roasted tomatoes.
- Ham & NY Cheddar Sandwich – Carved oven-roasted ham, sharp New York Cheddar cheese, apple mustard and arugula on cider wheat bread.
- Egg Salad Sandwich – Hard-boiled egg salad mixed with chives and arugula on cider wheat bread.
From the above list, I’ve tried the first three items, and easily give all of them, two thumbs up.
I think it’s quite possible that some of my readers are also reading the Starbucks blog of the Seattleite on a quest to eat all Starbucks food for one year. Her name is Beautiful Existence, and for one year she’s eating only at Starbucks, other locations wholly-operated by Starbucks (such as the Tazo store, or the Evolution Fresh stores). I was just thinking that the new food items much be a huge, welcome change for her! Now that is dedication to Starbucks food! I think she might outdo me as a fan!
Last but not least, if you’re getting a sandwich for lunch, pay attention to the little bit of whimsy found with the packaging of each one! I thought ‘deliciously ever after’ was pretty cute.
Let me know what you think of the new lunch options. I know there is a vegetarian salad, but I didn’t notice it at my local Starbucks. The vegetarian one is called the Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice, and is available in a limited number of locations.
Feel free to talk about anything Starbucks food related. And feel free to tell me which comment system you like best on my blog – the WordPress default comments (current system) or the Disqus system.
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I love that you ordered multiple things for lunch and that you ordered exactly what I want to try!
These are a nice upgrade/refresh, it’s not so drastic that it upsets people, yet in brings in some new elements. I had the Chicken and Greens today for lunch and it was perfect! Just the right amount of food to go with my Iced Tall No Classic Iced Coffee!
I’m glad the Chicken BLT is good. I seem to remember something similar a few years ago and it was one of the worst things I ever tasted, the name is escaping me now…
Melody give you alot of credit for having all those food items for lunch and thanks for the reviews. I did not see the new sandwiches although the only one I could eat would be the egg salad which I will try with the veggie brown rice bowl. I think it is nice that SB is expanding their food choices although I still feel it should be more vegetarian friendly. I like the old wordpress system better than disquis system.
I definitely prefer the WordPress commenting; I feel like it looks cleaner and it’s much more mobile friendly :)!
As far as the new stuff, it all sounds absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, my market never gets the fresh delivery stuff like this, but I can live vicariously through your blog! And I am liking the new stuff we do have, especially the new Bavarian Pretzels! Thanks for all your dedication as awesome content, Melody!
@Melody, first I am sorry that I have not been by to check your blog in a while. I have a lot a reading to catch up on. I like that you have stopped the Diqus connection. I thought I would like the threaded comments, but I found that it interrupted the flow of the discussion. So my vote is for WordPress default.
So once again Starbucks tempts us folks in the “remotes of Southeastern Washington” with “fresh” items we will never see, sad sad 🙁 . I am glad you got to try them.
Dad Cooks I am not that familiar with SE WA so am curious why you always have such problems getting some items delivered. BTW are these new food items going to stay around or just seasonal?
@Purple1 – Eastern Washington is “remote” – It’s actually amazing to me. I was recently in Ellensburg which is a pretty quick 2 hour drive from Seattle, and they don’t have Evolution Fresh juices, and they’re “Remote”.
Salads are almost always considered a summer seasonal item. They don’t sell as well in winter months.
The pretzels are temporary until your region launches La Boulange pastries – which for some areas of the country might not be so temporary! LOL
I would assume that the sandwiches are fairly permanent, so long as they sell well.
That’s all my best guess.
@Melody – geez you only got half way across the state, that is central Washington 😉 . Only another 90 minutes to 2 hours to the “remote” Tri-Cities.
@purple1 – IMHO Starbucks distribution system has some major flaws that results in a big empty “remote” land from the Cascade Mountains that does not improve until you get to Chicago. Starbucks should do like most of the other grocery and fast food stores do and have a major distribution hub in Boise, Idaho.
@DadCooks – Trust me, when I was planting trees in Cle Elum, I felt like I was “remote”!
I assume the real distribution problem for central Washington is the winter months – Getting through Snoqualmie Pass. Ellensburg, WA is much more “remote” in the winter than the other seasons!
My store (in Northern NJ) has the Hearty Veggie and Brown Rice salad, so I tried it yesterday. I thought it was pretty good, but I definitely understand why it’s only in some markets. It is very veggie-heavy – it just has a healthy taste to it. I thought it was great, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to my customers because it’s certainly not for everyone.
@Brittany – Terrible to say, but the veggie heavy salad would not be my first pick! I am still surprised I didn’t it see it in Seattle, but I didn’t ask about it, nor did I really pick through the RTD case. I will follow up. And thank you for weighing in – I know that the baristas in my area are still working on trying the new food items.
