Cooking and Meal Prep Dining Out Advice What to Eat at Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Healthy Menu Choices and Nutrition Facts By Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, CPT Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, CPT Facebook LinkedIn Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, is a certified personal trainer, freelance writer, and author of "Growth Mindset for Athletes, Coaches and Trainers." Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 05, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES, CPT Medically reviewed by Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES, CPT Facebook Twitter Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES, CPT is a New York City-based telehealth registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition communications expert. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Raymond Boyd / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Navigating the Menu Sandwiches Salads Mac & Soup Sides & Chips Desserts & Shakes Drinks Breakfast Kids Combo Diet-Specific Options Food Allergies and Safety Potbelly Sandwich Shop is a popular franchise that got its start in Chicago and now has locations throughout the country. With abundant food offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Potbelly's menu features sandwiches ranging from standard (BLT and turkey club) to atypical (PB&J and prime rib). All are served warm, toasted, and made to order; you can also customize each sandwich to fit your flavor preferences and diet needs. You'll also find non-sandwich options on the menu, including hearty soups, salads, and chili. What Experts Say “Potbelly Sandwich Shop caters to most dietary preferences, including vegetarian. You can find sandwiches in half-sized portions and ‘skinny’ versions, which contain smaller amounts of ingredients. When possible, choose these sandwich types and add vegetables to increase the volume, fiber, and nutrient profile of your meal. There are also vegetable-based soups (but they are high in sodium) and salad options with dark, leafy greens, lean protein, and healthy fat.”—Barbie Cervoni, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN Navigating the Menu Potbelly Sandwich Shop caters to patrons with numerous dietary needs. You’ll find vegetarian options with a range of healthy toppings, and skinny sandwiches with fewer carbohydrates. Patrons looking to reduce carb intake will find salads, soups, and low-carb sandwiches available at Potbelly as well. What to Order & Avoid at Potbelly Sandwich Shop Most Nutritious Options Least Nutritious Options Mediterranean, No Chicken (Sandwiches) Mama's Meatball (Sandwiches) Powerhouse Salad (Salads) Apple Walnut Salad (Salads) Garden Vegetable Soup Side (Mac & Soups) Mac & Cheese Bowl (Mac & Soups) Potbelly Whole Pickle (Sides & Chips) Zapp's Salt & Vinegar Chips (Sides & Chips) Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie (Desserts & Shakes) Oreo Shake (Desserts & Shakes) Bottled Water (Drinks) Cherry Coke (Drinks) Ham, Mushroom, Egg & Swiss (Breakfast) Sausage, Egg & Cheddar (Breakfast) Turkey & Swiss Combo (Kids Combo) PB&J Combo (Kids Combo) Most Nutritious Option For sandwiches, the half Mediterranean is the most nutritious option at Potbelly. With 350 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of trans fat, this vegetarian option includes nutritious fillings, such as cucumbers and hummus, on multigrain bread. The most nutritious option on the entire menu is a side of garden vegetable soup, with 60 calories and no fat. Sandwiches The sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Shop range from vegetarian to meat-based protein, such as turkey, salami, and mortadella. You’ll also find different options depending on location. (Houston, Cincinnati, and Dallas Potbelly establishments have a more robust menu.) All Potbelly sandwiches are made on multigrain bread and get topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, but you can customize them to your food preferences and diet. Every Potbelly sandwich is available in Original, Bigs (one-third more bread, meat, cheese and toppings than Original), or Skinny (one-third less bread, meat, cheese and toppings) sizes. You can also swap the multigrain bread for "Flat" bread, for fewer calories. ✓ Mediterranean (No Chicken) The Mediterranean sandwich with no chicken, ordered in the original size, contains 520 calories, 15g fat, 4g saturated fat, 80g carbohydrates, 24g protein, and 1,210mg sodium. The sandwich includes a healthy dose of vitamin-rich fillings, such as hummus, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers. ✗ Mama's Meatball The Mama's Meatball is a classic sandwich that's filled with beef and pork meatballs and topped with marinara sauce and provolone cheese. Although one of the most homestyle offerings on the menu, this sandwich (in the original size) 910 calories, 47g fat, 20g