14 Popular Wawa Hoagies And Sandwiches, Ranked

Wawa first diversified from the dairy business by opening its inaugural food market in Folsom, Pennsylvania — just outside of Philadelphia — in 1964. Back then, no one could've imagined the cultlike following it would eventually develop, or that it would someday open hundreds of stores across multiple states, including not only Pennsylvania, but also Indiana, Florida, Alabama, and many more.

Today, Wawa is known for its hoagies, offering inexpensive and convenient versions that have created many fans over time. In particular, its made-to-order hoagies are legendary. Sadly, however, as Wawa has prioritized expansion of its menu items and geographical footprint, some fans feel like the overall quality of these sandwiches has dipped over time.

While there are numerous options at Wawa, this list should give a reasonable overview of the chain's most popular hoagies, while also representing some of the newer options, including wraps, clubs, and paninis. (I would have also liked to include the popular "gobbler" Thanksgiving hoagie, but that is seasonal.) Without further ado, let's see which are worth eating and which should remain as distant possibilities in the ordering kiosk.

To select which sandwiches to include in this ranking, I relied on personal experience ordering from Wawa over the past several decades. I also conducted online research to better understand which are the most popular items. Clearly, this list only scratches the surface of Wawa options, but I'm confident it's a good starting point.

Once the list was set, I ordered each sandwich from my local Wawa to conduct a taste comparison. (This was a controlled, single-visit comparison, rather than a ranking based on multiple tastings of the same sandwich, though I also considered past experiences when applicable.) To avoid confounding variables, I stuck with the basic order of a Shorti (6-inch) white roll, with lettuce, tomato, and oil. This, of course, varied for some of the specialty sandwiches.

While some might feel that a true hoagie must have onions and peppers — Wawa offers both pickled sweet peppers and hot peppers — I felt that these additions, though common, are bolder flavor options that might get in the way of tasting the aspects of the sandwiches that change with each order. As such, it seemed better to evaluate each sandwich without these options, though obviously many people will choose to order them.

Simply put, Wawa's tuna hoagie is bad. The main flavor notes are sourness, alongside an unpleasant briny fishiness. Texture-wise, the filling is the consistency of paste, with no structure to it at all. In other words, the expected chunks of meat are virtually non-existent, and instead, it's mostly mayo, with little flecks of tuna peppered throughout.

While it is certainly not surprising that the mayo to tuna ratio is off — it's inexpensive tuna salad, after all — the tuna's lack of definition makes this even more problematic. On top of that, the hoagie roll's chewiness, which is usually a good thing in cold cut hoagies, makes it so that half the filling squirts out of the sandwich with every bite. In this case, however, that acts more like a happy accident, as less of this tuna can only be a good thing.

The best part of what should be a classic tuna salad sandwich is, ironically, the universally agreed-upon worst part of tuna salad: celery. Other than that, there's nothing nice to say here.

Current cheesesteak trends in Philadelphia lean decidedly towards overstuffed, enormous cheesesteaks with enough meat and cheese for a week's worth of meals. The more, the better, it seems, especially when a steak that's nearly impossible to bite into is the perfect fodder for Instagram and other socials. All that said, even as someone who thinks this trend goes too far – nobody needs that much meat — I can say confidently that these Wawa cheesesteaks are the skimpiest ones I've ever encountered in my multiple decades living in the Philadelphia area.

The meat-to-bread ratio is so ridiculous that it's hard to even consider these real cheesesteaks. This ratio was particularly meager in my chicken steak, which — as can be seen in the photo — appears to feature the least amount of chicken possible to even call this a chicken sandwich. And the cheese — of which a slice or two are carelessly dropped into the roll — felt like a mere afterthought.

In some cases, of course, looks can be deceiving. Flavor can also often make up for any visual inadequacy. Sadly, this is not one of those cases. The chicken here tastes like the overprocessed "roasted" chicken one finds in supermarkets, merely finely chopped up to mimic the sandwich it claims to be. This is most certainly not the flavor of the freshly cooked, thinly sliced chicken one expects from a chicken cheesesteak.

Though my beef cheesesteak hoagie from Wawa included slightly more meat than its chicken counterpart, it was still an incredibly stingy example of this sandwich. In addition, the flavor of the beef reminded me of a burger that's been sitting under a heat lamp for far too long — just hammered, overcooked, inexpensive beef of mysterious origin. Though a bit of ketchup makes it more palatable, it still wasn't enough to redeem the sandwich.

The utter failure of these cheesesteaks is particularly galling considering that Wawa presents itself as an ambassador of Philly food culture outside the region. It proudly promotes the term hoagie, celebrates Hoagiefest on an annual basis, sells traditional Philly-style soft pretzels, and carries Philly-based brands. For a company that hangs its hat on being confidently Philadelphian, how can it serve this abomination? And have the gall to label it a cheesesteak? Disappointing doesn't even come close to describing it.

