Looking for Potbelly vegetarian options? Start with the Veggie Melt, the Grilled Cheese, the PB&J, and the Garden Vegetable Soup, then add the Mediterranean once you ask for no chicken. Potbelly is a Chicago sandwich chain that toasts every sub, and most of its menu runs on meat. You can still eat well there if you know what to drop. This What’s Vegetarian guide sorts the 2026 menu into what works, what needs a change at the counter, and what to skip.
A Quick Look at Potbelly
Peter Hastings opened an antique store called Hindsight at 2264 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park in 1971. He used an old potbelly stove in the shop to toast sandwiches for shoppers, and by 1977 he had turned the store into a restaurant, Potbelly Sandwich Works. The dates below come from Wikipedia.
- 1996: Bryant Keil buys the original store and turns it into a full restaurant.
- 1997: Keil opens the second Potbelly, and by 2008 he has grown the chain past 250 stores.
- 2001: Maveron invests and becomes the largest shareholder. Former Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz co-founded the venture firm.
- 2011: Alshaya Group opens the first stores outside the U.S., in Dubai, as a franchisee.
- 2013: Potbelly goes public in October, and its stock closes up 120% on the first day.
- 2015 and 2016: The chain opens its first London store in 2015 and its first Toronto store in 2016.
- 2020: Potbelly hires former Wendy’s executive Robert Wright as president and CEO.
- January 2024: Potbelly counts 425 restaurants, 80 of them franchised, and redesigns its Potbelly Perks loyalty program.
- October 2025: RaceTrac buys Potbelly for $566 million. The company still runs from Chicago.
Potbelly Vegetarian Options: What to Order
You do most of the work at the counter, because cheese, mayo, egg, and dressing decide whether an order is vegetarian, vegan, or neither. We built this table from three sources. Go Dairy Free, where Alisa Fleming updated her Potbelly guide in February 2026, lists the dairy-free and vegan orders. I Am Going Vegan covers the same menu as of November 2023. We also read Potbelly’s own menu text on the Ritual ordering app for two stores, in Chicago and Detroit, on October 30, 2026. We couldn’t load Potbelly’s website, so ask the staff when a strict rule matters to you.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Veggie Melt | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (order it on white bread with no cheese and no mayo) |
| Grilled Cheese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cheddar) |
| PB&J on white bread | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Mediterranean sandwich | ⚠️ Order it with no chicken | ⚠️ Check (no chicken and no feta, on white bread) |
| Powerhouse Salad | ⚠️ Order it with no chicken | ⚠️ Check (no chicken and no egg) |
| Apple Walnut Salad | ⚠️ Order it with no chicken | ⚠️ Check (no chicken and no blue cheese) |
| Farmhouse Salad | ⚠️ Order it with no chicken and no bacon | ❌ No (egg and blue cheese, plus a dressing swap) |
| Garden side salad | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes with a vinaigrette |
| Garden Vegetable Soup | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (add oyster crackers) |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup | ⚠️ Check (we found no source on the broth) | ❌ No (cheese) |
| Chili, Chicken Pot Pie, and Loaded Baked Potato soups | ❌ No (beef, chicken, or bacon) | ❌ No |
| Zapp’s and Lay’s Classic chips | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check the bag |
| Whole pickle | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Cookies | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (milk and egg) |
| Multigrain bread | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (honey) |
Vegetarian Sandwiches at Potbelly
Sandwiches are the point of Potbelly. Two come meat-free as listed, one comes on the kids’ side of the board, and you can fix the Mediterranean with one swap.
- Veggie Melt: Potbelly stacks fresh-sliced avocado, mushrooms, swiss, cheddar, and provolone on toasted bread. Older guides call it the Mushroom Melt or the Vegetarian Sandwich. To make it vegan, order it on white bread with no cheese (Go Dairy Free) and no mayo (I Am Going Vegan).
- Grilled Cheese: Potbelly describes it in two words, melted cheddar. It’s vegetarian and never vegan, and it pairs well with a cup of Garden Vegetable Soup.
- PB&J: Peanut butter and jelly on white bread. It’s vegan, per both guides. Neither Ritual listing we read had it, so ask at the counter or check the kids’ menu.
- Mediterranean: Potbelly builds it with grilled chicken, feta, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, and its signature hot pepper hummus. Ask for no chicken and you have a vegetarian sandwich. Drop the feta and pick white bread for a vegan one, per Go Dairy Free.
- Build your own: Go Dairy Free lists brown mustard, hummus, marinara, and oil as vegan spreads. Pile on vegetables, and you can turn any sub into a meat-free one.
Vegetarian Salads at Potbelly
Every full-size salad on the Potbelly menu comes with grilled chicken. So ask for no chicken on any of them, then check the egg and the cheese.
- Powerhouse Salad: You get avocado, hummus, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, and tomatoes with the chicken. Skip the chicken for a vegetarian salad, and skip the egg too for a vegan one.
