7 Best Ready-To-Eat Meals At Publix, According To Reviews

If you're from the Southeast U.S., then chances are, you've shopped at Publix. I've spent a decent amount of time in Florida, and Publix was my go-to. Whether it was picking up a round of Cubans to take to the beach when my family lived in Fort Myers, or going for my weekly shopping trip while living in Fort Lauderdale, Publix was my grocery store of choice — except on Sundays. (Avoid Sundays at the store, unless you don't mind crowds.)

One of the biggest draws of Publix for me, and many others, if social media is to be believed, is its vast collection of ready-to-eat meals. Whether you're taking care of a family or by yourself, sometimes you want the convenience of not having to cook. And you wouldn't be alone. According to Statista, the market for ready-made meals was almost $400 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow annually by 5.95%. 

Accordingly, I set out to find which of the ready-to-eat offers at the chain were the best, according to reviews. I searched through social media posts, Reddit threads, and more to see what customers were saying, and was able to put together this list of Publix's seven best. I primarily looked for the options that went viral, and most, if not all, of the meals on the list did. So, read on and find out what you should try out the next time you hit up Publix.

The Publix Cuban sandwich is probably the first ready-to-eat meal I ever had from the chain. My parents were big fans of this sub and would often pick up a bunch to take with us to the beach. After reading through social media posts and speaking to some of my Floridian friends, it seems as though the same was a time-honored tradition for many.

Whether you get the sub made in store for you or the grab-and-go option, the Cuban contains sweet ham, pork, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, mayo, and yellow mustard. While more than one review mentioned that these sandwiches are best from small, authentic shops, when it comes to a chain store, Publix makes a great Cuban. And well, if I learned anything from researching this article, it's that those in the know are obsessed with "Pub subs" as they are affectionately called. In fact, this isn't the only Publix sandwich on the list.

The store also offers a platter of Cubanitos, which are quite popular. Cubanitos are a larger serving of the sandwich, but cut down into smaller slices — perfect to snack on when you're feeling peckish or to bring out for a party. You can also get them pressed, which makes the cheese all nice and melty.

Publix may be best known for its sub sandwiches, with the Buffalo Chicken Tender Sub the most popular, judging by the sheer amount of videos and posts about it. The sandwich comes with Publix chicken tenders tossed in Buffalo sauce, as well as provolone cheese, lettuce, and tomato. However, these subs are made to order, so you can include any kind of cheese or extras that you want. Most people recommend getting ranch as well as the buffalo sauce, and bell peppers seem to be a common addition.

The Buffalo Chicken Tender Subs are monsters. Every review video I watched showcased a sandwich overflowing with chicken tenders, veggies, and sauce. They are messy, but according to the reviews, completely worth it. One reviewer said he had wasted 15 years of his life not getting this sub and called it amazing, adding that the sauce didn't take away from the crunch. Another review praised the amount of chicken that was inside the bun.

One customer who was trying her first-ever Pub sub commented that she had been missing out and that she loved it. Another reviewer (and his wife) tried the sub because of a recommendation; they both enjoyed it, though they noted they would have gone with a different bread.

If Channing Tatum says that Publix's fried chicken is the best, then you might want to believe it. The actor said it even topped Popeye's in a Snack Wars episode with Naomi Acke. But Tatum isn't the only one, if reviews online are anything to go by. It could be the seasoning, the crunchiness, or the juiciness, but people are crazy over the fried chicken, and it's not hard to see why.

Publix offers a variety of fried chicken meals with selections of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, and tenders, or an eight-piece mix — and all are prepared fresh throughout the day. The stores also offer meals with sides, depending on the location. One poster complimenting the portion size noted that each tender was the size of half a breast; they paid $8 for a three-piece chicken tender dinner, and essentially got two meals out of it. Another review backed up the size of the chicken, while saying it was perfectly extra crispy, juicy, and seasoned.

In a video review on social media, a customer said the fried chicken was "legit" and would put it up against anyone, including Popeyes. Other comments on the video agreed, with one suggesting the recipe should be studied, it's so good, and another saying it's the best they've ever had. A food blog, which tried to recreate the recipe, said Publix's fried chicken reminded them of old-school family dinners and that they were hooked from the first time they tried it.

While some may be cautious when it comes to sushi from a grocery chain, most people certainly have no qualms about Publix. Although it may not be the same quality as a restaurant, the store does a pretty good job, thanks to its contract with AFC Sushi, which makes it in-store daily. Not to mention, the store offers $5 sushi roll deals on Wednesdays that you'll definitely not want to miss, and you can also custom-order a roll if you don't see what you want.