Compared to the likes of Italian and turkey offerings, the roast beef hoagie is often an afterthought in the canon of Wawa hoagies. In fact, Philadelphia Magazine once wrote of it: "Wait, seriously? Wawa has a roast beef hoagie? How did I not know this before?" As it turns out, one might be better off not knowing about it.

The roast beef on display here is just, quite frankly, sad. Uniformly gray, without even the slightest hint of pink or red, it's drab in the most unappetizing way. Taste-wise, it offers very little, other than the sort of aged cold cut funk that one absolutely does not want to discover in their hoagie. Especially considering this is beef, one would expect a bold, rich flavor, but there's none of that here.

Would Wawa's roast beef hoagie perk up with the aid of some heavier condiments, such as mayo, mustard, or even ketchup? Yes, but that's not saying much for the taste of the beef itself.

Due to the importance of cured Italian meats in the Wawa hoagie portfolio, I had high hopes for the ham hoagie. Based on that lofty expectation, this was a complete letdown. The ham in this case is almost completely flavorless, comparable to eating air. Ham, I thought, is supposed to have a notably smoky, sweet, and interesting taste. But not this ham. Even the turkey eaten directly next to it somehow showcased exponentially more flavor, which was both surprising and disappointing.

On the plus side, one could perhaps say that the ham hoagie doesn't have any off-flavors, thus it is not offensive in any way. Especially paired with relatively neutral oil, lettuce that's there for crunch more than flavor, and tomato that is far from vine fresh, there was just nothing to this sandwich.

If one must eat this, I might suggest trying it with spicy or honey mustard. Sweet or hot peppers may also help, combining to potentially give this hoagie some semblance of flavor.

This sandwich most certainly comes across as something vegetarians will be quite familiar with — meaning that, instead of creating an interesting vegetable-based sandwich, it seems more like Wawa took whatever leftover veggies were lying around from making the meat-based sandwiches and threw them on a roll, without much planning or care. For a vegetarian eating at Wawa, it may suffice in a pinch, but beyond that, it is a sad excuse for a veggie sandwich compared to the more thoughtful fast food vegetarian and vegan options out there.

Because the default option of just spinach and tomato seemed rather meager, I added Wawa's fajita veggies option, which includes sautéed red and green peppers and onions and costs $1 extra. Though this adds some additional flavor, it can't save the overall impression that this sandwich is bland and uninteresting, if innocuous.

For vegetarians who don't mind the extra cost, I might suggest adding avocado here — also $1 extra — to boost the limited flavor. Other choices that might improve things even slightly are the wheat hoagie roll and the addition of sweet or hot peppers (if that's not too redundant, pepper-wise).

While some may dispute whether wraps are sandwiches — an argument that's perhaps best left to social media — Wawa includes enough wrap options that it seemed prudent to include at least one in this ranking. In this case, I decided to go with the chicken Caesar, a classic wrap flavor that's offered by many other chains, thus providing an interesting point of comparison.

Taste-wise, this wrap is fine. It's neither offensive nor off-putting, but also not particularly compelling. One point worth noting here is that, in the wrap I purchased, the Caesar dressing was mixed with the lettuce only. Thanks to the way it was built, that meant some bites were mostly chicken — which was quite bland — while others were an unwavering clump of Caesar dressing and lettuce. The latter was salty and punchy, but a bit overwhelming without the chicken.

In other words, mixing the chicken with the lettuce and dressing would likely improve this. As for the wrapper itself, it is pleasantly soft and thus easy to chew. While certainly no hoagie roll, as far as wraps go, it is hard to besmirch.

Unlike a perfectly tiered, toothpicked club sandwich one finds in a restaurant, or even one served in a rigid to-go container used specifically to maintain the sandwich's shape, Wawa wraps its club sandwiches like hoagies, so visually they appear to be regular — if perhaps slightly high — sandwiches. (Those with small mouths may have difficulty here.) The sandwich is cut into two large pieces instead of the classic triangular cut for which a club is typically known. Though these structural differences don't change the flavor, they do affect the overall experience of eating this so-called club sandwich.

For the type of person who believes that bad bacon is better than no bacon at all, Wawa bacon may just be for you. Quite frankly, this bacon is barely there, bringing very little flavor or crispiness to the table. This, in turn, raises the question: why even bother with bacon like this? There's no point! Bacon should be a decadent indulgence, something that steals the show, not some minor background note that could easily be achieved with a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Other than that, this is a solid sandwich, with few downsides beyond the pointless bacon.

Within the hot hoagies section of the Wawa menu — though it should be noted that most Philadelphians don't actually use the word hoagie to describe a hot sandwich — the meatball Parm and chicken Parm options are far superior to the cheesesteaks mentioned above. To be honest, it was a virtual toss-up in terms of which one would come out on top in this ranking exercise.

In the end, I ranked Wawa's customer-favorite meatball hoagie slightly lower for a couple of reasons. One, the meatballs themselves — as whole round balls — don't fit as well into the hoagie bread pocket, making the sandwich somewhat difficult to eat. Like the cheesesteak, this one is a little skimpy on the filling. Combining this skimpiness with the shape of the meatballs can result in bites that are mostly bread. Two, though the meatballs taste better than the cheesesteak beef, there's a slightly strange, artificial flavor that lingers in the background.