- Apple Walnut Salad: Potbelly tosses grapes, apples, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and blue cheese with the chicken. Drop the chicken and the cheese, and Go Dairy Free calls it vegan.
- Farmhouse Salad: This one carries bacon as well as chicken, plus blue cheese and hard-boiled egg. Drop both meats for a vegetarian order. For a dairy-free version, Fleming says you’d also drop the cheese and swap the dressing. The egg rules out a vegan order.
- Garden side salad: I Am Going Vegan lists it as vegan as served. Pick one of the three vinaigrettes Go Dairy Free lists as dairy-free: Balsamic, Non-fat, or Potbelly.
Soups, Sides, and Sweets at Potbelly
Potbelly rotates its soups, and the Detroit store we checked listed five. Only one works for every diner.
- Garden Vegetable Soup: Potbelly simmers beans, carrots, celery, corn, mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, and zucchini in a light tomato broth. Both guides call it dairy-free, and Go Dairy Free counts it as vegan with oyster crackers.
- Broccoli Cheddar: Potbelly calls it a creamy cheese soup with broccoli and carrots. Neither guide says what broth goes in it, so ask before you order a bowl.
- Soups to skip: The chili has beef, the Chicken Pot Pie has chicken, and the Loaded Baked Potato has bacon. According to Go Dairy Free, the chicken soups and the chili contain milk too.
- Chips: Go Dairy Free lists Lay’s Classic and five Zapp’s flavors as dairy-free, including Regular, VooDoo, and Mesquite Bar-B-Que. Stores stock different flavors, so read the bag.
- Whole pickle: The Detroit store we checked sells one, and Go Dairy Free includes it among the dairy-free sides.
- Cookies: The Chicago store we checked sells Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Sugar, and Chocolate Brownie cookies. They’re vegetarian, but I Am Going Vegan says every flavor contains milk and egg.
- Oatmeal and applesauce: Go Dairy Free says some stores serve oatmeal at breakfast, and I Am Going Vegan named bananas, brown sugar, diced apples, dried cranberries, and raisins as its vegan toppings in 2023. Applesauce sits on the kids’ menu where you find it.
What’s Vegan at Potbelly?
Potbelly doesn’t sell a vegan menu, but you can build a vegan meal from parts. Go Dairy Free lists white bread, hummus, marinara, and brown mustard as vegan, and I Am Going Vegan adds the vinaigrettes. Leave off the cheese, mayo, and egg, and stay away from the creamy soups.
- Mediterranean on white bread: No chicken and no feta.
- Veggie Melt on white bread: No cheese and no mayo, which leaves avocado and mushrooms.
- PB&J on white bread: The simplest vegan order at Potbelly.
- Powerhouse Salad: No chicken and no egg.
- Garden Vegetable Soup: Add oyster crackers.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Potbelly publishes an allergen menu, and I Am Going Vegan worked from it. There’s no gluten-free bread at Potbelly, per Go Dairy Free, and the multigrain isn’t strictly vegan. I Am Going Vegan names the reason, honey. The tortilla and the Damascus flaxseed wrap both contain milk, and so do the meatballs and the egg patty. Mayo, horseradish mayo, and roasted garlic aioli all contain egg. Any sandwich line carries cross-contact risk, so tell the person making your order about a serious allergy before they start.
Tips for Vegetarians at Potbelly
A few habits save you a remake at the counter.
- Say “no chicken” first. The Mediterranean and every full salad include it by default.
- Pick white bread. White is the bread both guides recommend for vegan orders, since the multigrain has honey.
- Add hummus for body. Potbelly’s hot pepper hummus gives a meatless sub some heft.
- Watch for egg. Hard-boiled egg comes on the Powerhouse and Farmhouse salads, and egg goes into the mayo and aioli.
- Ask which soups are on today. Stores swap the rest, but Garden Vegetable is the safe bowl.
- Read the chip bag. Flavors differ from store to store.
Potbelly Vegetarian Options: Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion: What’s Vegetarian at Potbelly?
This isn’t a vegetarian-first chain, but you can eat well at Potbelly. Order the Veggie Melt as listed, or ask for the Mediterranean without chicken. Add a cup of Garden Vegetable Soup and you have lunch. For a vegan order, stick to white bread and skip the cheese, mayo, and egg.
That covers the Potbelly vegetarian options worth ordering. We couldn’t open Potbelly’s own website, so we leaned on two dairy-free guides and the chain’s menu text on Ritual. Check the allergen menu in the store if your rule is strict.
For more sandwich and fast-casual guides, read our master guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants or browse the full Restaurants category. If you like Potbelly, try what’s vegetarian at Jimmy John’s, what’s vegetarian at Jersey Mike’s, what’s vegetarian at Subway, what’s vegetarian at Panera Bread, and what’s vegetarian at McAlister’s Deli. You can find your nearest store in Potbelly’s location directory.
