Looking for Port of Subs vegetarian options? The chain builds one sub around plant-based ingredients by name, the Classic Sub #6, made with three cheeses and avocado. Add in a short list of salads, a regional soup, and enough customizable toppings to work with if you skip the meat counter. It’s not a huge vegetarian menu, but what’s there is clearly labeled and easy to order. If you’re new to eating vegetarian at chain restaurants, here’s what to order and what to skip.
A Quick Look at Port of Subs
The Larsen family opened the first shop as “Sub Shop” in Sparks, Nevada, in 1972. John Larsen bought the company in 1975 and renamed it Port of Subs after a community naming contest that drew more than 10,000 entries. Between 1975 and 1985 the chain added ten more shops before growing into a regional franchise, and it’s stayed headquartered in nearby Reno ever since.
Area 15 Ventures, LLC bought Port of Subs in 2023. Dave Liniger, co-founder of RE/MAX, chairs the firm, and A15 partner Adam Contos serves as interim CEO alongside company president Healey Mendicino.
As of August 2026, the chain runs about 124 locations across nine states. Nevada has 70 of them, including 21 in Las Vegas. California has 28, and the rest are scattered across Arizona, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Minnesota, and Colorado.
That western footprint is changing fast. New ownership has signed regional development deals for 70 units around Washington, D.C., 20 in Eastern Virginia, and 60 more split between Denver and the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs. A separate 10-unit deal covers California’s Central Valley. All told, the company says more than 450 new units are in the pipeline nationwide, and Mendicino has talked about reaching 500 locations within six years. That would push the chain past its longtime western home turf and onto the East Coast for the first time.
Port of Subs Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Port of Subs builds its menu around 18 numbered Classic Subs. Exactly one of them is labeled vegetarian on the chain’s own menu: Classic Sub #6, a combination of any three cheeses and avocado on your choice of bread. Everything else vegetarian-friendly comes from the salad, soup, and topping bar rather than a dedicated section. Here’s how the realistic options break down.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Sub #6 (3 cheeses + avocado) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Garden Salad | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (with vegan-safe dressing) |
| Spinach Salad | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (with vegan-safe dressing) |
| Caesar Salad | ⚠ Check (dressing not confirmed) | ❌ No (parmesan, egg) |
| Lettuce wrap (Classic Sub #6 style) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Vegetable Vegan Soup (SLC, Denver only) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Vegetable Garden Soup (Portland, MN only) | ✅ Yes | ⚠ Check (dairy not confirmed) |
| Bread (sourdough, wheat, white) | ✅ Yes | ⚠ Check |
| Jalapeno Cheddar Bread | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Cheeses (all varieties) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy, rennet unconfirmed) |
| Avocado, olives, pickles, peppers, onions, tomato, lettuce | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Yellow Mustard, BBQ Sauce, Frank’s Hot Sauce, Sriracha | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Mayo, Ranch Dressing, Chipotle Mayo, Honey Mustard | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg and/or dairy) |
| Caesar Dressing | ⚠ Check (possible anchovy) | ❌ No |
Subs, Wraps, and Salads You Can Order
Classic Sub #6 is the one built-for-you vegetarian option. It comes on your choice of sourdough, wheat, white, or jalapeno cheddar bread, with lettuce, tomato, onion, vinegar, oil, salt, and oregano standard. You can also order it as a lettuce wrap to skip the bread entirely, or ask for it as a salad instead of a sandwich. Both are standard modifications on the menu. This is a build-to-order counter, so don’t be afraid to ask for extra avocado or a different cheese combination. Staff assembles each sub while you watch, so substitutions are normal here, not a special request.
Garden Salad and Spinach Salad are both just fresh greens with your choice of dressing, so they’re vegetarian by default. Caesar Salad adds parmesan, croutons, and Caesar dressing. All three need a closer look (see the allergy section below) before you count on it as safe. Two regional vegetable soups show up on the menu, depending on market. Salt Lake City and Denver locations serve a Vegetable Vegan Soup. Portland and Minnesota locations serve a separate Vegetable Garden Soup. Port of Subs is a franchise, and recipes vary by market, so ask before ordering either one if you’re traveling between regions.
What’s Vegan at Port of Subs?
Vegan options are thin here. Classic Sub #6 is vegetarian but not vegan since it’s built on cheese. Your best bet is a lettuce wrap or salad loaded with vegetable toppings and a vegan-safe dressing. The produce lineup itself is all plant-based: avocado, black olives, cucumbers, green leaf and iceberg lettuce, jalapeños, pepperoncini, pickles, red onions, spinach leaves, and tomatoes. Yellow mustard, BBQ sauce, and Frank’s Hot Sauce are dairy- and egg-free by their ingredient lists. That makes them safer bets than mayo, ranch, honey mustard, or Caesar dressing, all of which contain dairy or egg. Vegetable Vegan Soup at Salt Lake City and Denver locations is the one item on the menu that names itself vegan. As with any franchise item, confirm with the location before ordering.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Port of Subs states plainly on its own nutrition portal that it can’t guarantee any menu item is free of allergens, and that ingredients and recipes vary by location and region. A few specific things worth knowing before you order:
- Most commercial Caesar dressings are made with anchovy paste. Port of Subs doesn’t publish a public ingredient breakdown for its own Caesar dressing, so treat the Caesar Salad as unconfirmed for vegetarians until you check with staff.
- Mayo, ranch dressing, honey mustard, and chipotle mayo all contain egg and/or dairy, so they’re vegetarian but not vegan.
- Cheese rennet isn’t disclosed on the nutrition portal. Most large sandwich chains use microbial or vegetable rennet, but Port of Subs hasn’t confirmed this publicly, so strict vegetarians who avoid animal rennet should ask.
- Vegetable Garden Soup (Portland and Minnesota markets) isn’t labeled vegan the way Vegetable Vegan Soup (Salt Lake City and Denver) is, which suggests it may include dairy or cream. Confirm before ordering.
- Subs are made to order on a shared prep line with deli meats, so cross-contact is possible if that matters to you.
Tips for Vegetarians at Port of Subs
- Order Classic Sub #6 by number. That’s the fastest way to get a fully vegetarian sub without explaining a custom build to the person behind the counter.
- Ask for it as a lettuce wrap if you want to skip the bread and cut calories, or as a salad if you want a fork instead of a sandwich.
- Load up on the free toppings. Avocado, olives, pickles, peppers, and onions are all included at no extra charge on most builds.
- Skip the Caesar dressing unless the location confirms it’s anchovy-free. Ranch or a vinegar-and-oil combination is a safer default.
- In Salt Lake City or Denver, ask about the Vegetable Vegan Soup. It’s one of the only items on the entire menu labeled vegan by the chain itself.
- Port of Subs is independently franchised, so menus and recipes can vary by location. When in doubt, ask to see the printed nutrition and allergen binder most locations keep behind the counter.
Conclusion
Port of Subs isn’t built around vegetarian eating, but Classic Sub #6 gives you a real, chain-labeled option. The salad and topping bar fill in the rest if you’re willing to build your own. For more on eating well at chain restaurants, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, browse our full restaurant guide directory, or check what’s vegetarian at other sandwich chains like Jersey Mike’s, Subway, and Firehouse Subs.
