If you’re a fan of deli-style submarine sandwiches, you’re probably familiar with Jersey Mike’s.
After all, the Jersey Shore isn’tthatfar from Philadelphia, thebirthplace of the legendary cheesy-beefy hoagie.
Instead, the popular chain employs a mild, white American cheese.
Photo: Jersey Mike’s/Facebook. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Heck, some of the so-called “cheese steaks” at Jersey Mike’s don’t even contain steak!
So I shlepped over to my local Jersey Mike’s to try every single cheesesteak on the menu.
Then, I judged them all by looks and taste.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
This vegetarian-friendly grilledportabella mushroom and Swissis probably the farthest thing from authentic on the entire cheesesteak menu.
The regular-sized version cost me $10.95.
The look:Flush with fungi.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
This sub came stacked with ‘shrooms atop ‘shrooms.
A few slices of green pepper and onion intermingled but the veggies hardly registered amid all the grayish-brown portobella.
Some gluey looking Swiss in the middle helped to bind everything together.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Ghastly.
I don’t mean to belittle the lone veggie option, but this sub was the pits.
There wasn’t nearly enough tangy Swiss or crunchy veggies to help balance things out, either.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
I feel bad for any meatless-leaning individual who makes the mistake of ordering this.
It also includes the customary accompaniment: bleu cheese dressing.
Lettuce, tomato, and white American round out the listed ingredients.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The regular order cost me $11.45.
The look:Bleeding orange.
Toppings were all buried in between.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Bright and peppery.
That crispy coating helps to soak up the sauce and allows you to actually taste the juicy meat within.
This suboptimal sub cost me $11.05.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The look:Blushing.
The rosy tomato slices beamed bright against the blank canvas of this mostly colorless sandwich.
The taste:Passable if uninspiring.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
This sub set me back $11.45.
The taste:Smoky!
The bacon flavor dominated both flavor-wise and texturally.
Photo: Chris Shott. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Most fast-food bacon is regrettably flimsy but the strips on this sub were impressively crispy.
Thankfully, the fungi is far less prominent here in than the full veggie version.
At $12.15, this sub was tied for the most expensive cheesesteak in this entire survey.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The look:Drab.
The taste:Pleasant enough.
Moreover, the creamy cheese made the total lack of sauce barely noticeable.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
This sandwich cost me $11.05.
The look:Barely noticeable.
If you zoom in, you might faintly see the light orange sauce amid a sea of pale-colored components.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Fairly zippy.
Still, a heavier helping of onions and peppers would have helped.
This sub was tied for the cheapest cheesesteak, too, at $10.95.
The taste:Zesty!
Despite all the extra toppings, this sub was priced in the middle of the pack at $11.45.
The look:Verdant.
For a meat-centric sub, this one actually packed a greater variety of veggies than the all-veggie cheesesteak itself.
The taste:Layered with flavors and a none-too-subtle kick.
The jalapeno really made this cheesesteak pop with its bright zing and palpable, but not overpowering, heat.
Chipotle Cheese Steak
Finally!
A cheesesteak made with real steak.
TheChipotle Cheese Steakis one of four beefy iterations of the Philly-style hoagie on Jersey Mike’s menu.
The look:Virtually indistinguishable from the regular cheesesteak.
This sub came loaded with shaved beef, all coated in creamy white American.
The taste:Perfectly delicious, though definitely missing something.
The special sauce, however, is hardly noticeable.
A more generous slathering would certainly help.
It’s essentially your classic cheesesteak topped with onions and peppers, with one extra ingredient.
In this case, it’s mushrooms.
And just like the ‘shroom-topped chicken version, this sub cost me $12.15.
The look:True to its meaty billing.
The taste:Hearty as heck.
The steak and ‘shrooms made for an extra umami-rich bite.
Texture-wise, too, the soft fungi nicely complemented the chewy meat.
Unlike the chipotle mayo, this addition actually brought something to the proverbial table, hence the higher ranking.
This sub cost me $10.95.
The taste:Luscious and lovely.
Even so, there was one cheesesteak that actually topped the original.
This fully loaded sub cost me $11.45.
The taste:Divinely rich and peppery.
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