7 Best And 4 Worst Sandwiches To Order At Jimmy John's

Lunch lovers rejoice! It's sandwich time. Lunch doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. Sandwiched (no pun intended) between breakfast and dinner, it's often relegated to a lesser status, just another box to get checked off the daily to-do list. Enter Jimmy John's.

Having a sandwich for lunch shouldn't be like putting fuel into the tank of a car. It's an experience that should be treasured with the help of quality ingredients and careful preparation, which is what Jimmy John's claims to deliver. But how do its sandwiches stack up?

I've gathered classic sandwiches and put them to the test to find out the best and worst things to order at Jimmy John's. My lineup is made up of time-tested favorites like a turkey and cheese and a BLT — sandwiches with which I'm familiarly acquainted — to see whether Jimmy John's can take a typical lunchtime treat and make it something extraordinary. A good sandwich is like an orchestra — it's more than the sum of its parts. Appearance, flavor, and textural variation all play key roles, and each ingredient needs to be fresh and present in the correct proportion for all of them to thrive together. The sandwiches were all ordered with no modifications on French bread to get the most authentic experience.

There are few lunch items more iconic than the turkey sandwich, and at a lunch restaurant, the quality of this simple menu item can often indicate whether you're at an establishment worth your precious time. So let's talk turkey. The Turkey Tom is the signature turkey sandwich and if you like a simple sandwich, this is the one for you.

The proportions of turkey and tomato were spot on, and the addition of mayonnaise gave the whole experience a slightly fatty tang that tied the sandwich together. The turkey was just salty enough and didn't taste overly processed. I could've done with a bit more lettuce to give the sandwich a slightly more robust crunch to counter the softer ingredients, and the Turkey Tom comes without cheese, which is great if your lactose intolerant, but if you're a cheese hound like myself, you might want to add on some slices of cheddar, Swiss, or provolone if you pick this sandwich up for lunch. French bread also seemed like the right choice here. It's got a neutral flavor and texture, perfect for lovers of the moderate taste of a classic turkey sandwich.

Tuna salad might sound like an easy thing to make, but it's more delicate than you might think, especially when it's made in large qualities. A good tuna salad relies on fresh, crisp vegetables dotted throughout that provide an adequate textural contrast to a mostly formless, squishy combination of tuna and mayonnaise. The Totally Tuna sandwich at Jimmy John's suffered mostly because the celery and onion in the tuna salad were not crisp, indicating to me that the tuna salad had been sitting around in the refrigerator for a bit too long. It's all too easy to make mistakes with canned tuna, and this is one of them.

Which is a shame, because most of the other elements of this classic lunchtime menu item came together to form a solid tuna salad sandwich. The salad itself was well seasoned and not too fishy. And what saved the Totally Tuna sandwich from being a Totally Tuna textural tragedy was the inclusion of fresh cucumber slices that gave it a satisfying crunch.

Another take on an American classic, The Pepe is a ham sandwich with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and provolone cheese. And when it comes to a simple sandwich with a pared down list of ingredients, each element, especially the ham and the cheese, must be high quality for the sandwich to succeed. I'm pleased to report that The Pepe delivered ham and cheese heaven.

The ham was the star of the show. Salty, savory, and with just a touch of honey, the slices were thick and substantial. While some people hate raw tomatoes, in this context, they provided an acidity that counters the subtle sweetness of the ham and gave the sandwich a balanced flavor palate. The provolone cheese was salty and sharp, and present in a quantity that elevated the ham without hogging its limelight. Mayonnaise was the only condiment, which helped it thrive in its simplicity. If you're a lover of a simple sandwich with a touch of sweet flavor, The Pepe is for you.

Before I begin, let me say that I'm not a hater when it comes to vegetarian sandwiches. There are plenty of ways to make a mean veggie sandwich come to life, but whatever Jimmy John's did with The Veggie, its signature vegetarian sandwich, was not one of them. Tucked inside a piece of French bread is provolone cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and avocado spread. The sandwich did have a nice weight to it due to a respectable quantity of veggies, but it had no distinct flavor to back it up.

