A few more comments from the article:
Kirk Davis, husband of Digital Audience Development Specialist Lindsay Davis: “Publix subs are a cut above all other sub chains and are probably the best subs on planet earth. Yes, yes I know there's some fancy sub joint called Giorgianos or Spinaccis or something like that on the west side of Chicago or in the East Village in New York that's absolutely to die for, but get off your bougie high horse for a second and listen to this: Publixes are in every neighborhood in the South and after a five minute car ride you can pop in and mosey down the bakers isle smelling delicious cupcakes, donuts and pies and find yourself in the deli, a.k.a. the happy place.
Next you have one of three decisions to make. Chicken tender, Ultimate or Italian. Every other sub, while delicious because it’s f&%^!#& Publix, are inferior. So don't screw this up. If you are feeling the chicken vibes, get chicken tender and get them to toss them in buffalo sauce. This is non-negotiable. Next throw whatever your favorite cheese is on it and get it toasted. Add lettuce and spinach (just do it) and some tomatoes, onions and pickles if you want the fried chicken pickle combo, which I personally recommend...
Chef Jeffrey Gardner, Recipes Editor: “The quickest way to make a Pub Sub seem like the most glorious sandwich in the world is to compare it to Subway. The bread at Publix has a substantial chew, unlike whatever it is they call bread at Subway. You know, the stuff with that weird chemical odor that smells like a nursing home and probably contains the same sludge Jack Nicholson fell into that turned him into Joker in ‘Batman.’ ...
Josh Conner, Online Buyer: “Publix Subs are OK, bordering on meh. The bread is only OK. While the Boar's Head meat and cheese are quality, the staff always slices them too thick for a proper sub, which should always have the meat shaved. The veggies are fresh, but there are too many options.
There is no room on a true sub for spinach, carrots, cucumbers or sprouts. If you are ordering that, then you're probably also throwing it on a gluten free, sundried tomato wrap with hummus and avocado and explaining to the person next to you why wheat is bad and turkey bacon tastes better the real thing.
...
The point is that a true sub shop specializes in the preparation of subs only and does it better that Publix in almost every aspect. Granted, Publix's fried chicken is on point, but if you want a great sub, then find a true sub shop in your area.” [Ed: Boo.]
I shop at grocery stores all the time when traveling, just to save on budget, but once in a while I'll find a winner.
I love grinders from Maine, but hardly anywhere else. Not sure why.
Will need to try a Pub Sub at some point.
No Publix around here, but I’ve been wanting to try a Firehouse Subs sandwich for a while. I hear they’re pretty good.
I’ve never had one, but can’t imagine anything better than a hogie from a bar in Philadelphia.
A New York hero. Meat ball, Chicken parmigiana, ham and Swiss, rare roast beef, Genoa salami… etc etc.
Case closed.
Publix’s hot pressed Cuban sandwiches are fantastic.
Publix has an app, you sign in, you get to order the sub. You are presented choices of bread, meats, cheeses, condiments, etc. Specify the pick up time and when you get to the deli it’s sitting there in the bin all ready for you, usually 10 or 15 minutes before the requested time. Great service. However I just found out my cholesterol has shot up so I have to rethink this whole thing. Bah.
I lived near several Pulbix grocery stores and their subs are way about Subway as well other franchises.
They will make you a Philly chicken cheesesteak on a cooktop right in front of you and their fried chicken tender subs are incredible.
Always get their Boarshead meats though - that boosts them over the top. Also, I think they have a special sub each week that is $4.99. You can get them cut in three to feed the kids.
I will have to try Public I shop there every week, but have never bought prepared food.
My favorite sub shop is Which Wich. I also like Roly Poly, which is a sandwich shop that puts sub fillings in a wrap. My favorite is the Peachtree.
I haven’t had a good hoagie in forty years, despite searching and hoping. There used to be hundreds, if not thousands of good hoagie shops in Philadelphia, each with their unique spin on the sandwich, then industry vanished, the workers vanished, the shops vanished, and hoagies vanished.
One summer, 1978 I think, I was working across the street from the Schmidt’s Brewery in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. For almost three months I think I ate a different hoagie every day. Every single one of them was perfect and delicious, and they were all different. Every one of them could be eaten from one hand without losing a single morsel or drip. The roll was real, the meat was real, the ‘salad’ was real, the olive oil was real, the cheese was real, and the ‘Italian’ was real. None of it’s real anymore.
It’s The Bread,,,
No Body mentioned The Bread!
Our local Publix would have the meats presliced for their standard subs so I would always order something nonstandard so everything would be freshly sliced. Ham, Capicola and Provolone was my favorite. If you order a sub from Publix and you don’t like it it’s your fault because they will make it exactly the way you want it.
Mayo on an Italian sub? That’s just so wrong. Why don’t you put caramel sauce and Blu cheese dressing on there while you’re at it?
The Pub Sub is freshly made. The ingredients are excellent. The meats are Boar’s Head. I’ll take that any day of the week
When in NYC I always go to Katz
“It’s an approachable and relatable sandwich.”
Well, la-di-da...
All seriousness aside...sandwiches of all varieties rule. And thank goodness for a WIDE variety of drive-thru sandwich-making restaurants! Ever try eating spaghetti while driving down the road?
My nearby Publix makes the worst fried chicken in the area. It is greasy & not the least bit crispy. Church’s is far better. Overall, I was not impressed with their hot foods. Publix’s prices are about 20% higher than other stores.
I get the gluten jokes, but some people — like me — have celiac disease and suffer medically proven ill effects from gluten and have to avoid it as toxic. Alas, Publix does not seem to have gluten-free rolls for their subs.
Mr Sub in Chicago bllows them all out of the water. The secret to Publix is they use Mr Subs style of Salad Oil on the sub.
You can get the salad oil at Subway but Mr Sub and Publix dont ask it as an option. People like it immediatley.
I live in Florida. There’s a Publix on every block. The sandwiches are very good and the fried chicken is excellent. Order online and you won’t have to wait on line.
We have Firehouse subs as well. They’re also pretty good.
What we don’t have is Wegmans!
The Ultimate sub on multi-grain Italian bread is excellent. I occasionally can get a better Cuban from real, actual Cuban sandwich shops, but only about 1/4 of the time. I have a box of Publix fried chicken in my fridge right now. I had three pieces for lunch. Yum.