Subway's Doritos Footlong Nachos Review: Don't Sleep On This Creative New Menu Item

Yahoo

03-04-2025

Subway was primarily a sandwich shop for most of its existence, but in order to keep up with the Joneses, as well as lure in new and younger customers, the chain has been thinking, re-thinking, and delivering beyond meat, veggies and condiments. Footlongs used to simply be the size of a sandwich, but now Subway has been using that unit of measurement to feed guests with its relatively new Sidekicks Menu. That menu has featured the likes of footlong pretzels, churros, and girthy cookies. Well, as 2024 was drawing to a close, Subway started testing in parts of the U.S. (which has a ridiculous amount of locations) and Canada a new twist on a familiar snack, with a famous chip brand on board for the fun — Doritos Footlong Nachos. Fans who couldn't get their hands on these nachos could only imagine the possibilities.
We're well into 2025 and the test results must have been good enough that now the rest of America can order their own helping of Doritos Footlong Nachos. It seems nachos made out of Doritos is a no-brainer genius idea to begin with, as Frito-Lay has suggested cheesy and beefy recipes featuring its signature triangular chip. But what happens when that idea is dressed up in reality with the ingredients on hand at Subway. Are these Subway Doritos Footlong Nachos a nach-woah or more like a nach-no? The Takeout took in this new Doritos nachos collaboration to see where the actual truth lies.
Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.
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Subway and Doritos are teaming up for a limited time run of a new product called Doritos Footlong Nachos. These Nachos begin with a bed of Nacho Cheese Doritos, which is smothered with Subway Cheddar Cheese sauce, Monterey cheddar cheese, and then topped with spicy jalapeños, diced tomatoes and red onions, and then completed with zesty Baja Chipotle sauce. There are variations of the Doritos Footlong Nachos, where they can be topped even further with classic Subway veggies and cheese, or​ add on rotisserie-style chicken or steak. Smashed avocado is an additional option, as well.
In a statement, Paul Fabre, Senior Vice President, Culinary and Innovation at Subway said, "Subway's newest partnership takes everything our fans love about Subway sandwiches -- from quality veggies, proteins and tasty toppings -- to the next level with the cheesy flavor and iconic crunch of Doritos." He added, "Whether you're in the mood for a snack, pairing them with your favorite sub or sharing with friends, Subway and Doritos are serving up even more flavor in every satisfying bite."
Subway's Doritos Footlong Nachos officially hit participating nationwide locations starting April 3, 2025. They will remain in store for a limited time only. The three variations of nachos retail for the suggested price of $5, although the price may vary per location, and may be higher when ordered for delivery. Guests can add the rotisserie-style chicken or steak at no extra charge, but the option to add a scoop of smashed avocado comes at an additional cost. At the Manhattan location I purchased these at, the steak and chicken ones set me back $7 a piece, and the veggie version costs $6, but the added smashed avocado tacked on another $1.50.
The nachos can be found under the Snacks, Sides, & Desserts submenu. They can be ordered in-store at the counter, or in advance using Subway's app or website, during usual business hours, while supplies last. The nachos are completely customizable to remove standard given ingredients, or even add ones that don't come standard.
A single serving of Doritos Footlong Nachos is 171 grams and nets 550 calories, 39 total grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 980 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of protein, 38 grams of total carbohydrates, including 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 4 grams of sugar. The nachos with chicken weighs in at 205 grams and nets 590 calories, 41 total grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1180 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of protein, 38 grams of total carbohydrates, including 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 4 grams of sugar.
The nachos with steak also weighs in at 205 grams and nets 600 calories, 41 total grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1200 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of protein, 39 grams of total carbohydrates, including 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 5 grams of sugar. The nachos with smashed avocado weighs in at 206 grams and nets 600 calories, 44 total grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 980 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of protein, 41 grams of total carbohydrates, including 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 5 grams of sugar.
My Subway Nachos artist started working on the chicken version first. I admired how it was all put together, at a safe distance behind the sneeze guard, as a bag of Doritos were pulled open and splayed in a footlong paper basket. The chicken and cheesy elements were then added to this bed of Doritos, and then warmed up for 25 seconds in the quick oven. While that was happening, the employee took slices of tomatoes and pieces of onion and chopped them up right then and there, and then added them to the Nachos when they came out of that oven.
After the final sauce was applied, I was looking at a well organized mess. The white of the chicken contrasted a little within the sea of orange elements, but it all looked surprisingly very appetizing. It also had an appealing smell, where the nacho cheese flavoring of Doritos rang through, as well as the Baja Chipotle sauce.
