If you have never ordered from Jersey Mike’s before, start with the Prosciuttini, built on rosemary Parmesan bread and layered with prosciutto, melted provolone, tomatoes, onions, and shredded lettuce dressed in house wine vinegar. It is a hot, balanced sub that shows you what the chain does better than most: meat sliced thin in front of you, cheese melted onto the bread, and a vinegar-and-oil finish that keeps everything from tasting flat. The best things to order at Jersey Mike’s run from that signature sandwich to a warm cookie, and each one below comes with the add-ons that turn it into yours.
A few ground rules before we start. “Mike’s Way” is the standard build on almost every cold sub here: shredded lettuce, onion, tomato, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and salt. If you do not say it, you will probably get a dry sandwich, and the counter staff will assume you meant it. Say the sub name or the number, say “Mike’s Way,” add your extras, and pick your bread.
Menu numbers are the fastest way to order. They also travel better than names, because a “Number Four” means the same thing at every counter while a description does not. Sizes run from the number to the regular to the giant, and the number, the smallest of the three, is the move when you want to taste something without committing to a full sub.
Table of Contents
- Best Things to Order at Jersey Mike’s at a Glance
- 1. Prosciuttini
- 2. Roast Beef and Provolone
- 3. M&Ms
- 4. Turkey Breast and Provolone
- 5. Chicken Salad
- 6. Tuna
- 7. Ham and Provolone
- 8. Italian Cold Cut
- 9. Steak
- 10. Chicken Parmesan
- 11. BBQ Beef
- 12. Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best sandwich to order at Jersey Mike’s for the first time?
- What is the least spicy sandwich to order at Jersey Mike’s?
- Can you customize Jersey Mike’s sandwiches?
- Are Jersey Mike’s subs baked or toasted?
- Are Jersey Mike’s cookies available at every location?
- How big is a Jersey Mike’s mini sub?
- Conclusion
Best Things to Order at Jersey Mike’s at a Glance
| Order | Flavor profile | Best occasion | Strongest customization | Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prosciuttini | Salty, milky, tangy | First visit, hot lunch | Extra provolone, Roasted Peppers | Hot |
| Roast Beef and Provolone | Clean, savory, mild | Straightforward weekday lunch | Roasted Peppers, mayonnaise | Hot or cold |
| M&Ms | Sweet, salty, chocolatey | Curious eaters, a treat lunch | Honey mustard | Cold |
| Turkey Breast and Provolone | Mild, creamy, light | Lunch that will not weigh you down | Avocado, olives | Cold |
| Chicken Salad | Creamy, herby, soft | Picky eaters, cooler weather | Extra pickles, light mayo | Cold |
| Tuna | Creamy, tangy, briny | No cold cuts, please | Black pepper, extra onion | Cold |
| Ham and Provolone | Classic, mild, familiar | Anyone who wants a no-surprise sub | Banana peppers, olives | Cold |
| Italian Cold Cut | Salami-forward, layered | Cured meat fans | Hot cherry pepper relish | Cold |
| Steak | Charred, peppery, hearty | Big lunch, post-workout | Grilled onions and peppers | Hot |
| Chicken Parmesan | Saucy, cheesy, crispy | Kids and hot Italian cravings | Extra sauce on the side | Hot |
| BBQ Beef | Sweet, smoky, tangy | Comfort food, sharing | Honey mustard, extra pickles | Hot |
| Chocolate Chip Cookies | Warm, chewy, sweet | Dessert, groups, a small gift | Ask for one warm | Baked in store |
One thing to keep in mind: recipes, portion sizes, and menu boards vary by location. A sandwich that is a house favorite on one street may not appear on a board three towns over, and some locations carry seasonal items that others do not. Check your local menu board before you drive across town for a specific sub.
1. Prosciuttini

The Prosciuttini is the best thing to order at Jersey Mike’s if you have never been, because it delivers the full experience in one sandwich: a toasted roll, cheese melted directly onto the bread, and meat that tastes like something rather than nothing.
Prosciutto brings the salt, provolone brings the fat and the pull, and the tomato and onion underneath keep it from turning into a salt bomb. The shredded lettuce and wine vinegar are not decoration. They are what make the whole thing taste finished.
For your first order, ask for it on rosemary Parmesan bread and skip anything beyond the standard build. Then add extra provolone. That is the one change I would make before any other, because the cheese is what holds the hot sub together as you eat it.
Best Things to Order at Jersey Mike’s for a Hot Lunch
Hot subs at this chain reward restraint more than people expect. Add-ons that work: extra provolone, banana peppers, Roasted Peppers, olives, and a thin layer of mayonnaise for people who like sauce. Add-ons that do not: heavy sauces, more than two extra toppings, or a pile of fixins on a sandwich that already has cured meat and cheese in it.
