Best Italian Sub/Hoagie in New Jersey (2016) - USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards (2024)

White House Subs is runner up

Best Italian Sub/Hoagie in New Jersey(2016)
June 10, 2016

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Depending on where you are in New Jersey, the Italian sub could be called the Hoagie, Hero, or the Sub. In New England it’s called a grinder and in Connecticut a wedge. No matter what it's called, it's a delicious combination of meats, cheeses and spices.

The Italian sub made its way to New Jersey by way of southern Italian immigrants. The sandwich is housed in a baked crusty bread with pointed ends and stuffed with a variety of cured meats and cheeses. Italian laborers and dock workers loved the sandwiches as a convenient lunch, and soon delis started catering to them. Eventually this sandwich gained popularity outside of the Italian-American community. Typically it is made with crusty bread, provolone cheese, Italian hard salami, lettuce, tomatoes, oil and vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.

10Best and Sandwich America recruited a panel of local foodies to nominate 20 of their favorite places to get an Italian sub or hoagie. For the past four weeks, readers have been voting for their favorites, and the results are in!

The top 10 winners in the category Best Italian Sub/Hoagie in New Jersey are as follows:

Photo courtesy of Sorrentos Subs / Facebook

No. 10:

Sorrentos Subs - West Freehold

Open for breakfast and lunch only, Sorrentos Subs offers a menu of 17 sandwiches, including the option to build your own. Cheese, salami, boiled ham, capicola and prosciuttino come piked into The Super, Sorrentos' most meaty Italian sub.

Photo courtesy of Hershey's Subs and Deli / Facebook

No. 9:

Hershey's Subs and Deli - Westfield

Hershey's Subs and Deli has a sub menu 35 sandwiches long, and that's in addition to a sizeable list of hot sandwiches. A fan favorite is the Super, filled with layers of prosciuttini, pressed ham, salami, capicola and cheese.

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Photo courtesy of stu_spivack / Flickr

No. 8:

Riddle & Martin Sub Shop - South River

Hungry diners have their choice of 30 cold subs and half a dozen hot subs on the Riddle & Martin Sub Shop menu. Popular Italian varieties include the Super Italian (boiled ham, capicola, hard salami and cheese), the Special (cooked salami, capicola and pressed ham) and for really big appetites, the Belly Buster (ham, capicola, hard salami, pepperoni, pressed ham, bologna, American and provolone cheese).

Photo courtesy of Jersey Subs / Facebook

No. 7:

Jersey Subs - New Brunswick

Family owned and operated since 1969, Jersey Subs uses Boar’s Head and Thumann’s meats and cheeses in their sandwiches which are sliced and dressed to order for every customer. The three signature subs are the Jersey Super (ham, capicola, salami and provolone), Jersey Best (capicola, prociuttini, salami and provolone) and the Jersey Club (turkey breast, ham and provolone).

Photo courtesy of Mike's Giant Size Submarine Sandwiches / Facebook

No. 6:

Mike's Giant Size Submarine Sandwiches - Keyport

Mike's Giant Size Submarine Sandwiches has been in business for more than 50 years, and as the name implies, they're famous for their generous portions. The menu boasts half a dozen Italian cold subs, allowing guests to select their ideal combination of Italian meats and cheeses.

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Photo courtesy of Giovanni's Authentic Italian Deli / Facebook

No. 5:

Giovanni's Authentic Italian Deli - Vineland

Giovanni's Authentic Italian Deli stocks a huge selection of imported Italian meats and cheeses to go along with their menu of hot and cold subs (you can also build your own). The Imported Italian sub comes with sopressata, prosciutto, capicola and provolone cheese.

Photo courtesy of Big Wally's Subs / Facebook

No. 4:

Big Wally's Subs - Parlin

Big Wally's Subs has over 50 specialty subs on their menu, plus the option to build your own combination. The Italian has peppered ham, capicola, salami and cheese on top, while the Big Wally throws pepperoni into the mix. Ask for it "Everything" to get your sub Italian-style with lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano.

See Also

Authentic New York Italian Sub/Hero/Hoagie - Sip and FeastCapicola20 Best Hoagie Recipes

Photo courtesy of A Touch of Italy

No. 3:

A Touch of Italy - Avenel

One customer called A Touch of Italy "the best deli this side of the Hudson." The specialty sandwiches here are made with Boar's Head meats and cheeses and come in a variety of creative combinations. The most classically Italian is the Ziggy, piled with ham, capicola, salami, provolone cheese and the usual Italian sub garnishes.

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Photo courtesy of Krista / Flickr

No. 2:

White House Subs - Atlantic City

White House Subs opened for business in 1946 and has since become one of the most famous sub shops in the country. This Atlantic City institution serves a huge list of specialty subs, including the Regular Italian Submarine and the White House Special, which comes loaded with extra salami, ham, capicola and provolone.

