Jimmy John’s
http://www.jimmyjohns.com/
This is Jimmy Johns first time on the blog, although I have had it quite bit. You will hear their ads on the radio that they are really fast, and I would agree with that. By the time that you are done paying, your sub is ready. Great for the lunch crowd, but I will admit that I liked the meat sliced in front of me…it just seems fresher to me. Also, they should learn a lesson from Dominos thirty minute delivery. It is great that you can do it quickly, but the food has to be good as well.
You can amend your sub how you want, but this is not the Subway format where you walk down the line. Every JJ’s that I have been in the music is pretty loud…loud enough you can’t hear the person at the table next to you. Most of the time the soundtrack is pretty solid, so I never mind…they do a good job at this actually.
What I Ate: The Italian Night Club Combo. Salami, Capicola, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, vinaigrette, and mayo (I had them hold the mayo) around $8.00 for a combo with chips and a drink.
Served on a french baguette, this is a good sized sub. Everything tasted ok, but my issue is the ratios. Any given bite will give you about 60% bread, 20% lettuce, and 10% meat and cheese. I really can’t comment on the taste/quality of the meat, because I didn’t taste a lot of it. I liked the baguette and I like finely shredded lettuce on a sub, but that is just not enough for me. I didn’t taste a lot of tomato, so I took a look under the hood:
Ah ha! Now, I know it is November, but those are some nasty looking tomatoes and they could easily fit two more slices on the sub.
Would I Buy It Again? This is a trick question. Yes and No.
No: It is not that good. On the menu, JJ’s admits that they are not gourmet sandwiches, just taste a little better. Well, they taste better than Subway, but that is about it. It didn’t offend me and I felt full after the meal. I didn’t hate it.
Yes: The only other sub place by my work is Subway, and you know how I feel about them. It is the best of the worse.
Supermarkets are missing the boat here. I worked right next to a Publix in Nashville and they had Boars Head subs out of their deli department for around $7. The subs were awesome and there was a line everyday for them. Some Kroger’s have a sub option, but they are pretty bad.
Subs are really easy to make…I just wish that someone would get it right.
-wibia
Tags: capicola, Food, Ham, italian night club, jimmy john's, salami, sandwich, sub
I’ve never tried Jimmy John’s, but I’m not really into subs. Unless they’re hot and come from a pizza joint! There’s nothing like a submarine or a Texas BBQ from Pizza King
Jimmy John’s is easily my favorite sub shop. The Gargantuan is unreal. I blame college for my addiction.
@ Bomb: The Beef Boat is another good one. I have been eating it since I was a little kid. We get one everytime we order pizza from Pizza King.
JJ’s is the go to place for my office. I think we get at least one delivery from them every day… I want to like Quizno’s but I always leave there disappointed.
When I worked in Carmel we used to keep Blimpie in business. Not sure they are even around anymore!
Also, I agree with the Pizza King comments, SO GOOD!
Keep up the great work WIBA team!
Jimmy John’s and Lenny’s are two of my lunch staples because I prefer cold subs, and I’ve never had much issue with the meat & cheese ratio in their sandwiches. I don’t generally love Italian subs (like IE), but JJ’s Italian is easily my favorite sub on their menu…just got to add the hot peppers.
good call on the Publix subs – when I moved back to Indy, I was so glad when I eventually discovered that Omalias carried Boars Head deli meat… thankfully a few Kroger locations now carry it, so it is easier for me to get my fix (not to mention what’s happened with Omalias)
I once cracked a tooth on a particularly hard french roll at jimmy john’s – I don’t especially blame them, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to return since that happened. Like you say in the review, the proportions are kind of poor… and the ingredient quality isn’t all that. I group them in with many slightly-better-than-Subway outfits (Penn St, Jersey Mikes etc)
Get it on the whole wheat bread. Completely different sandwich. Be sure to have them add the extra hot peppers.
Hmm. The way you describe the sandwich, I can understand what your beef is with them. Maybe they differ from location to location, too? I go to the one near 106th and Michigan most of the time, and I’ve never had a complaint. Vegetables always taste fresh and the meat tastes better than a lot of the subway chains. One suggestion I always give to those who don’t like the subs at Jimmy John’s–ask for their wheat bread instead of the standard French bread. It’s dense, thick-sliced and flavorful–probably the best wheat bread I’ve ever had at a chain fast food restaurant.
Speaking of supermarkets, I wonder if Whole Foods up here makes sandwiches. I got a good fried oyster po’ boy once at a Whole Foods in the New Orleans suburbs.
JJ has pretty tasty subs imo – probably my favorite. I usually order the reviewed sub or the Gargantuan and satisfied completely.
I like Blimpies a lot too – there is still one on SR 135 near Greenwood but they are rare around Indy it seems – wouldn’t mind seeing a Jersey Mike’s on the south side.
Surprisingly, Wal-Mart has some decent premade subs that are loaded with meat for cheap. It’s best if you replace the lettuce but it’s not bad at all
As mentioned in the review – Kroger subs are horrible and should be avoided – dry no-taste mouth filler you don’t even want to swallow
The majority of people that I work with only want JJ when it is raining and we are too lazy to go get it. I surely don’t hate the place, but I like the Red Pepper Relish at Lenny’s and the #13 at Jersey Mikes a lot better than this sandwich….hence why they usually get my business.
