Jon Smith Subs — Restaurant in Madison

My New Favorite Sub Shop!! Highly Recommended!!

I stopped by right at closing [unknowingly] the Saturday before Super Bowl to pickup a sub for the big game. The owner and entire staff were super accommodating (especially with my last minute arrival) -- they actually unlocked the door for me and waved me in!! Although I knew they were known for their hot 'bomb' subs, I went with the Italian since it was going in the fridge for the night. I also got an order of fries to snack on that night as I'd heard they were very good. I had a nice conversation with the owner about where they had originated (I had never heard of the franchise), how they came to open in this particular location, and how they were really focused on fresh high-quality ingredients: cooking the bread and slicing the meats all in-house ... as well as providing a great customer experience. I mentioned that I had spent time in Philly years ago, so it was tough for me to find a comparable cheesesteak-ish sub since ... and he just smiled and said to come back and try one of the bombs and I shouldn't be disappointed.

I was impressed with the heft of the sandwich as I put it into the fridge for the night, and immediately dug into the fries. I can truly verify all the raves about the fries: nice and crispy, perfectly seasoned ... and here is something I do not throw out there lightly: right up there with those golden-arch fries, which many (including me) consider to be among the best tasting anywhere!! With the fries setting the bar high, I was looking forward to chowing down on the sub the next day!

The owner mentioned that his family discovered that warming up their cold subs (specifically the Italian) in an air fryer had great results: warming/crisping the bread perfectly, while also warming up the meats inside the roll. I'd generally warmed up cold/leftover subs in the oven or even the microwave when in a hurry -- but let me tell you: the air fryer is absolutely the way to go! Exactly as he had mentioned! I took off the lettuce and tomatoes first, and pre-heated the air fryer to 350, and 5 minutes later was one of the best Italian subs I've ever had. By comparison, I regularly get Jersey Mike's, Publix, and less frequent of late Subway and Stanlieo's -- also it's been a while, but Lenny's and Jimmy Johns as well. The John Smith's Italian was right up there (if not atop) with the best of them -- lots of fresh and tasty ingredients, with great tasting and textured bread.

I will definitely return to try their steak bomb and grab another order of fries, and John Smith's Subs will move to the top of my sub craving list!!

Great food, outstanding and friendly service, and comparable prices for such fresh and high quality products. Highly...

Edit:12/3/23 - This place has a GREAT owner! He reached out to me and we discussed what happened. He explained the private event and was very apologetic. He also made some changes it appears. I have been back and back and back and back, well you get the point. The food is unbelievable guuuuuuuddddddd and the service is great as well. I will continue to eat here as.lpng as the food is good with great service and atmosphere. Again 180° from my original post. 2 thumbs up!! 👍👍

Original Post: Food is amazing atmosphere is totally opposite. I have been twice, first time it was like no one in the place wanted to be there. Second time was walking in the door of the restaurant and was stopped by 3 people saying they were closed. Come to find out the entire restaurant was closed for 2 days for a private event. The way we were informed at the door by those 3 was extremely rude. I love great food, but I can not stand pitiful and rude service. I had rather eat good to average food with great service than amazing food with no service or service with an attitude and don't want to be there. Needless to say, I along with quite a few others, will not go back to this place. Hope this review helps those look for great service while dining. Thanks and have a...

Update: This sub restaurant has become one of my regular go-to lunch spots. My favorite sub is the Steak Cajun. I almost never order fries in restaurants as they can tend to be hit or miss on the temperature and consistency (I also try to eat healthy as well) but I can never pass on the fries here. I love them! They ALWAYS come out HOT since they are cooked to order, crispy, and perfectly salted.

The employees I've interacted with and management are some of the nicest, and genuinely friendly folks I've come across. Many of them have gone out of their way, unasked, to make sure I had a good experience.

I appreciate the calorie counts on the menu as it makes it easy to monitor my intake. Many of the calorie counts are comparatively lower than competing sub restaurants so if you're looking to cut a few calories without sacrificing food quality and flavor, this could be a...