Publix has nation’s best subs, according to website

Thrillist, a food and travel website, cited Publix Super Markets as offering the top sub sandwiches in America — better than Subway, Penn Station Jersey Mike’s Subs, Firehouse Subs and any other national chain.

“There is one food item that Florida does better than any other state: The grocery store sub. But not just any grocery store will do — these sandwiches must be purchased from Publix, the beloved supermarket chain headquartered in the city of Lakeland,” Thrillist said in an article on its website.

“While a sub is a style of sandwich you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, Floridians love the Publix sub as much as their college football teams, Pitbull and air conditioning during a particularly humid summer. The most fervent of sub eaters even have a nickname for their favorite sandwich: ‘the Pub Sub.’ ”

Thrillist said Publix’s baked-in-house bread and chopped-fresh vegetables are key ingredients for making the subs “so excellent.”

“The sandwich is not fancy, but that is precisely the appeal,” according to Thrillist. “Even though the company has stores scattered throughout the South, Publix is Florida's grocery store, and its humble sub has become the unofficial state sandwich.”

Publix, founded in 1930, has 1,1167 stores in seven states.