Wawa's chicken Parmesan uses chicken tenders. This means it melds together with the sauce and cheese better than the meatball does and makes the sandwich generally easier to eat (and, consequently, harder to get on one's clothes).

In the past, I've found Wawa's chicken tenders — when eaten simply as chicken tenders — to be of relatively low quality in the grand scheme of chicken tenders. But in this case, the addition of sauce and cheese seems to help bring out their best, forming a tasty overall impression. There's also a hint of pleasant spiciness here that adds to the complexity of the sandwich.

On the downside, the chicken's breadiness is somewhat redundant inside a hoagie roll, occasionally causing a bite that feels a bit like eating bread on top of bread on top of bread. Overall, however, this is a tasty sandwich, and one of the better hot sandwich options available on the Wawa menu.

Of the Wawa specialty sandwiches — wraps, clubs, and paninis — the paninis are the most interesting. It's worth stating upfront, however, that these aren't actually paninis. Instead, they're toasted sandwiches which have been run through a conveyor oven. Real paninis, of course, are cooked in a press, creating a compressed, melty interior and crispy, grilled exterior. In Wawa's case, the top piece of bread is pre-grilled — meaning the grill marks are present on the bread before the sandwich is assembled, though whether this involves any actual grilling is unclear — before the sandwich is heated.

All that said, Wawa's panini bread does have chewy, oily, and toasty qualities that make for a compelling sandwich. Be forewarned, however, that like many slices of bread that have been toasted, this bread can quickly go from warm and chewy to stale and dry. These sandwiches are best enjoyed immediately after they come out of the oven.

Wawa's toasting process doesn't make the sandwich particularly hot in the middle, though it does succeed in melting the cheese and adding a nice textural element. Another thing to consider here is that shredded lettuce is not a good choice for these paninis, as, unlike in hoagie roll pockets, this green easily spills all over the place. I would instead recommend spinach, if greens are desired.

In contrast to the tuna — the other mayonnaise-based "salad" here — Wawa's chicken salad is surprisingly tasty and compelling. The chicken flavor is notable and clean, the celery and lettuce offer a pleasant crunch, adding a feeling of freshness, and the saltiness of the bread even adds savory nuance.

There's too much mayonnaise, of course, but compared to the tuna, that's a minor critique. Like the tuna, when biting into a hoagie roll filled with chicken salad, it's hard to keep the filling inside the bread. Because of this, Wawa's chicken salad might actually work better on regular sandwich bread than on a hoagie roll.

The other interesting aspect of the chicken salad, which gives it extra complexity, is its subtle notes of spice. (To be clear, this is very much a minor background element, not a foreground flavor.) My best guess is that the inclusion of garlic and onion powder in the filling gives this more intrigue than I might have otherwise expected from Wawa chicken salad.

Admittedly, the turkey hoagie has been my go-to since I first started eating Wawa hoagies in the early 1990s. Biases aside, however, there's a reason this is such a classic. The turkey itself is mild in flavor, pleasantly savory without any of the off notes sometimes associated with sliced-far-too-long-ago cold cuts. The lettuce adds crunch without overwhelming the flavor, and while the tomato is nothing special, it brings a touch of juiciness and acidity. All told, this is a well-balanced and delicious sandwich.

As an interesting side note, the turkey hoagie I purchased for this review came on a roll that was notably stale. This, of course, has nothing to do with the turkey itself, and other sandwiches I purchased in the same order used perfectly fresh rolls. It was probably just an unlucky roll of the dice — perhaps a bun that was sitting on the top of the bin and thus more exposed to air, leftover from the last batch, or whatever. But it is interesting to point out that the roll's freshness — though unrelated to the quality of the ingredients within — plays a huge part in the overall success of any Wawa sandwich.

When hoagies first hit the Philadelphia food scene around 1930, Italian was the main game in town. One did not, for example, specify a turkey hoagie or a tuna hoagie, but rather the term referred specifically to a mixture of Italian meats, cheeses, and vegetables. As such, it should come as little surprise that Wawa's Italian hoagie is also the quintessential Wawa sandwich.

In this case, it's not just the history. This sandwich has more flavor than any of the other hoagies and is more interesting than any of the hot or specialty sandwiches. Though Wawa doesn't seem to specify exactly which meats it uses here, my best approximation — both looking online and at my hoagie — is that it's a combination of spicy ham, sometimes called capicola-style ham, and salami.

It's the spiciness and saltiness of these meats that work so well here, adding a depth and complexity that's difficult to find in the other sandwiches. It almost seemed like the Italian had more meat than the turkey, ham, or roast beef, making it more substantial, though this may have just been due to the increased flavor. To be clear, this isn't nearly as good as the best hoagies made in specialty shops in Philadelphia, but it's absolutely the best hoagie I tried from Wawa.