saturated fat, 73g carbohydrates, 44g protein, and 1,990mg sodium. If you must have classic Italian flavors, consider the Italian sandwich for 730 calories. Salads Currently, all salads on the Potbelly menu contain meat-based toppings such as grilled chicken (but can be ordered without the meat). Certain locations offer the vegetarian Gonzo Bonzo Salad, but it does come topped with boiled eggs. ✓ Powerhouse Salad The powerhouse salad has a bed of greens topped with cucumber, tomato, avocado, hummus, a hard-boiled egg, and grilled chicken breast. In total, it also provides 560 calories, 15g fat, 3g saturated fat, 75g carbohydrates, 30g protein, and 1,590mg sodium. ✗ Apple Walnut Salad The apple walnut salad contains 850 calories, 55g fat, 11g saturated fat, 54g carbohydrates, 38g protein, and 1,100mg sodium. This salad can be customized for vegetarian diets by eliminating the grilled chicken breast. The other options on the salads menu include the farmhouse and chicken salad salads. Both salads include chicken as the primary protein, but can all be adjusted and made vegetarian if requested. Mac & Soup Potbelly's mac and cheese is made with three types of cheese and your choice of two premium toppings, such as bacon, hot peppers, and mushrooms. (You can skip the premium toppings if you like). Soups include chicken pot pie to loaded backed potato to hearty beef chili with kidney beans. ✓ Garden Vegetable Soup, Side A side serving of garden vegetable soup contains 60 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 12g carbohydrates, 2g protein, and 600mg sodium. Loaded with several different veggies including zucchini, corn, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, as well as celery, carrots, and onion, this hearty soup is the most nutritious option on this part of the menu. ✗ Mac & Cheese Bowl The mac and cheese bowl has 460 calories, 20 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 51 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, and 1,660 mg sodium. Order in a cup or side size instead of a bowl to save about 200 calories (and still get your cheese fix). Sides & Chips As is typical with sandwich shops, you can order a small bag of name-brand chips, such as Lays, Zapp's, and Doritos, to go with your sandwich. Potbelly also offers other sides, including a whole pickle, coleslaw, potato salad, and macaroni salad (depending on the location). ✓ Potbelly Whole Pickle Potbelly's whole pickle is a simple dill pickle with 25 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 5g carbohydrates, 1g protein, and 2,150mg sodium. It's low i calories and fat, but pickles are very high in sodium. ✗ Zapp's Salt & Vinegar Chips A 1.5-ounce serving of Zapp's salt and vinegar chips has 220 calories, 12g fat, 2g saturated fat, 24g carbohydrates, 3g protein, and 380mg sodium. Skip the chips and order a side of garden vegetable or homestyle chicken noodle soup to add some extra vitamins to your meal. Desserts & Shakes Potbelly Sandwich Shop offers freshly baked cookies, bars, ice cream sandwiches, and hand-scooped milkshakes to end your meal on a sweet note. ✓ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie is the best dessert choice—and also a Potbelly favorite. With 420 calories, 17g fat, 7g saturated fat, 60g carbohydrates, 6g protein, and 230mg sodium, you do get a small dose of fiber from the oatmeal and protein from the eggs. ✗ Oreo Shake Made with hand-scooped ice cream, the shakes at Potbelly come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors, among other more creative options, depending on location. The Oreo shake has 770 calories, 40g fat, 22g saturated fat, 90g carbohydrates, 15g protein, and 340mg sodium. Opt for a vanilla shake to save 70 calories, or consider splitting with a friend. Drinks Like most fast casual restaurants, Potbelly offers Coke and Sprite bottled sodas. Healthier beverages at Potbelly include several types of bottled water, as well as iced teas and orange juice. ✓ Bottled Water Potbelly has several types of bottled water, which contain 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0g protein, and 0mg sodium. ✗ Bottled Cherry Coke Regular bottled Cherry Coke has 260 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 70g carbohydrates, 0g protein, and 60mg sodium in a 20-ounce serving. Breakfast Potbelly offers breakfast sandwiches on ciabatta squares and multigrain bread with standard protein-rich fillings, such as eggs, sausage, and bacon. ✓ Ham, Mushroom, Egg & Swiss An original ham, mushroom, egg, and Swiss cheese breakfast sandwich has 720 calories, 27g fat, 12g saturated fat, 67g carbohydrates, 51g protein, and 2,210mg sodium. ✗ Sausage, Egg & Cheddar This original sausage, egg, and cheddar breakfast sandwich served on white bread has 1,100 calories, 70g fat, 27g saturated fat, 65g carbohydrates, 51g protein, and 2,050mg sodium. The only other option on this breakfast menu is the bacon, egg, and cheddar