Today, we review Primo Hoagies Italian Diablo Hoagie. The Diablo is Primo’s signature line of Hoagies in the hot/spicy category. This includes spicy cheese and assorted spices. In the case of the Italian Diablo, it also includes spicy Italian deli meats.

Primo Hoagies was founded in South Philadelphia in 1992 by Richard and Colleen Neigre. The restaurant was franchised in 2002 and moved its headquarters to Westville, New Jersey. At press time, there are 115 franchises. For many years, Primo Hoagies was known as a regional chain in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Today, it is found in 12 states.

The Construction

At the core, the Italian Diablo consists of hot (spicy) capicola (pronounced “gabagool” by many Italian-Americans), hot (spicy) sopressata, sharp provolone, and an assortment of condiments. As mentioned, the Diablo gets its spicy profile from the hot spicy meats and Diablo blend of spices (which is pepper-based). During the Turkey Sub Quest, we aimed to limit customizations to simplify comparisons between the sandwiches. In the case of Primo Hoagies’s Italian Diablo, I didn’t feel constrained, so I added personal favorites – vinegar and oil and broccoli rabe.

• Signature Seeded Bread (Selected)
• Hot Capicola (Default)
• Hot Sopressata (Default)
• Sharp Provolone (Default)
• Lettuce (Default)
• Tomatoes (Default)
• Onions (Default)
• Black Pepper (Default)
• Oregano (Default)
• Diablo Blend Spices (Default)
• Vinegar & Oil (Add On)
• Broccoli Rabe (Add On)
• Size: Primo (Approximately 9 inches)
• Sandwiches Eaten: One
• Location: Mahwah, NJ
• Price: $14.88

The Experience

For this assessment, we used similar scoring to the Turkey Sub Quest:

• Meat/Cheese 4 points
• Bread: 2 points
• Condiments: 2 points
• Intangibles: 2 points

Meat and Cheese

Primo Hoagies uses Thumann’s deli meats, a very underrated brand. The Italian Diablo meats are fantastic, with the perfect spice balance. Most of the spice hits you on the finish as you chew. Additionally, the sharp provolone really enhances the flavor. Too many sandwiches don’t use sharp provolone.

One observation is the cheese was cut thicker than the meat.  This wasn’t a negative, as it works well.

Score: 3.75 out of 4.00 points

Bread

Primo Hoagies comes up big with its Signature Seeded bread used on its hoagies. This bread scores nicely on flavor and texture. It has a nice crust and just the right amount of softness on the inside. The sesame seeds are a great addition and give this bread something extra. This bread has the cornmeal/flour undercarriage, and if you have read my previous food assessments, this is a big positive for me.

Score:  1.75 out of 2 points

Condiments

When it came to the condiments on the Italian Diablo, while there really weren’t any negatives, I would say they didn’t score as high as the meat/cheese and bread did. A special thank you to Primo Hoagies for not overloading the sandwich with lettuce. The other pluses are the broccoli rabe was excellent, and the onion wasn’t overly pungent. The negatives were a little too much oil and vinegar. The tomato wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have me doing handstands.

 

 

Score:  1.25 out of 2 points

Intangibles

The story of many hoagies and subs is the proportions. In the case of the Italian Diablo, the proportions are excellent. On many hoagies, there are too many condiments, which throws off the balance of the flavor profile. There is no such problem with this sandwich.

As mentioned with the meats, the spices come up on the finish. The best way to say this is you will definitely taste something spicy with the Italian Diablo, but it won’t overpower you. I also found the broccoli rabe helped balance out the spices from being overpowering.

Score:  1.75 out of 2 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Primo’s Italian Diablo Hoagie delivers excellent flavors and an amazing food experience. I’ve recently mentioned that a sandwich delivers when the overall experience is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the case with the Italian Diablo Hoagie. The Diablo spices experience also sets this hoagie apart from other Italian hoagies. The spices don’t overpower, but they don’t let you down. Coming in at a very high 8.50 points, this is one of the best menu items I have ordered from a chain of 100+ stores.

Summary

Meat and Cheese (4)	3.75
Bread (2)	1.75
Condiments (2)	1.25
Intangibles (2)	1.75
Total (10)	8.50

Score: 8.50 (out of 10 points)
Value: Well Above Average

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop