Looking for Capriotti’s vegetarian options? You’ve got more than the classic Bobbie turkey sub to work with. The Impossible Cheesesteak and the Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak both skip meat and egg, so either one goes fully vegan the moment you hold the cheese. The Veggie Turkey sub looks like the safer pick, but it’s built on a Worthington Foods product with real egg whites, so it stays vegetarian, not vegan, no matter what you leave off. Here’s what to order, what to skip, and why the two “veggie” proteins at Capriotti’s aren’t interchangeable if you’re vegan. Still wondering what about the vegetarians when the table lands on a sandwich shop? You’re covered.
A Quick Look at Capriotti’s
Lois Margolet and her brother Alan opened the first Capriotti’s in 1976 in a small shop in Wilmington, Delaware’s Little Italy neighborhood. Lois was 28. She’d just left her job and taken out a $13,000 loan to get the doors open. They named the shop after their grandfather, Philip Capriotti, and built it around a Thanksgiving-style turkey sub called the Bobbie, made from whole turkeys roasted overnight and stuffed with cranberry sauce and stuffing between fresh rolls. AOL voted the Bobbie the “Greatest Sandwich in America” in 2009.
A second shop opened in New Castle, Delaware, in 1988, and Capriotti’s started franchising in 1991. Lois eventually moved to Las Vegas, and the chain followed her there, building a strong following near the Strip. Ashley Morris and Jason Smylie led a group of mostly Las Vegas investors who bought the company in 2008 and moved headquarters to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Capriotti’s is still privately held today. As of mid-2025, the chain had grown to more than 175 company-owned and franchise locations across 33-plus states, with more openings planned for 2026.
Capriotti’s Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Capriotti’s built its menu around named meat classics: The Bobbie, Homemade Turkey, Homemade Roast Beef, Homemade Tuna, the Capastrami (hot pastrami and Swiss), meatballs in marinara, and the Classic Italian. Skip those and you’re left with two real plant proteins and a short list of dairy-based sides. Here’s the rundown, including which ones actually go vegan and which only sound like they do. Catering trays follow the same rule: ask your location to build a tray from the vegetarian subs instead of ordering the standard assorted platter.
Capriotti’s organizes its full menu into sections you’ll see at most locations: Cap’s Specials, Hot Stuff, Cold Subs, Soups, Salads, Desserts & Sides, Cap’s Kids meals, Beverages, and a separate catering menu with trays and Catering Box Lunches. The vegetarian and vegan picks in this guide live mostly in Cap’s Specials and the Salads and Sides sections below. Soups, desserts, and Cap’s Kids meals aren’t covered by any published vegetarian ingredient list, so ask before ordering from those sections if you’re strict about dairy, egg, or meat-based stock.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Impossible Cheesesteak (plant-based meat, cheese, mushrooms, onions) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes, ask for no cheese/mayo |
| Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak (soy-based chicken, cheese, mushrooms, onions) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes, ask for no cheese/mayo |
| Veggie Turkey sub (Worthington meatless turkey, cheese, mayo) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg whites in the turkey) |
| Veggie Cole Turkey sub (veggie turkey, coleslaw, Russian dressing) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg whites, dairy dressing) |
| Cheese Sub (provolone or American, lettuce, tomato, onion) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy cheese) |
| Cole Slaw (side) | ✅ Yes | ✅️ Check (dressing not published) |
| Cap’s Creation Salad (build your own, no meat) | ✅️ Ask for no meat | ✅️ Ask for no cheese/dressing |
The Impossible Cheesesteak: Capriotti’s Plant-Based Star
Capriotti’s launched the Impossible Cheesesteak nationwide on February 10, 2020, after testing it in Las Vegas the previous fall. It was built with Impossible Foods and billed at the time as the world’s first plant-based cheesesteak sandwich. The current version uses 25% more Impossible plant-based meat than the original, topped with melted white American cheese, mushrooms, and grilled onions. It’s vegetarian as served. Ask the counter to leave off the cheese and mayo, and it becomes vegan, since the Impossible protein itself contains no egg or dairy. The posted allergen list flags wheat, soy, milk, and sesame, so check that against your own restrictions even though it’s meat-free.