@Melody – yes, the pass is the bottleneck, snow in the winter and blasting delays the rest of the year. All the more reason to have a distribution hub on this side of the Cascades.
The Ham and New York Cheddar sandwich is terrific! The apple mustard is sweet and the arugula is actually really fresh and crispy.
Thanks for the great news, Melody! I’m particularly excited about the veg bowl and hope it’s available nationwide. I’ll check soon!
I definitely prefer Disqus and am glad to hear you’re considering implementing it here. Thank you as always for the great coverage! It always puzzles me why SBUX doesn’t notify at least Rewards customers of exciting new products…or when they do, it’s often quite delayed.
I saw, but haven’t tried the new pretzel yet. Didn’t notice the other new foods but some sound really good. My daughter and I split a tall caramel ribbon crunch frapp. Very good and not quite as sweet as I was afraid it’d be, but definitely a dessert. Sad they didn’t bring back the coconut. I much prefer the wordpress system.
I tried the Chicken & Greens Caesar Salad Bowl today and it was great! Fresh, light and had a wonderful flavor. The salad dressing was good & not overpowering like so many Caesar dressings can be. I would definitely like to try the vegetarian salad (Veggies & Brown Rice) but my store doesn’t seem to have it. I’ll have to ask to see if they can order it. I particularly like the Chicken & Greens Caesar Salad Bowl because it’s low in carbs (10grams), which is wonderful!
I had the Ham and NY Cheddar today (Starbucks Reward). Delightful. I loved the texture of the bread, the thickness of the ham and cheddar and the tangy/sweet apple mustard. As you say – it was a good size sandwich in that little box!
I tried the new Hearty Veggie and Brown Rice Salad Bowl for lunch today. I was impressed with the portion, and it tasted very good too. I wish it were a little healthier (22g of fat with dressing!) but overall I think it’s a great new option, especially for vegetarians.
I really like the new design of the sandwiches too.
For what it’s worth, Melodie, stores in my area carry both La Boulange pastries and the new Bavarian Pretzels.
So far I have tried both the Zesty Chicken & Black Bean and Chicken & Greens Caesar Salad Bowls. Both were delicious, but I was delighted to find how the Zesty Chicken went above and beyond my expectations of it. Now to move onto the rest of the salads and try to get my hands on a sandwich.
Tried the brown rice veggie bowl and liked it. I would however replace the dressing and wished perhaps they included oil and vinegar instead of the dressing they had. I am glad to see at least one option without meat!
The chicken BLT is absolutely disgusting. I cannot beleived they replaced the wonderful tarragon chicken sandwhich with this. Oversalted and overseasoned with wilted lettuce. What a shame. I used to go there specifically for the tarragon chicken sandwhich. This new one is so bad I have no wish to try the others. Had this down in Southern California in Redondo Beach.
Alas, I am not a big fan of ham -____- so I’ll probably try the turkey when we get them. Haven’t seen the salads yet but I’m hoping to see them soon 🙂
I loved the zesty chicken salad! Note about mixing the dressing, you are supposed to pour the salad in, then put the lid on and shake to toss. It says so on the package. Try it this way and you will like it even better!!!
@Lucille – So, today was the 2nd time I ordered one of the salads. I picked up the Caesar one at a Northgate Starbucks. (A north Seattle neighborhood). I started to put together the salad, and the bar barista (I was sitting not far from the bar) saw me, and flipped me a little grief, and was like, ‘Hey you’re supposed to pour the dressing in, close, and shake it!!’ – It was pretty adorable – It was a barista I know, so I totally laughed and had a face – palm moment. And it worked perfectly.
Somehow I was so eager to dig into it, I didn’t read any instructions the first time.
I will shake them now!
Thank you Lucille. 🙂
Once again, businesses change and I get that, but having said that I am someone who cannot eat cheese and mayo. So the big plus for Starbucks is the cheese was easy to remove and it was dry, so was a very good lunch sandwich for me. Now they added a different cheese I am ok as I can just remove it. But, Now a mayo that needs to be scraped (I know my problem) But now Starbucks become just a drink place for me. Am bummer as I did enjoy the turkey sandwich. Its a shame companies just make total change as oppose to just adding to its menu.
I just came across your blog discussing the “new” sandwiches. I finally tried the Chicken BLT sandwich and I really enjoyed it. I was torn between the Turkey and Havarti and this one. I will have to try the Turkey and Havarti next time.
Does anyone know how to make the chili vinegarette in the black bean chicken salad
Tried the Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad, and I, too would love a recipe for the chili vinegarette.
I guess I am one of those weird people, but I always used to eat the Turkey & Swiss, the big reason why I prefer my sandwiches DRY, now ALL of the lunch sandwiches have some form of condiment, I no longer have a sandwich from Starbucks. Went from Everyday a sandwich with drink to just my drink. A shame most places assume everyone likes condiments.