Switch Up Your Jersey Mike's Italian Sub With These 3 Tasty Ordering Tips

Jersey Mike's has been in the sandwich-making business for 70 years, with little sign of stopping. In fact, in 2026, the sandwich chain was ranked as top dog in customer satisfaction among fast food and quick-service restaurants, beating out Chick-fil-A (the reigning champ), per the American Customer Satisfaction Index. And what's not to love? The chain has a delightfully extensive menu of cold and hot subs that are prepared fresh to order. One of the more popular options is the Italian sub, which is topped with some of the best Italian sub meat choices out there, including pepperoni, ham, cappacuolo, salami, and prosciuttini. This combination of lovely, well-spiced Italian salumi and creamy, milk provolone cheese is tasty, for sure, but you can't go wrong by sprucing it up a bit.

Lucky for you, we've got three great ways to elevate that classic Italian sub — that's unlucky number 13 on the menu board. So buckle up and get ready to Google your nearest Jersey Mike's location, because these tips might just leave you craving a sandwich ASAP. You can order your Italian sub with any one of these tips individually, or combine them for a truly out-of-this-world sandwich experience.

As with most sandwiches, it really all comes down to bread and toppings. So let's start with the bread. For this upgrade, you'll switch out Jersey Mike's traditional white sandwich bread (which we aren't huge fans of) for rosemary parmesan to give the sub extra dimension and depth of flavor. The herbaceous taste goes especially well with the spiced, cured meats. And the added parmesan gives a biting, savory, super cheesy zing that can help round out the cool and mild provolone cheese.

Next up, we have something a bit more punchy in the flavor department: add hot chopped pepper relish. Seriously. It is spicy, tangy, and adds a zip to this classic sandwich that is otherwise lacking. I order pretty much every Jersey Mike's sub with this piquant topping. If I had to describe it, I'd say that adding hot chopped pepper relish to a sandwich is like putting an exclamation point on a sentence — it just makes it so much more exciting! Plus, the brightness makes for a great contrast to the Italian sub's salty, piled-high meats.

If you aren't already, you should absolutely be ordering your Italian sub Mike's Way. While many people prefer to pick and choose their toppings according to their own specifications, which is great, for this particular sub, you'll definitely want to try it Mike's Way — topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, oregano, salt, red wine vinegar, and oil. The combination of fresh, crisp veggies; the herbal taste of the oregano; the burst of acidity of the vinegar; and the richness of the olive oil blend really gives dimension to this super meaty sandwich, which it might otherwise be missing.