5 Elite Daily Editors Try The Viral Joe & The Juice Tunacado Sandwich

Tuna is a pretty basic lunch option, but it’s also one that can be very divisive. Recently, the pantry staple went viral on TikTok because people could not stop raving about Joe & the Juice’s Tunacado sandwich. It seemed like whenever you popped on your FYP, there was someone ready to take a bite of the long, thin sandwich stuffed with tuna, avocado, tomatoes, and pesto — but how good could it really be? To answer that question, five Elite Daily editors reviewed the the viral sandwich to see what it’s all about.

As of Dec. 22, the #tunacado hashtag on TikTok has 33.4 million views, and there are plenty of laudatory videos to go along with it. TikToker Danielle Matzon seemed to spark the hype with a September 2022 video in which she ate (and raved about) her go-to Tunacado dressed up with some of her favorite at-home condiments, grainy mustard, capers, and pickles. TikTokers, like Jeremy Jacobowitz, said in their videos that they’ve been ordering the sandwich for years. Others weren’t as impressed. Tinx, who made sure to say she’s still a fan of Matzon despite not caring for the menu item, said in her Dec. 9 TikTok that “we need to hold hands and take a breath about the Tunacado,” and other TikTokers couldn’t get over the super crispy bread. So, yeah, the reviews were a little mixed.

According to the Joe & the Juice website, the sandwich is pretty simple. It’s made with avocado, Joe's Classic Bread, tomato, tuna, and vegan pesto, and it seems the pesto is one of the stars that has it making people’s taste buds sing, if the home recreations of the sandwich are any indication.

Matzon gave a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the making of a Tunacado in a video shared on Oct. 31. In it, a Joe & the Juice employee explained that making sure each flavor is in every bite is crucial to making the sandwich perfect. (Although, as we tasted, it seems not all locations are prioritizing that even spread.) Joe & the Juice got its start in the United Kingdom in 2001, and it’s known for fresh smoothies and juices, and, of course, sandwiches. There are currently 62 U.S. locations, with the majority in New York and California.

With reviews on TikTok calling the Tunacado sandwich “elite” and tuna haters saying “it’s actually good,” you’d think there’s no way this sandwich could miss. Surprisingly, the Tunacado is not even listed as one of the “popular” items on the Joe & the Juice online menu, but when TikTok declares something delicious in the year of our lord 2022, it’s your duty to go out there and try it. (FOMO is real.)

The Tunacado will cost you around $11, depending on where you live, so before you shell out a tenner and then some, do your research. Overall, Elite Daily editors gave it an average rating of 3.65 out of 5, and here’s what we thought about the viral sammie.

First Off, Do You Like Tuna?

Lately, I’ve been a fan of tuna. It’s still not my go-to when I’m ordering a sub or going out to eat, but a good tuna sandwich always sounds delicious to me. - Rachel Chapman, Staff Writer (Los Angeles)

I like tuna enough. I don't really go out of my way for it, but if it's something that we happen to have in the cabinet, I may consider it for lunch. - Kaitlin Cubria, Deputy Editor, Experiences & Style (New York City)

I’m usually a big fan of tuna (especially tuna melts), so I had high expectations for the Tunacado. - Lara Walsh, Associate Experiences Editor (Chicago)

I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever had tuna before (if I have, it was as an added ingredient to something, never on its own), but I usually find the scent pretty off-putting. - Jillian Giandurco, Staff Writer (New York City)

I do not seek out tuna, and I will leave the kitchen when someone else is eating it. - Collette Reitz, Experiences Editor (Chicago)

Tunacado First Impressions:

When I first got the sandwich, it looked exactly like it does on TikTok. It’s not the most Insta-worthy sandwich, but it was what I expected. It’s also not a sandwich that looks so appetizing that I’d pick it out of a window, but it smelled amazing. I could immediately smell the pesto and fresh tuna. - Rachel Chapman, Staff Writer

I thought the sandwich seemed big. It was about 8 inches in length, so I didn't think I'd be able to finish it in one sitting. And I didn't. I cut it in half and gave the other half to my partner. It looked a bit flatter than I usually make my sandwiches, but it was more than enough to satiate me. Plus, the ingredients looked fresh; a very important factor when you're about to consume tuna and avocado. There wasn't a particular smell associated with it, which is a bonus — that means you could eat it wherever and not worry about offending anyone with the stench. - Kaitlin Cubria, Deputy Editor, Experiences & Style

