Jimmy John's vs. Jersey Mike's..... Which is better?

[I-39]

Both are good, but I prefer Jersey Mike's over Jimmy John's. Everyone I talk to either likes Jimmy John's by a mile or has never tasted Jersey Mike's. Jimmy John's is good for something quick/easy and tasty, but Jersey Mike's has better quality ingredients and you get more of everything in each bite.

Both are eons better than Subway, Firehouse, Quiznos, etc.

What is your take?

[Alps]

Wawa or Sheetz.

[formulanone]

Jersey Mike's allows for much more customization, and it seems to taste a little fresher than Jimmy John's. JMs are more harder to find than JJs, by and large. Typically, I'll spend $10-11 at Jersey Mike's, and $8-9 at Jimmy John's, so it depends on how much I want to spend.

I am partial to Firehouse Subs, though; you get it either "fully involved" or not, with no middle ground. But I find it hard to turn down an Italian sub from them.

Penn Station is pretty good too, but it seems a bit greasier than all the other options. Still, a hot sausage and pepper sub hits the spot on a cold winter day. They seem to be rare birds in comparison.

[Roadgeek Adam]

I just tried Jersey Mike's for the first time in March because I wanted to try it. I would say I prefer Jimmy Johns for the "freaky fast" food. It's filling, it's good and it's excellent. I thought Jersey Mike's was great, but not my favorite.

Firehouse Subs is on my list to try.

[Jim]

I am a big fan of Firehouse.  I think it's the best of the chain sub places I've tried by a long shot.  I've only been to Jersey Mike's once so far but I liked it a lot.  I have had Jimmy Johns a few times and was disappointed by the quality, but certainly not the speed.  I just thought they started with a much lower quality meat than Firehouse or Jersey Mike's.  For places I can go fairly regularly (none of the above convenient to home or work), I wind up at DiBella's once or twice a month and it's always been good.  Far higher quality than Subway, but also a few dollars more expensive.

Now I was really happy with White House Subs in Atlantic City the one time I was there, but to my knowledge, that's the only location.

[NJRoadfan]

Jersey Mike's makes a decent sub like you would expect from a deli in NJ. Jimmy John's just popped up here in NJ, I'll have to do a comparison taste. The owner of the Jersey Mike's in Cary NC seemed to pick up that I was from NJ because I always insist it be made "Mike's Way".

Overall if you go to a real deli around here, you get a much better deal. Bigger sub, better taste. Hmm, I could go for some of that Millburn Deli iced tea right about now!

[nexus73]

Jimmy John sandwiches are vegan.  I dare you to find the meat...LOL!  Tried one once and that was the end of going back there.  You'll find more meat in a can of pork and beans.

Rick

[jeffandnicole]

Doesn't JJ only use provolone cheese, with no options for anything else?

[renegade]

Doesn't JJ only use provolone cheese, with no options for anything else?

Yes, they do ... and don't order hot peppers "on the side" because Jimmy John's doesn't "do" sides. 

[Pete from Boston]

Jersey Mike's makes a decent sub like you would expect from a deli in NJ. Jimmy John's just popped up here in NJ, I'll have to do a comparison taste. The owner of the Jersey Mike's in Cary NC seemed to pick up that I was from NJ because I always insist it be made "Mike's Way".

Overall if you go to a real deli around here, you get a much better deal. Bigger sub, better taste. Hmm, I could go for some of that Millburn Deli iced tea right about now!

I raise a skeptical eyebrow at any chain that purports to export a local specialty nationwide, while admitting that the snobbery of my New Jersey roots fully colors my opinion. 

Subs at New Jersey delis generally benefit from an excellent array of top-notch cold cuts, particularly Italian ones.  A lot of these come from local/regional producers that have been doing this for generations.  Just judging by what makes it into a lot of the "delis" in Mass., the supply thins when you stretch the supply chains (and in fairness, it's not like there aren't local producers here, just apparently fewer and smaller ones).

And if there's no Taylor Ham and egg available, the state should send lawyers and just close the whole goddamn thing down. 

