$5 subs on Queens Quay: Round one

Quiznos on the left and Subway on the right.

Okay, as we promised earlier this week, we would review the submarine price wars going on. Since Mr. Sub is still charging more than $5 (although they just put out a new sign offering a free drink) we thought we'd do a little head to head between Subway and Quiznos.

Both subs cost $5.65 after taxes. We'll do this in two rounds. First is the beauty round, second will all be about taste.

The contenders

Quiznos: Yes, we're well aware Quiznos is the new guy in town. They're a recent entry into the sub market here in Toronto and we've always been a little bit hesitant to drop too much money on these sandwiches. What is known is that they toast their bread, have fancy types of breads, and skew toward the gourmet crowd.

Subway: Mr. Sub is a Canadian original so Subway is that big U.S. export. They make the sub in front of you and bake the bread in house. That used to be the big perception about them. Then they became the place you ate when you wanted to lose weight, a la Jared. Now, it's a staple submarine joint in our fair city.

The sandwiches
Quiznos: 5 meat stack. Turkey, ham, genoa salami, pepperoni, spicy capicola, cheddar, mayo, lettuce, tomato and smokey mustard
"We backed up the meat truck on this one"

Nutritional:  1190 calories, 620 from fat (68 grams), 3510 mg sodium

Subway: Cold cut combo. Turkey, bologna, turkey ham and turkey salami. (With fat free honey mustard)

Nutritional: 1000 calories (sandwich 920 calories), 440 from fat (23 grams), 2860 mg sodium.

Winner? Hm, this is a hard one. In recessionary times, maybe the higher caloric value in Quiznos is what you want. If you're having this for dinner, beware both sandwiches as they do pack in the calories. Hint, add a lot of veggies cause this is all you'll eat!

Weigh in (using digital scale):

Quiznos: 415 grams or 14.5 ounces

Subway: 475 grams or 16.75 ounces (that's right more than a pound)

Winner? Subway for amount of food you get and Quiznos if you're trying to go 'light'.

Beauty shot:

Quiznos

Quiznos: Sesame makes it looks kinda pretty, as is the way they cut the bread. It's also cut well for toasting so it looks actually very appetizing. Crust is set and the bread is nice and soft.

Subway

Subway: This bread (white) was toasted but you can see the wrinkling on it. Because it's oversauced a bit, it's looking a little, we'll, ugly.

Next, the taste test