Subway’s $5 Foot-Long Meatball Sub
BIG and BAD — with the BALLS to back it up!
Sorry about that, it’s not often I post about a foot-long meatball sub, and I wanted a good introduction. However, despite the colorful description, it’s an accurate one. This is a big sandwich with some serious balls. There it goes again, but how can I avoid it? The focus of this sandwich are the big juicy meaty balls. SEE, there’s no way to write this review without sounding funny and suggestive, but I shall do my best.
The meatball sub has been a regular item at Subway as long as I can remember. It’s a good sandwich, and consistent. I must have eaten 100 of these over the past ten years, either 6-inch or foot-long. I recall very few incidents of disappointment.
What about the bread? Like with all Subway sandwiches, the bread is baked fresh in each store. An employee will grab a fresh loaf from the baking rack, an then split-it open right in front of you. They offer a nice variety of breads, from the common Italian White and Wheat, to the more interesting Honey Oat and Monterray Cheddar. The Italian White bread is usually my choice with the meatball sub, as it was this time. The bread at Subway is very good, though I wouldn’t call it best in class.
Subway’s meatballs are big by fast food sandwich standards, and the servers are generous when applying them to the bread. They have a nice mild beef flavor on their own, even without the sauce on them. A reader of FFC and former Subway employee described to me how he had enjoyed eating the meatballs plain, before they would add the sauce. He said it was a taste reminiscent of a meatloaf sandwich. I have to agree with him. Though for us, that opportunity is not readily available since they are only served after swimming in a big pool of marinara sauce for a while.
That’s not a bad thing, because the sauce is flavorful and tangy. It’s nice and thick, with decent sized chunks of tomatoes, onions and other spices. They are not stingy when applying it - they literally smother the meatballs. Be forewarned this can be a sloppy sandwich to eat, with sauce oozing out, plus the occasional meatball trying to escape. Make sure to request some napkins with your order.
Like most other meatloaf or meatballs, there are bread crumbs and soy fillers, plus a blend of spices included. I also discovered there is some Romano cheese in the mixture. But the beef is the star, and these balls have plenty of it.
Cheese to top the meatballs? Your choice of Monterey Cheddar, Natural cheddar, American, Provolone, Swiss and Pepperjack. I usually opt for the natural cheddar or provolone. In this case it was Provolone, and those thin slices melted quickly, joining the marinara sauce to coat the meatballs with zesty, cheesy flavors.
Where do the meatballs come from? They arrive frozen, and Subway employees use a microwave to heat them, and then mix together with the marinara sauce to cook until done. The meatball and sauce mixture is then stored in a big metal heating tray on the serving counter. At most locations, you can watch your meatballs get selected.
Where does the sauce come from? A big can, of course. Subway’s website says it’s “Our founder’s mom’s secret recipe”. Therefore I can only assume this is something canned exclusively for Subway, with their own custom list of ingredients.
You are given the option of having your sandwich “toasted” once it’s assembled with the meat and cheese. It’s put into a small toaster oven for a few seconds which gives the bread a slightly harder crusty shell, and melts the cheese quicker. I’m averaging about 50/50 when choosing toasted or un-toasted. The sandwich in the review photo is not toasted. Subway’s not really known for toasted subs, and they only began offering this service in recent years, presumably in response to companies like Quiznos who’ve made a point of offering their sandwiches toasty.
Biggest problem? In my experience, it’s the dry meatball I sometimes get. Whether this be from the microwaving or not, I don’t know. But it’s a turnoff to bite into a dry one. Luckily it’s not something that happens often, and it’s only one ball in the bunch when it does. Still, it’s happened enough for me to take notice, and mention.
Subway is known for healthy alternatives to typical fast food. Sandwiches with low calorie and fat counts. This is NOT one of them. In fact, the foot-long version of the meatball marinara is a monster on nutrition numbers, so please be advised of this and consult the nutrition facts listed below for complete details. Also please take note my sandwich in the photos is sliced in half, into 6-inch sections.
The Meatball Sub from Subway is a winner, be it the foot-long version or the normal 6-inch. They keys to a good meatball sub are the meatballs and sauce, and both are solid. The subs are tasty, consistent, and also a better value now that the foot-long version is only $5, and Subway has made the cheap promotion an everyday thing. You can customize with whatever veggies or toppings you desire, at no extra charge, so there’s flexibility for those who want more than just meat, sauce and cheese.
Price: $5 — Website: Subway.com
Fast Food Critic Score: B+
Click here for rating system details.
Nutrition Facts - Subway, Foot-Long Meatball Sub.
Calories - 1120
Calories from Fat - 440
Total Fat - 48 grams
Carbs - 126 grams
Saturated Fat - 22 grams
Trans Fat - 2 grams
Cholesterol - 90 milligrams
Sodium - 3180 milligrams
That is the sandwich I order from Subway and it has a special place in my heart. Back when Florida was getting whacked by one hurricane after another, I discovered the local Subway was open when everything else was closed.
There were always a few cops eating there so maybe they stayed open for that reason. Anyway my power always went out from the gitgo so no hot food … once the wind died down so driving was semi-safe, I’d head to the Subway, dodging fallen tree limbs, and order two of these, scarf one in the store (it was pure heaven after not having eaten a hot meal in a while) and save the other one for later.
When a friend in Houston was threatened by a storm, I told him to take note of the nearest Subway … afterwards he told me the Subway was open the entire time, even though everything else was shut down, he grabbed some subs there too.
I think it might be because one guy can run the entire store, so the owner comes in and waits out the storm while selling subs.
Great review. I’ve eat at Subway regularly for 14 years and have never tried a meatball sub. This review may change that. ;]
My favorite hot sub used to be the BBQ beef. They discontinued it a few years ago. The new hot pastrami is rockin though.
RJ
I recently tried the Meatball sub and thought it was average at best. The meatballs tend not to have a lot of flavor to them. It caused a huge mess. My favorite $5 subs have to be Subway Melt, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and the Prime Rib.
I used to eat meatball subs at my mom’s sub store, (homemade meatballs) and at Mr Subs in Canada….both a million times better than Subway. So mediocre in every way. The last time my wife and I went to Subway, she got one, lots of meat on it, but it made her ill the next day. We will never get that sub again.