sandwich, with 770 calories, 37g fat, 15g saturated fat, 66g carbohydrates, 47g protein, and 2,030mg sodium. Kids Combo All children's meals come in combos, with mac and cheese or a small sandwich (PB&J, ham and Swiss, or turkey and Swiss) as the main entree, and Mott's applesauce, a mini cookie, and choice of milk or bottled water on the side. ✓ Turkey & Swiss Combo The kids’ turkey and Swiss combo has 460 calories, 11g fat, 4g saturated fat, 71g carbohydrates, 25g protein, and 910mg sodium. ✗ PB & J Combo The kids PB & J combo is the least nutritious option, at least based on calories. The combo has 740 calories, 30g fat, 6g saturated fat, 105g carbohydrates, 20g protein, 600mg sodium. It also has 51g sugar, compared to 20g in the turkey sandwich combo. Diet-Specific Options At Potbelly Sandwich Shop, you can customize your sandwich or meal to meet a number of dietary needs, including gluten-free, low-fat, low-sodium, and vegetarian eating patterns. Gluten-Free Potbelly Sandwich Shop does not offer any gluten-free breads. If you need to avoid gluten, you will need to stick with the salads and sides. The following menu items do not have gluten-containing ingredients (but there is still a risk of cross-contamination). Farmhouse saladPowerhouse saladApple walnut saladChicken salad saladGarden vegetable soupPotbelly whole pickleChips For a hearty meal, choose the farmhouse salad for 790 calories. Add a side of garden vegetable soup for even more veggies in your meal. Low-Fat Whether you prefer an Original or Skinny sandwich, you'll find low-fat options to keep to your heart-healthy diet at Potbelly. Mediterranean sandwichEgg and cheddar sandwichHam, mushroom, egg and Swiss sandwichGrilled chicken breast and cheddar sandwichTurkey breast and Swiss sandwichGarden vegetable soup The garden vegetable soup has no fat, and a skinny turkey and Swiss sandwich has 8g fat (omit the cheese to reduce that to 4g). Vegetarian Three Potbelly sandwiches are vegetarian. You can also pair the sandwich with a few of the soups or the mac and cheese. Vegetarian items include the following (some require customization to omit meat): Veggie melt (not available at all locations)Pizza meltMediterraneanPB & JGrilled cheeseFarmhouse saladApple walnut saladPowerhouse saladBroccoli cheddar soupTomato soupGarden vegetable soupMac and cheese Low-Sodium Stick with flat sandwiches, soups, and salads for low-sodium menu items, such as the following (all sandwiches should be ordered Flat to save on sodium): Chicken salad skinny sandwichChicken salad salad, half servingApple walnut salad, half serving (no cheese or dressing) A half serving of the apple walnut salad is the top pick here. It contains 550mg sodium. Skip the balsamic vinaigrette dressing to save 270mg sodium. Food Allergies and Safety For patrons with common food allergies and intolerances, such as soy, wheat, fish, dairy, tree nuts, and gluten, Potbelly Sandwich Shop offers menu items that will work within your needs. Check the interactive menu to search for items that don't contain the allergen you need to avoid. If you have a food allergy, it's important to take precautions anytime you dine away from home. Be sure to: Ask questions of the staff. Sometimes there are changes to published ingredient lists. Tell the restaurant manager about your needs before you order.Review nutritional information. Check the restaurant's online menu for allergen filters and warnings.Customize your order. For example, ask for no cheese if you are lactose-intolerant. Potbelly Sandwich Shops Allergen Statement "Potbelly Sandwich Shops does serve food that may cause allergic reactions (including eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat). Despite taking precautions, normal shop operations may involve some shared preparation areas, equipment, and utensils; the possibility exists for your food items to come into contact with other food products, including allergens." A Word From Verywell Potbelly Sandwich Shop wants all patrons to feel as though this establishment is your “Neighborhood Sandwich Shop,” serving entrees and sides with tasty ingredients. Although most are high in calories and sodium, you can get a serving of vegetables and a hearty portion of protein in many of the salads and sandwiches. Soups, such as the garden vegetable, tomato, and chicken noodle, contain little calories and fat, and they make for a nutritious, vitamin-rich side. Come armed with nutritional knowledge so you can customize your meal to align with your dietary needs and preferences. What to Eat at Chili's: Healthy Menu Choices and Nutrition Facts By Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, CPT Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, is a certified personal trainer, freelance writer, and author of "Growth Mindset for Athletes, Coaches and Trainers." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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