Whether you’ve been limiting your outings because of the pandemic or you’re looking for a quick place to grab a meal, Publix comes through in the clutch for customers.

You’ve probably hit up Publix before for an easy grocery shopping trip, but the supermarket also has multiple quick + convenient ready-to-eat lunch options (and leftovers for dinner if you play your cards right).

We were curious about the takeaway and delivery options from Publix, so we did the investigating for you. From ordering a deli sub online for in-store pickup and doing a grab-and-go in-store walk-in to getting groceries delivered, here are our Publix lunch chronicles (with what we ordered, how much it cost, how long it took + all the #protips you need).

💻 Custom sub ordered online for in-store pickup

⏱️ 20 min. from order to first bite

Chloé here, and since Trista and I are both working from our respective homes, we split up the Publix lunch investigation — I took in-store pickup + grab-and-go. No one @ me, but I had never had a pub sub before trying this out, and I was told I had to get the chicken tender sub.

#ProTip: Publix conveniently tweets when certain sandwiches are on sale. 🙌

I immediately fell in love. But for anyone who has a love affair with another sub, the process for picking one out and modifying it is relatively quick. Here’s your one, two, three.

1. Go to Publix.com, click the ‘Deli’ button + pick your sub of choice.

2. From here you’ll have the option to build your own cuisine masterpiece – from size to doubling up on cheese + adding jalapenos, which we did.

3. After that, you’ll add to your order, checkout, and choose the store you plan to pick your sandwich up from, and presto – you’re one step closer to #PubSub bliss.

#ProTip: Consider making it a combo for maximum left-over potential.

I chose the Publix on North Market Street which is an eight minute drive from my downtown apartment.

After also picking up a couple of delicious grab-and-go options from the shelf adjacent to the pub-pickup spot, it was chicken tender sub time. The beaut was wrapped up tightly and marked clearly, ready to be grabbed out of its little heated home.

We ordered the sub at 12:20 and when we got there at 12:45 (five minutes ahead of when it was scheduled to be ready) it was waiting for us.

Publix Deli chicken tenders sub: online order + in-store pickup ($8.67)

Checkout/payment was super quick — I even stopped to get two in-store grab-and-go meals — and was in and out in about five minutes. I used the self-checkout line for the grab-and-go food I didn’t order and pay for online. Even though Publix was relatively crowded the lines were short — there was no wait in the self-checkout.

A whole Pub Sub with chips and a drink cost $9.47. Half a sandwich was more than enough for a meal (and I could only eat half the chips), so there’s an entire separate meal left. We found that this sub held up well upon re-heating. Doesn’t get much better than that.

🚶‍♀️Grab and Go lunch in-store walk-in

⏱️ 13 min. from order to first bite

Publix conveniently displays all of their grab-and-go options online for those that like to plan ahead. But call me spontaneous, because it didn’t take long to choose two more quick meals.

I scored a late-lunch snack and a small late dinner (plus a lot of leftovers).

Here’s what I got:

Sliced meat lasagna ($6.99)
Buffalo Chicken Wrap ($5.99)
Total (12.98)

If you’re taking it home, spring for a plate instead of eating it out of the store wrapper.

I doubled up and grabbed these items while picking up the sub, and it couldn’t have been quicker, easier, or more delicious. Plus, both the lasagna and the wrap serve well as a light meal with extra left over for later.

🛒Grocery delivery to our home office

⏱️95 min. from order to first bite

Trista here, and I got to try out the delivery option. I’ve had groceries delivered many times from Publix, but I’ve never tried getting lunch delivered. Also, for any other vegans out there, Publix has vegan sub options available. I almost always get the garlic + herb tofu sub (it comes with vegan ranch!), but my body was screaming for a lot of veggies, so I went that route this time.

Here’s how online grocery delivery ordering works with Publix (powered by Instacart):

Go to https://delivery.publix.com/ + enter in your zip code.
If you don’t already have an account, create one using your email address, Facebook account, or Google account.
From there, you’ll be transported to your digital shopping cart where you can pick + choose what you’re craving. (#ProTip: Make sure to take special advantage of the offers listed at the top of the screen – which includes everything from free delivery on certain items to coupon savings.)
After your “shopping cart” is G2G, hit the shopping cart button in the top right hand corner of the screen. (There’s a $10 minimum for delivery, so if you need more in your cart, Publix also delivers wine. 😉)
Put in your personal info and place your order. You’re all set. Publix will give you an estimated delivery time + even text you with updates on your Instacart Shopper.

I satisfied my craving with a veggie salad (a veggie sub without the bread + a lot of spinach) ($7.41), some black bean soup ($6.09), and a Buchi fire kombucha ($3.65).

Here’s my ordering timeline:

Ordered by: 11:25 a.m.
Instacart Shopper finished shopping: 12:35 p.m.
Shopper arrived: 1:00 p.m.

Obviously, this convenience option takes more time and is probably more appropriate for a true grocery haul delivery vs. just a small lunch order. But, it didn’t take that much longer than what the wait can be for other online delivery options (we checked a popular app’s wait at peak lunchtime, and it was up to 90 mins).

A few #ProTips:

If you opt for online delivery, keep track of the text messages you get from your Instacart Shopper. Something may be out of stock, and you will have the option to choose a replacement or get a refund.
Download the Publix app. It’s super convenient to have on your phone already.
Overall, our favorite experience was Grab and Go. Perfect for letting your heart guide your stomach, instantly. Ⓟ