This Once-Popular Chain Sells Scarlett Johansson's Favorite Sandwich

Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to highly-specialized diets. She and her trainers have utilized fasting, high-carb and low-fat meal plans, and even near-veganism to get her in shape for specific roles, like Black Widow in "The Avengers" fanchise. That said, she also appreciates balance. For instance, in 2021, the celeb told Culture Map Austin that she can't get enough of Snow Days pizza bites (now under the brand name "Against the Grain.") She also loves an iconic sandwich from Blimpie, the struggling chain that you may have forgotten about in recent years.

In an interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Johansson revealed her affection for the Blimpie Best: "It's a perfect, delicious, fluffy bun that has a particular Blimpie-sandwich taste." She went on to describe the ingredients, adding, "It's sort of like an Italian sandwich ... It's a very stinky sandwich. I wouldn't eat it, like, if you were gonna have a romantic lunch with somebody."

The Blimpie Best is loaded with ham, salami, capicola, and prosciuttini, making it a bit different from other sandwich-chain Italian subs. It also has provolone cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, a combination, in total, that likely led to Johansson's "stinky" comment. Vinegar, oil, and oregano top it off, increasing its similarities to an Italian sub. The star of the menu since the sandwich's introduction in 1984, the Blimpie Best remains the chain's most popular item, according to Blimpie.

YouTube users chimed in about Scarlett Johansson's Blimpie Best pick, many acknowledging the nostalgia surrounding the brand. "She sounds like an old-school New Yorker for sure," commented a viewer, referring to the Manhattan-born actress. "My town used to have two Blimpies (now zero). Almost no one knows about them. And I agree 100% with her on the Blimpie Best being the best sandwich," someone else affirmed. "I loved the Blimpie Best back in the day, and I LOVE that that's her answer!" chimed another. "I lived off Blimpie Bests in the '80s," added one more.

Despite the chain still having diehard fans, Blimpie's heyday seems to be over. Long after the chain opened in 1964, Blimpie began struggling to stay in business. Stores and sales alike decreased 60% between 2001 and 2011, according to By Technomic data interpreted by 24/7 Wall St. (via USA Today). Between diminished brand recognition, rapid overexpansion that ultimately gave way to drastic cuts in locations, multiple sales of the company, and what some consider mismanagement that contributed to its apparent downfall, the sandwich purveyor is less ubiquitous than it once was. 

Finding a store is tougher than it was a couple decades ago. As of June 2025, Blimpie operates 95 shops in 24 states — many of which are in New Jersey — down from 739 U.S. stores in 2011.