First-floor T1 Subway stays open 24 hours when everything else sleeps.
This Subway sits landside on the first floor of Terminal 1, so you need to eat before security or carry your sandwich through to the gates. It runs 24/7, which makes it one of the only full-meal options during 02:00–05:00 departure banks when most Fortaleza Airport counters are dark. Budget flyers and night-shift airport staff treat it as the default plan B when flights slip late.
Price-wise, combos cost a few reais more than city branches, but still sit at the low end of airport food, firmly in the $ tier. A reviewer notes that even with the airport markup, it’s cheaper than most places airside. Expect typical Subway builds: 15 cm and 30 cm subs, fountain drinks, and cookies, with basic promos rotating through the usual turkey, frango, and B.M.T.-style options.
Service gets a mixed 3-star type reaction: several Google reviews call out “fila enorme” in the evening waves, especially around 19:00–22:00 departures. Staff sometimes push back on custom toppings or off-menu substitutions that you’d get away with at a city store, so don’t bank on ultra-specific builds. Bread and veggies also draw complaints overnight, with multiple comments saying they’re not as fresh on late shifts.
Regulars who work at the airport say they buy here before starting night duty, often grabbing a 30 cm sub and stashing half for later. Frequent flyers do a similar move: pick up a takeaway sandwich landside, clear security, then eat at the gate where late-night airside choices thin out fast. If you land hungry after midnight, this and Casa do Pão de Queijo downstairs are basically the realistic options.
Tip: if your flight leaves in the evening bank, hit this Subway at least 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to avoid the worst of the lines.