Though it hasclosed hundreds of locationsover the past several years, Subway remains America’s biggest sandwich chain.
With some 20,000 restaurants coast to coast, a fresh-made sub is rarely hard to find.
More than a decade ago, I worked as a Subway “sandwich artist.”
Photo: Gerardo Mora / Getty Images for Subway. Design: Eat This, Not That!
I loved Subway growing upso much so that I wanted to work there as soon as I was allowed.
I finished each sub off with salt and pepper to level the playing field.
Although there are 13 classic Subway subs, I only had access to 10 of them.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
(The Grilled Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, and Roast Beef are regrettably missing from this survey.)
Here are 10 classic Subway subs ranked from worst to first, according to this former Subway sandwich artist.
I topped it with mayo.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
Price: $6.09.
The look:It’s a sad looking sub.
The tomatoes were haphazardly tossed onto the sub, and the cheese is hanging off the side.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
The mayo makes for a messy-looking sub.
The end of the bread was very dry and crusty.
The meat failed to excite.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
The ham tasted very low quality.
There was no sweetness or any taste at all really.
The best part was the crunch of the lettuce and the creamy cheese.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
I would not get this again.
I topped it off with mayo and salt and pepper.
Price: $5.69.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
The look:It was a well-built sub, and this one definitely boasted more meat than the ham.
The white bread sufficiently held all the insides, making it a compact sub that was easy to eat.
It’s no wonder tuna is one of the more caloric options on the classic menu.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
I also toasted it, aiming for that tuna melt vibe.
Price: $5.99.
The look:I was surprised at the small amount of tuna.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
you could hardly see it in my photo.
I opted to toast this one, and the Italian bread browned up nicely.
The taste:I was afraid to try this one, but honestly, it was nothing special.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
The tuna itself wasn’t particularly fishy or offensive.
As is, it was just too plain to make a real splash.
I didn’t get any sauce on this one.
Photo: Emily Latimer/Eat This, Not That!
Stateside, the closest match is Baja Chipotle.)
Price: $6.39.
The actual turkey itself was slightly better than mediocre, like a six out of 10.
The crunchy lettuce and melted cheese were the saving grace.
I did that, and added mayo.
Price: $6.39
The look:This is a more appetizing-looking sub.
It’s clear this sub is light on the meat, compared to veggies.
I like turkey and ham, always have, and this is no different.
Also, this is a good example of a sub that doesn’t need to be toasted.
It actually tastes better cold.
Usually, they would just order it with meat and cheeseno veggies at all.
I opted for American cheese instead, because that’s what I had access to.
Price: $5.69
The look:I was impressed with this one.
The four uniform meatballs were perfectly aligned, and the melted cheese looked appetizing.
It wasn’t a big deal though, and it wasn’t messy to eat.
This is another one of my go-to sub orders.
I topped it with oil and red wine vinegar.
I don’t typically combine spinach and lettuce, but I like it on this sub.
I didn’t toast this, and I was glad for itit was crunchy enough on its own.
Overall, it was a light, pleasant sub with lots of crunch.
I opted for melted American cheese, a classic.
However, it was a compact sub, well-toasted and looked cheesy.
I will say, the Italian bread was pretty bad.
The Italian just leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s relatively flavorless, and it was by far the weakest part of an otherwise enjoyable sub.
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B.L.T.
I don’t often order the B.L.T.
Subway’s website says to order the B.L.T.
toasted on Italian bread with lettuce and tomato, of course.
I also asked for mayo and salt and pepper.
The taste:Really good.
Naturally, he bacon was the star of the show, a salty and crispy addition to any sub.
Combined with the lettuce and large tomatoes, it offered a good crunch that’s missing from some subs.
The salt and pepper really added to the understated sub, and I very much enjoyed the toasted bread.
Simply put, the bacon is the best part, and the B.L.T.
was stacked with a respectable amount of it.
Price: $7.19
The look:Looking at the chicken in the bin, I was afraid.
But given its placement on this list, I didn’t need to be.
The taste:I really liked the chicken, it was absolutely overflowing with the stuff.