[OCGuy81]

I like both.  I think Jimmy John's has the better bread, but I like the meat and really like the vinegar that Jersey Mike's have.

Both good, but I think Jersey Mike's is SLIGHTLY better.

Both are much better than Subway or Quiznos.

[Mr. Matté]

Jimmy John's, it's only a mile away from my work; to get to the local Jersey Mike's, I'd have to get on Route 1, deal with either a U-Turn, long traffic lights, and the rest of the shopping centers.

[Scott5114]

I am partial to Firehouse Subs, though; you get it either "fully involved" or not, with no middle ground. But I find it hard to turn down an Italian sub from them.

I've asked for "no tomatoes" before and they're happy to oblige, just like any other restaurant out there. Could be a local franchise option, I guess.

[Jim]

I've never had a Firehouse Subs location (and I've probably been to 20+) refuse to put exactly what I want on my sub.

[02 Park Ave]

Jimmy Johns offer spouts.

[NJRoadfan]

I like both.  I think Jimmy John's has the better bread, but I like the meat and really like the vinegar that Jersey Mike's have.

The vinegar is a Jersey deli thing, I haven't found too many chains or delis out of state with that style. As for bread, good luck getting decent rye. I have to smuggle loaves of Pechter's Jewish Rye to my relatives down in NC.

For cold cuts, many delis in NJ have Boar's Head, something that is available all over the place. Thumann's and Dietz & Watson round out the rest. That being said, I've had some horrible subs from delis around here. There are places that somehow cheap out on cold cuts.

[nexus73]

Jimmy Johns offer spouts.

Are drainpipes included too?  LOL!

That was a funny typo :-)

Rick

[golden eagle]

I've never heard of Jersey Mike's.

[DandyDan]

I've never heard of Jersey Mike's.

I had never heard of them before this year, when they put one in over in Bellevue, NE and now they have another right here in Papillion about a half mile from my parents.  I want to try it out sometime.

[cjk374]

Reading all of these reviews have me worried about trying Firehouse, JJs or Jersey Mikes.  There is a JJs in Monroe on US 165 north of I-20, and the other 2 are located in Shreveport.  I will try them one day soon, but I'm interested in reading further reviews.

Overall if you go to a real deli around here, you get a much better deal. Bigger sub, better taste. Hmm, I could go for some of that Millburn Deli iced tea right about now!

Is sweet tea made up there? It seems to thin out into non-existence if you go north of Arkansas, but I don't know about how far into the northeast restaurants/delis stop serving it.

[bandit957]

Apparently, the cutoff point between unsweetened and sweet tea is between Cincinnati and Lexington.

[Pete from Boston]

When McDonald's began using the words "sweet tea" to advertise a product it already sold as "iced tea," a person from the deep South implored me to try it, insisting I had never had anything like sweet tea because I had not spent much time down south.  Do people in the south really think we don't drink sweetened iced tea up here?  I don't understand this concept of a tea dichotomy.

[triplemultiplex]

"Sweet Tea" is brown colored sugar water.  I can't taste any tea in it whatsoever.

It's really hard to screw up a sub sandwich to the point where it sucks.  As long as I like the actual ingredients in the sandwich and it hasn't been sitting in a refrigerator for an undetermined amount of time, it'll be fine.

I will say that I am so completely bored with Subway.  There are way, way too many of those in this country.

[formulanone]

Apparently, the cutoff point between unsweetened and sweet tea is between Cincinnati and Lexington.

Also, the Florida (unsweetened) and Georgia (so sweet, it's crunchy) state line. If you specify, you'll get your tea how you like it.

Alabama typically asks for your choice. I usually 50/50 My teas if there's a dispenser.

[NJRoadfan]

Is sweet tea made up there? It seems to thin out into non-existence if you go north of Arkansas, but I don't know about how far into the northeast restaurants/delis stop serving it.

All iced tea is sweetened around here for the most part and includes added lemon. Think standard lemon Snapple iced tea in terms of general taste. From the sweet tea I sampled in NC, its no different then iced tea + a boatload of sugar. The biggest difference is restaurants here will usually serve iced tea unsweetened with packets of sweetener or offer the raspberry tea variant.