6 Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches, Ranked

They Most Definitely Have the Meats

People come to Arby’s for one thing: curly fries. And then most of 'em figure: Might as well order a roast beef sandwich.

With six distinct variations of beef sandwiches on offer, you might not know which one to say in a moment of drive-thru panic. Luckily, I grabbed all six and tasted them, so if you agree with my highly specific individual bias, here’s what you need to know.

Price and availability are subject to change.

Best: Classic French Dip & Swiss

Price: $6.29

First and foremost, I need to tell you that the margins are spread very thin here. The difference between the No. 1 and No. 6 slots isn’t nearly as drastic as most rankings you’ll see here at Cheapism. Arby’s roast beef is the central flavor in most of these sandwiches, so that’s what you’re going to be tasting in nearly every bite, all across the board.

The dip was a hit for me. Once I lathered a generous amount of Arby’s signature Horsey Sauce on it, the thing was a horseradish-y, hoagie-fied thing of beauty. The jus that Arby’s is serving could use a whole lot of thickening, but it gets the job done.

2. Roast Beef Gyro

Price: $5.69

I don’t know what business Arby’s has serving a gyro, but I’m into it. The setup is a nice counterbalance to the rest of the menu, because it’s light and fresh. For the gyro, we’ve got a pita stuffed with shredded lettuce, tomato, and onion. It’s a lot more delicate than the rest of the gang here in this big meat temple.

3. Classic Beef ‘ N Cheddar

Price: $5.39

Cheese sauce has never really been a thing that speaks to me. Arby’s infamous Beef ‘N Cheddar is basically just a roast beef sandwich with a bunch of nacho cheese on it. The onion roll is a really great touch, but at the end of the day, all you can taste is a big, honkin’ stack of roast beef. My future with this sandwich is going to be highly dependent upon my mood.

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Smokehouse Brisket sandwich — Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

4. Smokehouse Brisket

Price: $7.39

The meat in this sandwich is supposed to be brisket, and I guess it is, but it just tastes like thicker-cut roast beef drenched in barbecue sauce. This thing was a damn soppin’ mess, but once I gave it a full wipe down, I realized it wasn’t so bad. The onion crunchies are OK. This is just so much meat, and yes, I know, that’s Arby’s thing, but you really need to be hungry to eat all this dang meat.

5. Corned Beef Reuben

Price: $6.99

I know, it’s actually corned beef, but don’t be such a meat narc. It’s a beef sandwich and it belongs in the ranking. That said, I wish it didn’t. This thing creeps me out. It’s like a mannequin or something, a spooky resemblance to real life behind unblinking, lifeless plastic.

I’m sure you’ll agree I’m not being dramatic at all. This sandwich has the Uncanny Valley effect, with each individual component just a little off. The marbled rye bread tastes like rye bread and looks like rye bread, yet it’s as squishy as a burger bun. The corned beef looks tender upon first bite, but quickly hardens into a bacon-like consistency. The kraut and thousand island barely seem present at all. I dunno. It’s not bad, but I don’t care about it.

6. King’s Hawaiian Brown Sugar Bacon Roast Beef Sandwich

Price: $6.99

Tooooooooooooooo sweet. Yeesh. The brown sugar bacon on this killer feels less like it was baked in brown sugar and more like it had brown sugar maple syrup dumped all over it. In conjunction with the King’s Hawaiian roll, this thing becomes like a dessert. The unmelted, lunch-meat-style Swiss cheese doesn’t help much either.