Jersey Mike's Vs Firehouse: Who Makes The Better Italian Sub?

When it comes to traditional Italian subs, or hoagies as they're known in some parts of the country, you can expect ham, pepperoni, salami, and provolone topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and an oregano vinaigrette dressing piled onto an Italian roll and served cold. This flavor combination is a staple at most sandwich and sub shops across the country and has become one of the most popular sandwiches in the U.S. In 1992, Philadelphia even declared it the "Official Sandwich of Philadelphia," which may seem a little surprising given the city's affinity for Philly Cheesesteaks. That said, not everyone who makes an Italian sub serves it cold or with those exact toppings.

In fact, popular sandwich chains like Jersey Mike's and Firehouse Subs have taken that classic Italian-American combination and made it their own. At Jersey Mike's — which was named the best sandwich chain in Reviewed's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards – you're going to find a lot of different meats on the sub. Meanwhile, at Firehouse Subs, the classic Italian-style dressing is paired with mustard and mayo, and it's toasted rather than served cold.

We tried both sandwiches to find out which take is superior. Read on to learn more about how these two Italian subs compare in taste, flavor, construction, and nutrition. You can learn more about our exact methodology at the end. Then, the next time you have a desire for this Italian-American classic, you'll be armed with information that will help you make the choice between Jersey Mike's The Original Italian and the Firehouse Subs Italian.

Jersey Mike's The Original Italian – or #13, if you order by number — is a classic Italian-American sub piled high with five meats (ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni) and provolone. It's a meticulously stacked sandwich made with delicious Italian meats that can be adorned with that tangy oil-and-vinegar combination, plus shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, if you order it "Mike's Way."

Both the bread and the meat are served cold, like a deli you'd find on the East Coast, and the white bread is thick, yeasty, and chewy. The gluten-free bread, on the other hand, is dense, thick, dry, and very grainy with an almost sand-like mouthfeel. This taste overpowers the sandwich, making it almost inedible for those who want to eat gluten-free.

Of course, the white bread certainly doesn't detract from the sandwich in the same way that the gluten-free bread does. So, if you have no intention of ordering a gluten-free sub, you likely have no worries when it comes to bread's texture. That said, just like the gluten-free bread, there's just too much of it. Even with five meats, the meat-to-bread ratio on this popular Jersey Mike's sub seems lopsided. Likewise, the number of meats that are included might actually be overkill. Three of them — the ham, prosciuttini, and cappacuolo — are very similar in taste, giving the sandwich a very ham-like undertone and not enough of that telltale Italian taste that comes from pepperoni and salami. It almost needs more of those meats to balance out the flavors. Overall, this is a solid sandwich, though, that can be purchased for about $11 and contains enough meat and bread to serve as two meals for some. But, for me, I'm not sure it's one I would order again.

The Firehouse Subs Italian sub is the type of Italian-American sandwich I think of when getting an Italian sub. It has pepperoni, salami, and a sweet honey ham that gives it just the right balance of salty, sweet, and tangy. Though the combination of Italian dressing and herbs alongside mayo and mustard sounds like a contradiction of condiments, it somehow works in perfect harmony. The mix of all those flavors — salty, sweet, tangy, and creamy — all gives this sub a delicious mouthfeel. The white bread was toasted yet still soft and pillowy with a nice chew, and it added to the taste of the sub rather than detracting from it or overtaking it. The same was true for the gluten-free bread. It was remarkably tender and moist and had a nice, wheat-like flavor profile. This taste made up for the fact that paying $3 extra for a gluten-free bun felt somewhat like highway robbery.

One thing to be aware of when ordering Firehouse Subs online is that its ordering platform defaults to a combo, which includes a drink and chips. So, if you only want a sub, you need to click "Just the Sub." I failed to notice this — likely because I was in a hurry that day — and ended up with a combo. While I spent more than I would have liked, it was nice to have a drink and chips to go with my order.

Overall, this Italian at Firehouse Subs was one I'll definitely order again — even on gluten-free bread. I literally could not stop eating it, and the dill pickle on the side adds a briny taste that cuts through the fat.

Assuming you get white bread for each sub in the regular or medium size, Jersey Mike's Italian costs about $1.20 more to start, based on prices in the Columbus, Ohio area. Jersey Mike's regular Italian costs $10.70, and Firehouse Subs' regular Italian costs $9.50. That said, the Jersey Mike's sub has five different meats, thicker bread, and is just under 8 inches in length (about 7 to 7.5 inches). You can also get a mini for $7.70 (about 4 to 5 inches) and a giant for $18.20, which is about 14 to 15 inches in length. There are even wraps or bowls, with the latter containing just the meats, cheese, and toppings.

With the Firehouse Subs sandwich, a regular is about 8 inches in length as well, but its width is smaller, and there are only three meats. You can also get a small for $6.50 (about 4 inches) and a large for $15 (about 12 inches). Firehouse Subs also doesn't offer wraps, but if you want to order your sub without bread, you can do so.

