Chain Sandwich Turkey Subs Ranked Worst To Best

When you aren't in the mood for a heavy beef burger from McDonald's, or a hearty box of chicken nuggets from Wendy's or Burger King, you might be on the search for something a bit lighter, such as a delicious turkey sub sandwich. The word "sub" is short for submarine, as the sandwiches might look like mini submarines themselves. According to WhatsCookingAmerica, the term "submarine sandwich" was first used by Dominic Conti in 1927, who saw a submarine hull on display, and realized it looked a lot like the Italian sandwiches he made and sold. Other claims have been made that the use of the term started in 1926, when soldiers at a Connecticut naval base began to order and eat dozens of the sandwiches.

Either way, these classic sandwiches have been around for nearly a century now, and it's impossible for many to go a week without craving a sliced sub. Even though it's easy to prepare at home with deli or leftover thanksgiving meat, you sometimes just want the hand of a seasoned sandwich master to be the one that prepares your perfect sandwich. There are numerous sub chains across the country, from Subway to Jimmy John's, who each have their own takes on the classic turkey sub. Read on to see our ranking of 12 of the most popular turkey subs from chain locations, from worst to best.

We're all familiar with the avocado craze that hit the world a couple years back. A ripe avocado is a fruit (yes, it's a fruit) that is creamy and almost like butter, and perfect to mix in with a smoothie or go on top of your morning breakfast toast. While some people find this fruit to be a bit flavorless and not worth the expensive prices you'll find in breakfast diners and cafes, others see avocado as a must-have with every meal. Nobody can escape the avocado madness that has enveloped society, not even sub sandwich chains. This leads us to the next sandwich on this list, which is Potbelly's Avo Turkey sub.

The Potbelly Avo Turkey is made with the sub bread of your choice, then filled with deli-style turkey breast, Swiss cheese, cucumbers, and of course, sliced avocado. While we like avocado on toast, we can't say that it pairs all that nicely with turkey slices. The texture makes one feel like they are eating deli meat with a spreadable butter, which isn't that pleasant. As for taste, the avocado doesn't really add any significant flavor to a sandwich that would be fine without the extra topping. If you're picking through the sandwiches at Potbelly, there are much better things to fill your belly with than the Avo Turkey.

While this next sandwich belongs to a chain that isn't as big as others on this list, you can still expect quality and brilliantly crafted subs from any Jersey Mike's. Originally called Mike's Subs, Jersey Mike's was founded in 1956 as a single sub shop, and its headquarters are currently located in New Jersey (hence the "Jersey" in Jersey Mike's). While it hasn't grown as massively as Subway, you can no longer call Jersey Mike's a "small sandwich chain," as it now has over 2,000 locations across the U.S. that sell quality subs. Jersey Mike's has a long list of delicious sub combinations to choose from, and a couple of them fall on this list, including their Club Sub.

The Jersey Mike's Club Sub comes filled with provolone cheese, bacon, turkey, ham and a really heavy mayonnaise. Ham, turkey, and bacon are all great meats to put on a sandwich, and the cheese was great. When you want a good cheese for a sandwich, provolone and sliced gouda are great choices, and the use of provolone in this sandwich was a smart move. Unfortunately, this is completely canceled out by the use of the mayonnaise, which makes it the most overpowering taste in this turkey sub. The mayo also makes up 260.90 calories of a regularly sized sub. If you had to pick a sub from Jersey Mike's, you might only be a fan of this sub if you really like mayonnaise.

From which Which Wich did you get your sandwich? Which Wich is a relatively newer sub chain, having been founded in Dallas, Texas, in December 2003. Not even a year later, the sandwich shop was mentioned by D Magazine in an article about the best sandwiches in Dallas. From there, Which Wich only grew, and as of now, has over 350 locations. With such a quick rise to fame in the South, it's only natural that Which Wich would offer turkey subs. One of their most popular turkey sandwiches is the Club Wich, which comes with all your classic toppings and condiments, but also includes bacon, pepper jack cheese, and a 1000 Island dressing.