Photo courtesy of Sapore Ravioli

No. 1:

Sapore Ravioli - Middlesex

Domenick Discenza developed his passion for Italian flavors while growing up in the Italian town of Baranello. He brings that passion with him to Sapore Ravioli, a gourmet Italian food store and deli. The Dom, Sapore's signature sub, is piled with a mixture of hot and sweet capicola, hot and sweet soppressata, ham, pepperoni, prosciutto, house-made mozzarella and roasted red peppers.

A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Jenna Intersimone (MyCentralJersey.com), Tammy Paolino (Eat My Words) and Deborah Smith (JerseyBites.com) were selected based on their expertise in the world of New Jersey restaurants.

Additional nominees included Carmen's Deli in Bellmawr, Croce's in Cherry Hill, Don's Famous Hoagie Shoppe in Somerville, Elsie's Sub Shop in Red Bank, Hoagie Haven in Princeton, Longfellow's Sandwich Deli in Morristown, Sandwiches Unlimited in Orange, Slater's Deli and Catering in Leonardo, Sugar Hill Sub Shop in Mays Landing and Tastee Sub Shop in Edison.

Congratulations to all our winning subs and hoagies!

Deborah Smith

Deborah Smith

Deborah Smith is the founder of New Jersey’s popular food blog, JerseyBites.com, and the author of The Jersey Shore Cookbook (Quirk Books, 2016).Jersey Bites spotlights all that is great about food in the Garden State. Launched in 2007, the site is now home to talented food writers throughout the state and welcomes over 50,000 visitors every month. Readers enjoy the latest news about restaurants, farms, wineries, breweries. They also use Jersey Bites as a resource for seasonal recipes based on New Jersey fresh seafood, meats and produce.In her role as Executive Editor of Jersey Bites, Deborah served as a founding member of Jersey Shore Restaurant Week and most recently as a judge for Jersey Shore Restaurant Week’s TASTE AWARDS. Over the years, she has served as a judge for numerous food competitions and continues to speak about food in New Jersey, for in-person appearances and on the air.

Jenna Intersimone

Jenna Intersimone

Jenna Intersimone, a digital-driven New Jersey journalist, writes a Tuesday Travel column and regularly contributes to the Wednesday Table section in the Courier News, Home News Tribune as well as MyCentralJersey.com and DailyRecord.com derived from her blog, LifeAboardTheTravelingCircus.com.Serving as the unofficial cheerleader of the Garden State, Intersimone loves all things Jersey from its sprawling beaches, to its bustling lifestyle, and, of course, its abundance of award-winning restaurants representing every corner of the world.Jenna chose her nominees by polling her readers on their favorite sub and hoagie spots in the state.

Jennifer Daskevich

Jennifer Daskevich

After winning the World Sandwich Championships, Jennifer took her love of America’s first and still favorite “hand held device” better known as the sandwich, and founded Sandwich America, America’s comprehensive sandwich driven meal occasion platform. Jennifer believes that “a sandwich is the only food genre that is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or a snack.” Jennifer has won numerous cooking competitions and is a restaurateur, wine sommelier, award winning food photographer, TV food personality with NBC Affiliate WFLA in Tampa and appeared on FYI’s original series World Food Championships. She looks forward to embarking on The Great American Sandwich Trail this summer. Socialize with Sandwich America on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Tammy Paolino

Tammy Paolino

Tammy Paolino is the Features Strategist and Engagement Editor of the Courier-Post and Daily Journal, as well as an award-winning food blogger and features writer. A home cook with a passion for local farmer’s markets, ethnic dining, regional cookbooks and family dinners, Tammy has reported on food trends in New Jersey for more than 25 years. Check out her Eat My Words blog.

Terry French

Terry French

Terry French, The World’s Extreme Chef, has cooked in 86 countries and traveled around the world 8 times. His global-to-local cuisine perspective and belief that “ hand-held ” food is the carrier of food culture may seem in stark contrast to his being born and raised in Evansville, Indiana. But diversity and uncommon is Terry defined. Winning Food Network’s World Extreme Chef in 2012 celebrated his amazing and adventurous life and his “French’s KISS” belief to food – Keeping it simple and sustainable. From Ice fishing with his father and cooking with his mother as a boy to hosting Taste Asia in Times Square, Terry French makes every meal a cuisine adventure. Terry believes that “Hand-held foods and sandwiches are the global cuisine language. From Thai street food to Philly cheese steaks – the world eats with our hands for centuries and now more than ever”. Follow Terry’s Extreme Chef adventures on Facebook and Instagram .

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