Hoagies, anyone? Vegan hoagie, that is.
Hoagie is one of everyone’s go-to meals. It’s delicious and filled with nutrients that we all want to have. But when was the last time you held one? Is Primo Hoagies the answer?
Primo Hoagies is known for its Philadelphia-style hoagies that have been making huge waves since the restaurant’s inception. Its Italian Hoagie is the most popular hoagie the chain serves, and its Genoa salami and Hot Capicola. These are meat-based, but it’s possible to make your hoagies at Primo vegan-friendly.
Are you a hoagies fan? Don’t go somewhere else. Let’s find out what Primo Hoagies can offer to vegans like you… like us!
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Primo Hoagies, Old Fashioned Italian Specialty Sandwiches
Entrepreneurs Richard and Colleen Neigre, in July 1992, opened the first Primo Hoagies at Ritner Street in South Philadelphia. Ten years later, the restaurant was franchised and continues to produce quality Italian sandwiches.
Primo Hoagies’ sandwiches have made it to different food festivals in the U.S., including Philadelphia Cheesesteak & Food Festival.
To this date, Primo Hoagies already has almost 90 locations in the U.S. with more than 300 employees. The restaurant also offers catering and is open to franchises.
What Is A Hoagie?
A hoagie is a common name for Submarine Sandwich. It’s also known as Sub, Hero, Italian Sandwich, Grinder, Wedge, and Spuckie. It is said that there are about 13 different names for the submarine sandwich in the U.S.
The term submarine was coined with the name sandwich after the bread roll’s shape, similar to the submarine itself. Some accounts said it originated in the U.S. Navy site in New London, CT, where the primary submarine was based during World War II.
Another theory also suggests that Italian immigrant Dominic Conti named it a submarine sandwich when he saw the recovered 1901 submarine, Fenian Ram, in 1928 in the Paterson Museum of New Jersey. When Conti moved to New Jersey in 1895, he went on selling his own Italian sandwich made with a long crust roll. His sandwich was filled with cheese on both sides to ensure that the bread didn’t get soggy.
Hoagies are hot or cold sandwiches filled with cheese, meat, veggies, and other condiments in a cylindrical bread roll. The term Hoagies originated in Philadelphia, where the World War I-era shipyard known as Hog Island was located.
At that time, sandwiches filled with cheese, meat, and lettuce were introduced. It was originally named the Hog Island Sandwich, which was shortened to Hoggies but later changed to Hoagies.
Today, hoagies have been popular among restaurant chains, including Primo Hoagies.
Vegan Options At Primo Hoagies
While Primo Hoagies serves meat-based submarine sandwiches or hoagies, vegan options are also possible. A good rule of thumb is always to check with the crew about what you can get that fits your vegan diet.
Since Primo Hoagies isn’t a vegan restaurant, cross-contamination is possible, especially since the kitchen utensils are shared. However, you can talk to one of their people to ensure that you have the best time of your life at their restaurant. Ha!
Let’s take a peek at their menu to see what vegan options we can have.
- Veggie Diablo
- This is served in a long crust roll filled with eggplant, long hot peppers, a spicy blend of different spices, and sharp provolone with broccoli rabe. Of course, you can skip the sharp provolone.
- Nonna’s Veggies
- Here’s another veggie option at Primo Hoagies served in its typical long roll and packed with eggplant, roasted red peppers, and sharp provolone with broccoli rabe. As usual, you can skip the sharp provolone and ask for broccoli rabe alone instead.
- Sides
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Olive Shooters
That’s it. The rest of the menu is all meat and cheese-filled. Veggie Diablo and Nonna’s Veggies are the only options you can have, which can request to skip the cheese and go for a veggie-filled sandwich instead.
Top Restaurants That Serve Vegan Sandwiches
Veganism in the U.S. has been hustling and has called for vegan sandwiches. Luckily, many restaurants have joined the bandwagon.
Today, there are many restaurants and small food shops that offer vegan-friendly sandwiches. They’re actually everywhere in the U.S., and it’s easy to find them. Let me help you, though!
Here’s what I suggest. Visit one of these locations if you’re visiting one of the states in America.
- Melt in Lakewood and Cleveland Heights, OH
- Ask for its The Kindergarten sandwich
- Strange Matter in Richmond, VA
- Their The Revenge sandwich is definitely one for the books!
