Italian subs are everywhere these days. Walk into just about any sandwich shop across the country, and you’ll spot some version of this classic sandwich on the menu. They’re piled high with different types of deli meat, topped with cheese and veggies, and finished off with oil and vinegar. The thing is, not every Italian sub tastes the same. Some chains load theirs up with mayo and call it a day, while others go heavy on the Italian seasonings and pepperoncini. I recently tried Italian subs from seven different national chains to see which ones actually live up to the hype and which ones fall flat.
Subway’s version doesn’t taste very Italian
When you think about sandwich chains, Subway probably comes to mind first since they’re practically on every corner. Their Italian sub options include a few different variations, but the standard one comes with pepperoni, salami, turkey, ham, and roast beef. The problem is that once you take a bite, it doesn’t really taste like an Italian sub at all. The roast beef completely takes over, making it taste more like a regular roast beef sandwich with some salami thrown in as an afterthought.
The bread at Subway is super soft and pillowy, which sounds nice but ends up getting soggy from all the toppings. They pile on way too much of their MVP vinaigrette, and the veggies are chopped small and oddly placed at the bottom of the sandwich. The cheese is pretty bland and dry too. For something calling itself an Italian sub, it’s missing that tangy, spicy kick that makes these sandwiches so good. The whole thing just tastes like a generic deli sandwich that happens to have a couple Italian meats in the mix.
Jimmy John’s has too much mayo on theirs
Jimmy John’s makes their Italian Night Club with ham, salami, and capocollo, which is a solid lineup of meats. They add provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and the usual oil and vinegar. But then they slather on a thick layer of mayonnaise that completely drowns out everything else. The mayo is sweet and heavy, and it’s all you can really taste once you bite into the sandwich. The bread they use is crusty and dense, almost like a French bread roll.
While some people really love Jimmy John’s bread, it doesn’t work great for Italian subs because it overwhelms the fillings. The crust is so thick that you’re basically eating a bread sandwich with some meat hidden inside. The Italian seasonings that should make this sandwich pop are completely buried under all that mayo. You can barely taste the oil or vinegar, and there’s no spicy kick from peppers or anything else. It’s perfectly fine if you’re craving a mayo-heavy sandwich after a night out, but it doesn’t stack up against what an Italian sub should be.
Firehouse Subs uses a unique steaming method
Firehouse Subs does something different with their Italian sandwich that sets it apart from most other chains. Instead of toasting their subs in a regular oven, they steam them in special steamer boxes. This creates a sandwich that’s warm and tender without being dried out or crusty. The bread stays soft and moist, and all the cheese melts together with the meats in a really satisfying way. They use Genoa salami, pepperoni, and honey ham, along with provolone cheese.
The honey ham is pretty noticeable in this sandwich, giving it a slightly sweet taste that’s different from most Italian subs. Instead of using plain oil and vinegar, Firehouse opts for Italian dressing and adds deli mustard to the mix. The steaming method really helps all these ingredients meld together, and the sandwich comes in a box with a pickle spear on the side. That pickle adds some much-needed tanginess since the sub itself is on the milder side. The meats are layered in a wavy, overlapping pattern that looks great and makes sure you get a bit of everything in each bite.
Penn Station makes a crusty bread-heavy sandwich
Penn Station’s Classic Italian smells amazing when you first unwrap it. The aroma of Italian seasonings, oil, and peppers hits you right away, and you can tell they don’t skimp on the toppings. The sandwich is messier than most others, with ingredients spilling out as soon as you pick it up. They load it with meat and add plenty of veggies, peppers, and dressing. The problem comes down to the bread they use, which is similar to a baguette.
This bread has a really dense, crusty exterior that makes the sandwich feel bread-heavy. When you bite into it, the crust kind of overwhelms everything else, and you end up tasting more bread than filling. It seems like the thick bread absorbs all the oil and vinegar, leaving the inside of the sandwich less tasty than it should be. The toppings are pungent and well-seasoned, but that crusty bread just doesn’t let them shine through. If they switched to a softer, fluffier bread, this sandwich would be way better.
Capriotti’s wraps theirs in an unusual way
Opening up the sandwich from Capriotti’s is a weird experience. It comes wrapped in several layers of regular paper, not the wax paper or sandwich wrap you’d expect. By the time you unwrap it, the paper is completely soaked through with oil and vinegar. When you finally get to the sandwich itself, it looks like an open-faced sandwich instead of a proper sub. The roll is split open and laid flat, with all the toppings arranged neatly on top.
