Review: Subway's New Hot Honey Subs Are Solid But Nothing Special

The hot honey trend has been making waves in the food world for some time, and now the country's largest sandwich chain is getting in on the action. Subway is debuting its new Hot Honey sauce with two specialty subs: the Hot Honey Pepperoni and the Hot Honey Chicken. While Hot Honey sauce can now be added to any Subway sandwich, the two new menu items are specially designed to show off that special sweet heat.

The Hot Honey Pepperoni features layers of pepperoni, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions on toasted Italian Herbs and Cheese bread, all drizzled with sweet and spicy Hot Honey sauce. The Hot Honey Chicken opts for rotisserie-style chicken and melted Monterey Cheddar, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions on Artisan Italian bread. The sub is then drizzled with both Hot Honey sauce and Creamy Sriracha before being finished with some SubKrunch for a little extra texture.

Subway invited me to try both new subs before its March 27, 2025 release. I also ordered the sauce on one of Subway's classic menu items to test the viability of the flavor outside of the specialty sandwiches. This isn't the first time Subway has added heat to its subs, so read on to find out whether its latest effort is a sweet treat or a spicy swing and a miss.

The Hot Honey Pepperoni, like its Hot Chicken counterpart, is toasted, and I think the toasted element might be key to the Hot Honey Sauce, but more on that in a minute. First, let's break down this sub. It's pretty simple by sandwich standards, with a single meat and cheese accompanied by a few standard veggies. The Hot Honey is the only sauce on this one, and it works well.

The sweet and spicy elements both pair nicely with the rich, salty pepperoni. Provolone cheese is an excellent choice here, as the smokiness gave me wood-fired pizza vibes. The veggies do a nice job of adding some freshness, and while I ordered the subs as recommended, there's no reason you can't toss in your favorite additional toppings.

The one knock on this sub is the lack of meat. The pepperoni is good, but it feels like an incomplete creation. Thankfully, I have a solution to this problem a little further down in this article.

Now, this is a well-rounded sandwich. Rotisserie chicken, Monterey Cheddar, and the normal veggie trio — lettuce, tomato, and red onion — are joined by not only the Hot Honey but also Subway's Creamy Sriracha and SubKrunch topping to create a sandwich rich in flavors and textures. While the Hot Honey gets top billing, this is an ensemble cast at work.

The chicken is tender, moist, and plentiful. The melted Monterey Cheddar is good but doesn't stand out; I'd suggest subbing in the smokier provolone here. The real show stealers are the duo of sauces with the SubKrunch. The mixture of the Hot Honey and Creamy Sriracha is perfect. Both sauces contribute a bit of heat, while the sweet and creamy combination plays well in contrast to the salty crunch of the SubKrunch topping.

Of the two new subs, the Hot Honey Chicken is the better overall experience, but the Hot Honey sauce pairs best with pepperoni. Both subs are good, but pulling elements from each might be the best way to unlock the potential of the Hot Honey sauce and create the perfect swicy sub. Thankfully, I know just what combination is needed.

Alone, Subway's Hot Honey is nothing to write home about. It's thin, which makes any sandwich featuring it messy. The spice levels are moderate to low — depending on your tolerance — and come from cayenne and habanero pepper powder alongside spices like garlic, onion, and cloves. The sweetness is obvious — it is honey, after all — but if I were handed a cup of it alongside some chicken tenders, I wouldn't be dying to use it as a dipping sauce. It's fine but not quite worthy of a solo spotlight, hence the need for a proper sandwich vehicle.

Both the Hot Pepperoni and Hot Chicken are tasty, but let's Frankenstein them together for something even greater. I tried the Hot Honey on my go-to Subway order: the Ultimate B.M.T. This sub features Genoa salami, pepperoni, and Black Forest ham alongside provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and a Parmesan vinaigrette. In the interest of focusing on the Hot Honey, I skipped the vinaigrette and ordered this sub cold to provide contrast against the toasted sandwiches. The result was a perfectly good sub that clarified the best use of the Hot Honey.

Next time, I'll order the B.M.T. and add both Hot Honey and Creamy Sriracha along with the SubKrunch. Then I'll get this sub toasted. The smoky provolone and spicy pepperoni of the Hot Pepperoni can join forces with the saucy-crunchy profile from the Hot Chicken to provide the perfect sandwich to feature the Hot Honey sauce.

Subway's foray into hot honey is a successful, if unnecessary, one. There are better places to enjoy the sweet heat than a sub sandwich, but that doesn't mean it's without possibilities. I enjoyed the Hot Honey Chicken largely because it felt like the best execution of the sauce, which is to say that Hot Honey wasn't front and center of the flavor profile. The Hot Pepperoni brought the sauce to the forefront but lacked the bulk to make it feel like a complete sandwich. There's undeniable potential to the sauce, but it might be best to play around and find your favorite combination of sweet and heat.

Subway is 100% franchised, so pricing varies location to location, but I got my 6-inch Hot Honey Chicken for $7.89 and a 6-inch Hot Honey Pepperoni for $6.19. For a limited time, Hot Honey Pepperoni is Subway's Thursday Meal of the Day. Through this deal, you can get a 6-inch Hot Honey Pepperoni along with a choice of chips or cookies, and a fountain drink for $6.99, or upgrade to a footlong for $9.99 at participating locations only. These sandwiches, along with the Hot Honey sauce, are only available for a limited time. 

Subway reached out to Mashed and offered a tasting sample of the new sandwiches and Hot Honey sauce prior to their nationwide release. I picked up the sandwiches and a sauce sample from my local restaurant and brought everything home to photograph and taste. Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

My evaluations were based on a number of factors. For the sauce, I focused on the ratio of sweet-to-spicy, texture, and how well the sauce integrated into a standard menu item. The specialty subs were evaluated on overall cohesion, taste, and how well they featured the Hot Honey sauce. All opinions are my own. Mashed was not compensated in any way for this review.