The BTL is a classic summer sandwich. I recently ordered one from Mr. Sub, it was delicious and inspired me to see which BLT reigns supreme. In the same week, I went to Subway and Quiznos to compare how their BLT stacked up. This is my review and choice for the best BTL from these three big sandwich franchisees.
All three subs had the same toppings; Lettuce, Tomato, Olives, Green Peppers, and Pickles, with mayo and house dressing. For Mr. Sub and Subway they were not toasted.
First Place BLT: Mr. Sub
The Mr. Sub BTL was delicious and by far my favorite of the three. The bacon lettuce and tomato together with the mayo and house dressing were in perfect harmony. I enjoyed this sandwich, and it has inspired this BTL challenge. It reminds me of homemade BTL’s my mom would make in the summer, on fresh white bread for a local bakery made with strips of freshly fried bacon.
Second Place: Quiznos
The Quiznos sub gets my second place vote for one reason, best value! The BLT was on promotion at Quiznos and you get a large sandwich for only $5. The Quiznos BLT was good. The flavour and texture of their bacon are a bit different, I would describe it as bacon pieces rather than whole strips of bacon like on the MR. SUB BLT. I also found the bacon and house dressing too salty on the Quiznos BTL.
Third Place: Subway
I was disappointed in the quality of Subway’s bacon on the BLT. I’m not sure if it was an isolated case or if the bacon is always like this… it was like eating bacon chips, very dry and crispy. Was it because bacon was microwaved and not toasted in the oven? I liked everything else on the Subway BLT, but the bacon was not great. I will try another BTL from Subway but get it toasted to avoid the dry devastation the microwave had on this BTL.
Final Thoughts:
The quality and taste of the bacon make or break the BLT. Mr. Sub’s BTL reminded me of a homemade delight but only better. It’s something that you could come close to making at home if you sourced all the right ingredients.
The other two were not as impressive. Quiznos has a more commercial-grade taste, far from the simple goodness of a homemade BLT sandwich. And the Subway bacon was not good at all during this taste test, so they place last on this challenge.
