12 Walmart Marketside Deli Sandwiches, Ranked

Think about your experience when you first walk into a grocery store. Once you make your way past seasonal items or the bright floral arrangements, you'll likely notice colorful bushels of fresh produce. Maybe you take note of the smells wafting over from the bakery, or the orders being placed at the deli counter. Or perhaps what grabs your attention is the grab-and-go food perched in a refrigerated case at the front. This section of the store beckons, promising convenience and no-planning-required meals for busy shoppers.

All stores boast their own unique offerings when it comes to on-the-go eats, and when you shop at Walmart, the Marketside brand has this arena covered. It offers a diverse assortment of ready-to-eat fare, including a wide range of sandwiches. You'll find subs packed with various deli meats, chicken salad sandwiches, and even pinwheels and wraps (which technically count as sandwiches). There seems to be an easy lunch for everyone, but which one is most likely to leave you full and satisfied? I aimed to find out by putting several different offerings to the test and ranking them based on their ingredients, quality, execution, and overall flavor.

I'm always on board for a proper girl dinner: a chicken Caesar salad complemented with a side of french fries. And if the salad is tucked into a tortilla, all the better. It's usually a can't-go-wrong kind of meal, though something definitely went wrong with this wrap from Walmart.

I hate to judge a book by its cover, but I could tell just by looking at it that it wasn't going to fare well. At the center of the cut-in-half flour tortilla, all I could see was a tiny sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a gob of pinkish-grey chicken cubes. They looked nearly raw, and the taste wasn't an improvement. They were gummy and lacked seasoning. I certainly don't believe they were grilled as the packaging notes. I think "boiled" sounds more accurate.

There was hardly any lettuce to be had and the small amount folded into the wrap was unforgivably soggy. The Caesar dressing was mostly diluted, with just a hint of tanginess and light garlic flavor. It wasn't offensive, yet at the same time, wasn't good enough to cover up the rest of the issues hiding inside this tortilla. It easily took my last-place spot.

The bite-sized and spiraled shape of the Marketside pinwheels may entice you, but as convenient and cute as they are, I don't believe they're equipped to give you that satisfying lunch you're looking for — especially not the chicken bacon ranch variation. They appear to be a singular wrap cut into quarters and are packed full of thin-sliced oven-roasted chicken breast, cheddar cheese slices, bacon, and ranch dressing. It's essentially a compilation of classic sandwich ingredients, meaning the potential is there. But the execution is lacking.

Despite eating it right after I bought it, the tortilla was a bit stiff and tasted slightly sour (perhaps a hint that preservatives were involved in the recipe). There were about three layers of chicken tucked into each tortilla roll, yet none of them offered much flavor. The cheddar cheese felt more like American and had a mild taste without any meltiness, and the ranch was on the runny side. I could have made my peace with most of this, but it was the bacon crumbles that sent me over the edge. They looked dry and undercooked at the same time and tasted even worse, thanks to the boatload of fattiness and artificial taste — like bacon concocted in a factory. This may be one of the cheapest options you can pick up at Walmart, but it's also one of the least desirable — landing it just slightly ahead of the Caesar Chicken Wrap.

The turkey and cheese pinwheels go down better than the chicken bacon ranch ones — though that's not saying much. They're unfortunately still plagued by many of the same problems. The tortilla still felt stale and had a sour taste. Meanwhile, inside the wrap, the ranch dressing is scarce, yet what's there is watery and lacks both creaminess and herb-forward notes. I think including the dressing on the side rather than pouring it inside the wrap would have been a smart move. Then again, if that were the case, I probably would have tossed it altogether in favor of something more trusty and tasty, like Hidden Valley.

The meat of the wrap (aka the turkey and cheese) is just okay. Oven-roasted turkey is your standard deli meat, which garners no real complaints but no high praise either. There is a decent amount of meat – perhaps about five slices worth, spread across four spirals. The Colby Jack cheese was a solid choice, and I liked that it was ultra-soft and even a bit melty, even when pulled straight from the store's refrigerator case.

When it comes down to it, you get what you pay for with the Marketside pinwheels. They don't have a whole lot to offer aside from a low cost and a smidge of sustenance.

The Marketside brand has a respectable selection of sub sandwiches, all with different combinations of meats and cheeses to satisfy everyone's sammie preferences. Most come in full and half sizes, and when it came to the obligatory ham and Swiss, I opted to pick up the smaller of the two for sampling purposes.

