Worst Subway Sandwiches, Ranked From Terrible to Barely Edible

When you’re hungry for something quick and simple, yet healthier than a McDonald’s cheeseburger, where do you usually go? If you’re like millions of Americans, Subway is probably the answer. 

© Subway Some Subway sandwiches regularly hit the spot. Others? Not so much.

The chain’s subs, served on 6-inch or foot-long rolls, are reliably satisfying. But not all are created equal. While some sandwiches sing with a perfect balance of ingredients, others are, shall we say, lackluster at best. 

We all have our opinions. But we’re sharing ours by ranking the worst Subway signature sandwiches based on ingredients, messiness, nutrition and overall taste. Let’s dig in.

1. Classic Tuna

Ingredients: Flaked tuna blended with mayo, choice of veggies

The Classic Tuna is smelly, soggy and messy. And if you think that’s OK because it’s at least one of the healthier options on the menu (it’s fish, after all), think again. It has 100 calories more than the far superior steak-and-cheese sub.

Why? Because it’s swimming in mayo. As one anonymous Subway employee told “So Yummy” in a rather chilling expose:

“Your Subway tuna sandwich is 90% mayonnaise. How did we prepare the tuna? Take one can of tuna the size of your fist and empty it into a vat. Take a big 2ltr bag of mayonnaise and splosh it in the vat. Mix it haphazardly for 2 minutes until it’s a semi-consistent mush. Cringe when customers ask for ‘just a little bit’ of light mayo on their tuna sandwich because they’re on a diet.”

Unless you live by the mantra that there’s no such thing as too much mayo (and hey — you do you), it’s better to make your tuna sandwiches at home. 

2. Veggie Delite

Ingredients: Choice of veggies

OK, the health-star rating on this one is pretty high, but everything else is low. You’re really just paying to put a salad in between bread. TBH, what’s the point? 

Even if you’re vegetarian, this sandwich doesn’t deliver. As writer Adam Rathbarth put it in “Vice,” “As a vegetarian sandwich, the Veggie Delite absolutely fails. It comprises only raw vegetables, nothing cooked, and there isn’t even a recommended sauce or topping to tie the flavors and textures together.” (Then again, this was in a story defending the sandwich as the writer’s guilty-pleasure favorite.)

Unfortunately, Subway is infamously bad at catering to vegetarians in general. A few stores are starting to sell Meatball Marinaras with plant-based fake meat, which is a surprisingly tasty choice. If you can’t find that at your local store, the best you can do is to order the Veggie Delite with lots of avocado, to make it at least vaguely interesting. 

3. Chicken and Bacon Ranch Melt

© Subway

Ingredients: All-white, seasoned chicken; savory bacon; Monterey cheddar cheese; choice of veggies

Oh yes, we did put this sandwich low on our list. It’s messy. It’s unhealthy. It’s flavorless. And, most blasphemous of all, it’s often lacking enough ranch dressing, which is kind of the whole point of ordering the thing. 

Readers: This sub is simply not worth your valuable time.

For more Subway sandwiches, check out Far & Wide.