In addition to ordering my subs on white bread, I also ordered a gluten-free version at each. At Jersey Mike's, this change in bread type costs $1.70 more for a regular sub, but at Firehouse Subs it's a whopping $3 more — a fact that was surprising to me. This is a lot to pay for fast food gluten-free bread.

Jersey Mike's The Original Italian has five different Italian-style meats, including ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni. The prosciuttini, sometimes known as peppered ham, is a cured pork product that's spicier than traditional prosciutto. The cappacuolo is a seasoned, dry-cured pork product, also known as capicola and capocollo. Meanwhile, the Italian at Firehouse Subs only contains three meats: salami, pepperoni, and honey ham.

The toppings also vary greatly between the two establishments. At Jersey Mike's, the recommended toppings are called "Mike's Way" and include onions, lettuce, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, an olive oil blend, oregano, and salt, which you can customize if you want. You also have the option to add other toppings, too, such as mayo, mustard, hot chopped pepper relish, banana peppers, and jalapeño peppers. Meanwhile, at Firehouse Subs, the standard toppings include Italian dressing, seasonings, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard with a pickle on the side. All of this can be customized to your taste. Plus, you can add toppings like sautéed mixed peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, chopped pickles, black olives, banana peppers, jalapeños, and even cucumbers.

Nutritionally, Jersey Mike's Italian is about 930 calories for a regular without adding additional meats, cheeses, or toppings like mayo. It also contains about 15 grams of saturated fat and a whopping 2,650 milligrams of sodium. A medium Italian sub from Firehouse Subs is 920 calories and contains 16 grams of saturated fat. It also contains a significant amount of sodium at 2,300 milligrams.

Both subs were prepared as expected, though the Firehouse Italian only had tomato on one side, and the Jersey Mike's sub had a little too much salt, pepper, and seasonings, which almost pushed it over the line of being too salty. But these minor differences may vary by location, depending on the city in which you order your Firehouse Subs and Jersey Mike's subs. I also noticed that the Jersey Mike's sub is slightly thicker, likely due to the extra meat included, and the bread is thicker as well. Additionally, the Jersey Mike's sub is cold, and the Firehouse Subs Italian is hot. There is something very comforting about eating a hot sub rather than a cold one — and it likely comes down to personal preference.

I also ordered a gluten-free sub from each establishment, and there was a significant difference in size and construction. The Firehouse Subs gluten-free sub was a manageable size and thickness, and had a nice, bread-like taste, making up for the extreme price difference between the regular and gluten-free options. The Jersey Mike's gluten-free sub was too thick, overpowering, and grainy. This made the sandwich hard to manage and bite into. I felt like I was getting a mouthful of bread and nothing else. If ordering a Jersey Mike's Italian on a gluten-free bun, I would recommend removing the top of the bun and eating it as an open-faced sandwich, or even ordering a bowl. This way, you can enjoy the meats and toppings without having a tasteless bread overpowering every bite.

While I have been a huge fan of Jersey Mike's for years — especially its Original Italian and the Roast Beef and Provolone — in this review, Firehouse Subs took the crown. Not only is the price more affordable at $9.50 for a regular on white bread ($12.50 for gluten-free bread, making its overall price similar at both chains), but the taste was also far superior.

The mix of condiments — Italian dressing, mayo, and mustard — seemed to offset the salty meats, while the pronounced sweetness of the honey ham reduced some of the saltiness that's prevalent in Italian meats. I didn't want to stop eating the Firehouse Subs sandwich once I tasted it. Plus, the gluten-free bread was so much more palatable than Jersey Mike's bread. Even the regular on white is a clear winner.

When I asked my husband — a Jersey Mike's fan and frequent consumer of The Original Italian — he, too, picked Firehouse Subs. He was just as surprised as I was, given that we've been eating at Jersey Mike's for years and have never given Firehouse Subs a second thought. If you have a Firehouse Subs in your neighborhood, I would highly recommend eating there and enjoying its Italian sub.

When preparing to do this review, I ordered two regular Italian subs at Jersey Mike's and two at Firehouse — one with white bread and one with gluten-free bread. I also ordered the subs exactly as each chain recommended, with all of the condiments and fixings. That meant "Mike's Way" at Jersey Mike's and no additions or substitutions at Firehouse Subs. The subs were ordered online and picked up from the respective establishments in Pickerington, Ohio, which is a suburb of Columbus.

When reviewing the subs, I paid particular attention to the taste, construction, and mouthfeel. I also considered the quality and freshness of the ingredients, the bread-to-filling ratio, and whether its construction held up to the fillings or overpowered them. The texture was also a factor, and I noted whether the buns were soft or grainy. Even the temperature of the subs, the ease of ordering and pickup, and how well the restaurant adhered to my instructions played a small role.