Near my house are four places that sell subs. Do any of these stand out as particularly better or worse than the others? Any must-try chains among the four?
Jersey Mike’s
Penn Station
Firehouse
Jimmy John’s
Can’t say for must-try, but Firehouse has Freestyle Coke Machines, where you can get a huge variety of drinks and sodas (only place I can get caffeine-free cherry diet coke). Their food is fine, but no different than other sub chains I go to.
Fire House, IME, makes the best subs.
Jimmy Johns is a close second but as far as I can tell does not make any hot subs. If they do, it’s news to me.
The other two I’ve never tried.
Firehouse is pretty much my go-to place for sub sandwiches these days. I used to go to Jersey Mike’s fairly frequently, but they priced themselves out of my comfort zone. I sometimes will go to Jimmy John’s, but they’re also kind of expensive. I am not at all familiar with Penn Station.
I will say that Jimmy John’s makes the best tuna-salad sub I have ever had, (I always get provolone and onion added) but at least around here they are fairly expensive for what you get compared to Blimpie, Subway or Quiznos, as their large subs are only about 2/3’ds as big as the other places for nearly the same price…
One of these things is not like the others…
One of these things is not like the rest…
Firehouse, Jimmy John’s and Jersey Mikes all make subs, and in my opinion are all good. I’d be happy if my dilemma was which of the three to choose from.
Penn Station makes more of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. There are lots of choices from meats, cheeses, onions, peppers, grilled on the big flat top. They also have fresh cut fries.
I think Firehouse is pretty good along with Jimmy John’s. There was a Jersey Mike’s here at one point but I think they went out of business. I may have tried it but I don’t remember. Never heard of Penn Station.
Penn Station makes pretty good subs, better than Subway or Quizno’s. They also make hot sandwiches, but I haven’t tried those. I also haven’t tried any of the other three the OP mentions, though I’ve heard good things about Jimmy John’s.
Very subjective topic apparently.
Love Jersey Mike’s
Dislike Jimmy John’s
Haven’t tried the others.
YMMV
Jimmy John’s is decent, but the main reason to go there is that its really fast. Unless its really crowded, the lag between ordering a sandwich and eating that sandwich is literally a minute or two. So its ideal if your on a short lunch break or something.
Also, they deliver. At least the one near me does. Until about 8:30 or so, which is frustrating some nights.
Jersey Mike’s is really good. I live in NJ and we hit them a few times a year when we’re on the road. Better than Blimpie’s or Subway’s in my opinion.
The Jimmy John’s here delivers until something like 3 am, but this is a college town.
Jimmy John’s is really good, but as others have mentioned,expensive and served cold.I don’t mind paying a bit extra, but the cold turns me off.
Never ate at the others listed.
Looks like I may be one of the few who has been to all four, and I don’t think I really answered before.
Firehouse is my first choice. They steam their meat/subs. They also have a large selection of hot sauces if you want. As someone else mentioned they have free style Coke machines.
Jimmy John’s is very good… and they get an extra boost for delivery and speed. Jersey Mikes doesn’t have a location near me, but I eat them when travelling and they are always very fresh and good.
Penn Station would be at the bottom of my list, but like I said before they are a bit different. I guess they do make subs, but what I’ve always had there were Cheese Steaks. Good, but not great. They make fresh cut fries which none of the others do which are good. They also make fresh squeezed lemonade. If you like sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, then this is the place to go… not my pick for “subs” though.
I love Jimmy Johns. Their tuna and turkey sandwiches are my favorite, and you can get an enormous whole pickle as a side. That said, my husband hates Jimmy Johns and will barely even eat it for free. (He also hates Subway, which I will eat sometimes happily, sometimes because it’s the healthiest option.) So, sandwich enjoyment is indeed really subjective… much like everything else.
Never had the other options. How helpful am I!
I’ve only tried penn station & jimmy john’s. Penn Station subs are far superior to Jimmy Johns (or subway for that matter). What are the prices for jersey mike or firehouse?
The Firehouse Italian sub is a damn fine sandwich. I would try it if I were you.
Around me, these are the prices for a large Italian sub:
Firehouse, $7.99
Jersey Mike’s, $12.43 (giant, 15")
Penn Station is decent. Firehouse is pretty much a Subway/Blimpie clone. I wasn’t impressed and I’m, as a general rule, put off by fire fighter hero worship which that place stuffs down your throat the entire time you’re inside.