Subway’s Big Philly Cheesesteak
After living in and around Philadelphia for the past 8 years, I still do not consider myself a ‘cheesesteak expert’. I’ve visited quite a number of cheesesteak places, but still have to visit a lot more. It seems like all my friends and family members each have their favorite place, whether it’s Jim’s, Pat’s, Geno’s, Tony Luke’s, Delassandro’s, or Steve’s. Of course, there are LOTS of other places where people claim have the best cheesesteak. Of all the places I’ve been, so far my favorite is Tony Luke’s. I always get the ‘provolone with’ which is steak, provolone cheese, and fried onions on a roll.
While driving to work recently, I noticed a billboard for the Subway Philly Cheesesteak, so I decided this would be my first review for FFC. Subway claims: “The Big Philly Cheesesteak is every meat lover’s dream. With lots of steak smothered in melted cheese, it’s easy to see why this classic is the taste that Philly is so proud of.”
Lots of steak it does not have, and it certainly is not smothered in melted cheese. When I tried the cheesesteak for the first time, I wondered if I’d be able to order mine with whiz. Typically, you’ll find American Cheese, Provolone Cheese, or Cheese Whiz on a Philly Cheesesteak. I don’t usually order the whiz, but I was curious to see if that would be an option since many of my friends do. Sadly, it was not an option.
I decided that I would order my Subway cheesesteak with the same ingredients, or as close as I could get to a cheesesteak I’d normally buy. I got the provolone cheese, and had to go with red onions, because they don’t offer fried, sweet onions. They heated my steak on a paper dish in a microwave, then put that on top of the cheese and onions. I did not get my sandwich toasted because I never get them toasted when I’m in the city. I can’t even remember having that option at other cheesesteak shops.
What little steak was on the sandwich, actually tasted pretty good. It was juicy, but not greasy. It was very soft, and thinly sliced. Whatever they used for flavoring the steak was awesome. It was a bit salty, but was just enough where it wasn’t overload. The red onions were at times a bit overwhelming and I found myself asking where the cheese was because the onions and steak overpowered the provolone. The Italian bread was even pretty decent. In past Subway experiences the bread has been rather stale, however both times I’ve tried this sandwich the bread was OK.
Why it’s not a ‘Philly’ Cheesesteak - It wasn’t very greasy, which I tend to enjoy. I like when it soaks into the bread. I had to use red onions instead of fried. There was not enough cheese. (of course I could have paid an extra 60-cents for more) There was not enough meat. The six inch was a bit smaller than ones I’ve had elsewhere.
At a price of $4.99 for a six-inch and $8.49 for a foot-long, it’s an expensive sandwich. I’d prefer to stick with the 5-dollar foot-longs they’re offering. I give this a score of C, because that’s what it was, average. If the price was a bit lower, or they put more meat and cheese on the sandwich, perhaps it would earn a better grade.
Price: $4.99 - $8.49 / Website: Subway.com
Fast Food Critic Score: C
Click here for rating system details.
Nutrition Facts - Subway Big Philly Cheesesteak (six-inch).
Calories - 520
Calories from Fat - 170
Total Fat - 19 grams
Carbs - 50 grams
Saturated Fat - 10 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 100 milligrams
Sodium - 1390 milligrams
Protein - 40 grams
Welcome aboard. I like your approach to the Cheese Steak. They say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” In the case of Subway, maybe it should be, “Imitation is an imitation form of sincerity.”
I tried Quiznos steak sandwich and didn’t like the steak very much, though I love their subs.
I don’t like Subway cause you have to tell them every single thing you want on the sub. Once I ordered a featured sub and told the lady “make it just like the picture” on the poster on the wall and she refused, she said I had to list every single thing I wanted on it.
That works for burgers but for a sub it’s just too much work.
For Phillies I go to a place that specializes in them and order them all the way with provolone, I have never been disappointed.
Old Geezer, yeah it should be exactly that!
When I told the people at Subway I just wanted cheese and onions they kept asking… ‘no sauce?’, ‘no lettuce’? They were going down the line of things to add. I had to stress… no, just onions and cheese please.
Nice review John!
Something interesting… Subway.com doesn’t list “Big Philly Cheesesteak” on the menu. They have a Steak and Cheese sandwich, but it’s not the same item as the sandwich you reviewed, and the one listed on SubwayFreshBuzz.com
And come to think about it, I don’t recall seeing it on the menu at my local stores either. I’m thinking this might be a regional thing, only available in select markets.
For that matter, I had never visited SubwayFreshBuzz until you referenced it. I’ve got to take a further look and see what other goodies might be on that site, that aren’t on Subway.com. I didn’t even realize they had that second website.
Yeah, I noticed it wasn’t on their main site as well so I had to do a little searching.
Wonder why they would do this as just a regional sandwich… maybe to just test it out first or something?
yeah, I just checked out their site again and realized that they don’t have pizzas on their website menu either. Those are available where I am.
At least back when I worked there, the steak came in a big plastic bag, pre-marinated in whatever the sauce is, and had little bits of cooked peppers and onions already included. You have to look hard to find them, though. It was portioned out into those little paper boats with a scale, I forget if it was 2.5 or 3.5 ounces for each 6 inch. Towards the end of the bag, the portions would start including more small pieces and more veggies because that’s all that was left.
Nice review
Good review John.
FFC- We have the Philly Cheesesteak here in California too.
They rolled it out the same time they added the Hot Pastrami sandwich, which I have been totally hooked on.
Subway cheese is a magical substance. It actually disappears from your sandwich after you buy it and before you eat it.
I can never taste the cheese…
Hancock.. I’m glad to hear that you don’t taste it either! They really need to add some extra, or maybe get some cheese that has stronger flavor.
Getting a cheesesteak at Subway is the equivalent of eating the pizza being served at your local Chinese buffet.
The steak they use now is different/ better than what they used to use in the past. I worked at a Subway in highschool and I remember convincing customers to order something else, because I felt bad nuking them an awful cheese steak.
This was before the days of the oven. All we have was a microwave.