The best items on the Arby’s menu, ranked

The French, if they ever saw this sandwich, would sneer the largest sneer you’ve ever seen, take a long drag off a cigarette, and pronounce it “an embarrassment to our name.” I’m not sure what exactly Arby’s was trying to do here, since their regular roast beef is a legend, and this is far from a Philly cheesesteak. The weird, white stuff masquerading as swiss is more of a gross dairy goo. The roll tastes like a four-day-old, preservative-packed packaged roll from the grocery store, and the beef, while solid, can’t overcome the vile sauce and basic bread. Dip it in the “Container of Big Flavor,” and the au jus is almost powerful enough to make you forget the rest of the sandwich. But there’s a lot better beef on this menu, so give this one a miss.

Price: $6.79

Calories: 500

Order with: If you want a roast beef sandwich with au jus, just order the classic and a side of the sauce for dipping.

You know how some restaurants have stuff on the menu just to have it? Like pizza at fancy Italian restaurants. Or salads anywhere in the Midwest. I call those “Afterthought items,” and that’s exactly the case with Arby’s chicken strips. Since everyone is getting into the chicken strip, the roast beef kings did it out of necessity.  This is not their strong suit, and the strips are soggy, heavily processed, and pretty flavorless. 

Price: $5.99 (3 pc.)

Calories: 370 (3 pc)

Order with: All the barbecue sauce. It’s the only thing that gives them a modicum of flavor.

Credit to Arby’s here: their burger is no thin, sad, this-seemed-a-lot-bigger-when-I-was-8 fast-food burger. This one’s got some heft, and even though the meat’s a little dry, it tastes fresher and higher quality than its fast food counterparts. The Deluxe Burger is the epitome of “fine,” it’ll do in a pinch, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to Arby’s for it.

Price: $6.59

Calories: 600

Order with: A ton of napkins. The sweet bun is good, but it disintegrates almost instantly, and this burger can be a huge mess if you get sauce and cheese.

This sandwich has some serious potential. Arby’s does beef as well as it does anything, and the smoked brisket is actually respectable to anyone not from Texas. Though it’s sliced a little thin, it’s got more heft to it than the roast beef, and a rich, smoky flavor. The problem is there’s just too much fat on the stuff, and since Arby’s isn’t exactly letting you pick between lean and moist cuts, it brings the sandwich down. The cheese is also an abomination to brisket devotees. There’s some greatness within, but the sandwich needs too many modifications to rank any higher.

Price: $8.29

Calories: 590

Order with: Lean brisket, if they’ll do it. And no cheese. Pull that off, and you’ve got a fast food gem.

If you’ve ever been to South Dakota, you might recognize this dish as chislic, the unofficial state dish of the Mt. Rushmore State. But do not be fooled. While these steak chunks might look like the fine delicacy of Midwestern beef known as chislic, they taste more like Jack Link's Tender Bites you find at finer convenience stores. The fact that they’re heated up and served with dipping sauce makes them a little better, and as an ingredient in other dishes, they’re pretty spectacular. Standing alone, they’re a good protein boost, with 17 grams per 5-piece order. But not worth the 670mg of sodium

Price: $5.29

Calories: 340

Order with: BBQ dipping sauce. It’s the perfect pairing.

Another thing Arby’s does surprisingly well: Sandwich bread. The toasted honey wheat that holds Arby’s take on a turkey club makes you wish they had a breakfast menu of just toast. The turkey is also as good as Boar’s Head, or any premium deli meat, and veggies taste fresher than you’d expect from a drive-thru. It might not be the best thing on Arby’s menu, but it definitely holds its own in the club sandwich space.

Price: $8.39

Calories: 800

Order with: Crispy bacon. If they’ll do it for you, making the bacon crispy gives the sandwich a new layer of texture, bringing out the bacon’s salty flavor at the same time.

I’ll just reiterate, going to Arby’s for the chicken is like going to a Mexican restaurant for the hamburger. But if you must have fried chicken, the buffalo chicken sandwich is the way to go. The sauce is spicy and tangy, eschewing the butter-heavy buffalo sauce that a lot of fast-food restaurants use. The whole chicken breast isn’t overbreaded, either, so it’s not quite the carb bomb you find in some spicy chickens. As fried chicken sandwiches go, this one is remarkably clean, with almost no gristle on the meat.

Price: $6.79

Calories: 530

Order with: A side of white cheddar mac and cheese. Ditch the ranch, put this on the sandwich instead, and thank us later.

If you’re the type of person who always makes a beeline to the gyro stand at every state and county fair, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by Arby’s offering. It’s pretty similar to the stuff you’d find there, with the peace of mind that comes with knowing Arby’s has sanitation standards. The lack of Carnie grime doesn’t affect the flavor at all, with beautiful spiced lamb, fresh veggies, and a tzatziki sauce that won’t overpower the sandwich. The pita is fresh and soft, like it came straight out of the steamer. As gyros go, you could do a lot worse.

Price: $6.29

Calories: 700

Order with: A side of Buffalo sauce to make it a spicy gyro. Because Arby’s Buffalo doesn’t trade in excess butter, it adds a kick without being overbearing.

Arby’s marble rye is so good, I might fight an old lady over the last Reuben if we both got there close to closing. Unwrap the sandwich and the beauty of the bread is the first thing that strikes you. The sandwich isn’t overstuffed, so the soft bread can shine through. The corned beef is nice and lean, yet stays tender, relying more on curing than on fat for its flavor. The sauerkraut adds a nice crunch, but isn’t so soggy it breaks apart the bread. This Reuben is a well-balanced sandwich, and while nobody’s comparing it to Katz’s, it’s definitely respectable.

Price: $7.89

Calories: 680

Order with: Double bread. Not because the sandwich needs it to stand up, just because the marble rye is that good.

Debates over who makes the best fast-food fries will rage as much as debates over politics or the designated hitter. But when it comes to seasoned fries, nobody does it better than Arby’s. They’re as iconic as the classic roast beef sandwich, with a layer of breading that creates a perfect crispy outside and soft inside. The paprika-and-pepper flavors make these edible when they’re cold, too—an anomaly for fast-food fries that rarely make it home hot.

Price: $1.89 (Med)

Calories: 250 (Med)

Order with: Ketchup, duh.

If you don’t like Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, then you probably don’t like Arby’s, and you probably didn’t make it all the way down to #2 on this list. If you’re here, I’m guessing you’re on Team Arby’s and you know why the classic roast beef is, well, a classic. The thin-sliced, lean roast beef is an easy-eating alternative to the hamburger. Add on a generous portion of the essential Arby’s sauce and you’ve got a crushable fast food icon. 

Price: $5.89

Calories: 360

Order with: Arby’s sauce. The beef can skew dry if you don’t, and much like the Special Sauce on a Big Mac, it’s part of what makes this sandwich special.

I don’t often describe anything available as a Value Meal as “restaurant” quality, but this new variation on the steak nuggets comes close. The white cheddar mac and cheese is low-key one of the more gourmet things you’ll find at a drive-thru, and its creaminess sets off the salty seasoning of the beef nuggets with delicious precision. Fried onion strings give the dish a dash of sweetness and a much-needed crunch. It’s ideal comfort food, the kind of stuff you want to enjoy on a bitterly cold night in a warm, cozy house. Whoever developed this dish deserves a raise, and probably their own restaurant.

Price: $9.29

Calories: 880

Order with: Barbecue sauce on top. Drizzle a little and you’ve got a serious candidate for the best fast food item in America.