This sandwich is admittedly bare-bones. It comes with just Black Forest ham and baby Swiss cheese, slapped onto French white bread. A packet of Duke's mayonnaise and a packet of French's mustard are also included on the side, so you can pick your poison (or pile on both). It's simple, yet it's also not half bad. I counted over 10 layers of ham stacked between the bread, so every bite is full of that lightly sweet and savory flavor. Two slices of Swiss also hold up their end of the bargain, blanketing the deli meat in a smooth, mildly buttery film.

My only notes were that the bread was a touch dry and crackly, and it's not especially engaging on the palate. You'll want that mayo or mustard to give it some zest.

When it comes to subs, you're either a ham person or a turkey person. We all seem to have our own personal inclinations, and I tend to veer toward ham. That's why I was so surprised that Marketside's turkey sub ended up being the better bite.

It's still just meat and cheese, but it's built a bit differently. Black Forest ham is obviously swapped out for oven-roasted turkey, and instead of Swiss, you get thick slices of cheddar. This combination simply works better. The deli turkey tastes fresh and moist, and the cheese tops it with a rich flavor (its gooeyness still reminded me more of American than cheddar, but I let that slide). The bun itself was also dissimilar from the ham and Swiss. It features a sweet grain bread rather than a French white, which, surprisingly, ended up being a highlight.

I could see this being a great sandwich to grab for a beach or pool day. It may not be as exciting or flavorful as other Marketside picks, but it won't let you down. And you still have those packets of mustard and mayo to liven it up.

The Marketside Chicken Salad Croissant stands in a league of its own. It's the only one in the lineup that forgoes the bread and tortilla for a croissant. Now, you have to know I'm a sucker for a good croissant and for a well-made batch of chicken salad. So, I imagined this one would skyrocket to the top of my favorites list. But regrettably, it has a few qualities that hold it back, earning it a spot only in the middle of the rankings, just a hair above the more minimalist subs.

For starters, the croissant isn't of the highest quality. It still carries some level of sweetness, but it feels stale, lacking moisture, flakiness, and buttery richness. On the inside, the chicken salad is passable, yet far from the best store-bought recipe out there. Made similarly with white meat rotisserie chicken, it actually reminded me of Costco's chicken salad (one of the warehouse's chicken products I would recommend skipping). It's composed mostly of mayo and chunks of chicken with scarce bits of onion and celery, so it comes across as overly uniform and muted on the palate. It's in need of some grape slices or walnuts to give it some added flavor — or, if nothing else, a change in texture.

Given the ingredients of this wrap, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. It's stuffed with the same cubed chicken found in the Caesar wrap and the same inedible bacon bits found in the chicken bacon ranch pinwheels. It sounded like a recipe for disaster. But somehow, it manages to rise above these faults, and above several other Marketside offerings.

The barbecue sauce is largely to thank for this wrap's high ranking. Made up of ingredients like tomato paste, vinegar, pineapple juice, molasses, garlic, natural smoke flavor, and other spices, it coats the remaining ingredients in a mostly sweet, lightly smoky glaze. It's not a sauce that's winning any kind of pitmaster awards, but it's good enough to cover up some of the chicken's imperfections. And since there were only a few scattered bacon pieces throughout the entire wrap, those didn't pose a large issue either. I also uncovered a few rogue shreds of lettuce. While I could have done without them, I was also happy to see a handful of "crispy" onions included. Even though they lost much of their crispness from being submerged in sauce, they still added welcome hints of saltiness and an oniony flavor laced with caramelization and a bit of garlic. Between these onions and the barbecue sauce, this wrap did much more for my taste buds than I was expecting.

The supreme sub is the only one I could not find in a half-size version. So, I ended up with the full footlong in my cart (it wasn't a $5 footlong, though, ringing up just a few dollars more). And it isn't just big in terms of length. It's also stacked high with three different kinds of deli meat, including ham, turkey, and roast beef. It's then finished off with a layer of cheddar cheese and encased between French white bread.

This is a meat lover's kind of sub, and if you're extra hungry, it'll do the trick. The trio of proteins stands up well to the thicker bread, while the cheese offers a creamy counterpoint. The only small problem is that even with three meats, all of them are mild in flavor. With its sweet and smoky notes, the uncured tavern ham trumps the oven-roasted turkey and even the roast beef in most bites. So, even though it's a fresh and classic cold cut, it trails behind other, more well-rounded and robust sandwiches bearing the Marketside name. You'll want to keep those mustard and mayonnaise packets handy once again.

The Marketside wrap most worthy of a repeat purchase is the spicy mustard chicken. It's made with grilled chicken (though I still question if it really is grilled or not), pepper Jack cheese, Santa Fe-style tortilla strips, lettuce, and a mustard sauce. Now, I will preface this by saying it's not spicy whatsoever, but that doesn't change the fact that it's tasty.

