The latest American food brand to make the leap across the Atlantic is one that US sandwich fans have been waiting for: Jersey Mike’s is coming to the UK.
After more than 70 years of serving up its famous subs across America, the Jersey Shore-born brand will open its first ever UK restaurant on Argyll Street in London’s West End in late autumn 2026, giving Brits their first chance to try the sandwich chain that has become a fixture of American high streets.
And London won’t have to wait long for more. Three further Jersey Mike’s restaurants in central London will follow shortly after the Argyll Street opening, marking the beginning of a major UK rollout and bringing the brand’s famous fresh-sliced and grilled subs to even more of the capital.
If you’ve travelled to the US, chances are you may already know Jersey Mike’s. If not, you’re about to.
Founded in 1956 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Jersey Mike’s began life as a neighbourhood sandwich shop serving up East Coast style subs. Today, it has grown into an American institution, with more than 3,300 locations across the US and Canada and a fiercely loyal following.
So, what makes a Jersey Mike’s sub worth the transatlantic trip?
For starters, the meats and cheeses are sliced fresh to order, right in front of you. Vegetables are prepared fresh and bread is baked throughout the day. Then comes the finishing touch that Jersey Mike’s customers know all too well: ‘the juice’ – a combination of red wine vinegar and oil blend that gets splashed over the sub before it’s wrapped up.
There’s also Mike’s Way: onions, lettuce and tomatoes, finished with oil blend, red wine vinegar and spices. It’s the classic Jersey Mike’s order and, for many regulars, the only way to do it.
That focus on freshness and preparation has been at the heart of the brand since day one. Jersey Mike’s has built its reputation on making subs to order rather than taking shortcuts, a philosophy summed up in its famous tagline: “A Sub Above.”
And it’s not just everyday sandwich fans who are obsessed. Jersey Mike’s has become a favourite among the stars too, with Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwarzenegger and sports star Eli Manning all being Jersey Mike’s regulars.
But behind the sandwiches is a story that is quintessentially American.
Founder and Chairman Peter Cancro started working at the original shop when he was just 14 years old. Three years later, aged just 17, he bought the business, turning the neighbourhood sandwich shop he had grown up around into the brand it is today.
What began as one small sandwich shop on the Jersey Shore has since grown into one of America’s biggest sandwich brands, while retaining the principles that made the original special: quality ingredients, subs made properly and treating customers like regulars.
Now, more than 70 years after the first shop opened, Peter himself is bringing Jersey Mike’s to Britain.
And the timing couldn’t be better. The UK has become increasingly obsessed with American food culture, from travelling across the Atlantic to seek out the restaurants they’ve seen on social media, to lining up when their favourite US brands finally make the journey over. For the first time, fans won’t need a flight to New York, New Jersey or anywhere else in the States to get their hands on Jersey Mike’s as it becomes the latest American name to land in Britain.
The first UK restaurant will open on Argyll Street, just moments from Oxford Circus, putting Jersey Mike’s in the heart of the West End and one of London’s busiest destinations.
And this is just the beginning.
The Argyll Street opening will be followed shortly by three more central London restaurants, before Jersey Mike’s begins a wider expansion across the UK and Ireland. The brand has ambitions to open hundreds more restaurants, signalling an enterprising new chapter for the company and an exciting arrival for the UK’s fast casual food scene.
Peter Cancro, Founder and Chairman of Jersey Mike’s Subs, said: “Jersey Mike’s has always been about making a great sub, taking care of our customers and giving back to the communities we’re part of. I’m incredibly excited to bring that same spirit to the UK. We’ve spent decades building this brand in America, and now we’re ready to introduce a whole new audience to what we mean when we say ‘a Sub Above’.”
This year, Jersey Mike’s Subs has been named America’s highest-rated fast-food chain for customer satisfaction, in the 2026 American Customer Satisfaction Index, and was ranked #1 by Entrepreneur’s Top 500 Franchises.
For a brand that has spent seven decades perfecting the American sub, the wait is finally almost over.
Britain, meet Jersey Mike’s. And yes, there will be juice!
