The Ultimate Ranking Of Firehouse Subs' Sandwiches

Firehouse Subs is a long-running sub sandwich chain akin to Jersey Mike's or Subway (whose sandwiches we've also ranked) — but with a distinct mission. Founded by former firefighters Chris and Robin Sorensen in 1994, the chain donates .075% of its purchases or a minimum of $1 million to its foundation, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which supports public servants by providing equipment.

With more than 1,200 locations across the United States, it's clear that its mission and food are making quite an impression. The interiors of each location are clearly designed with the namesake in mind, with paintings of fire trucks, bulky jackets on hooks, and firehouse-reminiscent paraphernalia driving the theme home. Included amongst the decorations is a hot sauce bar, decked out generously with a wide variety of sauces, some of which have specific pairing recommendations for the sandwiches. It's a genius amenity that sets it apart from other sandwich-focused chains, and I'm not at all surprised that when they removed it, it was quickly brought back by popular demand.

Everyone has their own favorite sandwiches and flavors, but every sandwich chain typically has one combo that really hits the ball home. We took the liberty of trying a variety of sandwiches from Firehouse Subs and ranking them from worst to best, so next time you're staring at that menu, you can have a better idea of what to order.

The Firehouse Captain's Club comes with chicken, bacon, hero sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The recommended hot sauce pairing is the chain's signature bottle of Captain Sorensen's Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, which has a dark color and rich flavor.

The hot sauce is the redeeming quality of this sandwich and the only thing that really gives it flavor, so if you're not a hot sauce fan, you may find yourself wondering if the chicken was seasoned before it was cooked. The reason for this utter blandness could be attributed to the steaming method the sandwich chain uses to reheat meats and melt cheese before adding the cold toppings. Either that, or the meat was under-seasoned to begin with.

The bread has a nice texture, with nicely toasted edges that aren't so dry it's difficult to chew. But of all the ingredients in the sandwich, the bread is what you taste most — a surprising detail considering the description for the sandwich says there are red pepper flakes and hero sauce as well. It was last place for me because of the general blandness, although the hot sauce that was recommended for it does have a fantastic kick.

I was excited for this — pastrami is one of my absolute favorite sandwich meats, and paired with corned beef (which is similar to pastrami but with a few key differences) and provolone, it just sounds delicious.

The execution fell disappointingly short. Perhaps my standards are too high, and the image of this double meat combo in my mind comes from New York delis that use the highest quality meats and don't hold back on making it gourmet. The Firehouse Subs version is quite bland. You can barely taste the spices used in the process of making corned beef or the mustard and Italian dressing, which should be adding a bit of pizazz but are completely lost in the background.

Were the meat more flavorful and the mustard more generous, I'm sure I would have enjoyed this sandwich. But with almost no flavor to it, perhaps because of the steaming process used on the meat, I find myself longing for some pickles, onions, or something to make each bite more interesting. It was still a bit better than the Captain's Club in terms of overall flavor but severely lacking nonetheless.

The presentation of the Turkey Bacon Ranch is appealing, with the sub piled high with turkey, melted cheddar, veggies, and bacon. The portion size looks the best of the sandwiches listed so far, which is why it ranked a bit higher. The flavor is still not great; the ranch is a bit watered down, and any roasted flavor the meat may have had is lost.

On the plus side, the bacon used in the sandwich is pretty good. It has a nice crunch to it and is definitely a step up from the flavorless fast food bacon you often see. The portion is slim — just a half a piece for a small-sized sandwich, but at least it's good.

The recommended hot sauce pairing is Texas Pete Sriracha Cha, which is a great combo. It seems the designers involved in building Firehouse Subs knew what they were doing with making the hot sauce bar. It's a fantastic amenity that makes the chain stand apart from its competitors.

The Engineer may be a very subjective sandwich due to the addition of mushrooms — an oftentimes controversial ingredient. But for me, the mushrooms took this sandwich up a notch from the others already listed because they tasted so darn good. It was interesting that the meat on most of these sandwiches is so lacking in flavor and that the mushrooms on this one seem to have better seasoning than them all. When combined with that mild, buttery flavor of melted Swiss cheese, it makes for a great combo.

Overall, the sandwich is pretty light, which is nice if you're not looking to fall asleep at the table or roll out the door. It's definitely a more veggie-forward option, but it's not fully vegetarian with the turkey. The flavors are balanced nicely, and the mushrooms add some much-needed umami. If you want to dress it up, you can always reach for a bottle of liquid magic from the hot sauce bar, like the Hot N Saucy Carrot N Chipotle or the Deep Canyon Co. Sizzlin' Scorpion Scorching Hot Sauce.

