Bottom Line: The new Spicy Original from Schlotzsky’s kicks up the heat on a near-perfect deli sandwich.
Right about one year ago, I ventured over to Schlotzsky’s–one of my favorite sandwich shops–and ordered what I referred to as the Spicy Original. That was not an actual menu item at the time but consisted of my own menu hack that subbed in jalapeno cheese bread instead of sourdough and also added jalapenos to their original sandwich. It is not an uncommon order for me and it spices up what I consider the best deli sandwich available in the drive thru (you can read my review here).
The company’s social media account acknowledged my review at that time and even suggested that they should get the spicy original on the menu. Lo and behold, Schlotzsky’s now has a very similar version that is also called the “Spicy Original” and is available without the menu hacks. The only difference from my version is that the ingredients are sandwiched inside their new spicy sourdough bun instead of going with the jalapeno cheese bread and they added spicy mayo.
Of course, you know I had to make a trip to the nearest location and check this out. And I think these guys have a winner!
With the first bite, there is an immediate tang from the jalapenos–which are quite plentiful–and there’s some heat from that bread right away. It tastes very much like the typically awesome Schlotzsky’s sourdough, but with a bit of hot sauce tang thrown in. The meats are flavorful, of course, and they offer a generous portion. The variety of three cheeses—cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan—delivers some creaminess along with some sharpness. The spicy mayo is likely adding to the creaminess (and certainly to the heat), but it does not stand out too much among too much the other ingredients. The mustard acts as the perfect counterbalance with some good tang, and it is key to the signature taste of a Schlotzsky’s sandwich. The black olives bring some bitterness and earthiness and offer another key element to the sandwich. The veggies are fresh, with that red onion really coming through, though not to the point that it is overpowering. Such a good sandwich, and the heat kicks it to the next level.
You detect the burn with the first bite and it stays with you as you continue eating. I would put this above Medium on my scale and I believe the spicy bread kicks things up more than the jalapeno cheese bun I previously ordered. You are going to have to like spicy to enjoy this sandwich, though this is not something that will scorch your mouth. This is just one of those perfect moments when flavor meets fire and delivers a symphony of sensations for your taste buds. If you want to kick it up more, they have their brand of hot sauce that you can add for more tang and heat. But I am fine with the sandwich just as it is.
The Spicy Original comes in at 810 calories and they only appear to have it in medium size (they offer small and large on their other regular sandwiches). But that’s okay, because half of the medium is still rather filling and you can save the other half for the next day (through you will be tempted to finish the whole thing right away). If you do the split, you can even add their jalapeno chips which come up to only 220 cals for a bag (you can read more about those in my previous review). Note that they do not give a full breakout of the nutrition for the sandwich at the website, but it should be similar to the Original (though the spicy version comes in at 50 cals less than the medium version of that one).
The sandwich runs $8.59 in my area, and a combo with chips and a drink bumps that up to about twelve bucks. If you are splitting that across two meals, that is still affordable. And they also have a Spicy Chicken and Bacon Pizza as well as a Spicy Sausage and Peppers Calzone, both using variations of the spicy bread. I will have to give those a try, though these are visiting from Limited-Time-Only-Ville, so I am not sure how long they will stick around. Hopefully, at least the sandwich will become a permanent item at the stores, but I always have my menu hack version in case it goes away.