Jersey Mike's Vs Firehouse Subs: Who Makes The Better-Value Tuna Sandwich?

Jersey Mike's and Firehouse Subs are two unquestionable titans of the sandwich world known for hearty, filling fresh orders. Jersey Mike's is an East Coast-style and cold-cut-leaning deli, while Firehouse Subs is about hot, loaded fillings on toasted rolls. But when it comes to whose tuna sub offers more value, Firehouse Subs has a slight edge — although Jersey Mike's has some advantages, too.

If your concern is price and portion size, then Firehouse Subs is where you'd better venture. When we tested Jersey Mike's versus Firehouse Subs' tuna sandwich, a medium Firehouse tuna salad sub was $8.99, while Jersey Mike's was almost a dollar more. You also get one free extra add-on with Firehouse, namely a pickle spear, which might seem trivial but complements the sub with its vinegary, umami flavor. Firehouse also has an advantage with size, as its medium portion is around eight inches, approximately an inch bigger than a Jersey Mike sub. Our own assessment, however, found the size difference was relatively modest, as Firehouse seemed taller, while Jersey Mike's slightly longer.

For nutritional values, Firehouse also has some stronger macros. When it comes to protein — tuna is a popular option owing to its high protein content — Firehouse gives you six more grams than Jersey Mike's: Its medium offers 39 grams of protein compared to 33 grams from Jersey Mike's. All of this for fewer calories, too — a Firehouse Sub comes in at 910 compared to Jersey Mike's 1,060. Our review ranked Firehouse's sandwich as the best chain tuna sandwich over Jersey Mike's. "Beyond amazing," was our reviewer's verdict.

Value isn't as simple as price by size. For starters, the sandwiches are rather different: Jersey Mike's #10 has a classic salad focus, with tuna purportedly made with chunk light tuna and albacore, and includes celery, mayonnaise, pepper, lettuce, tomatoes, oregano, and red wine vinegar, while Firehouse leans into its hot-and-melted sub focus by making its tuna sub with provolone cheese, mustard, sweet relish, onions, tomato, and the side pickle. Our reviewer found Jersey Mike's was flavorful and refined, but moist and soggy owing to the heavier dressings, while the Firehouse sub had a drier and fishier flavor that was less to their liking, and why we ultimately ranked the former's order better-tasting as a whole.

Customers are also divided, as Redditors often opt for the tuna-heavy Jersey Mike's over the more flavor-packed Firehouse sub. Jersey Mike's can also reward customers with its loyalty point system ("Shore Points"), which means regular customers could be saving in the long run and eventually redeem a free, regular-sized sub, bowl, or wrap. Ultimately, while Firehouse has the stronger numbers — in pricing, size, and nutritional values — whether it has better value for money ultimately depends on what kind of sandwich you prefer.