Papa John’s Is Ditching a Menu Item and Replacing It with Something New…Sorta

The rumors are true: Papa John’s has added oven-toasted sandwiches to their menu. If you’re thinking, “Ariana, they’ve already done that. Does the Papadia mean nothing to you?” Let me stop you right there. It does. I love Papa John’s Papadias. Those panini-flatbread-quesadilla pizza sandwiches are so unique, you can’t even put them in a specific food category. They’re delicious and just the right amount of food for me when I can’t commit to an entire pizza. Now, am I exuding a lot of love for a product I’ve only had once? Yes. But it was a memorable meal. Unfortunately, the fact that I’ve only bought it once is likely the issue at hand here. Because…

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In addition to the brand new toasted sandwiches coming to Papa John’s, I’ve got some bad news on the Papadia front: If you didn’t already know, it’s been pulled from the menu in many Papa John’s locations only days ago. They’re phasing the Papadia—and Papa Bites, RIP—off the menu for 2026. (They seem to still be available in Canada, though. Canada has all the nice things…) 

So it’s out with the new, in with the old this year. Goodbye Papadia, hello regular old toasted subs. I’m not mad. Do I sound mad? I’m fine with this. Totally fine…

Papa Johns’ New Toasted Sandwiches

We’re getting three new oven-toasted sandwiches, baked in their pizza ovens and served on ciabatta bread brushed with Papa Johns’ signature garlic sauce.

Here’s the line-up:

• Philly Cheesesteak: steak, roasted onions and peppers, pizza ranch, and white American cheese.
• Chicken Bacon Ranch: grilled chicken, bacon, diced tomatoes, banana peppers, pizza ranch, and white American cheese.
• Steak & Mushroom: steak, roasted mushrooms and onions, garlic truffle sauce, and white American cheese.

All of these new Papa John’s sandwiches are already available in my area (Los Angeles), but the roll out is reportedly happening a little more slowly nationwide. If your local PJ’s doesn’t have them yet, they will soon. 

How excited should I be about this, Ariana? 

My dude, that is up to you. I personally can’t imagine very many people choosing to go to Papa Johns for three hot sandwich options over any other sub shop in the United States. But it’s nice of them to include more options that aren’t pizza on the menu, I suppose. But if they cancel this roll-out in six months and replace it with, like, Croissant Sandwich Pizza, I wouldn’t be surprised. 

To the Papa John’s rep reading this: Don’t be mad at me. I love your pizza. But I can’t stress enough how much more successful I think a line of comfort pasta dishes would be in your restaurant. When I order pizza, I always want a side of pasta. That’s just how I roll. Anyways, that’s just my two cents! Toodles!!