5 Ordering Tips For A Next-Level Jersey Mike's Cheesesteak

Philly cheesesteak purists say simple is best, meaning the sandwich should contain nothing more than seared meat, gooey cheese, sautéed onions, and a fresh hoagie roll. If you'd rather live life on the culinary edge where cheesesteaks are concerned, Jersey Mike's is the spot for you. The sandwich chain happily customizes orders, so you can get your cheesesteak the exact way you want it, and sub snobs can go kick rocks. This creates a prime environment for sandwich experimentation, and these tips can make for a memorable meal on your next trip to the restaurant. 

Changing up your cheesesteak order could be as simple as choosing a new type of bread. Ingredient swaps, special cooking techniques, and strategic requests can also elevate a Jersey Mike's cheesesteak. We recommend using the restaurant's app to try some of these tips out — overlooking the app's access to exclusive offers and rewards is one of the most common Jersey Mike's ordering mistakes you can make. The Reddit crowd maintains that it's easier to customize your order in person, but if you do use the app to order a personalized cheesesteak, consider one commenter's advice: "Include your customizations in the special instructions ... most stores will accommodate!" 

Replacing the beef in cheesesteaks with chicken makes sense from a nutritional perspective, and some diners simply prefer a lighter meat. Having said that, there is nothing light about the Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Steak at Jersey Mike's. The sandwich comes stacked with chopped grilled chicken, American cheese, bacon, ranch dressing, lettuce, and tomato. These ingredients would also pair nicely with the restaurant's Philly beef, which usually accompanies Mike's Famous Philly sandwich. 

This cheesesteak hack offers all the elements of a juicy bacon ranch cheeseburger: melty cheese, crunchy toppings, smoked bacon, tangy dressing, and succulent beef. However, the beef used in Jersey Mike's Philly cheesesteak is closer to a processed beef product than the thick, juicy pieces of steak you might find in a homemade sirloin steak sandwich. This actually works in the customized sandwich's favor, as thinly sliced meat won't overwhelm the other ingredients like heartier beef cuts might.

Jersey Mike's uses numbers on its menu, allowing customers to order their subs quickly and easily. For example, a #56 is a Big Kahuna Cheese Steak, while #43 is a Chipotle Cheese Steak. What do you get when #56 and #43 collide? Jersey Mike's secret sandwich, the #99, an outrageous fusion of these two popular sandwiches. For those new to the world of Jersey Mike's, both subs come with steak, American cheese, grilled onions, and red and green peppers. The #56 also includes jalapeños, while the #43 features chipotle mayonnaise. 

Much like the Grand Canyon or the Great Barrier Reef, this mammoth sandwich might be hard for the human brain to fully perceive in its totality. Though it's an order you should probably reserve for those times when your appetite cannot be quelled by the average sandwich (or you plan to share), the #99 gets plenty of praise online. For perspective, in a Reddit thread dedicated to the cult-favorite sub, one commenter declared, "99 sandwich is perfection," while another added, "Would demolish this rn." 

People who are unfamiliar with the ways of Jersey Mike's may be confounded by the concept of "Mike's Way." Speaking these two magic words with your sandwich order results in a sub with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, a special seasoning blend, and "juice," which is a mixture of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Mike's Way has been an option since the restaurant opened in 1956 and is most often associated with the chain's cold subs. 

According to Reddit users pondering the finer points of this customization on r/jerseymikes, you can order a cheesesteak and other hot subs Mike's Way. However, a commenter and self-identified Jersey Mike's employee in the thread cautioned, "We will do it, but we know the sub will need a fork; it's just a complete mess." If you want your cheesesteak Mike's Way but aren't enthused about the chaos the sandwich may bring, there's a solution. Ask for the juice in a to-go sauce container on the side to keep things neat. You can even take a cue from this TikTok clip and cut the sandwich into pieces for dipping. 

At Jersey Mike's, Mike's Famous Philly cheesesteak comes on a white bread hoagie roll unless you specify what kind of bread you want. The chain's other bread choices include gluten-free, wheat, rosemary parmesan, and a no-bread option for the keto crowd. Rosemary parmesan is a cheesy, herbaceous bread that adds even more flavor to your cheesesteak. Upon visiting the sandwich chain for the first time, a Redditor began a post by announcing, "I love the rosemary parmesan bread." A commenter agreed, saying, "Rosemary is what makes the sandwich smack," while another person said, "I have gotten to the point where if they don't have it in stock, I won't order."

Rosemary parmesan bread arrived at the chain as a limited-time offering in 2004. It became a permanent fixture in 2018 and has remained part of the national menu ever since. Along with the other bread options, the restaurant bakes rosemary parmesan in stores every day. While the dough is shipped in from a supplier, Jersey Mike's staff are responsible for proofing and scoring it before putting it in the oven. If you're not hip to baking lingo, proofing is the last rise of the dough after it's shaped. As for scoring, making strategic cuts into the top of the loaf helps create a uniform rise.

A great cheesesteak should be a study in contrasting textures. You have tender meat, melty cheese, toothsome vegetables, and perfectly crusty bread to tie the whole sandwich together. That brings us to our next ordering tip, which comes from Reddit. In a comprehensive rundown of the chain's secret menu items and techniques posted to r/jerseymikes, an employee recommended getting a sub with "grilled mayo" on the bread. "Ask them to put mayo on the [top] of your sub, and throw it on the grill face-down," they advised. The extra step creates a nice crunchy texture on the inside of the roll. 

The principle is very similar to applying mayonnaise to the outside of bread when making grilled cheese. The oil in mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, which means it browns the bread thoroughly without burning. Mayonnaise is also easier to spread than (usually cold) butter, so it gives better coverage for an all-over toastiness. As for taste, the condiment shouldn't impact the flavor of the bread significantly, save for some slight tanginess.