A Reddit thread said that while it's not the highest quality, it's great for less picky sushi eaters, especially on Wednesdays. Other commenters on the thread chimed in with their favorite rolls, including the Spicy Shrimp Tempura, California Roll, and Hawaiian Roll, among others. Even without the $5 deal, some customers believe that it's worth the price. One TikToker conducted a taste test comparing a $5 roll, a $10 roll, and a $10.99 roll, with the most and least expensive rolls coming in first and second, before concluding that all sushi at Publix is pretty good.

Another reviewer on social media said that she picks up sushi every time she's near a Publix, claiming it makes her incredibly happy. (I get the sentiment — I usually took home a Philadelphia Roll on my weekly shopping trips.) A different reviewer said the sushi department doesn't disappoint, before describing how delicious the veggie roll is.

If you need more proof that Publix knows chicken, look no further than the Hot Honey Chicken Tender Salad. This is yet another meal that has taken over social media, with tons of people sharing not only how much they love the salad, but all the ways they customized it. Although it has a slightly higher price tag of around $11 at most locations, it's heavily loaded with toppings and chicken tenders. Depending on your hunger level, you could easily get a few meals out of it.

To order this, simply get a Hot Honey Chicken Sub and ask for it to be made into a salad (it's an option when you order online as well). Some reviews commented that they like how big the tenders are, and how you could get as much dressing as you wanted on the salad without having to pay extra.

From the reviews, everyone has their own preferred dressing to order with the salad, but the most common ones seem to be ranch and chipotle mayo. Nearly every review I came across gave it a 10 out of 10. People have said it's the best salad they've ever had, and they would eat it every day.

Did you think we were done with Publix subs? Not yet. The Boar's Head Italian Sub is yet another at the Publix deli counter that gets a lot of love from customers. It comes on your choice of bread, with Genoa Salami, Tavern Ham, and Cappacolla. The rest of the toppings are up to you, although popular options are banana peppers, lettuce, tomato, spinach, onions, and more. As you can probably tell from the name, the meat is Boar's Head brand, which also makes some of the best bologna we at Chowhound have found. 

A thread on Reddit devoted to the sandwich discussed its consistent quality, with others mentioning it as their go-to sandwich when in Florida. Apparently, the foot-long sub goes on sale once a month, which only sweetens the deal. Notably, another Redditor called it underrated, and plenty claimed to be addicted.

Instagrammer John Ellis from the IG account blenderwizard, gave the sandwich a try. He seemed dubious that he would enjoy it, but after the first bite, he noted that if "you don't have a nice Italian deli around you, and you happen to have a Publix, this is great." Ellis added that if you're ever looking for a good sandwich, you can't go wrong with a Publix sub. On TikTok, the_starvin-sicilian complimented the bread before enjoying the entire sandwich in one go. You can also get the sub in a grab-and-go option, which customers have said isn't too shabby either.

I know that Publix's Southern-style Potato Salad is technically a side dish and not a full meal, but from the way a lot of people talk about it on the internet, it sounds like they eat it like one. This I can understand, because I'm the same way about Publix's tabouli. Sure, it's not meant to be a full meal, but that doesn't mean it can't be.

The Southern-style Potato Salad contains hard-boiled eggs, mayo, potatoes, celery, pickle relish, and a mix of seasonings. (While it tastes good on its own, imagine how much better it could be with a little bit of Old Bay mixed in.) More than one person called it the best potato salad around, and apparently, some people like to buy small, secondary containers to eat in the car on the way home.

Other commenters on social media, like TikToker brianlamarstokes said they have no shame in telling people that they get their potato salad from their "Aunt Publix." Lamar purposely uses Publix's version not only for the convenience, but because it's so good. TikTok reviewer definitelycj said they don't even know what is in the Southern-style potato salad that makes it so good, but that "Publix knows what they're doing." Like deifnitelycj, I'll admit it: I can relate to standing in the kitchen, eating it straight out of the container.

There are many options we recommend to first-time shoppers at Publix. But when it comes to ready-to-eat meals and food, it did make it a bit tricky to narrow down the list, though certainly not impossible.

I began by researching various rankings and articles online to compile a comprehensive list of the best ready-to-eat meals, as reported by others. I then conducted a deep dive on each one, gathering reviews from the last year. I turned to social media and forums like Reddit, as Publix doesn't have reviews or comments available on its own website.

First, I looked at the number of reviews, and then the quality of reviews to narrow down the list further. I was looking for food that people enjoyed the taste of and/or thought had good value. Yes, some of the meals could be considered on the higher end of the price spectrum; however, they offer so much food that it's more than worth the cost. Where possible, I included personal experiences from my time shopping almost exclusively at Publix. Lastly, I looked at whether the meal went viral or got a lot of traction on social media.