The avocado spread was so thin I'd have to get a forensics kit to find it. There certainly wasn't enough to lend the sandwich any of its taste or texture. Instead, the neutral-tasting vegetables were overpowered by the presence of mayonnaise. I'm usually a big fan of mayo, but slathered on wet vegetables is not my favorite way to enjoy it. Sadly, this sandwich felt like an afterthought. If you're a vegetarian, Jimmy John's doesn't have a whole lot of offer. 

Putting ham and turkey in the same sandwich is a simple idea, and after tasting the Country Club, I'm wondering why it's not more commonplace. Like the other simpler sandwiches on the Jimmy John's menu, the Country Club relies on quality meats to make it shine. And shine it does.

The turkey and ham are both sliced thick and generously portioned. While the turkey has a very mild, salty flavor, the ham is a bit bolder and brings a dash of sweetness to the sandwich. Instead of competing with one another, each meat constructively complements the flavor of its counterpart, resulting in a protein-packed sandwich that's bursting with a fresh take on classic deli flavors. This duo of deli meats sits atop a layer of provolone cheese, which provides a salty, slightly funky tang that goes well with the acidic sweetness of sliced tomatoes. And the contrasting flavors are united by the rich texture and tang of mayonnaise.

What exactly is a club sandwich? If the rumors are true, the "club" in club sandwich could be an acronym meaning "chicken, lettuce under bacon." That doesn't exactly describe the Club Lulu from Jimmy John's, and it turns out a club sandwich can be just about anything, including sub-par. I had high hopes for the Club Lulu. But how couldn't I? It's basically a turkey sandwich with bacon on it, and I loved the Turkey Sandwich from Jimmy John's, so I was flabbergasted by the fact that bacon, in all its holy, greasy, savory goodness, could possibly make something worse.

While most of the ingredients on the sandwiches I tasted were of reasonably high quality, the bacon was not. It's described on the Jimmy John's website as "applewood smoked," but I suppose you can applewood smoke just about anything, including bad bacon. My expectation of thick, crisp slabs was crushed by paltry, wispy little pieces of bacon that did not contribute taste or texture. The bacon was surrounded by mayo, and it had begun to disintegrate, giving it a pasty texture that was unexpected in the worst way. This is not the club you want to be in.

The Vito is an Italian-style sandwich with a name that sounds like it could be from The Godfather, and eating one of these sandwiches is an offer you can't refuse. This sandwich is packed with salami and capocollo, a dried Italian meat made from thinly sliced beef that's cured with salt and a variety of spices. On top of that, it's got provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and, uniquely among the sandwiches I tasted, oil and vinegar instead of mayonnaise.

The salami had a super savory flavor and the capocollo is nicely spiced, which gives the sandwich a depth and complexity. The provolone cheese adds another level of umami goodness that's balanced out by the slightly sweet and gently acidic tomatoes. And what really sets this sandwich apart is the use of oil and vinegar instead of mayo, which keeps it light and fresh tasting. One downside, though: If you're getting this sandwich to go and it's going to be a little while before you eat it, the oil and vinegar makes the French bread a bit soggy.

It's not easy to get to Cuba, so if you're looking for a taste of this Caribbean island nation, you can always head to Jimmy John's and get the Jimmy Cubano, right? Not exactly. As somebody who's spent a lot of time in Miami, I might be spoiled when it comes to Cuban sandwiches, and although the Jimmy Cubano was a respectable attempt at creating one, it missed the mark. A cuban sandwich traditionally consists of roast pork, ham, pickles, Swiss cheese, and mustard and is typically pressed and heated in a sandwich press before its served.