Four toppings deep is where a hot sub starts turning into a salad you have to chew around. The cured meat already supplies salt, and the vinegar supplies acid. Add banana peppers for a clean heat and stop there.
2. Roast Beef and Provolone
Roast Beef and Provolone is the safest order on the menu, and safe is not the same as dull. The roast beef is thin, peppery, and cooked in house, and the provolone is sharp enough to keep it from tasting like a deli-counter leftover.
Lettuce, tomato, onion, and vinegar bring the acidity that roast beef always needs. Order it Mike’s Way and it is a complete lunch with no decision required.
A good first customization is Roasted Peppers, which adds sweetness and a little char. Mayonnaise works too, on the side of people who find cold roast beef a little dry. Regulars often add a pinch of salt on top of the beef, which sounds strange until you try it.
3. M&Ms
The M&M sub stacks roast beef, turkey, and provolone with chocolate candies, which sounds like a prank and eats like a very good idea. The roast beef brings the salt, the turkey brings the body, and the candy brings the sweetness that plays off both.
Portion matters here more than with the other cold subs. A giant of this one is a commitment, so the regular size or the number is the sensible choice for a first order.
This is the one to get if you are the person in the group who wants the interesting thing. It is also the most divisive item on any menu board, so if half your table is unadventurous, order this for yourself and get the Roast Beef and Provolone for everyone else.
4. Turkey Breast and Provolone
Turkey Breast and Provolone is the one to order when you want a sub that tastes like lunch and not like an event. The turkey is mild and slightly moist, the provolone adds a creamy saltiness, and the standard vegetables keep it from being a plain white bread sandwich.
It is the most forgiving item on the menu, which is exactly why it works for a first visit or a picky eater at the table. Nothing about it is aggressive, and the vinegar finish keeps it from being bland.
Try adding avocado if your location carries it, or olives for salt and a little chew. Skip anything heavy on top, because the mild base does not have the backbone to absorb a strong sauce.
5. Chicken Salad
Chicken Salad is the mildest sandwich in this list, and that is its whole appeal. The filling is a creamy, chunky chicken salad, and on a sub it sits differently than sliced chicken does: you get a soft, almost spread texture in every bite rather than a clean slice.
Provolone, shredded lettuce, tomato, and onion are the standard companions, and they do a good job of cutting the creaminess.
Extra toppings are usually unnecessary here. Pickles and a light drizzle of honey mustard are the only two I would consider, and even then, taste the base first. Chicken salad is already seasoned, and it does not need more.
6. Tuna
The Tuna sub is the answer for anyone who walks into a sub shop and does not want deli meat. Tuna salad, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and onion, dressed with the usual vinegar, gives you a creamy, tangy sandwich with no cold cuts anywhere in it.
The texture is mixed by design: soft filling, crisp onion, cold cheese. That contrast is the reason people who do not usually order tuna keep coming back to it.
Tuna is also the most inconsistent item here. It is prepared fresh in store, and quality shifts with the day and the location, so if you have had a bad one before, try a different store before writing the sandwich off. Anyone with dietary restrictions should ask the staff how it is prepared before ordering.
7. Ham and Provolone
Ham and Provolone is what a lot of people actually mean when they say they want a sandwich. Ham, sharp provolone, and the standard vegetable and vinegar topping make a sub that requires no explanation and no adjustment.
It is a genuinely good option for a first-timer, and it is a better choice than people give it credit for, because the sharp cheese keeps the ham from tasting like a compromise.
Customize with banana peppers for a mild kick, olives for salt, Roasted Peppers for sweetness, or mayonnaise for richness. Any one of those turns it into a sandwich that is yours rather than the default.
8. Italian Cold Cut
The Italian Cold Cut is the sandwich for people who like texture more than a single dominant flavor. Salami, ham, and provolone stack up in layers, and each bite catches a slightly different combination as the layers shift.
It is served cold, sliced to order, and finished with the same vegetable and vinegar topping as the other cold subs. That last part is what keeps a cured-meat sandwich from tasting like a deli tray.
Since the flavor is layered rather than loud, extra condiments help more here than on a single-meat sub. Hot cherry pepper relish or a mustard spread adds the kick the sandwich is missing on its own.
9. Steak
The Steak sub is the most substantial hot sandwich on the menu, and it is the one to order when you want lunch that actually holds you through an afternoon. Thinly sliced steak, seasoned and hit with the grill, fills the bread and steams when it comes out.
Grilled onions and peppers belong on this one. They are the natural companion, they cut the richness, and they are what makes the sub taste intentional instead of just heavy.