They use Genoa salami, capicola, and prosciuttini, which is a good meat selection, plus provolone, onions, lettuce, tomato, oregano, and oil. The toppings are finished with perfectly round tomato slices and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. It actually looks really nice, like someone took their time arranging everything. The problem is that it’s not folded back together, making it super annoying to eat. You have to try to close it yourself while oil drips everywhere. The sandwich tastes pretty good once you manage to get it into your mouth, but the presentation and packaging issues bring it down several notches.
Potbelly toasts their sandwich for extra warmth
Potbelly does something interesting with their Italian sub by toasting it, which isn’t traditional but works really well. The sandwich comes with salami, pepperoni, capicola, and mortadella, giving you four different types of Italian meat. Here’s the catch though – when you order it without any customization, it literally comes with just meat and cheese. That’s it. No lettuce, no tomatoes, no onions, nothing. You have to manually add all those toppings yourself when ordering online.
Once you add the right toppings like lettuce, onion, pickles, oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian seasoning, the sandwich gets way better. The toasting really helps melt the cheese and warm everything together, and the pepperoni gives it a nice peppery bite. The bread is soft and fluffy on the inside with a slightly crunchy crust from being toasted. You can actually taste the red wine vinegar, which is something missing from a lot of other chain versions. The meat portions are generous and thinly sliced, though they go a bit light on the cheese. It’s a solid sandwich, but the fact that you have to customize it just to get basic toppings is annoying.
Jersey Mike’s stacks five different meats on theirs
Jersey Mike’s has been around since 1956, making them one of the oldest sub shop chains still operating. Their Original Italian comes absolutely loaded with five different types of meat: ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni. That’s more meat variety than just about any other chain offers. The meats are sliced thin and stacked on top of each other, creating a tall sandwich that’s packed with protein. They add provolone cheese and serve it on a soft Italian hoagie roll.
What’s nice about Jersey Mike’s is that the sandwich automatically comes “Mike’s Way,” which means they add onions, lettuce, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and salt without you having to ask for it. The bread is perfectly fluffy with a slightly crunchy crust that soaks up the dressing without getting soggy. All five meats work well together, and none of them takes over the whole sandwich. The prosciuttini has cracked black pepper on it, which adds a nice kick. The sandwich is mild overall, almost comforting in its simplicity. It’s the most expensive option on this list, but you’re getting a longer, wider sandwich with way more meat than most competitors offer.
Panera uses a French baguette instead of regular sub bread
Panera’s Toasted Italiano breaks away from the traditional Italian sub by using a French baguette instead of the usual soft sub roll. This might sound like a weird choice, but it actually works really well. The baguette has a golden, crunchy crust on top while staying soft and fluffy inside. They fill it with Black Forest ham and soppressata, which is a spicy Italian pork salami. The ham is smoky, and the soppressata brings some real heat to the sandwich.
Instead of using regular oil and vinegar, Panera goes with Greek dressing and adds a garlic aioli drizzle. They also throw in sliced pepperoncini peppers, which give the sandwich that tangy, spicy kick that makes Italian subs so good. The red onions and romaine lettuce add crunch, and everything works together without any one ingredient taking over. The sandwich looks beautiful when you unwrap it, with the golden baguette making it stand out from typical sub shop offerings. It comes with a bag of kettle-cooked potato chips on the side, which is a nice bonus. The combination of smoky ham, spicy salami, tangy peppers, and that crunchy-soft baguette makes this one seriously good sandwich.
What actually makes an Italian sub authentic
The first Italian sub was supposedly created back in 1899 by a guy named Giovanni Amato in Portland, Maine. He made them to feed construction workers during their lunch breaks. Since then, the sandwich has spread all over the country with different regions calling it different names. Some people call them hoagies, others say grinders or heroes, but they’re all basically the same thing. A real Italian sub should have at least two or three types of Italian deli meat, usually including some combination of salami, ham, capicola, pepperoni, or mortadella.
The meat should be sliced thin and layered so you get a bit of each type in every bite. Mild cheese like provolone or mozzarella goes on next, along with fresh veggies like lettuce, tomato, and onion. The key ingredient that makes it taste authentically Italian is the dressing – oil and red wine vinegar with Italian seasonings like oregano and basil. Some versions add pepperoncini or banana peppers for extra tang and heat. The bread should be soft enough to bite through easily but sturdy enough to hold all the fillings without falling apart. When done right, every bite should give you meat, cheese, veggies, and that tangy dressing all at once.
After trying Italian subs from all these different chains, it’s clear that Panera and Jersey Mike’s really know what they’re doing. Panera wins points for using that French baguette and adding unique touches like Greek dressing and garlic aioli, while Jersey Mike’s nails the classic version with five types of meat and the traditional “Mike’s Way” toppings. Firehouse Subs deserves credit for their steaming method, which creates a completely different but still delicious sandwich. Next time you’re craving an Italian sub, skip Subway and Jimmy John’s and head to one of these better options instead.
