FromFirehouse SubsandPotbelly Sandwich WorkstoJimmy’s JohnsandJersey Mike’s, I’ve taste-tested many sandwiches from many popular chains.
Admittedly, though, I’ve never been much of a roast beef fan.
For whatever reason, it always repulsed me.
Photos: Jimmy John’s, Arby’s. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Though roast beef has always been a blind spot, I’m willing to learn and grow.
The results were as eye-opening as they were shocking.
Here’s how each chain ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the overall best.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
The look:The most shocking thing of all is how misleadingly delicious this thing looked.
The “toasted” ciabatta didn’t look all that toasted, nor did it smell the part.
Still, I had high hopes.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Said hopes quickly deflated upon first bite.
It may look meaty and rich, but it tasted anything but.
Despite the immensity of the meat, it mostly tasted like salt.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
Boring, bland, and decidedly not toasted.
This was a salt bomb on boring, beige bread.
I wanted so badly to love this, but I couldn’t excuse it.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
I keep trying and wanting to like you, but you make it so hard.
Once again, here I am, disappointed by a Potbelly sandwich.
This sub cost me $9.59.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
The look:I mean, sure, it’s meaty!
It looks like good quality!
The roast beef appears succulent, and the cut is thicker than the rest of the sandwiches I tried.
The bread was, in fact, quite clearly toasted, and the whole thing smelled pretty great.
No, I saved the complaining for the flavor part of this equation.
The taste:To put it bluntly, this is just a blue cheese sandwich and nothing more.
I say this as a fan of blue cheese, too.
The provolone and horseradish, too, didn’t come through literally at all.
Such a waste of roast beef that, quite clearly, was high-quality.
It’s roast beef mediocrity at its meatiest.
This sub cost me $7.49.
How ironic, considering its name is Big John!
It’s not a pretty picture.
The taste:An improvement, if not a colossal one.
On the contrary, my main issue was that this was a little too bland and one-note.
Jersey Mike’s
After a ho-hum showing so far, it was time to go big.
Or at least, try.
Plus, the fact that the chain isskyrocketing in popularityhas to bode well, right?
This sub cost me $12.09.
And in general, this overstuffed sandwich was also quite appetizing in all its heft.
Nothing was too overwhelming, and nothing clashed.
Still, there was one roast beef sandwich that I liked even more.
Admittedly, I’m an Arby’s neophyte.
The sandwich cost me $4.99.
The meat, too, looked way more succulent (and ample) than I could have imagined.
Much to my shock, I was excited to dig in.
The taste:Indeed, this thing blew me away.
