Jersey Mike’s on St. Augustine Beach: Why a Sub Shop Sits Next to the Castillo on This Site

When Publix in Anastasia Plaza closed for its rebuild, the whole island felt it. Publix doesn’t just sell groceries. It feeds people. Its subs, rotisserie chickens, and deli counter are lunch for everyone who lives and works nearby. With Publix gone, and before First Watch and Mayday opened, the plaza lost most of its food. Meanwhile, a dozen-plus businesses full of people still needed lunch every day.

The Winn-Dixie across the street did great during that stretch, and honestly, it’s my favorite grocery store because the deals are better. But it’s across the road, and I work on this side, so going there meant getting in the car. Jersey Mike’s was a short walk. So I walked.

Visit one: fine. The sandwich was good, really good actually, and the bread was phenomenal. It was also expensive. A big sub with chips and a drink runs close to $20. I’m a five-dollar McDonald’s guy, so that stung, but the food earned it. I figured I’d be back.

Visit two: disaster. I’d ordered and paid online. When I showed up, one young employee was running the entire store alone. He was taking orders, answering the phone, and making sandwiches, with a line out front. He was sweating through it, and the counter was covered in scraps and condiments. I felt for him. Then he pinned the phone to his ear with his shoulder, it slid off, and it landed in my sandwich. He picked it up, packed my food, and handed it over without missing a beat.

I threw it away and called Jersey Mike’s corporate, and they told me franchise issues belong to the franchise. I contacted the franchise more than once and never heard back. I went back to corporate and got the same answer. I never got a refund. At that point, the store was at negative one with me.

Visit three: back to even. Months went by with Publix still closed. I’d eaten my way through Starbucks, the Chinese place, and a lot of Dollar Tree snacks, so eventually I went back. It had a whole new crew and a packed store. The young man on the sandwich line was new and clearly overwhelmed. I watched the longest-tenured employee walk over, and I expected him to snap or push the kid aside. Instead, he calmly and patiently walked him through it, step by step, in the middle of a rush. Somebody trained him right, because he was training somebody else right. That brought the score back to zero.

The visit that settled it. I kept going back. The manager and I got to the point of waving at each other every day. One afternoon, with the line about 20 deep, a dad and his son of maybe eight or ten reached the register. The dad found out he didn’t have enough money. He told his boy they had to go, took his hand, and walked out.

The manager looked at the line, said, “Excuse me a minute,” and ran out the door. He caught them in the parking lot and brought them back inside. He fed them and sent them on their way. He paused a full store to do it. He didn’t have to, but he did.

That’s twice this store did the right thing when nobody would have blamed them for doing nothing.

The food

Jersey Mike’s is mostly cold subs, with some hot options like cheesesteaks and chicken. The bread is the star. The crew is in there baking early in the morning, hours before the doors open. Your sub is built right in front of you, one on one, at a clean, visible counter. That’s more hands-on than what you’d see at the Subway that sat in this spot for at least twenty years. My one real complaint is that it’s a Pepsi store. I drank Pepsi the entire time Publix was closed, and I’m still not over it.

The problem: Publix is back

Here’s where I feel for this place — and the two of them are doors apart in the same car park, which is the whole difficulty.

Prices as of September 2026. A Publix footlong runs somewhere around $10 to $14, and it’s huge. A comparable Jersey Mike’s sub lands somewhere between $15 and $20. Jersey Mike’s bread is fluffier, thicker, and tastier, but most people don’t weigh that. They see what looks like the same thing for less money. Publix also runs deli promotions — in July 2026 they had half subs at $3.99 — and at Jersey Mike’s that money covers your chips, drink, and cookie before you’ve even paid for the sub.

Publix also has more range, with chicken tender subs, hot sides, and a whole rotisserie chicken if you want it. Jersey Mike’s has subs, chips, cookies, and soda. Publix isn’t doing anything wrong. It’s just a brutal matchup, and the new Publix is bigger than the old one. I don’t know how Jersey Mike’s handles that long term, and I hope they find a way.

Why it’s on this site

St. Augustine Tourism Guide shows you the Castillo de San Marcos and the lighthouse. It shows you classics like the Columbia and Sunset Grill, and it shows you high-end spots. Right next to them, you’ll find this Jersey Mike’s on St. Augustine Beach. A place earns its spot by how it treats people, and this crew earned it.

Jersey Mike’s Subs, Anastasia Plaza

Address: 1077 A1A Beach Blvd., Unit 30, St. Augustine Beach, FL 32080
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Phone: (904) 429-7510

See the Jersey Mike's directory listing for hours, address and contact.