I Tried the 10 Most Popular Firehouse Subs, and This Is the One I’ll Order Again

I’m not sure how egregious it is to admit, but this was my first time to visit Firehouse Subs. I enjoy Jersey Mike’s from time to time (or when the craving for Mike’s Way strikes), and my go-to shop growing up was named after public transportation rather than a place to park emergency vehicles. So, I was understandably ready to try almost everything on the menu at this hot sub hot spot when tasked with the challenge.

The best two subs, though not rave-worthy, are items I’d order again if Firehouse was the stop on a road trip or other excursion. The winner was not only heads and shoulders above the rest for me, but a bit of internet research revealed that many Firehouse fans agree: the sandwich topped both lists I viewed.

So, at the risk of being extra cheesy with a sub reference, let’s dive in, shall we?

The 10 Most Popular Firehouse Subs, Ranked

10. New York Steamer

Corned beef brisket, pastrami, and provolone with deli mustard, mayo, and Italian dressing on a sub? What’s not to like? Turns out…a lot. The texture of the steamer that I tried was rough, with chewy and stringy meat. The mustard and mayo combo is on most of the sandwiches at Firehouse, prompting me to think it’s the “Mike’s Way” of Firehouse, or the “Firehouse Way,” if you will. It’s an interesting choice to add Italian dressing, but it works, providing a necessary acidic reprieve from the rich meats and cheese. If the meat were more enjoyable, this would be excellent. 

9. Smokehouse Beef and Cheddar Brisket

The premise of this sub—smoked beef brisket, melted cheddar, BBQ sauce, and mayo—is a great one. I am more than happy to tuck into some brisket with barbecue sauce any day of the week. Unfortunately, the Firehouse I visited seemed to view its meat and cheese as more of a vessel for sauce, as this sandwich featured an inordinate amount of the stuff. As for the meat itself, living in the South, I am spoiled on the riches of brisket at my fingertips. This tasted more like pulled pork, and not the lovingly cared for, whole-hog kind. More like the grocery store tub kind. 

8. Sweet and Spicy Meatball

If you’re going to run a hot sub business, one of your offerings better be a meatball. Firehouse offers two versions—a regular and a sweet and spicy. The difference is the addition or absence of hot pepper sauce and red pepper flakes. Both start with a base of Italian meatballs, melted provolone, and zesty marinara. But contrary to how it sounds, the spicy additions seem to transform the zesty sauce into what tastes rather sweet. Are you someone who swears by adding sugar to your marinara? You might still find this to be too much. More red pepper flakes would help a lot here, but I couldn’t make them out at all.

7. Engineer

The taste of this one—with smoked turkey breast, melted Swiss, savory mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard—is hard to describe. It isn’t bad, but the low ranking here is entirely the fault of the mushrooms. I’m not sure if they’re fresh or not, but if I had to bet, I’m going all-in on jarred Green Giant mushrooms (they certainly look like them). The mustard-mayo-seasoning combo really shines in this sandwich flavor-wise, but my mouth gets confused that the entire sub—condiments and all—is served hot. My tastebuds kept expecting something in the sandwich to be chilled and were shocked at each bite when it wasn’t delivered. 

6. Turkey Bacon Ranch

It comes as no surprise that this one—smoked turkey, bacon, sharp cheddar, onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and peppercorn ranch dressing—is popular in other rankings of Firehouse’s repertoire. After all, the chicken bacon ranch craze is real, so why not swap the poultry for turkey? What’s confusing in this iteration is the addition of mayo along with the creamy peppercorn ranch. Do we need that? I think not. If it provides anything, it’s an unfortunate taming of the ranch flavor. Of all the subs, this classic combination should be the safest bet, but the sandwich fails to bring the flavor. It was even hard to taste the bacon for Pete’s sake, which is saying something. 

5. Club on a Sub

Like the Engineer, I’d really prefer that this sub—smoked turkey, honey ham, bacon, Monterey Jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard—was served cold. When I seek out a club sandwich, I’m thinking “fresh” and “light”…and this is not. The mayo-deli mustard situation on a hot sandwich with the combination of meats makes for a near decadent bite, a much heavier experience than what I’m going for.

4. Hook and Ladder

The name might be intriguing, but the ingredients—smoked turkey, honey ham, Monterey Jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard—reveal a relatively basic sandwich. This tastes like a standard ham and cheese, and the honey ham is very, very sweet. The bread also tastes sweet, which doesn’t help matters. 

3. Firehouse Steak and Cheese

Growing up, my brother used to love the frozen shaved meat brand called Steak-umm, and the appearance of the meat in this steak and cheese sub reminds me of that. But though the meat is a bit bland on its own, the sandwich, which includes sautéed steak, melted provolone, caramelized onions, bell peppers, mayo, and deli mustard, is pretty good. The savory quality of the veggies mixed with the condiments is a nice contrast to the sweeter bread and ends up eating well. 

2. Firehouse Meatball

When I frequented Subway in my youth, a meatball sub with extra sauce and no cheese was my go-to order. But if you did happen to order cheese, the sandwich artist had the courtesy to layer it under the meatballs versus on top, so it didn’t end up a waxy, re-solidified slice that slides off when you take a bite. Which is exactly what happened here. The meatballs taste pretty good though, with decent texture. Order this with extra sauce and eat it as they’re handing it to you, so you don’t risk the cheese being anything but a lovely, melty situation, and you’ll have a good experience. 

1. Italian

Type “the most popular Firehouse subs” into Google, and the Italian—with Genoa salami, pepperoni, honey ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, seasonings, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard—will likely rank the highest. And I see why. The predominant flavor in this sub is pepperoni, followed by Italian dressing, but I’m completely fine with that. (I am quite partial to Italian dressing, a bottle of Wishbone being the first thing I marinated protein in when I started cooking.) The Italian sub is sweet and savory, the best of a deli sandwich wrapped in a hot little bundle. It’ll fit the bill any day of the week, whenever you need a quick meal on the go.