The BLT isn’t the most exciting or innovative sandwich on a menu, but if done right, it can be the most delicious. Imagine this: Thick-cut, tasty strips of crispy bacon, layered with juicy, perfectly ripe-off-the-vine slices of tomato, and fresh leaves of lettuce, atop toasted, fresh bread, perhaps with a slather of mayo. Not every BLT is equal in deliciousness. Here are 7 chains that serve the best BLT sandwiches.
Panera Bread
Panera Bread
Panera doesn’t offer a traditional BLT, but serves a modern take with a basil twist. The Tomato Basil BLT is currently on the menu. “Applewood smoked bacon with crisp mixed greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, mayo, salt and pepper on our Tomato Basil Miche,” it reads.
Corner Bakery Café
Corner Bakery Cafe is praised for its BBLT, a take on the classic but with a little added balsamic. It consists of bacon, tomato, lettuce, black pepper, and balsamic aioli on white toast.
Jimmy John’s
Jimmy John’s
Over at Jimmy John’s, the JJBLT is a popular sub. “Our take on a classic BLT sandwich! Made with applewood smoked bacon, the J.J.B.L.T.® comes topped with Hellmann’s® mayo, fresh-sliced lettuce and tomato,” the chain writes. “Big, large and tasty,” writes a Redditor.
IHOP
IHOP
IHOP serves a no-frills, crispy bacon BLT. It has hickory-smoked bacon, lettuce, and tomato, and is served with mayo on toasted white bread.
Jersey Mike’s
Jersey Mike’s
Jersey Mike’s BLT is a favorite at the sub shop. “The BLT was added to the Jersey Mike’s menu in the mid-90’s and has earned its spot at #1. Served with freshly grilled Applewood smoked bacon, shredded iceberg lettuce and perfectly ripened tomatoes, try it Mike’s Way for that extra and unexpected zing you’ve been missing,” it says.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery takes its BLT seriously. The Big Bacon BLT is stacked with five strips of crisp applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on white or whole wheat toast. It is served with fries or a cup of soup.
Friendly’s
Friendly’s Restaurants
Our reviewer was a fan of Friendly’s bare-bones BLT, made with applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on toasted sourdough, which was “just thick enough, and toasted to a buttery golden-brown. There is clearly a generous portion of crispy-crunchy bacon, as well as fresh lettuce leaves, juicy tomatoes, and a smear of mayo that exhibited restraint,” he said.