6 Hacks And Tips For Ordering Publix Subs You Need To Know

As someone who's lived in multiple states, I've come up with a foolproof system for both differentiating and appraising my disparate locales: Could I get a Pub Sub there? For those lucky enough to live in a state where Publix exists, you know of which I speak. Pub Subs are deli counter sandwiches turned up to 11. The handhelds from Publix have reached cult status thanks to both the fresh, straight-from-the-deli flavor and seemingly endless customizability.

My last move left me Pub Sub-less for four long years. Last fall, a brand new Publix location opened in a town only short drive away. My lunch hour was saved.

My go-to is the popular chicken tender sub with bacon and ranch, which finished high (though not at the top) of our Pub Sub rankings last summer. I've also been branching out, trying sandwiches with flavors both familiar and untested. In the delicious process, I've become somewhat of a Pub Sub pro, and I'm here to offer my expertise to you.

Reminder: These hacks might not work every time, at every Publix deli, or with every Publix deli employee. I have, however, scoured the web to make sure others have had success using the hacks listed here. So if there's a Publix nearby, try them out. If there's not, maybe move.

If you order your Pub Sub online, you're limited to choosing between a whole sub (about 12 inches long) or a half (about 6 inches). When you actually order live and in person, though, you can typically get your sandwich cut to any (reasonable) size. So ask for a third or a quarter sub if that's what your brain and stomach can agree on. They'll adjust the price accordingly, so just ask.

Also, if you prefer a more homemade-style sandwich with all the trappings of a pub sub, you can ask for sandwich bread. They will make your sub vertically, stacking your tasty tower as high as you like. Or better yet, they'll make you two separate sliced bread sandwiches, all for the price of a single sub.

Before to go crazy and ask them to build you a skyscraper of a sandwich, check the line behind you: Employees are less likely to oblige when people are waiting. Also, you have enough enemies already.

Previously, we rated the Veggie Sub as the worst Publix has to offer. But it doesn't have to be. You can gussy it up with a wide selection of sauces and seasonings to add flavor, but there's also a hack that will do wonders for slighted sub.

First, I should mention that the deli employees will put absolutely any vegetable Publix carries on your Veggie Sub. If they don't have it in the deli, they will get it off the shelf and prepare it the way you want before piling it on. Again, total customization.

Now for the hack: Vegetables need salt to bring out their flavors and cut moisture, particularly sliced tomatoes. When the employees take them out of the little bins, they're unsalted. After they place them on your Veggie Sub, ask them to salt the vegetables. Also, ask for oil, vinegar, and seasonings to be added to veggies instead of the bread. Your sub will be less soggy, and your Veggie Sub won't be the absolute worst.

If carbs aren't your thing, or if you're looking to stretch the limits of the Pub Sub, you can get it in a bowl. Ask, and Publix deli workers will take off the bread and prepare your sub as a salad.

The process is the same, so all the Pub Sub options are available for your salad. Just tell them you want it in a bowl when they ask for your bread choice. They'll put in the basics of whatever sub you ordered, then they'll move down the line adding whatever you ask.

You can also use this trick virtually, if you prefer to order ahead on the Publix app. Build your sub like you normally would, then select the "no bread" option. Redditors have discovered this hack, and they're using it to cut the bread without cutting out their Pub Subs.

As good as the nearly endless array of veggies and toppings are at the deli, what really makes or breaks your Pub Sub is the meat and the cheese. Actually, this applies to all sandwiches: Even at home, there's a big difference between the best and worst deli meat, to say nothing of the cheese.

At Publix specifically, you can get your sub made with either store-brand meat and cheese or with Boar's Head. Customers argue about which is better. As one Redditor pointed out, "It depends on the sub."

Boar's Head costs more, but offers lots more variety. Deli workers always ask which you prefer, and if I'm getting something basic, say an Italian, I'll ask for the Publix brand. If it's something I can't easily make at home, however, I splurge on the Boar's Head, if there's a choice. In fact, many specialty Pub Subs are only available with Boar's Head: The brand even has its own little menu.

I like my Chicken Finger Subs basic: I think the flavor combinations on most of them are perfect as-is. Some people, though, might need a little more zing on their Chicken Finger Pub Sub.

For extra flavor with no extra charge, ask the Publix employee to toss the tenders in the dressing of your choice before putting them on your sandwich. Most will toss them if you ask, but they don't offer up front. Again, this might depend on the length of the line and the color of the employee's mood ring.

And you don't have to stop with added flavor with the dressing. Feel free to add some more zest with different spices like pepper or oregano, and don't be afraid to ask for an extra shake or two of your spice of choice.

In the early summer of 2023, Publix introduced a new bread option, Tutto Pugliese, into the bakeries and delis. The durum and sourdough bread quickly became a customer favorite and the default sub bread for many aficionados.

Good things, however, are rarely permanent, and in December of the next year, Tutto Pugliese disappeared from Publix's online ordering menu and, with a few exceptions, its stores. Publix has, though, introduced a dumbed-down version, the Tutto Baguette, in the bakeries.

The newest bread option for your Pub Sub is almost as much of a no-brainer. Though vastly different in taste and texture from the Tutto bread, the Soft White Sub Roll is almost as beloved thanks to its, well, softness. "This is a game changer for me," wrote one Redditor. "I hate our regular sub rolls. They're dry and crumbly and just not my thing."

The delicious yet oft-voluminous soft white rolls can mess with your bread to fixings ratio, though. If you prefer less bread on your sub, soft roll or otherwise, ask them to hollow it out. It's been my experience that most counter workers will happily do it unless there's a long line.