6 Ways To Upgrade Jersey Mike's Italian Sub For The Best Possible Order

Jersey Mike's #13 The Original Italian has been a beloved sub for as long as the chain has been around. Piled high with cured meat, provolone cheese, and veggies, there's no reason to not order it every time you're there. This Jersey Mike's menu item is even a bit healthier than Italian subs at competing stores, if you're tracking sodium, fat, and protein content. But if you're getting tired of the same sandwich and feel like your order needs a refresh, there are plenty of ways to upgrade the basic Original Italian.

You can customize pretty much every aspect of your sub, from the bread to extra toppings to the spice level. Jersey Mike's customers have plenty to say online about making a sandwich even better and discovering the best way to build it. Of course, there's no "right" way to order, and trying different options and flavor combinations is one of the best parts about going somewhere like this popular sub chain. These are just some of the ways to make your Jersey Mike's sub better, so try a few on your next Original Italian sandwich order and pick your favorite modifications.

If you're ordering The Original Italian at Jersey Mike's, there's a reason so many regulars will tell you to get it Mike's Way. This nifty upgrade adds lettuce, tomato, and onion, plus "The Juice" — an olive oil and red wine vinegar blend — and seasonings like oregano and salt. Ordering pretty much any sub Mike's Way is a classic unwritten rule of eating at Jersey Mike's, with good reason. This Italian sub features heavy, salty meats like salami and pepperoni, and the veggies and dressing add brightness and acidity to balance it all out. Asking for a sub to be made Mike's Way is one of the easiest upgrades you can make, because it's a simple phrase that involves a pretty big flavor boost.

The components of the Mike's Way addition help the usual ingredients of The Original Italian shine. The lettuce and onion add crunch to what is a fairly uniform sub in terms of texture, the red wine vinegar adds zest, and the oil makes sure the seasonings are distributed evenly. Even if you're someone who normally goes light on toppings, Jersey Mike's customers are so loyal to the order that it's worth ordering Mike's Way at least once, and then customizing it further from there. 

Maybe you're more focused on toppings than bread when ordering a sub, but this upgrade challenges that way of thinking. The bread, after all, is the vessel of the sandwich. You could say the integrity of the entire sub relies on a good bread choice. While Italian bread seems like the reasonable choice for an Italian sub, opting for something a bit more special — like the rosemary Parmesan — is a common upgrade Reddit users make to their Original Italian orders. This Jersey Mike's sub is packed with ham, salami, pepperoni, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, and provolone, and changing the bread can give the entire sandwich a noticeably different flavor and personality.

The combination of earthy Parmesan and bright rosemary adds a savory, herby quality to the sandwich's exterior, giving you another layer of flavor before you even get to the meats, cheese, and toppings. It's a small change, but it can make this Italian sub feel more customized and artisanal, without adding a pile of extra toppings.

Jersey Mike's Hot Chopped Pepper Relish (made with pickled red and green peppers) is so popular that the company now bottles it and sells it on its own. If you'd like a bit more bite on your Original Italian sub, this relish is a simple addition with big flavor. Customers regularly recommend adding it, and the flavor combo definitely makes sense. The peppers add tang and a bit of spicy sweetness to the saltiness of the cured meat, without taking over. The relish also adds another layer of texture.

A little Hot Chopped Pepper Relish goes a long way, so you don't need much to make a big difference in the sandwich's flavor. People are such hardcore fans of this relish that they buy bottles to add to almost anything at home. If you're picky about how much sauce goes on your sub, you can always ask for it on the side and add it yourself.

This might be the most divisive recommendation on the list. Mayo on an Italian sub sparks strong opinions among Jersey Mike's customers: Some swear by it, while others consider it blasphemy to add mayonnaise to an already perfect sub. Some aren't so hateful but consider it unnecessary when paired with cheese, oil, vinegar, and cured meat. Still, customers have recommended both regular mayo and chipotle mayo to customize The Original Italian, and plenty of people enjoy the extra creaminess. If you like mayo on all your other sandwiches, why not try it here?

Chipotle mayo takes things a bit further than the regular kind, adding a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. Some customers have said they didn't even know it was an option, but other subs like the Chipotle Cheese Steak feature it, so you can ask for it on any sub. The mayo's richness works well in an Italian sub if you're already adding other spicy elements like jalapeños or pepper relish. While regular mayo can balance the spice, chipotle mayo adds flavor complexity. 

All that said, receiving messy subs is one of the most frequent customer complaints at Jersey Mike's. So, if you're looking for a neat sandwich, this order upgrade may not be for you. 

The Jersey Mike's Original Italian has plenty going on, but it doesn't really have a strong heat element. If that's something you're looking for in your lunch, there are plenty of customizations you can make to spice things up a bit. Customers discussing their Italian sub orders frequently recommend adding jalapeños or banana peppers — or both if you're into double the spice. Banana peppers bring a milder, tangier heat, while jalapeños provide a more direct, peppery kick. Either choice can make the combination of salty meats and nutty provolone feel brighter and more dynamic. One of the lesser-known secrets about Jersey Mike's is that toppings like these won't cost extra, so feel free to load up. 

The best choice depends on what you mean by a "spicy" sandwich. If you primarily want acidity and a little sharpness, banana peppers are the best fit. Their tanginess works particularly well with the vinegar already used in a Mike's Way preparation, and they add another crunchy vegetable element. But if you're after a classic kind of heat, jalapeños would be the way to go. Adding a crunchy pepper helps keep things interesting, especially if you've been ordering the sub the same way for a while and want a changeup. 

Just remember that everyone's spice tolerance is different. So, starting with a modest amount of either pepper is probably wiser than turning your Italian sandwich into a dare.

Only a select few will be able to enjoy this next upgrade. Next time you're in the mood for an Original Italian, try asking for it grilled. Jersey Mike's makes its cold subs without toasting the bread, so asking for a grilled Italian sandwich is less a standard customization and more a special request. Each Jersey Mike's is individually operated, so whether or not you can get this accommodation depends on your store. However, if the employees at your Jersey Mike's are willing to make the change, it can be a great way to modify the sandwich.

Normally, the flat top is reserved for the chain's hot sandwiches, but if you're lucky, and the restaurant is slow, you may hit the jackpot. The heat warms the meat and melts the cheese, and the toasted bread makes the whole thing more cohesive. Ask politely, but be prepared to hear "no," just in case your specific spot doesn't allow cold subs to be grilled.

To find the best ways to upgrade #13 The Original Italian at Jersey Mike's, we examined public forums like Reddit, Facebook, and other websites to see what the chain's customers were recommending. Some boards focused on people ordering Jersey Mike's for the first time and asking for tips. These conversations were helpful, because we got to see a wide scope of modifications that people love.

Once we found the most common ways people upgraded their Italian subs at Jersey Mike's, we compiled our list, pulling from as many sources as we could. We only included modifications with several recommendations that seemed the most popular among the sub chain's customers.