6 Chain Italian Subs, Ranked Worst To Best

It's hard to say where exactly the first Italian sub was invented, though most cite the first being crafted all the way back in 1899 by Giovanni Amato in Portland, Maine as a way to feed hungry construction workers during the busy afternoon lunch rush. But no matter the origin, the sandwich seems to follow the same blueprint across the entire East Coast — and even the nation — that makes it recognizable with any of the names sub sandwiches go by, be it a hoagie, grinder, or hero.

In general, an Italian sub consists of Italian deli meats like ham, mortadella, salami, and capricola, vegetables like onion, tomato, and lettuce, dressings like Italian seasoning, oil, and red wine vinegar, and sometimes a few spicy slices of pepperoncini. For true Italian sub experts, the very best sub sandwiches in the U.S. can only be found in small shops along the East Coast. But for those of us with less proximity to the originals, chains like Firehouse, Potbelly, and Jersey Mike's bring us pretty close. To find the best Italian sub available in chain restaurants, I sampled sandwiches from six of the biggest national brands and ranked them from worst to best based on their overall build, type of bread, meat selection, dressing flavor, and value. Though the sandwich comes in many shapes and forms, the best versions emphasized what's great about Italian subs — their tangy, spicy flavor and perfect harmony of ingredients.

If your childhood was anything like mine, then you probably grew up loving the soft and chewy 6-inch subs at Subway. Back then, Subway was a genuine option for grabbing fast, customizable sandwiches that tasted fresh and felt a little healthy, even without the pointed advertising telling you so. It was also hard to find a better deal than the $5 footlong, which provided an entire meal (or two) for the price of a snack. These days, Subway isn't what it used to be — not only are the $5 footlongs long gone, but the quality has taken a nosedive, landing the chain's Italian sub at the bottom of the pack.

To be fair to the brand, the Subway sandwich is indeed the cheapest of the bunch and is perfectly adequate for a quick, carb-loaded snack. Sizing it up next to other brands, though, the sandwich visibly falls short. Not only is it half the size of almost every other sandwich, but the bread is denser, the toppings are less fresh, and the meat is more thickly cut. What is strangest about Subway's Italian are the recommended toppings, which include jalapeños and mayonnaise but, mysteriously, not banana peppers or oil, which are listed as options on the full menu. The resulting taste is not really Italian, and without any Italian seasonings, oil, or vinegar, it is hard to aptly call this an Italian sub at all, much less one of the best.

Jimmy John's is another sandwich shop I have fond memories of, not for the supposed health benefits, but because there was a shop located on my college campus that closed an hour after the bars did. The Jimmy John's sandwich is a specific, recognizable build, most notably made with smooth, crusty bread and plenty of mayonnaise. The Italian Night Club is one of many Italian sandwiches the store offers and is listed as a favorite next to the Spicy East Coast Italian, which leaves out the ham and adds spicy peppers. The Night Club, stacked with ham, capocollo, salami, and provolone, is topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo, oil, vinegar, oregano, and basil, making it a theoretically perfect Italian sub build. For those who are loyal to Jimmy John's, this might be enough, but in a ranking comparing Italian subs, it falls short.

The two things that cause the sandwich to fall towards the bottom of the list are also the two I mentioned being the store's trademarks: the bread and the mayo. The bread is crustier and denser than at other sub shops, which for some may be desirable (enough to buy day-old loaves of), but for me, it took away from the flavors of the sandwich. The flavors in question, though, were also muted by the heavy amount of mayo, which seemed to cover any hint of Italian seasoning or dressing. Though a perfectly fine sandwich, it tasted indistinguishable from any other sandwich on the menu, with none of the tang and spice usually associated with Italian subs. For this reason, it pales next to other Italians — but still has the makings of a great post-drinking midnight snack.

At this point in the list, each of the sandwiches is a good option for Italian subs that can be bought at chain restaurants. Penn Station's Classic Italian is recognizable as an Italian sub by aroma alone, its smell a mouth-watering incense of Italian seasonings, oil, peppers, and vinegar. The pungency of the toppings is impressive, and though the sandwich itself is messier than the others, it is also well-filled with meat and toppings. What led to its ranking behind a few others came down largely to bread and overall flavor.

