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

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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

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+

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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

“Hold the Mayo” - or in this case - “Hold the Chipotle-Flavored Mayo.”

That’s the most important piece of advice I could give about purchasing this sandwich from Schlotzsky’s Deli. After having it both ways, I can tell you the dry path is the happy path. Unless of course you’re a fan of funky flavored mayonnaise, in which case you can leave it on. However, since you won’t be needing all that roast beef due to the creepy orange sauce drowning out it’s flavor, perhaps I can take some off your hands.

But first, let’s start with the great bun. Schlotzsky’s bakes the sourdough bread fresh in store, every day. This freshness is evident the moment you smell, see or touch it. This is the type bread you could eat plain, on it’s own. I would love to have a batch of these rolls at home to build my own custom sandwich creations. Granted, I like sourdough bread to begin with, so those who aren’t fans probably won’t be nearly as excited.

Stacked inside the tasty, chewy roll are generous layers of Angus Roast Beef. The meat is lean, shaved thin and so tender it almost melts in your mouth. There is a nice smokey flavor, and the smell will hit you before the taste, as soon as you remove the paper deli wrap. The aroma of freshly baked sourdough and smokey roast beef might seem surreal if you’re only accustomed to burgers and nuggets. This is still a ‘chain’ restaurant and mass meal production, make no mistake about it, but the quality and freshness of ingredients comes closer to a hometown deli than average fast food.

I was happy to get some charred blackened crusty edges from the giant roasted slab my slices had come from. It was a pleasant, edgy reminder this is real beef, and not some meat-product or loaf. On top of the thick stack of beef are several thin strips of bacon. Despite tasting good, they have never been ‘crispy’ as advertised. I have eaten the sandwich 4 times in total, at 3 different locations, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Heat and moisture of the warm beef, bun and cheese will soften bacon, but that hasn’t prevented many other types of sandwiches and burgers from maintaining some crispness. The bacon on this sandwich is rather limp and soggy, but it’s not enough to hurt the overall experience too much. Still, crispy bacon would be much better.

Chunks and crumbled bits of smoked cheddar cheese melting above-and-below the meat assure that no bite escapes without it’s fair share. The cheese was natural and had an excellent flavor. After so many weak ‘blends’ and shredded cheese-products lately, it’s worth the extra cost for something better. Good beef - good cheese.

Finally, the chipotle-flavored mayonnaise. Ech! Awful. It ruins the sandwich. I have no idea why somebody would take all the wonderful, natural flavors of fresh sourdough, roast beef, smokey cheddar, and then assault them with goops of flavored sauce. It’s a standard ingredient on the sandwich, and they put it on both sides of the bun, so you must request they “hold” it. Now you understand why the review started that way.

The Bacon Beefy Smokecheesy from Schlotzsky’s is very good, but comes with a few caveats. Avoid the orange mayo. The bacon is disappointing. And $6 is a bit pricey. But you get what you pay for — A large sandwich, with large portions of good quality ingredients. In a world where much of the fast-food we consume is over-processed and confusing, grabbing a simple sandwich with big hunks of meat and cheese helps to make sense of it all. A few issues keep this one from reaching ‘awesome’ status.

Price: $5.79 / Website: Schlotzskys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - Schlotzsky’s Deli, Bacon Beefy Smokecheesy Sandwich.

The company has not published the nutritional information for this product. This sandwich is from a line they call “featured” and “limited time”. Fast Food Critic makes a point to post the nutrition facts with every food review, and will update this once Schlotzsky’s Deli releases that information.