- The Remedy Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Don’t miss having their Tempeh Tantrum sandwich.
- Marie Catrib’s in Grand Rapids, MI
- Their mouthwatering Sweet Potato & Quinoa Burger is to die for!
- Sugar Plum Vegan in Sacramento, CA
- Always ask for their Garnet Yam & Avocado Panini. Trust me, it’s worth your time and budget!
- Blossom Du Jour in NYC
- Try their Midtown Melt.
- Devine Pastabilities in San Diego, CA
- Their signature Torpasta Veggieball is a taste of heaven.
- Vita Cafe in Portland, OR
- Order their Sloppy Biscuit Sandwich with tofu and vegan cheese.
- Seabirds Kitchen’s Porque Maria in Costa Mesa and Long Beach, CA
- Don’t miss having their vegan Monte Cristo sandwich!
- The Herbivorous Butcher’s Italian Cold Cut Sandwich in Minneapolis, MN
- Ask for their Italian Sub packed with vegan capicola, pepperoni, pastrami, and more!
There are still a lot of vegan spots in the U.S. that offer delicious vegan hoagies or sandwiches. There’s Cornbread Cafe’s Eugenewich, Freesoul Caffe’s Panini Portobello, and Kindred’s Fried Chicken Sandwich. They’re located in Eugene, OR, Tustin, CA, and New Orleans, LA respectively.
This means that you’re not gonna be too sad about Primo Hoagies, which offers meat-based subs with very few vegan options. Those restaurants above will give you an easier time since their offerings are already vegan-friendly. Just don’t miss getting the ones I highlighted because they’re worth your time and money!
Vegan Sandwich Vs Meat-Filled Sandwich
Since we’ve checked on Primo Hoagies as well as the top vegan restaurants that serve vegan hoagies or sandwiches, it’s also worth checking out what you can get from them. Calories, fat, and sodium are the three most important things that we need to keep track of.
Let’s check the standard figures below.
| Vegan Sandwich (85 g) | Meat-Filled Sandwich (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Calories: 420 | Calories: 812 |
| Total Fat: 18 g | Total Fat: 46 g |
| Cholesterol: 100 mg | Cholesterol: 164 mg |
| Sodium: 768 mg | Sodium: 1400 mg |
| Total Carbs: 21 g | Total Carbs: 41 g |
| Protein: 25 g | Protein: 53 g |
Do you notice the difference? A vegan sandwich has lesser calories, total fat, cholesterol, total carbs, and protein. This means that you also have lesser time to burn those calories and work out on those fat, carbs, and cholesterol.
However, a vegan sandwich offers high sodium content than a meat-filled sandwich. Why? This is due to its meaty flavoring that needs to be achieved by adding more seasonings and salt.
According to the USDA, you can limit your sodium intake to 2,300 mg daily to avoid any adverse health effects in the future. With that being said, you can limit yourself from eating at least only one vegan sandwich a day and balance it out by piling up on more veggies and fruits.
Fruits like berries, cherries, apples, and citrus fruits are packed with flavonoids. Green leafy vegetables, soybeans, onions, red cabbage, and more are also rich in flavonoids. Consider having more of them with your vegan sandwich for a healthier meal.
Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are also important to balance the sodium content in your vegan sandwich or any other vegan meat dishes. Pineapples, avocados, beans, broccoli, green peas, and bananas are just among the fruits and veggies that are loaded with fiber.
Always consider doing this for your vegan meat dishes to ensure that you’re keeping all sides of things healthy. Too much sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure, which causes strokes and heart diseases, kidney problems, and certain types of cancer.
Thinking about these life-threatening diseases is just too heavy to consider. So, it’s important to balance everything, especially when it’s about food and lifestyle.
But don’t lower your sodium intake that much. You will need at least 500 mg of sodium daily to help the movements of your muscles and nerves properly. It will also help balance the water and minerals that your body takes on a daily basis.
The Takeaway
Primo Hoagies isn’t a vegan-friendly restaurant, but it offers meatless hoagies with cheese, which is something you can skip when you find yourself at one of their locations. Their Nonna’s Veggies and Veggie Diable are the only two options you can have.
But on the bright side, there are many vegan restaurants where you don’t worry about eating cross-contaminated sandwiches accidentally. The ones on the list above are helpful for your vegan journey.
Also, you can check this article that I wrote about Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, which offers Portobello Sandwich. Let’s go, vegans!