Review: Jimmy John's Toasted Sandwiches Heat Up The Menu In The Best Way Possible

Jimmy John's has come a long way since its beginnings in a small college town in Illinois. The fledgling business (which almost became a hot dog shop) began serving just four sandwiches in 1983. Not only has the chain vastly expanded its location reach over the past 40 years but its menu offerings as well.

With the month of March just days away, most people are gearing up for warm spring days. However, for many parts of the country, winter is far from over, so there's no better time to enjoy a warm, gooey, toasted sandwich than the present.

Despite having a location in New York City, Jimmy John's chose to unveil its new trio of toasted sandwiches at its "sandwich chalet" launch event at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. I went to preview the three brand new sandwiches before the launch, and here is my take on which ones are worth trying and which you might want to skip.

The three new sandwiches — Chicken Bacon Ranch, Ultimate Italian, and Roast Beef & Cheddar — will launch on March 3, 2025, at all 2,802 Jimmy John's locations across the U.S. The three new sandwiches cost the same amount, starting at $8.59, depending on the store location.

Also starting on March 3, you will have the opportunity to toast any of Jimmy John's current lineup of sandwiches (with favorites such as the Spicy East Coast Italian, the Country Club, Hunter's Club, Jimmy Cubano, or an Italian Night Club) at no extra charge.

The three new sandwiches as well as the toasting option will become permanent menu items after the March launch. Also next month, Jimmy John's will give away $1 million worth of toasted sandwiches on Tuesday, March 4 for its "Toasted Tuesday" promotion. You can score a free sub by using the promo code TOASTEDTUESDAY on Jimmy John's app or its website.

Going into this tasting, I thought this sandwich would rank if not number one, at least secure the middle spot. It has all the makings of something I would normally enjoy: chicken, crispy bacon, provolone, fresh tomato, lettuce, mayo, and a dash of ranch, as well as ranch seasoning on Jimmy John's famous freshly baked French bread. However, though the chain describes the bacon as "crispy," it was anything but when I took a bite.

The combination of mayo and ranch dressing was too unrestrained. A sandwich (or any dish for that matter) rarely, if ever, requires more than one creamy condiment. When I bit into the sandwich, I was convinced I was eating a chicken salad sandwich. The combination of that overly creamy flavor and the texture of the wet lettuce with the sandwich's toastiness made it unappealing.

I took a minute to dissect the sandwich and tasted the chicken on its own. The meat was tender and flavorful in the vein of grocery store rotisserie chickens (with which I have a deep admiration for) was as tender as the rest of the meats but the bacon was soggy. I would recommend skipping toasting on this sandwich for sure, but also maybe try a different chicken sandwich on the menu.

Jimmy John's already has a couple of Italians working for its menu. So, I was surprised to see another Bel Paese variety hit the rotation. Checking its ingredients against the other Italian subs, there isn't a dynamic difference between any of them. This "ultimate" version, like the others, contains capocollo, salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, and something Jimmy John's calls "oregano-basil." Where this sandwich differs from the other two is the addition of crispy bacon and Parmesan.

I thought I was going to prefer this sandwich cold, but the toasty bread was not overdone so the sandwich was able to retain its slightly refreshing quality. That's not to say that this is a light sandwich, it certainly has heft, but it's the lightest of the three.

The meats on this sub were just as tender as the chicken, and they had a brightness brought on by the spices used in the meat-making. The herbs on the sandwich added another welcomed flavor burst.

As we are known to do here at The Takeout, we saved the best for last. This sandwich, comprised of roast beef, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, horseradish sauce, crispy fried onions, fresh tomato, lettuce, onion, and mayo was by far my favorite of the three new releases.

The buttery, tender roast beef with crispy ends was reminiscent of a Sunday roast and the kick of spicy horseradish sauce gave me that hurts-so-good nasal burn I've come to love. The bacon was, indeed, crispy and while I didn't really taste the cheddar, I also didn't care. There was enough going on flavor-wise, so the cheddar cheese taste was barely missed. This sandwich is so delicious.

I surprised myself with this ranking. I thought, due to a personal preference of the texture of the meat being paramount to my enjoyment, that a chain deli shop couldn't produce a tender product at a low cost. I was wrong. In my defense, I frequented Jimmy John's in college, but have lapsed since. Now, I find myself craving this sandwich again as a farewell to winter treat.

With the joyous chaos that comes from an event, I slinked off to a corner of the room with my three sandwich samples and tasted them in my perceived order of heaviness. I thought the chicken bacon sandwich would be the lightest, followed by the Italian, and flanked by the roast beef, but the Italian sub turned out to be the lightest of the three.

After taking a few initial bites of each, I also pulled apart each sandwich and inspected the ingredients as best as I could with the low party lighting. I tasted each component of the sandwich individually, heavily focusing on the quality, texture, and taste of the meats.

I also judged the amount of toastiness and if it was appropriate for each item. I factored in the pairings of ingredients as well. One thing I didn't account for was the price since all of the new sandwiches have the same base price.