12 Best & Worst Jersey Mike's Subs, According to an RD

Once lunchtime rolls around and you realize you forgot your brown bag, the nearby submarine sandwich shop easily could be calling your name. The simplicity and convenience of these shops can also fit your schedule without breaking the bank while on the clock during a busy workday. These restaurants offer various combinations of similar sandwich formats but give you some power in customization. Some of these establishments also allow menu items served up on buns, in wraps, inside bowls, or atop salads.

Jersey Mike's is a popular sub shop you might stumble upon. Here, you may not find sandwiches dripping with sauce, oil, or cream, but there could still be hidden sources of excess fat and sodium, while maybe some surprises with added vegetables and fiber. We have assembled some strategies to order better at Jersey Mike's, as well as menu options to pass by. Follow this guide to choose your next sub with confidence.

How to order the healthiest sandwich at Jersey Mike's:

• Steer clear of extra cheese. More melted (or cold) cheese can amass calories quickly and none of the cheese used at Jersey Mike's aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommendations of reduced fat, low fat, or fat-free cheese.

• Avoid too much meat. More meat might make us assume that there is simply more protein within final nutrition facts. However, many times meat at submarine sandwich shops is animal protein like bacon, roast beef, salami, and ham, which also racks up saturated fat.

• Order "Mike's Way." The chain's unique ordering phrase means your meal comes prepared with nutritious onions, lettuce, tomatoes, olive oil blend, red wine vinegar, and spices.

All menu item nutrition facts are for the "regular" size unless listed otherwise. Read on to find out the best subs at Jersey Mike's as well as what to avoid, and for more, don't miss The Unhealthiest Fast Food Sandwiches in America—And 10 Healthier Options.

The 5 Best Menu Items at Jersey Mike's

Best: Turkey and Provolone (#7) Wheat Wrap

As one of the highest-fiber menu items you can build, the Turkey and Provolone on a wheat wrap (regular sandwich pictured above) has 8 grams of fiber per serving and under 800 calories when customized as a wheat wrap.

 6 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Wraps

Best: Mini Tuna Fish (#10) Cold Sub on Wheat Bread

Albeit perhaps disheartening, falling below 800 milligrams of sodium and 10 grams of saturated fat per serving is quite an accomplishment for a submarine sandwich restaurant. The Mini Tuna Fish Cold Sub comes in at 753 milligrams of sodium and manages to have just 6 grams of saturated fat per sandwich while supplying an adequate 20 grams of protein.

Best: Ham & Provolone (#3) Bowl with Avocado

The "bowl" format option for menu items at Jersey Mike's drops the calorie count substantially (261 calories saved to be exact) and puts your favorite ingredients instead on a bed of lettuce. Order the Ham & Provolone Sub as a bowl, and add avocado to provide some creaminess without mayonnaise or extra cheese.

Best: Grilled Portabella Mushroom & Swiss (#64) Hot Sub with Extra Mushrooms on Wheat Bread

You can't miss the vegetables on the Grilled Portabella Mushroom & Swiss Hot Sub, and we decided to make it that much more obvious by selecting "extra grilled portabella mushrooms". This sandwich gets you to around 1 ½ servings of vegetables (that's over half of the daily vegetable recommendations if you're following a 2,000-calorie diet).6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

 The #1 Unhealthiest Sandwich at 12 Major BBQ Chains

Best: The Veggie (#14) Cold Sub with Swiss on Wheat Bread

The Veggie Cold Sub with Swiss is a vegetable-forward sandwich made on wheat, rather than white, bread (increasing the fiber by 2 grams). By removing the provolone cheese but keeping the Swiss cheese, you'll decrease grand totals by a considerable 190 calories and 15 grams of fat.

The 7 Worst Menu Items at Jersey Mike's

Worst: Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak Hot Sub (#44)

One of our "biggest losers," the Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak Hot Sub comes in at a slap-in-the-face 3,344 milligrams of sodium, which is over double the amount of sodium recommended daily by the American Heart Association.

Worst: Chipotle Cheese Steak Hot Sub (#43)

With a disappointing just 3 grams of fiber per sub, the Chipotle Cheese Steak Hot Sub has 62 grams of total fat (32 grams of that just from the Chipotle mayo) and barely-there vegetables.

 The Best Cheesesteak in Every State

Worst: Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Steak Hot Sub (#26) with Extra Bacon

The four words "bacon", "ranch, "cheese" and "steak" in the title of a menu item probably indicate this food isn't the best choice, and you would be right. The Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Steak Hot Sub is loaded with calories, saturated fat, and sodium, even when ordering the "regular" size.

Worst: Big Kahuna Cheese Steak Hot Sub (#56) with Extra Meat

Although the Big Kahuna Cheese Steak Hot Sub delivers over 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein, it does so at the expense of also having 19 grams of saturated fat, which is barely shy of the total 20 grams of saturated fat intake recommended each day.

Worst: Cancro Special Cold Sub (#12) with Extra Pepperoni

The "Cancro Special," named after Jersey Mike's founder Peter Cancro's brother, carries the family name via a surplus of calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and enriched carbs. This is all achieved by building a sandwich that includes pepperoni, roast beef, provolone, white bread, and pepperoni.

 The 20 Best & Worst Deli Meats, According to Dietitians

Worst: Giant The Original Italian Cold Sub (#13)

We sure hope you intend to split the Giant The Original Italian Cold Sub with a friend (or multiple friends), but if not, be prepared for your heart to work overtime, responding to the excessive 4,471 milligrams of sodium and 28 grams of saturated fat.

Worst: Giant Club Supreme Cold Sub (#9) with Extra Cheese

By achieving a day's worth of calories in one sandwich, you don't need to eat anything else all day, right? Wrong. The Giant Club Supreme Cold Sub is too big, too fattening, and too salty to eat altogether. Take your knife and cut this into four small subs (which is what Jersey Mike's recommends on their menu homepage), eat just one of those, and ask for a tossed salad on the side (available at some locations)

For more healthy restaurant choices, check out The #1 Healthiest Order at 9 Major Mexican Chains or 8 Healthiest McDonald's Orders.