I like that it has a bit of a Mexican flair to it, with the (somewhat) crunchy tortilla pieces and the zesty cheese shreds. The mustard throws a different kind of taste experience into the mix. It's like a cross between honey mustard and Dijon mustard, giving off just enough tang with undertones of sweetness. The chicken itself is really the only ingredient I found to be questionable. It's still underseasoned, and the pinkish tint is a turnoff. But there's a decent amount of it, and most of its flavor is overshadowed by the mustard anyway. Held together by a sturdy flour tortilla, it's a solid wrap. And even though there are a few Marketside subs that stole the show, I was impressed by its diverse range of flavors.

When I saw the name "All-American," I didn't really know what I was in for. Walmart already has the Supreme sub that packs in ham, turkey, and roast beef. So, I figured there could be anything tucked into the packaging — like a sub topped with more chicken, bacon, and ranch, or maybe classic BLT ingredients. What I found instead was a straightforward combination of uncured tavern ham, oven-roasted turkey, and cheddar cheese.

You may be thinking that it sounds a bit humdrum, and you would be right. Just the meat and cheese alone are nothing special. The combination is fresh and moist, without any sliminess, yet basic and been-there-done-that. What really makes this sandwich pop is the bread it's sitting on. It's made with a four-cheese blend that includes cheddar, mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan — though the last two are what really drive the flavor. It has the same look and taste as an Asiago bagel, making it good enough to eat all on its own. For that reason, the entire sandwich was an automatic win in my book. And I didn't even feel the need to reach for the accompanying condiments this time around.

This is a delicatessen-style sub — just not one you have to strain your voice to order or fight off dozens of other hungry New Yorkers just to get your hands on. The version from Walmart isn't nearly as overstuffed as the ones you'd find in the heart of Brooklyn or the Village, but it has some high points that make it one of Marketside's best.

The sub's core ingredients consist of pastrami (a New York must), Black Forest ham, hard salami, and baby Swiss cheese, all on white French bread. Of all the meats, the slices of pastrami are a standout. They're salty, rich, and laced with plenty of umami, plus you simply can't beat that sharp black pepper crust around the edges. If it were up to me, I would strip out the other two meats and make it a full pastrami sandwich. However, I can still appreciate the tender sweetness the ham provides, coupled with the spiced, fatty flavor of the salami. The buttery flavor of baby Swiss and the neutral taste of white bread round it out.

I wasn't all that surprised to see another set of mustard and mayo packets on the side. Though what I really think this pastrami sandwich would benefit from is a slather of spicy brown mustard or even a helping of sauerkraut to drive home the New York deli-style label.

The Italian Hero essentially takes everything good about the last two sandwiches and combines them into one top-tier sub. Plus, it finally does away with the routine mustard and mayo packets in favor of something much more palatable and intriguing.

It starts the same way every Italian sub does: with an onslaught of various meats. Specifically, it includes hard salami, tavern ham, hot capicola, and pepperoni. The medley is every bit as salty as it is savory. The ham adds a decent amount of filling, while the rest takes care of the flavor, creating a tasteful surge of spice and depth. The milky provolone mellows everything out, and you also have the four-cheese hoagie roll making yet another appearance. With hints of cheddar, mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan, it takes the entire sandwich to another level — just as it did with the All-American sub.

Finally, the pièce de résistance is the hot pepper relish. It looks like a tomato-based salsa, but it tastes like the Jimmy Peppers that top Jimmy John's subs. They're vinegary and sweet without a ton of heat — but with plenty of bright flavor.

For this ranking, I visited my nearest Walmart and cleared out the grab-and-go sandwich section, picking up every different Marketside sandwich flavor and variation I could find. For all intents and purposes, I also included wraps and pinwheels as part of that sandwich count. As another form of meats and cheeses tucked inside bread, they seemed to fit the bill. After rounding up these selections, I brought them all home and tasted them pronto. We all know prepared sandwiches like these — especially those already smothered in sauce — don't stay fresh for long, so timing was key.

From there, I judged and ranked each option based on the elements that make up a truly great sandwich, from the bread all the way down to the condiments. I evaluated the meat's quality, flavor, and texture, as well as how well each slice worked together (since many sandwiches layered multiple varieties). Cheese added another dimension, as did additional toppings like sauces, lettuce, or even onion crisps. When done well, complete (as in the sauce is already added in) and full-flavored sandwiches caught my attention, but I also wasn't opposed to a straightforward makeup, as long as it made a statement with bold flavors from the meat, included condiments, or did something unique with the bread. Quality and balance were my two buzzwords, and both are evident in some of Marketside's top picks, like the Italian Hero and the New York Deli subs.