Popular Arby's Menu Items, Ranked Worst To Best

From the first time Arby's opened their doors in 1964, this fast food restaurant has been known for their amazing roast beef sandwiches. More than 55 years later, there are over 3,300 locations across the United States and people are still obsessed with their roast beef.

What's the secret to Arby's one-of-a-kind roast beef? While the vicious rumor that their roast beef is made from a liquid or a paste isn't true, it is true that Arby's roast beef is cooked inside of a bag in a roasting process that takes about three hours. While that may sound strange, nobody complains about the end result.

These days, Arby's is more than just roast beef sandwiches. In fact, their menu is quite extensive and ranges from wraps to cool desserts. In this ranking, we'll list Arby's popular menu items in order — starting with the worst and ending with the very best.

Even though the Corned Beef Reuben looks like it'd be a tasty sandwich, don't judge this book by its cover. This Arby's menu item is a disaster — a mushy, messy disaster, to be precise.

To make matters even worse, the Corned Beef Reuben is a complete and utter fraud. A real Reuben sandwich like it was originally made has Russian dressing, while this sandwich has Thousand Island dressing. Moreover, a Reuben sandwich is supposed to have firm bread that is satisfyingly crispy. This abomination has airy, soft bread that is prone to getting soggy.

Even if you ignore the inaccuracies and deal with the mushiness and the messiness by wearing a bib and using rubber gloves, the Corned Beef Reuben simply doesn't taste good. This sandwich has corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and the aforementioned Thousand Island dressing inside of marble rye bread. When you put it in your mouth, your taste buds will be thoroughly underwhelmed and you'll know once and for all that you've made a terrible sandwich decision.

You're at Arby's and you decide you want to order something healthy. That's when you point to the Chicken Club Wrap and decide that this wrap must be healthy and you trust that it'll be tasty enough to justify the price tag. Tragically, you'll be wrong on both accounts.

Like the Corned Beef Reuben, the Chicken Club Wrap has an unappetizing texture. It's too soft and falls apart too easily. Within the wrap, everything is suboptimal. The roasted chicken breast is so dry it's difficult to chew. The pepper bacon is so peppery that the bacon flavor is missing in action. Additionally, there's too much lettuce and not enough cheddar cheese, tomato, or onion. The final cherry on top of this wrapped disappointment is the use of a honey mustard sauce that has a chemical aftertaste to it.

Oh, and about this wrap being healthy — it's just not. If you manage to choke it all down, you'll have consumed 650 calories, 35 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar, and 47 total carbs. Just say no to Arby's Chicken Club Wrap.

The idea of a cherry turnover from Arby's sounds good in theory. The sweetness and tartness of this turnover will be the perfect addition to your meal, right? Wrong, unfortunately.

First of all, the Cherry Turnover is way too flaky. When you bite into it, this pastry will stick on the inside of your mouth while crumbs rain down onto your clothing. Even worse, there's just not that much cherry filling in it. If you're expecting a heaping amount of cherries, you'll be unhappy. Plus, the cherry filling that you do find will be overly sweet and won't have any of the satisfying tartness that you expect. The white icing that zigzags along the top of this turnover only adds to the sweetness.

A better alternative at Arby's is the Apple Turnover because the sweetness level is better balanced. Better yet, get the Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cookie. It features Ghirardelli chocolate and is quite yummy.

The Jalapeno Bites from Arby's is another item on their menu that sounds better in your mind than it tastes in reality. Somehow, someway, these things are a total letdown.

The primary issue is with Arby's Jalapeno Bites is they're simply stuffed with too much cream cheese. When you bite into one the bites, the cream cheese is predominantly what you will taste. Sadly, this cheese has little flavor and a texture that is best described as slimy.

The secondary issue is that the spiciness you're craving from these Jalapeno Bites is nowhere to be found. Maybe Arby's specifically goes with mild-tasting jalapeno peppers or maybe there's just too much cream cheese and whatever spiciness that's in play is lost. Whatever the truth may be, if you order these bites hoping for a spicy good time, your disappointment will be palpable.

The good news is that Arby's has a spectacularly good sauce for their Jalapeno Bites. It's called Bronco Berry Sauce and it's basically a jelly that is sweet and spicy with a refreshing berry-flavored aftertaste. Don't you dare switch it out for the Ranch Dipping Sauce. Arby's ranch is one of the worst.