The bread was very hard, and it looked more like tuna sandwiched between two pieces of flatbread than a typical sandwich. I also felt like the fillings weren’t well dispersed throughout — there were random chunks of tomato and avocado - Lara Walsh, Associate Experiences Editor

It was surprisingly thin and small; the toasted flatbread exterior made it look ~artisanal~. It smelled like a mix of tomato, tuna, and pesto — there wasn’t one ingredient that stood out over the rest — which was perfect for me as someone who can’t stand the scent of tuna. - Jillian Giandurco, Staff Writer

I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a “fishy” smell. The sandwich is big, so I cut it in half, the ingredients all looked really fresh, especially the bright red tomatoes. Even with my tuna aversion, I was actually wanting to dig in. - Collette Reitz, Experiences Editor

Tunacado Taste Test:

The sandwich was super fresh. The first bite I took, I could taste lemon. I’m not sure if there is lemon anywhere in the sandwich, but it had a fresh lemon flavor. The crunch that you hear while watching tunacado TikTok videos is real. I'm not even a super toasted bread person for sandwiches — because it usually tears apart my mouth — but since this sandwich is so thin, I didn't have that problem. I did notice that the ingredients weren’t evenly spread throughout my sandwich. There were some bites with just bread and a little bit of pesto. Of course, those bites were tasty, but the ones with the tunacado were even better. - Rachel Chapman, Staff Writer

I noticed that there wasn't any filler like celery or onions; only some tomatoes. Otherwise, what you see listed as the ingredients is what you get. As someone who *loathes* celery and onions, this was MAJOR. I thought it was tasty. The bread was a bit harder than I prefer, but the tuna and the avocado were refreshing, and the pesto added a nice salty, herbaceous quality that is not typical of my usual tuna sandwiches. - Kaitlin Cubria, Deputy Editor, Experiences & Style

It was hard to get the “perfect bite.” However, the tuna salad itself was decent, as I liked the fresh dill as well as subtle pesto flavor. Also, it wasn’t soggy, which is one of the biggest issues you can get with a tuna sandwich. However, I still feel like the hype around the Tunacado is a little overrated, and I’d rather get one with real bread and a more substantial filling (maybe with some more crunchy elements). - Lara Walsh, Associate Experiences Editor

I was struck by how well the tuna blended with the other ingredients — it didn’t stick out too much, but still managed to be the star of the show. Considering I’ve never really had it before, I thought this was a great introduction to tuna. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that the tuna and the pesto were in control the whole time, while the avocado felt like more of a background player. - Jillian Giandurco, Staff Writer

The contrast of the flatbread-style bread with the softer ingredients was really nice, and the pesto almost overtook the tuna flavor enough for me that I was surprised I was able to finish a couple bites. I liked the idea of the sandwich and it was fresh and flavorful, but I couldn’t get over my tuna aversion enough to really dig in and finish the whole thing. - Collette Reitz, Experiences Editor

Would You Order It Again?

When scrolling through TikTok videos of people eating the tunacado sandwich, a lot of them had said they ordered it multiple times in one week. As delicious as it was, I don’t know if I would spend the $11 to get a tunacado that often. I would probably order it again when I’m craving tuna or want something fresh for lunch when I'm low on groceries. I do want to try to make it at home, but the bread will probably be the hardest part to recreate. Since the Tunacado was so good, I’d be nervous to try another sandwich at Joe & The Juice. What if it’s not as good and I wasted my money? I would try another sandwich if enough TikTokers told me it was worth it. - Rachel Chapman, Staff Writer

I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for it, since I don't normally crave tuna, but I may consider putting together my own version of a Tunacado for lunch if I have the ingredients. It did make me want to try other Joe & the Juice sandwiches, though, possibly the Spicy Tuna sandwich. - Kaitlin Cubria, Deputy Editor, Experiences & Style

Considering the chain aims to serve “healthy” sandwiches on the thin bread, I probably wouldn’t order other sandwiches from there as I think the bread is a really important part of making a sandwich delicious. - Lara Walsh, Associate Experiences Editor

I think I would order it again, though after a while my stomach did start to hurt, TBH. Still, I liked the mix of flavors enough that I just might be willing to give it a try again. - Jillian Giandurco, Staff Writer

I wouldn’t order it again, but I would like to try other sandwiches, perhaps the Vegan Avocado. - Collette Reitz, Experiences Editor