While there are not as many sub sandwich chains as there are burger chains, there are in fact more than 25 of them in the U.S., and that’s not even counting local specialty shops like the Philly Cheese Steak shops in and around Philadelphia. Whether the bread is called a bun, or sub, or a hoagie, in all cases we are talking about something bigger than the normal hog dog bun, and full of all kinds of meats, cheeses, fixins (like peppers) and condiments. Some of these shops are not nationwide, for example WAWA or Penn Station which is on the east coast, but some are nationwide, with the biggest being Subway, which also has a global presence. Besides Subway, the others that specialize in Subs include, Jersey Mikes, Jimmy John’s, Quiznos, Firehouse Subs and more. I am not counting ‘convenience’ stores that also do subs, like WAWA, nor am I counting Arby’s where the subs are part of a huge array of sandwiches, with the focus not particularly on making subs.
So who’s the best? The answer partly depends on taste…. If having a wide range of possible breads to choose from (at Subway my favorite is Italian herb and cheese), then clearly Subway is your go to place that would also be the case if you want to decide on every single item that goes on the sandwich, including the sauces or other condiments to choose from. Most of these chains are good about having fresh meats and veggies, but I have noticed of late that if your go to sub is some kind of Italian sub (not tuna, not roast beef, you get the picture) then for my money the very best toasted is the Italian nightclub at Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s has only recently gone to toasting sandwich, to excellent effect. True, they only have one kind of bread, but it is excellent when toasted, and to their credit, they use exclusively Hellman’s mayonnaise, which for my tastebuds is the best mayonnaise by a lot, (and I was raised on Duke’s— yes I know a Carolina guy raised on Duke’s mayo– something is wrong with this picture). The thing about that aforementioned Jimmy John’s sandwich is it actually has meats on it that taste like Italian meat, not phony pepperoni etc.
Another variable worth mentioning is some of these shops offer either 6 or 12 inches, but Jimmy John’s does offer 8 or 16 inches sizes and they even offer a ‘little John’s for those with smaller appetites. As for cost, this depends on whether one does a meal deal of chips, drink and sandwich, or just orders a sub, and it also depends on whether one orders using an app, in which there tend to be special deals, or not. Note that Jimmy Johns unlike several other competitors does their own chips and cookies.
All in all, my favorite sub shop using all the criteria is…… Jimmy Johns.
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