Here in Pittsburgh, we’re Sheetz people. The iconic gas station and convenience store has been fueling (and feeding) our side of the state (let’s not get into that Wawa debate right now), since its first location opened in Altoona in 1952. Now, with more than 700 locations across a handful of states, you can find their bright red signs pretty much anywhere you travel along the Eastern seaboard.
And, they offer pretty decent food. While a Sheetz sub probably isn’t going to win any awards (for our money, any signature sandwich from GetGo is tough to beat), their MTO (Made To Order) menu is fast and filling. Though the sandwich selection is actually pretty standard, there are a few standouts that should be on your must-try list. So in the interest of serious investigative journalism, we taste-tested all 13 sandwiches on Sheetz’s regular menu, ranking them from worst to best — all the while, preparing ourselves for the inevitable culinary discourse soon to follow.
Oh, I did not like this. I ordered scrambled egg, sausage and cheddar on a white roll, and it didn’t give me the option to toast it, which… honestly, felt like a personal attack. Just order the Shmiscuit, and call it a day.
12. Three Cheese
Please let me know if you have ordered this more than once — I would truly love to talk to you. What three cheeses did you order? What was appealing about three types of cold cheese on a sandwich? I know that if you’re a vegetarian, the choices at Sheetz are few and far between, but I’m sorry to say, this is not great. You deserve better.
11. Pepperoni
Why couldn’t this just be salami? Do you really want to order a pepperoni sandwich? Pepperoni to me is an accompaniment to a sandwich, not the main event, and nothing about this sandwich made me change my mind.
10. Grilled Chicken
This was fine. The chicken isn’t great, but I don’t know if you’re expecting really great chicken from Sheetz.
9. Veggie
I’m just not sure what you’re looking for when you’re ordering a veggie sandwich at Sheetz. It would be amazing if it had actual roasted vegetables on it, like roasted eggplant or roasted red peppers. But it doesn’t. You just … create your own sandwich using the toppings on the menu. The best I could do was get cooked onions and peppers, lettuce, tomato, mild peppers, jalapenos, and olives. It was filling, but kind of felt like going to a bar and eating all the cocktail garnishes instead of ordering actual food.
8. Meatball
I have mixed feelings about this. No, it’s not the best meatball I’ve ever had. But it’s decent. The sauce is okay. It’s a little on the sweet side, but not overly so. Get it toasted, with melted provolone and Parmsan, and literally no other toppings. I’m docking a few points because I was really hungry when I ordered this, but I couldn’t make myself finish it.
7. Chicken Tender Sub
It’s kind of hard to go wrong with a chicken tender sub, and Sheetz delivers. It’s a bear of a sandwich (especially if you load it up with cheddar, ranch, lettuce and tomatoes, like you should), but it’s super tasty. I mean, it would be difficult to put all those elements together, and not be tasty, so this is kind of a gimme, but we’ll give it to you, Sheetz! Solid order.
6. Club
I sent my husband out to get this sandwich, and when he came back, I was super pissed that there wasn’t bacon on it. I assumed it was his fault. Do you know why? Because according to Spend with Pennies (the top Google-ranked website that comes up when you type in ‘What is on a club sandwich?’), a club sandwich “is one of the most iconic sandwiches on any menu [with] layers of ham, bacon (emphasis mine) and turkey with juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and cheddar cheese.”
Alas, Sheetz must be going off of some other type of club sandwich playbook, because their club sandwich does not come with bacon — you can order it for an extra $1.19, which is highway robbery, and also kind of like ordering a Reuben and having to pay extra for the sauerkraut. The Sheetz club sandwich ordered as is comes with just ham and turkey, and it’s fine, but treat yourself and get the bacon. Throw on some mild peppers, too, for a much-needed kick.
5. Steak
Over the years, my Nana has lost a bit of her sense of taste, and so everything she prepares — red sauce, gravy, salad dressing —has been slowly getting sweeter and sweeter, until her stuffed peppers started to actually caramelize in the oven, on account of all the sugar she dumped on them (love you, Nana! I will miss those stuffed peppers someday, I know.).
This is the exact taste sensation that I got when eating this steak sandwich. It was like the meat was cooked in simple syrup? But I couldn’t stop eating it? I had a lot of questions while I was reporting this story, but the biggest one (circled three times in bold) was WHY IS THIS MEAT SO SWEET? I ordered my sandwich Philly-style, with provolone and cooked peppers and onions. And … it wasn’t good? But I ate the whole thing? And, I’ll order it again?
I like these because they’re blank canvas sandwiches. Let your imagination run wild. Turkey on wheat with habanero sauce and jalapenos? Go for it. Ham on a pretzel roll with honey mustard and caramelized onions? You do you. They’re interchangeable, and the perfect base for whatever you want. They also offer a Primo Turkey option on their ‘Eat Shmart’ (ha) low-calorie menu, with premium turkey, red wine vinegar, pepper, lettuce, tomato and Swiss, and it’s probably better than any combination I could have come up with on my own.
3. Grilled Cheese
This is a pretty solid grilled cheese. It’s made on grilled sourdough bread, with lots of butter and two types of cheese (cheddar and American for the most meltable). It’s not fancy, it’s not unique — you know what you’re going to get, and I like that about it.
2. Bacon
I’m always trying to find the perfect BLT, and guess what? This isn’t it! But it’s not bad at all. The bacon at Sheetz leaves a little something to be desired and the tomatoes aren’t vine-ripened perfect, but this sandwich does give you the essence of a BLT, when you’re not willing to make one yourself. The trick with this is that you’ve got to double the bacon to make the bacon-to-lettuce-and-tomato ratio more evenly matched, and don’t forget the extra mayo.
I don’t understand why I love this sandwich so much, even though I can’t identify all of the meats on it. (Also, Sheetz’s media department is not interested in helping me figure this out, and did not respond to requests for this article. I wonder why!).
I’m fairly certain that there’s ham on it, along with … some other type of ham? There’s also a meat that is trying really, really hard to be mortadella. But it somehow works! This is what you have to do to make this sandwich shine — and I seriously cannot emphasize enough how important it is to follow these steps entirely: Choose a white hoagie roll. Get it toasted (bread only). Add provolone (no other cheese will do). Add mayonnaise (yes, and I don’t want to hear about it). Add oil and vinegar. Add lettuce, tomato, and mild pepper rings. Add salt and pepper. Then, add pepperoni (it should be included, but I digress).
This is a killer sandwich. It’s better when it’s had a little time to marinate, so give yourself at least an hour before eating, if you can hold off that long.
