Beyond Subway: The 10 Worst Fast-Food Sandwiches & The 10 Best
Think You Know A Good Sandwich When You See One?
The humble sandwich is one of the foods most associated with American cuisine. With amazing ingredients placed neatly between two pieces of bread, so you can eat it with one hand, it's basically the perfect food. However, despite how simple it is, it's easy to mess up, with many of our most cherished fast-food places trying to make a splash with a new adventurous flavor that flops, or just failing at the simple classics that maybe aren't so basic after all. While some are so bad they'll make you want to go home and make a sandwich yourself, others will quickly restore your faith in fast food's ability to deliver simple comforting classics. Here are 10 of the worst fast-food sandwiches and 10 of the best.
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1. McDonald's McRib
If you find yourself craving a decadent barbecue rib sandwich, the McDonald's McRib is not it. The reformed pork meat is totally weird and processed tasting, and the sticky barbecue sauce is overwhelmingly sweet.
2. Subway's Seafood Sensation
We're not sure who was ordering this sub filled with imitation seafood and far too much mayonnaise at Subway. Clearly, not enough people as the restaurant thankfully discontinued the monstrosity in 2018.
3. Arby's Meat Mountain
Arby's does a lot of things really well: they have great roast beef, burgers, ham, corned beef, and brisket sandwiches. I guess that's why someone within the organization thought it would be a great idea to put a bunch of their top-selling meaty dishes together in one sandwich. Spoiler alert: it wasn't a good idea.
4. Wendy's Crispy Chicken Sandwich
We love a good crispy chicken sandwich. That's why this version at Wendy's is so disappointing. It's bland, uninspired, and often dry, and overly fried.
5. Burger King's Chicken Fries Sandwich
Burger King's Chicken Fries are essentially chicken strips shaped like fries. The product itself is pretty underwhelming so why they decided to make a whole second product out of them is beyond us. The Chicken Fries Sandwich is just Chicken Fries jammed between two pieces of bread with some condiments.
6. KFC's Double Down
Remember the double down? It was the gimmicky sandwich that replaced the bread with two pieces of fried chicken. It was aggressively greasy, messy to eat, and all-around pretty awful.
7. McDonald's Filet-O-Fish
There are plenty of great fast-food fried fish sandwiches out there, but McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is not one of them. The bun is supposed to be "lightly steamed" but almost always turns out disgustingly soggy, the fish is dry and the cheese is way too processed tasting.
8. Taco Bell's Waffle Taco
The waffle taco is Taco Bell's attempt at combining a breakfast sandwich, taco, and waffle. Like many things that try to do too much at once, it's a failure, with clashing flavors and an odd texture.
9. Subway's Meatball Marinara
The meatball marinara is Subway's much-too-saucy attempt at an Italian classic. It's one of those meals that's nice for the first few bites but it quickly gets old as the bread gets soggy, devolving into mush, and your tastebuds grow sick of the overly-seasoned marinara sauce.
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10. McDonald's Sausage McGriddle
McDonald's McGriddle is evidence that the fast-food chain should just stick to what it knows: fries and Big Macs. The McGriddle sees maple-flavored griddle cakes replacing the bun for a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich. The sweet and salty combination is pretty off-putting, especially when that sweetness comes from artificial maple flavor.
Now that we've gone over some of fast food's biggest sandwich abominations, let's talk about the ones that hit.
1. Chick-Fil-A's Original Chicken Sandwich
The Original Chicken Sandwich is the reason there are over 3,000 Chick-fil-A locations in the US alone. It's a classic, simple sandwich where the juicy chicken is the star, complimented by the few slices of pickles and that delicious signature sauce.
2. Arby's Roast Beef Gyro
What's better than Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich? Arby's Roast Beef Gyro. It's definitely not a traditional gyro but if you can get past that, it's pretty delicious, with lettuce, tomato, and sauce on a flatbread similar to a pita but thicker.
3. Jimmy John's Turkey Tom Sub
Jimmy John's is a long-established fast-food sandwich institution with over 2,600 locations, so needless to say, expectations surrounding their sandwich expertise run high. Their turkey sub doesn't disappoint, with its perfect French bread piled high with lettuce, cucumber, pickles, spicy peppers, sliced turkey, and a smear of mayo. It's simple, unpretentious, and everything you want out of a cold sandwich.
4. Jersey Mike's Club
With over 3,600 locations, Jersey Mike's has a reputation for their subs. The club which sees a hoagie-style bun loaded with bacon, turkey, ham, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise is a hefty offering that's sure to leave you satisfied.
5. Capriotti's Homemade Turkey Sub
Capriotti's slow-roasted, hand-shredded turkey is a total game-changer on their turkey sub, elevating it from a fast-food sandwich to something that feels a little more classy. It comes complete with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo on an immaculate roll.
6. Potbelly's Mediterranean Sub
Potbelly's has been renowned for its sandwiches ever since it opened its first location over 50 years ago. The restaurant's menu is chock-full of killer sandwiches, but the Mediterranean sub is by far our favorite, with chicken, feta, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, and hot pepper hummus adorning a multigrain roll.
7. Firehouse Subs' Italian
The Italian is the sandwich that made Firehouse Subs famous. It's easily their best a most popular sub, piled high with Genoa salami, pepperoni, honey ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard.
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8. Long John Silver's Fish Sandwich
As Long John Silver's specializes in seafood, it's no surprise that their fish sandwich is a standout. A lightly battered and deep-fried actual filet of Alaskan pollock (a nice departure from the square patties at other fast-food joints) is served on a roll with tangy tartar sauce and pickles.
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9. Popeye's Classic Chicken Sandwich
In addition to being one of the best fast-food chicken sandwiches out there, Popeye's Classic Chicken Sandwich is also the best value, coming in at around $5. Their signature fried chicken which is always juicy, thick, and flavorful is served on a sweet, buttery brioche bun with mayo and pickle slices.
10. Culver's North Atlantic Cod Sandwich
Easily one of the best fast-food fish sandwiches out there, Culver's North Atlantic Cod Sandwich draws inspiration from its birth state of Wisconsin's fish fry tradition. The battered and always perfectly deep-fried cod is served on a hoagie roll with lettuce, tartar sauce, and Wisconsin cheddar cheese.
