Copycat Jersey Mike’s Italian Sub

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 0 min Servings: 4

Jersey Mike’s #13 Italian sub — “The Original Italian” — is the sandwich that built the chain. It’s a straightforward construction of salami, capicola, and ham with provolone, fresh vegetables, and a red wine vinegar-oil dressing that ties everything together. No gimmicks, no fusion twists, no secret sauces. Just quality deli meats on fresh bread, built correctly, and dressed with an Italian vinaigrette that soaks into every layer.

This recipe replicates the #13 at home using deli counter meats and bakery rolls. The whole assembly takes 15 minutes with zero cooking. The only thing that requires any skill is the dressing, and that’s just whisking oil and vinegar together. If you can operate a knife and arrange cold cuts on bread, you can make this sandwich.

The advantage of building at home is control over quality. Jersey Mike’s slices their meats to order, which is a step above most chains, but your local deli counter can match that. You pick the exact brands, the thickness of every slice, and the amount that goes on each sub.

Why Make It at Home?

A regular #13 Italian sub at Jersey Mike’s runs $10-12. The giant size pushes $15-17. This recipe makes four full 8-inch subs for about $18-20 in deli meats, cheese, rolls, and vegetables. That’s roughly $5 per sub compared to $10-12 each at the restaurant. For a family of four, you save $20-28 per meal.

Buying deli meats in larger quantities from the counter is more economical than the per-sandwich pricing at Jersey Mike’s. A quarter pound of each meat feeds all four subs, and any leftover slices go into tomorrow’s lunch. The rolls are typically $0.75-1.00 each from the bakery section, and the vegetables and dressing ingredients are pantry staples.

What Makes Jersey Mike’s Italian Sub So Good

The bread is where Jersey Mike’s separates from competitors. They bake their rolls in-store daily, and the bread has a thin, crackly crust with a soft, airy interior that compresses just enough to hold everything together. Finding a comparable roll at home is the single most important step. Look for Italian sub rolls at your bakery counter — the kind with a shiny, slightly hard exterior. Soft hoagie rolls work but produce a different, squishier sandwich.

The meat quality and slicing thickness matter more than you’d think. Jersey Mike’s slices their meats fresh on a deli slicer, which gives you thin, tender pieces that drape over each other and create pockets where the dressing pools. Pre-packaged deli meats from the refrigerated aisle are pressed and uniform — fine for a basic sandwich but noticeably different from freshly sliced. Have the deli counter slice your meats thin and you’ll match the Jersey Mike’s experience.

The red wine vinegar and oil dressing is the defining element. It’s tangy, herby from the oregano, and slightly pungent from the raw onion it mingles with. The vinegar cuts through the richness of the cured meats and the fattiness of the provolone, balancing every bite. Without it, you have a decent Italian sub. With it, you have a Jersey Mike’s Italian sub. The dressing should be applied generously — the bread absorbs it and carries the flavor into every layer.

Tips & Variations

• Dress both sides. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the vegetables and also on the inside of the top bread. This ensures every bite has flavor contact, not just the first one near the veggies.
• Get meats sliced fresh. Ask the deli counter to slice to order rather than grabbing pre-sliced packages. The texture difference is significant and worth the 5-minute wait.
• Add hot cherry peppers. Jersey Mike’s offers these as an add-on and they’re worth it. The tangy heat complements the salty meats and cuts richness the same way the vinaigrette does.
• Try it Mike’s Way. At Jersey Mike’s, “Mike’s Way” means onions, lettuce, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and spices. This recipe already builds it that way. Ordering “Mike’s Way” is just their name for the standard preparation.
• Wrap it tight. After closing the sub, wrap it tightly in deli paper or foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. The compression melds the layers together and the dressing distributes more evenly.

Storage & Reheating

Italian subs are best eaten fresh. The bread absorbs the dressing over time, and after a few hours, the bottom becomes soggy while the vegetables wilt. If you need to prep ahead, assemble everything except the dressing and vegetables. Wrap the meat-and-cheese-loaded rolls in plastic and refrigerate. Add vegetables and dressing just before eating.

For packed lunches, carry the dressing in a small container and add it on-site. Keep the sub cold with an ice pack. The meats and cheese are fine at room temperature for 2-3 hours, but refrigeration is safer for longer storage. There’s no reheating involved since this is a cold sandwich. If you want a warm version, wrap the assembled sub (without lettuce) in foil and bake at 350F for 10 minutes to melt the provolone and warm the meats — a different experience from the original, but a good one.