@DC – never had a Wal Mart sub. The premade pizza is pretty cheap, I have seen it on sale for $6-$7, never tried it.
@Naptown – Not that I know of. I have been to the one in Nora and I can’t say I remember a sandwich option….
@J Grover – Never had the Gargantuan….down one of those at lunch and it is confirmation that I am a fat fu—
@Andrew – Why disappointed?
@tom h – Boars Head is a little difficult to find around here. Very hit and miss within the same chain. Brozinni’s Pizza uses Boars Head and it is the bomb. For mass market deli meat, I think that it is up there. Deitz and Watson turkey is good too.
@Ross, I will try the wheat, thanks.
When will someone in Indy open a Potbelly Sandwich shop. If you’re ever up near Chicago, FIND ONE! They are the only sandwich place I like.
I will second how awesome the Gargantuan is. It’s been a long time since I’ve had one, or Jimmy John’s for that matter, but it is a definite winner.
The marsh at 116th and keystone does sandwiches out of their deli. They’re pretty cheap and pretty tasty. They can heat them up as well.
Jimmy John’s is my favorite place to go whenever I’m questioning what to eat.
YES!! The Night Club (#9), is my favorite! Too bad your sandwich was subpar. I always get great tasting veg, meat, cheese and dressing. As far as ratio’s go, lettuce is filler, I usually ask for light lettuce especially Subway. I’m obssessed with the night club, even ordering 2 at a time, one before work, and one after.
@katy- I love Potbelly’s!!! Lived in Chicago for 4 years. The Italian is the best. Can’t wait to move back….
Good job, WIBIA!!
I will add another recommendation for the wheat bread option. I used to just think Jimmy Johns was okay, but ever since I tried the wheat bread about 5 years ago it has turned into one of my favorite lunch places and I haven’t gone back to other bread once.
I like the Sgt. Pepper from Jason’s Deli…….super excited that there is one now near 82nd and Dean!
We have a Jimmy John’s in my college town, and I gotta tell you, their veggie sub is amazing! It’s the perfect way for college kids to get their vegetables, and if you go to Jimmy John’s, you HAVE to try any sandwich with their avocado spread! It’s a total godsend, it’s delicious on anything.
What made up the last 10% of the sandwich…?
“Well, they taste better than Subway, but that is about it.”
A one sentence review that could not be more true.
@Katy and BartenderJay … I also loved PotBelly’s in Chicago! I was lucky enough to go to school down the street from the original location, where we’d often go for lunch and skip a class or two. I usually am not a sub sandwich person, but my mouth still waters when I think of PotBelly’s. I hope they chain it out here, and that it’s as good as the original. Yeah probably too much to hope for.
We don’t have Jimmy John’s out here but those are some lonely looking tomato slices!
@Kayla…good job…was wondering if anyone was going to catch that. Last 10%, I would say more lettuce.
I love JJ’s! I always get the Vito with mayo, sprouts and extra tomatoes. The Big John (roast beef) is good too, but not as good as the Vito.
I’ve never had an issue with the amount of meat and cheese they give me … usually it’s spilling out of the roll. But I guess that kind of stuff can vary widely from location to location.
Ross Graham is blogstalking me!! Anyway, the BLT is nice as is the Gargantuan. It’s the bread, that’s why i prefer JJ’s. Nice bite to it, not that spongy wonderbread crap from Subway. I’d rather eat a vending machine sandwich than Subway.
I used to work at Jimmy’s and it sounds to me like you the next time you order an Italian Night Club you should tell them you want it TBO (just means tear bread out, they will make it like a sub sammie, not a club) and with a few extra tomatoes (: If you get it TBO I think it would kind of balance it out to about 40% bread, 40% meat, and 20% veggies. And I know it’s kind of expensive but if you don’t want it TBO you can add another portion of vito (what we call the salami/capicola) or ham for around $1.30 (: Hope I helped (:
I have become a super-fan of Jimmy John’s, especially since I’ve been on my weight-loss journey. I can get a Turkey Tom w/out mayo and sprouts, add avocado spread, cucumber and oregano, and it’s 358 calories. AND the Thinny Chips are awesome IMO and the whole bag is only 260. That’s a lot of food for 618 calories. Also love that they will deliver to my house and it is FAST – and they deliver fountain drinks too. Everyone in my house has something there that they like, so it’s a fast easy dinner or weekend lunch. Better for us than random fast-food crap.
In my fat-girl days I was addicted to the JJBLT and Salt and Vinegar Chips. Ahhhh, memories.
Anyway, just wanted to share that JJs is, to me, a great option – the only Subway I really like is the one in the Fishers YMCA. The bread is usually really fresh at least.
The worst, most boring vegetarian sub ever…yuck
I just called Jimmy Johns to place an order for delivery. The store is located less than a 1/2 mile from my house so I thought it would be the easiest quickest dinner for me. I was told by the person answering the phone they could not deliver to my house. I was like really, as close as it is and he said the drivers are not a loud to turn left onto a street. So if you want your JJ’s fast super fast, don’t live on the left side of the street! WTF?