A good concrete order: Steak on rosemary Parmesan, grilled onions and peppers, and the standard vegetable topping, with a side of the house red sauce if you want more. Regulars who like salt on their beef should add it themselves rather than asking for more on the sandwich.
10. Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan is the hot Italian-style option, and it is nothing like a plain chicken sub. Breaded chicken and provolone sit under a layer of house red sauce, so the first bite is warm, saucy, and cheesy in a way nothing else on the board is.
The texture is the point. You get a crisp breaded coating softened at the edges by the sauce and the melted cheese, which is a different eating experience from cold sliced chicken and provolone.
If this is new to you, ask how the sauce is applied before you commit to a full sub, since some locations sauce the whole sandwich and others add it in layers. Also consider the number size as a taste test. Two bites will tell you whether you want the rest.
11. BBQ Beef
BBQ Beef is the sweet, smoky end of the menu. Shredded beef in barbecue sauce with provolone, lettuce, tomato, and onion gives you a sandwich that is genuinely different from every cold cut in this list.
The texture is soft and shreddable rather than sliced, so it eats almost like a sloppy sandwich, and the sauce does the flavor work. That means the toppings matter more here than anywhere else in the ranking.
Moderate rather than maximize. Pickles and honey mustard cut the sweetness, and extra barbecue sauce is usually a mistake because the filling already carries it. For a group, this is a strong pick because the flavor travels well to people who have not been to this chain before.
12. Chocolate Chip Cookies

The chocolate chip cookie is the best non-sandwich order, mostly because it is the cheapest way to find out whether you like this place. They are baked in store and usually come out warm, soft in the middle, and chewy rather than crisp.
For a first visit, buy one. If it is good, you have learned something about the whole store for the price of a single cookie, which is a better deal than committing to a giant sub and finding out in the middle of it.
If you are feeding a group, ask about ordering a dozen or two at the counter, since that is the usual way larger cookie orders are handled. Cookie days differ by location, so call ahead if the cookies are the point of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best sandwich to order at Jersey Mike’s for the first time?
Order the Prosciuttini on rosemary Parmesan bread, Mike’s Way, with extra provolone. It is a hot sub, so it comes out warm and finished with melted cheese, and it showcases sliced meat, fresh vegetables, and the wine vinegar finish that regulars consider non-negotiable. If you want something milder, choose Roast Beef and Provolone instead. Both are substantial enough to count as a full lunch.
What is the least spicy sandwich to order at Jersey Mike’s?
The least spicy options are Turkey Breast and Provolone and Chicken Salad, both of which come with the standard lettuce, tomato, onion, and vinegar topping and nothing heated. Roast Beef and Provolone is also mild unless you add peppers. Just tell the counter you want no peppers and no hot sauce, and ask them to hold any chili-based condiment, which is sometimes served on the side.
Can you customize Jersey Mike’s sandwiches?
Yes, and you should. Beyond the standard build, regulars most often add hot cherry pepper relish, honey mustard, extra pickles, banana peppers, olives, Roasted Peppers, or mayonnaise. Ask for your meat and cheese on a different bread if you prefer, and ask for the sub lightly toasted instead of fully toasted. The counter can also hold any vegetable you do not want.
Are Jersey Mike’s subs baked or toasted?
The cold subs, such as the Club Sub, the Roast Beef, and the Original Italian, are assembled on bread without toasting. The hot subs and cheesesteaks, including the Prosciuttini, Steak, and Chicken Parmesan, are toasted with the cheese melted onto the bread. You can ask for a cold sub to be toasted, but the standard is no toast on the cold ones.
Are Jersey Mike’s cookies available at every location?
Most locations bake chocolate chip cookies on site, but not every store carries them, and the days they are available differ by location. If a cookie is part of why you are visiting, call ahead to check. Ordering a dozen at once is the usual approach for a group, and the counter will confirm what they can prepare that day.
How big is a Jersey Mike’s mini sub?
Jersey Mike’s sizes run from the number, which is the smallest, to the regular and then the giant. The number is roughly a snack-sized sub, and it is the best way to sample an item or order for someone with a small appetite. The regular is the standard lunch size, and the giant is built for a big meal or a long afternoon.
Conclusion
If you are ordering from Jersey Mike’s for the first time, order the Prosciuttini, Mike’s Way, with extra provolone. It is the clearest introduction to what the chain is good at. If you want the safer, more familiar sandwich, Roast Beef and Provolone is the one, and it needs almost nothing added. If you want something hot and Italian rather than a cold cut, go with Chicken Parmesan.
Whichever you pick, say “Mike’s Way” out loud, choose your bread deliberately, and keep the extras to one or two. Toppings, recipes, cookies, and what each location carries can all vary, so treat your local menu board as the final word on what you can get today.