The Jack in the Box Pannidos hit menu boards in early 2004. This website you’re reading also made its debut in 2004, but we missed out on reviewing the sandwiches before their discontinuation. So this 2018 reboot gives us a second chance to write about them. Can’t say that about many products.
The version that came out almost 15 years ago had three varieties, featured a foot-long bun, and were served in specially made bags so consumers could eat the sandwich straight out of it.
While some things are the same about the 2018 Pannidos – coming in a bag you can eat them from – there’s a lot different.
There are now only two varieties (only the Deli Trio survived the reboot and the new one is the Turkey, Bacon & Cheddar); instead of being a foot long, they’re 9 1/2 inches; and there aren’t any Pannidos commercials starring Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family.
Deli Trio Pannido
The Deli Trio (picture at the top) features smoked turkey, ham, salami, dill pickle slices, and a creamy Italian sauce on toasted ciabatta bread. You might be asking yourself, “Hey, where are those pickle slices?” I wondered the same thing when I slid it out of its bag. But I didn’t have to file a missing pickle report with the Pickle Police. It turns out the person who made my sandwich treated the pickles like loose tobacco or marijuana and used the cold cuts as rolling paper. Although not as advertised, I liked it this way because it was almost impossible for the pickles to fall out.
As for its flavor, I enjoyed the creamy, herbaceous sauce. It beats out mayo by a mile. It tastes as if I’ve had it before, but I could put my finger on what it was. The pickles added a nice tang that cut through the saltiness of the meats and the spice from the salami. The edges of the toasted bread give the sandwich a little crunch.
Turkey, Bacon & Cheddar Pannido
The Turkey, Bacon & Cheddar comes with smoked turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, and the same creamy Italian sauce on toasted ciabatta bread. When I first saw it, the amount of pork strips excited me. But, despite having many strips strewn along its length, they don’t provide much flavor. No smokiness. No saltiness. They just drape themselves off the side of the turkey like they’re trying to escape from the rest of the sandwich.
Much like the pickles in the other Pannido, the cheddar cheese found itself wrapped in a meat cocoon, instead of lovingly placed on top. I don’t know if this arrangement is the reason for it, but the cheddar cheese stands out while chomping down on this meat and bread tube. Its bite complements the turkey and it makes me wish the bacon stood out a little bit. I also like the Italian sauce with this one.
But, overall, both Jack in the Box Pannidos are mediocre and I wouldn’t care if they disappeared for another 15 years.
While the bread comes toasted, everything else is room temperature or cold. It makes for a Subway-like eating experience, which is something I would not wish upon any other fast food chain, especially one that I like eating at. To be honest, I’d nosh these over something from Subway, but just barely. The Italian sauce ended up being the Pannidos’ saving grace. Thank goodness these didn’t come with mayo because I’d be even more disappointed.
I also like the toasted ciabatta bread because its soft and, again, the crust edges have a slight crunch. But the rest of the sandwich should be warmed up too, especially this time of year when we could use these Pannidos as handwarmidos as we eat them.
Purchased Price: $6.69 each*
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Deli Trio – 580 calories, 30 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 2550 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 31 grams of protein. Turkey, Bacon & Cheddar – Not available on website at time of publication.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