Veggie Turkey and Veggie Chicken Subs: Same Idea, Different Rules
Capriotti’s sells two “veggie” proteins, and they aren’t built the same way. The Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak uses a soy-and-grain-based protein with no egg, grilled with mushrooms, onions, and peppers under melted provolone. Order it without cheese and mayo and you’ve got a vegan sandwich, the same rule that applies to the Impossible Cheesesteak. Capriotti’s own social accounts have confirmed as much, naming the Impossible and the Veggie Chicken as its two vegan-without-cheese proteins.
The Veggie Turkey sub is the one to watch. It’s made from a Worthington Foods meatless turkey product that contains real egg whites, then piled with provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. Leaving off the cheese and mayo doesn’t make it vegan, because the protein itself isn’t. The Veggie Cole Turkey swaps in coleslaw and Russian dressing for the same egg-based turkey, so it carries the same limits plus a dairy-based dressing on top. Both stay vegetarian, neither works for a vegan order.
Salads and Sides
Capriotti’s vegetarian options extend to the sides too. Cap’s Creation is Capriotti’s build-your-own salad, and it’s the simplest vegetarian route on the menu: pick your vegetables, skip the meat, and ask for the dressing on the side so you can check what’s in it before it goes on. Cole slaw is available as a side, but Capriotti’s hasn’t published the dressing’s ingredients, so treat it as a “check first” item rather than an automatic vegan pick. Chips round out the sides and vary by flavor, so read the bag if you’re strict about dairy or animal-derived flavoring.
What’s Vegan at Capriotti’s?
Vegan options at Capriotti’s come down to two sandwiches and a build-your-own salad. Order the Impossible Cheesesteak or the Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak without cheese and mayo, and you’ve got a vegan sub with real bulk, thanks to grilled mushrooms and onions doing a lot of the work. A Cap’s Creation salad built from vegetables only, with dressing on the side so you can check the label, is the other safe route. Skip the Veggie Turkey and Veggie Cole Turkey entirely. Both use a meatless turkey made with egg whites, so cheese isn’t the only thing standing between them and vegan. Capriotti’s hasn’t published a bread ingredient list, so ask your location whether the sub roll contains dairy, egg, or honey before you commit to a vegan order.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Capriotti’s Impossible Cheesesteak carries wheat, soy, milk, and sesame on its posted allergen list, so it’s not a fit for a soy or sesame allergy even though it’s meat-free. The Veggie Turkey and Veggie Cole Turkey subs use a Worthington Foods product with egg whites, which matters for anyone avoiding egg as well as anyone avoiding meat. Provolone and American cheese rennet sources aren’t published, so ask in-store if you need confirmed vegetarian rennet.
The standard sub roll’s exact ingredients also aren’t public. Most commercial sub rolls include dairy or egg in the dough, so don’t assume a roll is vegan without asking. Capriotti’s doesn’t publish a full allergen or ingredient PDF online, only a calorie-and-fat nutrition chart. Prep areas handle turkey, beef, and cold cuts on the same slicers and grills as the vegetarian proteins, so cross-contact is possible if that’s a concern for you.
Tips for Vegetarians at Capriotti’s
- Order the Impossible Cheesesteak or Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak if you want something hot off the flat-top instead of a cold deli sub.
- Skip the Veggie Turkey and Veggie Cole Turkey if you’re avoiding egg, since the meatless turkey itself contains egg whites.
- The two vegan-friendly Capriotti’s vegetarian options are the Impossible Cheesesteak and Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak, ordered without cheese and mayo.
- Build a Cap’s Creation salad from vegetables only and get the dressing on the side so you can check it.
- Ask staff about the sub roll’s ingredients if you need confirmed vegan bread, since Capriotti’s hasn’t published that list.
- Check the menu at your specific location before you order. Capriotti’s is mostly franchised, and a few locations run slightly different vegetarian items.
Conclusion
Capriotti’s vegetarian options have come a long way from a turkey-only menu. The Impossible Cheesesteak and Veggie Chicken Cheese Steak give vegetarians and vegans two real options that don’t feel like an afterthought. Just remember the Veggie Turkey isn’t one of them. Egg whites rule it out no matter how you order it. For more on eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, or to browse every chain we’ve covered, check out our full restaurant guide directory. If you’re comparing other sandwich shops, see what’s vegetarian at Firehouse Subs, Jersey Mike’s, and Jimmy John’s.
