The Hands-Down Best Meatball Subs In The US, According To Reviews

The Mama's Meatball sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Shop uses beef and pork meatballs, marinara sauce, provolone cheese, and Italian seasonings. The bread is fresh, which is noteworthy considering Potbelly is a fast-service chain. The exact proportions of toppings on each sandwich may vary by location, but the ingredients are very consistent, and the pricing is always the same. One thing that customers noted about Potbelly in Yelp reviews was that they always knew exactly what they would get, even if they were visiting a shop in another state.

Customers consistently call out both the Mama's Meatball Sub and the Italian Sub as great items on Potbelly's menu. When ordering, you can choose an original-length sub, a big sub, or a skinny sub, although not all sizes are available in all stores. The big sub has around ⅓ more meatballs, cheese, sauce, and bread than the original, while a skinny is around ⅓ smaller than the standard version. Most stores also offer a half sandwich that you can pair with soup.

Wawa has perfected the customizable sandwich-ordering process. All of its subs are made to order, allowing you to pick your own roll, toppings, seasoning, and toasting preference. While the Meatball Parmesan sub is a classic option, you can add everything from pickles to peppers if you prefer. There are also plenty of bread options, each of which comes in three different sizes. When you order, you can also select whether or not you want your sandwich toasted.

In Philadelphia, the hoagie's birthplace, Philadelphia Magazine praised Wawa's meatball sub for its customization. The meatballs, marinara, and cheese aren't anything spectacular but hit all of the marks required for a good sandwich. What sets these subs apart is their practically endless customization options. When you order, you can select exactly what you want from a touchscreen display, pay for your sandwich while the Wawa staff prepares it, and pick up your meatball sub in under five minutes. Because Wawa is so popular, however, wait times can be long if there's a crowd.

The Capriotti's meatball sub has two types of cheese, provolone and romano. The chain began in Wilmington, Delaware but now has more than 175 locations around the United States. Fortunately, its ingredients and quality are consistent. When you visit Capriotti's in any state, you're likely to have a similar experience. The subs are available in 5-, 8-, 10-, or 18-inch sizes. You can also customize by adding or removing cheese, adding peppers or extra spices, or doubling the meatballs on your sub. You can order online ahead of time for delivery, or you can pick your order up from the shop.

Customers on Yelp praise Capriotti's high-quality ingredients and the extra time it takes to make the perfect sub. The bread tends to be thick and hefty, which is important in a meatball sub with a lot of sauce. If you double up on meatballs, it's critical that the bread can keep the sandwich together without falling apart.

The homemade meatballs on the subs from the Salt Lake City Italian-style deli Moochie's are a favorite with customers on Yelp. The restaurant's Atomic Meatball sandwich comes with feta cheese, marinara sauce, and a special jalapeño sauce made famous by Moochie's. The original restaurant is located inside a pottery shop, and it focuses on bringing the community together to enjoy great food. There are now three locations total, all of which serve fresh ingredients on homemade bread.

Moochie's even offers authentic Philly cheesesteaks in Utah thanks to its founder's upbringing in Philadelphia. The meatball subs are second in popularity only to the cheesesteaks. If you want to try celebrity chef Guy Fieri's favorite sandwich from the shop, you can get a classic meatball sub made with handmade meatballs, homemade marinara, and provolone. If you want something a bit spicier, opt for the Atomic Meatball, which adds jalapeño sauce. (Plus, if you fall in love with this sauce, you can take some of it home.)

It's not surprising that a restaurant focused on meatballs has a popular meatball sub. At The Meatball Shop in NYC, you can get classic meatballs, chicken meatballs, veggie meatballs, or make your own custom sub, all slathered with the restaurant's famous sauce. The OG NYC Meatball Sub comes with tomato sauce and mozzarella. The Chicken Parm Parm Hoagie is made with chicken meatballs, tomato sauce, and mozzarella and is topped with parmesan cream sauce. The Veggie uses pesto sauce with veggie meatballs and mozzarella. You can also add hot sauce to any sandwich, including any of the meatball subs.

The Spicy Pork Meatballs aren't available on any signature subs, but you can make your own. Sauce options include tomato sauce, parmesan cream sauce, pesto, spicy meat sauce, veggie ragu, and spicy-ish arrabbiata. The restaurant also offers multiple bread types, including white hoagie rolls and wheat rolls. According to Yelp, the customization and tender meatballs put this shop on the map.

For the ultimate customizable meatball sub, consider the option from Which Wich. It includes Italian-style meatballs and marinara sauce, plus more than 40 extra topping options. The meatball sub comes with meatballs, marinara, and parmesan. While the basic sandwich isn't anything exceptional, you can choose from three different sizes. Alternatively, you can make it into a bowl, a wrap, or a lettuce wrap.

You can customize your sandwich by adding double meatballs, changing up the cheese, adding extra marinara or other sauces, sprinkling on extra oils and spices, or even adding fresh veggies. Based on Yelp reviews, the customization is what brings people to Which Wich. You can get your sandwich made however you like with any substitutions. Because it's a chain, its food is also consistent across all locations. If you have a special combination that you like on your meatball sub, you can be sure that it will be an option at any Which Wich you want to visit.

With bread baked fresh twice daily, it's not hard to guess just how delicious the sandwiches from Dibella's Subs are. Dibella's can customize each sandwich, including adding its recommended toppings: grilled peppers and onions. In particular, the meatball sub has marinara and mozzarella, and the meatballs are made with a mixture of pork and beef. While they're large, they're still manageable on a sub. The marinara pairs well with the meatballs and soaks into the bread, which has a soft, fluffy interior. According to Yelp, these meatball subs tend to be on the cheesy side, which is perfect for those who like that boost of flavor on their sandwich.

Dibella's offers in-person, pickup, and delivery options, as well as curbside pickup and catering when you're ordering for a crowd. The chain is made up of 40 locations within several different states and regions (mostly the Northeast U.S.). If you want a chain that has plenty of spots but that you won't see on every corner, Dibella's strikes a good balance.

Not only does this meatball sub get rave reviews, but it also puts Parm on the list of best sandwiches overall according to the Food Network. The meatballs are based on the chef's grandmother's recipe, and they're made from a mixture of pork, veal, and beef. You can order the meatball sandwich as a roll, which comes on a sweet semolina bread, or a hero, which comes on a sesame hero bun. While Parm doesn't have very many customization options compared to some sub shops on this list, the high-quality ingredients certainly attract customers' attention on Yelp.

Parm has multiple locations in New York City with dine-in, takeout, and delivery options. That said, the wait times can be long, depending on which location you visit and the size of your group or order. Of note is that Parm gets a lot of attention not only for its food, but also for its founding chefs, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, both of whom have Michelin Stars.

To make this list, we researched the best meatball subs across the U.S., looking at customer reviews, recognition and awards, and menu options. We also happily tested major chain restaurants, providing first-hand opinions for some of the most common and accessible meatball subs in the country. While many featured similar taste profiles overall, there were subtle differences, specifically in the sauce, meatball texture, and cheeses. Fresh bread also put many of these sandwiches in a whole different league than those that relied on older, more stale rolls.

The bread, meatballs, sauce, and toppings were the most important factors when we assessed each meatball sub experience overall. Fresh ingredients with flavor and texture ranked high, but customization options were also highlighted by customer reviews. Basically, if a restaurant allowed customers to make the exact sub they wanted, it was worth mentioning. Consistency was also an important factor; once you find a fantastic meatball sub, you want to be sure that it'll live up to your expectations with each future visit.