I was intrigued by this one — who doesn't love jerk chicken? Using the seasoning on turkey is an interesting move, and topping it with pepper jack sounds delicious. The sandwich is rounded out with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a sweet mustard sauce.

The jerk seasoning is painfully light. I wonder why they've bothered to make a seasoned sandwich without fully committing to it, assuming that those who order it will probably already be a fan of that rich, all-spiced flavor and expect to taste it. The flavor is kind of there, enough to make this one of the more appealing sandwiches, but it's a one-note allspice blend that misses the complexity, spiciness, and savory depth that jerk seasoning should have. This would've been one of my favorites were the seasoning blend better, although you can use the Captain Sorensen's hot sauce to give it that kick. That being said, I did prefer it over the sandwiches ranked below for at least having some seasoning, uniqueness, and flavor.

The presentation of the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket sub isn't the most appealing to the eye compared to some of the other sandwiches on this list, but the flavor is surprisingly on point. It's a straightforward ordeal — sliced, smoked brisket, cheddar, barbecue sauce, and mayo. The brisket has a pretty strong smoky flavor that pairs great with the nuttiness of cheddar and the sweetness of the barbecue sauce.

It's definitely a cheapified version of smoked brisket, but for a fast-casual chain sandwich shop, it's not bad at all, making it into the top four of this list for its pleasant flavor and decent portion size. If you're perusing the selection for a hot sauce to add in, check out the Backdraft Fire Sauce that uses brown sugar, habaneros, and mustard as its main ingredients and can bring some complementary flavor in with the barbecue. 

I'm a sucker for spice, and the Cajun chicken sub has no need for hot sauce with its abundance of jalapeños and pepper jack cheese. The Cajun flavor, similar to the jerk turkey sandwich, is very light. All of the spice definitely comes from the jalapeños, while the complex flavor of Cajun seasoning, which would typically have a nice garlicky background, is lost. I think I would have enjoyed it more and ranked it higher had the seasoning been more thorough (although it's hard to top the meatball sub discussed next). 

It's a solid sandwich, especially if you're looking for something that's a little beyond what you would typically find in a sub shop. The chicken is certainly more flavorful than that of the Captain's Club, the accompanying vegetables provide a nice balance, and the Cajun mayo brings it all home.

Firehouse is definitely among the establishments in the U.S. known for its meatball subs, which include the basic meatball sub, the Sweet & Spicy, and the Pepperoni Pizza varieties. Complete with marinara, provolone, and meatballs stuffed into a garlic bread roll that's topped with large slices of pepperoni and sprinkled with Italian seasoning, it all comes together just right.

Sure, it's not a homemade or Italian-sub-shop-made meatball sub, but for a chain, it is a great sandwich. The richness of the pepperoni takes the typical meatball sub up a notch in flavor, and I especially love that this piece of meat is warmed with the Italian seasoning toasted a bit on top, adding crisp and crunch.

It was difficult to put it in second place, as it's a great sub that I would order again, but the meatballs had a bit of an odd texture (perhaps from the reheating process or the type of fillers used) that made me second-guess. It's not a bad meatball, but it is fast-casual food, after all, and the quality is just a bit lacking. 

The Italian is an easy first place. Given the nature of the meats — salami, pepperoni, and ham — that are inherently rich in flavor, this sandwich just works so much better than any sub made with steamed turkey or chicken. Provolone is the cheese of choice (the perfect complementary pairing to the cured meats), and it's all topped with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

The bread is slightly crispy on the edges, with a soft bite, and the ingredients are balanced in just the right quantities so as not to be too rich or too bland. I would say this sub is a crowd pleaser; unless you have a strong aversion to salami, you're sure to enjoy the combination of flavors.

The recommended hot sauce pairing is Hot N Saucy's Carrot N Chipotle sauce. It's a beautiful orange color with a hint of that carrot-like sweetness to go with the smoky spice. It's a great addition to this sandwich, as well as just about any other sandwich on the menu. 

Although this wasn't a ranking of the entire menu, we did choose a broad selection of subs to work with. There are a few notable ones left off, such as the Hook & Ladder, which already has a good amount of positive feedback from their customer base.

In ranking these sandwiches, I was paying attention to overall flavor, the quality of the meat, portion sizes, and ingredients used. I ordered white bread for each sandwich, although wheat is also available. Admittedly, I am a sucker for spice and bold flavors, so the sandwiches that packed in the seasoning and heat ranked a lot higher for me. If you're not a spice person, you may enjoy some of the lighter, milder sandwiches that I ranked a bit lower.