For a turkey sub, this was a pretty great sandwich. We may be biased, but adding bacon onto anything makes it ten times better, and the 1000 Island sauce also adds some great flavor to the sandwich. One reviewer on Yelp writes, "I love Which Wich sandwiches. They come out toasted, warm and mostly delicious. My favorite has always been the Turkey Club." The only critique we really have for this sandwich is that it comes with a bit too much sauce, which drowns out much of the other flavor. Thankfully, this is customizable, and you can always try to ask for less of it. The Club Wich is a solid addition to this turkey club list.

This next sub from Jimmy John's was our favorite turkey sandwich from the brand. The Club Lulu is similar to the Turkey Tom, with the turkey, mayo and sliced lettuce and tomato. However, what puts Lulu just above Tom is the addition of the crispy and delicious applewood smoked bacon. It's definitely a Jimmy John's menu item that we would miss if it disappeared. Where the mayo in the Turkey Tom was a little bit overpowering, the inclusion of the bacon gives the sandwich more to work with, so the mayo isn't as prevalent.

The one flaw with this turkey sub is that with the bacon, the turkey isn't the most prevalent of flavors, being the less flavorful meat of the two. If you prefer bacon over turkey, then this is perfect. However, if you prefer a strong taste of turkey with a little bacon, then this might not be your sub. Regardless, many people love this sandwich, with one Tripadvisor reviewer writing, "I ordered a Club Lulu and I was hooked ... I look forward to ordering from them a lot in the future." While this might not be the best turkey sub in the world, it's certainly the best turkey sandwich from Jimmy John's, and we highly recommend it to any Jimmy John's fans out there.

Next up is another (and better) turkey choice from the one and only Potbelly. Peter Hastings, the man who started it all, created the first Potbelly in the Lincoln neighborhood of Chicago. The man named the sandwich shop after a Potbelly stove, which is known for keeping homes warm, and according to the Potbelly website, "was a gathering place for meal and conversation." You'll find a Potbelly stove in most of the sub shop's locations, because the company hopes to encompass that same feeling in their stores. This next turkey sub is a classic that comes right off of Potbelly's menu, which is their Turkey Breast sandwich.

As displayed, the Potbelly Turkey Breast sub comes on crisp, oven-baked fresh bread, with two layers of Swiss cheese and turkey breast, and all your favorite and customizable toppings, such as pickles, onions, and tomatoes in between. Many people compare these sandwiches to that of a Subway or Firehouse sandwich, with one Tripadvisor reviewer writing that this turkey sub was "clearly an upgrade from Subway." Potbelly subs are always going to rank highly on a sandwich list, and this turkey sub is no different. Among classic fast food turkey sandwiches, Potbelly's is one of the top contenders.

At the top of this turkey sandwich list, we have Firehouse Subs Turkey Bacon Ranch Sub. There's a reason why Firehouse is considered only second to Subway, and the latter chain sub has some pretty tight competition with this Firehouse sub. The Turkey Bacon Ranch, or TBR sub, is made with smoked turkey breast, bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh vegetables, and a peppercorn ranch dressing. The sandwich is also toasted, making the cheese melt, the bread crisp and crunchy, and the meat warm and flavorful. It's difficult to come up with anything to say about this sub other than that it is one of the best turkey sandwiches out there.

As previously stated, anything that has bacon on it probably tastes better than it would without, and the TBR's bacon, along with the creamy ranch, are full of flavor that go wonderfully with the turkey breast. While a few may find that the ranch dressing might be a little over the top, most are okay with it, and feel that all the ingredients in the TBR are perfectly balanced and delicious. One review on Yelp writes that the sandwich "was very filling and enjoyable to eat. The bread was super fresh and had the perfect toast to it, veggies were very fresh and bright and the meat and cheese brought it all together." If you're looking for the perfect turkey sub, and are a bacon lover, then look no further than Firehouse Subs.