The Jimmy Cubano uses ham, pickles, and mustard, but instead of Swiss cheese, it uses provolone. The substitution is less than ideal, but passable. What doesn't make sense is the use of bacon instead of roast pork. The meats are also present in such small quantities that the sandwich relies mainly on the presence of pickles and mustard to give it flavor. These aren't bad flavors, but they're meant to be in supporting roles, not the stars of the show. And lastly, the sandwich isn't pressed, so the cheese doesn't have the characteristic gooiness of a typical Cuban sandwich. Toasting these sandwiches would make a big difference. I'd be more lenient if this sandwich didn't call itself "Cubano," but if you're going to compare yourself to one of my favorite classic sandwiches, so will I.

Fire up the smoke machine, because the Italian Night Club is open for business! I love a play on words, so I had high hopes that this sandwich would satisfy me the way its name did. And I'm pleased to report that, puns aside, the Italian Night Club is my favorite sandwich on this list.

Salty, savory salami and spicy capocollo are sliced thin and topped with just the right amount of slightly sweet ham, resulting in a trio of meats that balance each other out without a single one hogging the show. Provolone cheese adds a sharp umami bite and lettuce and tomato lend the sandwich a crisp texture and flavor. Initially I was suspect that this sandwich would be too heavy on the condiments, since it include oil, vinegar, and mayonnaise, but the three work together surprisingly well to harmonize the strong, salty elements of the sandwich. For those who love an Italian sandwich, it's time to go clubbing!

A BLT seems deceptively simple. Just a few ingredients, what could go wrong? The answer: a lot. And the JJBLT is a great example. When all you're showcasing is lettuce, tomato, mayo, and bacon, you'd better be sure each of these ingredients is pulling their weight, especially the bacon, which is obviously the crux of a good BBLT. Bacon is so beloved that the breakfast staple made it to the moon when astronauts landed there in 1969. And with this social devotion to one of America's most beloved foods, I felt betrayed by the poor quality of the bacon in the JJBLT.

The strips were cut so thin that they couldn't hold their own in a sandwich that felt inundated with slippery, wet ingredients like tomato and mayonnaise. Instead of adding a satisfying crunch, the bacon felt like it was dissolving into the mayo, and the quantity of bacon compared to the other ingredients was so paltry that it hardly added any taste. French bread was also probably not the way to go with this sandwich, since its softness doesn't provide enough textural contrast with the sandwich's interior.

I'll cut to the chase: The Hunter's Club is for roast beef lovers. If you're a carnivore (like me) with a taste for the savory, salty, umami taste of roast beef, then you'll love this sandwich, and if you're not, move on. This was the heftiest sandwich on the list, and from the moment I picked it up, I knew I'd be getting my daily dose of protein. Unlike the Big John (Jimmy Johns's' signature roast beef sandwich), this one is piled high with twice the roast beef and a layer of provolone cheese, as well as lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

The roast beef is super savory, has a lightly caramelized flavor and a subtle mineral taste characteristic of a good roast beef. The lettuce and tomato add just a touch of freshness and the mayonnaise provides a tang that helps elevate the intense savory flavor of the roast beef. Provolone cheese gets a bit lost in the milieu of meat, and it ends up adding little in the way of flavor and texture to the sandwich. So if you're hungry for heaps of meat, go for the Hunter's Club.

There are few things in life I take more seriously than lunch. This much maligned meal provides not only energy to get through the afternoon, but a much needed break in the middle of the day. A sandwich is the quintessential lunchtime meal because it's quick, easy to eat, and can contain just about anything.

I judged some of the most popular sandwiches from Jimmy John's, which make up a range of flavors from savory roast beef to a crunchy veggie sub. When tasting a sandwich, I first take a look to see whether it has an attractive appearance (we eat with our eyes first!). The next thing I seek out is textural variation among the ingredients. 

The crunch of the lettuce should speak to the juiciness of the turkey, for example. Next, I evaluate the flavor balance. Is the bacon salty enough to offset the sweetness of the tomatoes? And finally I taste for the quality of the ingredients, sometimes carefully removing a slice of turkey or ham to taste in isolation. Each element contributes to the judgment of what sandwiches are the best, and which are the worst.