Before I took a single bite, I was impressed right off that bat at how firm and stable the nachos were. The Doritos didn't bend or turn into mushy slop, having to hold the weight of all those other ingredients on top. And when I was actually ready to taste, the Doritos triangle served as an excellent vehicle to bring it all to my mouth. I was instantly smitten with its taste. True to its billing, the chicken, while a little too finely pulled for my tastes, still had a nice salty rotisserie-style flavoring to it. It meshed quite well with the confluences of cheeses, sauce, and even the vegetables, which were sort of just hanging around quietly in the background. So far so great.
The next Doritos Footlong Nachos interaction I tried was the one with bits of steak strewn about. This is the same very steak that has been long featured in Subway's standard steak & cheese sandwich, and one I personally have not come in contact with since my own days as a Subway Sandwich Artist in the latter part of the 20th century. The brown bits of beef created a much more attractive picture with these nachos, as they added a nice visual contrast with the oranges.
Before I took on the nachos as a whole, I wanted to get reacquainted with the steak. It's rather thin, flimsy, and in a way, looks like roast beef, if it was roasted a little longer. Its taste is nothing special, with no strong sense of seasoning, but it still had a passable beefiness. In this set of Nachos, the beef didn't really add to the overall flavor, which didn't really come a shock. However, it excelled here as an added texture. Its chewy meaty texture was a good addition to add variety, alongside the classic crunch of Doritos, the gooeyness of the yummy cheese, the fluidity of that winning Baja Chipotle sauce, and the slitheriness of the veggies.
The steak and chicken versions of the Doritos Footlong Nachos seemed most poised to hog the spotlight in this new Subway collaboration. Not to be overlooked is the meat-free version, which I opted to have outfitted with smashed avocado. That avocado was hanging around in a plastic pouch, and when called upon, was squeezed into a snake-like form that reminded me of a vibrant pea-green version of the Auryn medallion that the Childlike Empress sported in "The Neverending Story" movie. As a complete footlong, these nachos resembled what everyday nachos look like, and if somehow solidified in place forever, could pass as some sort of championship wrestling belt of a luchador.
With no meat in sight, the veggies physically stood out, and also dominated the nachos' flavoring as well. Subway's veggies are pretty average to begin with, even with the onions and the tomatoes not exactly the crispest, they still brought a welcome dash of freshness and coolness to the nachos. The avocado, while in need of a little salt, and perhaps a touch of citrus, elevated the nachos to another level. Its chilled creaminess cut into the heaviness of all the other savory elements, to make a completely satisfying treat. The jalapeño slices toss in a lovely pinch of spice, and should be required ordered for any of the nachos. Splurge and add the avocado, too.
I honestly and truly go into each every taste test with an open mind and an open mouth. However, I would be lying if I didn't have some reservations about this collaboration where Doritos was lending itself to be topped off by the ingredients of Subway. I love to be proven wrong, especially when it means chowing down on something so darn enjoyable. For something that sounds like perhaps a good idea in theory, but probably not in actuality, Subway's Doritos Footlong Nachos proved themselves to be a bona fide excellent snack.
Two to three people could share a single Footlong for a little nibble, or one can take it all on by themselves as something that could actually pass as a meal. Just don't tell that to a dietician. After tasting parts of the three variations, I took in about 1.5 footlongs of nachos and felt completely content and even happy with the end results. A burp that came much later reconfirmed my joy with these nachos.
When I started with them, I only had two real concerns -- would these quickly turn into a sloppy mess, and would they be edible once all has come to room temperature. I'm happy to report that all my fears never came to pass. The Doritos chips remained very robust, even with all that piling on, for a long stretch of time. Sure, the meaty ones are best eaten warm, but still tasted great even when the chicken and beef cooled off. Now that I know that Subway's Doritos Footlong Nachos works as a thing, I'm ready for version 2.0. How about starting with a bed of Doritos Cool Ranch and including a dollop of sour cream to finish it off?
In advance of their nationwide launch, Subway invited me to a New York location for a sneak peek taste test of its new Doritos Footlong Nachos. I ordered all three options -- with chicken, with steak, and the veggies with the smashed avocado add-on. These nachos were taste tested in that same order just mentioned, by my lonesome, and for the sake of their freshness, on site at the Subway location.
The final criteria for this chew and review of the Doritos Footlong Nachos is flavor, appearance, aroma, sturdiness, Doritoness, nachonality, palatability, value, overall lovability, and the likelihood that I would want to order these again. The short answer is... nach-yes! Here's hoping it doesn't become one of those discontinued Subway items that we'll never get to eat again.
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