Penn Station's bread is similar to a baguette, with a light coloring and dense crustiness that makes the sandwich more bread-heavy than I prefer. Perhaps because of this, I found the sandwich overall less flavorful than other shops' options, despite the pungency in the toppings upon unwrapping the sub. It could be that the extra crusty bread absorbs the flavor of the dressing or that it simply overwhelms it, but it caused a lower ranking than options with softer, fluffier breads.

Jersey Mike's knows how to build a sandwich, and it might be because of its humble beginnings as a local sub shop. Not only is the Italian longer and wider than most of the others on the list, but it's also filled with five different types of meat and a host of toppings. The thin layers of ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni stack taller than any other sandwich, making every bite satisfyingly filled with layers of flavor. Even better, Jersey Mike's has one of the best breads on the list; the soft Italian hoagie is perfectly fluffy with a slightly crunchy crust that perfectly absorbs the sub's generous dressing without overwhelming the sandwich.

The reason Jersey Mike's near-perfect sub falls to No. 3 comes down to value and overall flavor. The most expensive sub on the list, the meaty sandwich is an investment that two other sandwiches can manage for a little less. It's also comparatively a little less flavorful than the slightly spicy toasted Potbelly sandwich and the cheesy, gooey steamed Firehouse — which makes it the best completely cold sub, if you prefer one with no added heat.

I grew up in Chicago, where Potbelly got its start out of an antique shop in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park in the late 1970s. Warm, cozy, and full of nostalgia, Potbelly still reminds me of home, with the toasted sandwiches being a delicious reminder of the city in which I once lived. With sandwiches that ooze gooey perfection, it's hard to put bias aside — it's one of my favorite sub shops overall, and its Italian sub's place in the ranking reflects that. Still, it had to be fairly ranked against five other Italian sandwiches for flavor, texture, and value, which one sandwich admittedly did just a little better.

Potbelly's Italian is a strong sandwich. It's extremely flavorful, doused in oil and seasonings (which have to be added manually, as there aren't any preselected toppings), with a red wine vinegar you can actually taste. The meats are thinly sliced and perhaps a little less plentiful than most Italians, but they're high in quality and flavorful with the melty provolone and crunchy toppings. My favorite part of the sandwich is that it is toasted, which isn't technically how an Italian sub is usually made and is why this takes second place instead of first. Beyond the crusty, toasted uniqueness of the sandwich, it is top tier and a sub I'd order again even with bias aside.

Firehouse's subs are unique, as the bread is meltingly soft without being overly moist or wet. At my location, this distinctive texture is achieved by an unusual method, but one that makes all the difference: The sandwiches are steamed in steamer boxes fitted with perforated metal plates. The steam rises through the plates and warms the sandwich with wet heat — instead of the typical dry toasting — creating a warm, gently melted, tender sub with flavors that meld together without drying out. This method makes the perfect Italian sub, warming the bread to a perfectly moist, chewy texture. Better, the harmony of flavors is intensified with this method, the steam acting as a glue between the layers of meat and cheese.

The toppings are only slightly different from the other highly ranked sandwiches on the list. Instead of oil and vinegar, Firehouse opts for Italian dressing and deli mustard. The tangy duo, paired with mayo, lettuce, onion, and tomato, fits perfectly into the sandwich's moist interior, adding a burst of well-seasoned Italian flavor. Best of all, the sandwich comes in a box with a pickle spear, neatly wrapped to allow the flavors to continue marinating without going soggy. This sandwich is everything I'd expect an Italian sub to be, and it's the one I'd choose to crown first place among the nation's biggest chain subs.

The best Italian subs should use a tender, fluffy Italian bread and at least two different deli meats that complement each other in spice and saltiness. Most Italians are topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo, then drizzled with oil and vinegar and sprinkled with spices like oregano and basil. I looked for all of these ingredients, their quality, and how well they worked together. 

I considered the following: Does the bread complete the sandwich or overwhelm it? Does the oil moisten the fillings or make them greasy? And is the signature tang of vinegar pleasant, too acidic, or completely untraceable? With all of these factors in mind, I ranked the subs based on which were the most balanced, which had the best harmony of flavors, and which used the best bread. Lastly, I considered which sandwiches I'd recommend first to a friend as the best Italian sub their money can buy.