by Bottom Line: The Doritos Footlong Steak Nachos have some assembly issues and don’t bring much heat, but they may satisfy your munchies.
Subway is one of the largest fast-food chains in the world, at one point having more locations than McDonald’s (but COVID and other economic factors bumped them back down a notch or two). Subway is also well known for the many sandwiches it offers like footlongs, toasted, low-fat, low-calorie, extra meat, veggie, and more. So I stopped by a location near me the other day and ordered some . . . nachos?
Yes indeed, Subway may be best known for its sammies, but recently it has been selling a lot of footlong snacks like pretzels, cheese dippers, and cookies, and they decided to add nachos to that list. Here’s what those come with: your choice of rotisserie-style chicken or steak along with Doritos® Nacho Cheese flavored chips, Cheddar Cheese sauce, shredded Monterey cheddar cheese, jalapeño slices, diced tomatoes, red onions, and zesty Baja Chipotle sauce. I opted for the steak because I have been eating a lot of chicken lately (the restaurant industry seems to think that is the only protein that can be spiced up).
When I got my order, it didn’t seem as “piled high” as they promise in their marketing, but it was still a decent portion. Right away, you get plenty of creaminess from the combination of the cheese sauce, shredded cheese, and Baja Chipotle sauce. There is also some smokiness from the latter, along with a bit of tang. The jalapeños add a nice pickle pucker with a pop of heat. The steak is rather sparse and does not really stand out (and some bites are chewy), but it adds some beefiness. The tomatoes and onions are fresh enough and go well with the nachos, though the latter does leave you with a rather strong aftertaste. These nachos are also kind of heavy on the salt, but not to the point of being overbearing.
As for the heat, the bites with jalapeños bring some burn, getting them a little above Mild on my scale. Those without have very little kick, though, as that Baja Chipotle sauce does not add much heat. Next time I will ask for extra jalapeños and that should amp up the burn.
Now, let’s talk about the construction of these, which has some challenges. The nachos are rather messy and not the easiest to eat, either with your hands or with a fork. They do toast them before adding the vegetables, but the heat does not last long, and they are cold by the time you finish them. If you get these to go, expect to have a box of cold nachos by the time you reach your destination. Still, I did rather enjoy them as a quick nosh, and I would get them again. I will just plan on eating them there at the store.
Calorie-wise, these come up to 600 cals for an order of the steak nachos and 590 cals for the chicken nachos (I do not see a further breakdown on the nutrition). That’s not bad for a fast-food item these days, though they did not seem quite as filling as a sandwich and I was a bit peckish an hour after eating them. Next time I will ask them to pile on more veggies, though that will cool them down that much quicker.
These sell for five bucks an order, and that is a heck of a deal for the drive-thru these days. Of course, this is a limited-time item, but they have everything in the store needed to make them. They just break open an individual-sized bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, and all of the other items are at the sandwich bar. So you may still be able to get these once the special is over—just don’t expect to pay only five bucks!