While there are a lot of scrumptious chicken sandwiches that you can acquire through a drive-thru window, the Classic Roast Chicken Sandwich isn't one of them. The same dry, chewy chicken that plagues the previously mentioned Chicken Club Wrap also drags down this sandwich. However, the Classic Roast Chicken Sandwich is better because Arby's slathers on so much mayo that the dryness of the chicken isn't as much of a problem.

This sandwich also features multiple slices of tomato and the right amount of lettuce. But there's more bad news: the bun. The texture is too soft and it's basically flavorless. Instead of adding to the experience, the bread of the Classic Roast Chicken Sandwich just gets in the way.

If you want a "classic" chicken sandwich from Arby's, the Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich is better. The dry chicken is replaced by a breaded filet that's juicy and flavorful. It's obviously not Chick-fil-A good but it's definitely better.

You have to applaud Arby's for their effort when it comes to the Greek Gyro. Even though they're mysteriously vague when describing the meat as simply "gyro meat," this menu item is good enough that you won't feel like you have wasted your money. It's far from the best gyro you've ever had but it's average enough to keep you from being dismayed.

Along with the "gyro meat" in this sandwich, Arby's has included red onion, slices of tomato, shredded lettuce, gyro seasoning, and a tasty tzatziki sauce. The flatbread can sometimes be tough to chew but, overall, it's okay. All in all, if you can overlook the questionable meat, the Greek Gyro is a perfectly average menu item.

While not as popular, the Roast Turkey Gyro is actually better. It trades out the "gyro meat" for thin slices of tasty roasted turkey. This underrated sandwich is absolutely worth trying at least once.

The Loaded Italian is Arby's answer to Subway's Spicy Italian. And, honestly, Arby's does a commendable job of copying what makes the well-known Subway menu item so iconic.

Like the Spicy Italian from Subway, the Loaded Italian is given most of its flavor by the inclusion of pepperoni and Genoa salami. Arby's adds even more meaty bulk by including slices of smoked ham. The Loaded Italian also has banana pepper, tomato, red onion, and shredded lettuce. It's then topped with red wine vinaigrette and garlic aioli for an extra pop of flavor.

Where the Arby's Loaded Italian falls short of the Spicy Italian from Subway is the bread. While Subway has fresh-baked bread that's so good that you wouldn't hesitate to eat it by itself, Arby's uses a toasted sub roll that always tastes like it's a few moments away from being stale. The Loaded Italian is good enough to order but its bread holds it back from climbing higher on this list.

It just makes sense that Arby's has a good French dip sandwich, as roast beef is the most important ingredient in a French dip sandwich and Arby's is known for their roast beef. The French Dip & Swiss lives up to the expectations. While it's not great, it's certainly above average.

This sandwich borrows elements from across Europe. Along with the roast beef, the French Dip 'n Swiss has Swiss cheese, an Italian sub roll, and French au jus sauce for dipping. That said the taste of this bad boy is purely American, as the French dip sandwich was invented in the United States. In fact, two separate restaurants in Los Angeles claim to have invented it.

Two things hold the French Dip 'n Swiss back a bit. First, the bread underwhelms. Second, there's less roast beef than you'd hope for in this sandwich. The good news is that if more beef is what you're looking for, the latter issue can be solved by upgrading to one of the larger classic roast beef sandwiches.

The Classic Roast Beef sandwich is the best-selling item on Arby's menu — and that's not much of a surprise at all. Arby's is known for its roast beef and getting this sandwich is the most straightforward way to acquire their roast beef. The Classic Roast Beef sandwich comes with roast beef and a sesame seed bun that has been slightly toasted. Yep, that's it.

The barebones nature of this sandwich is why it's not higher in this ranking. If you eat it as is, it's a bit dry and totally monotonous. Sure, Arby's roast beef is yummy but your taste buds will yawn from boredom.

Thankfully, you can easily jazz this sandwich up by adding Arby's Sauce or Horsey Sauce. For those new to the Arby's universe, Arby's Sauce is somewhere between barbecue sauce, steak sauce, and ketchup with an extra tangy and zingy kick, while Horsey Sauce tastes like a mix of horseradish and creamy mayonnaise. Both of these sauces are fantastic and will instantly improve the Classic Roast Beef sandwich.

In recent years, Arby's has been focused on improving and adding to their collection of chicken options on their menu, which makes sense because chicken is quickly becoming America's favorite fast food item. Of all the chicken choices, the cream of the crop is their Buffalo Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Arby's takes their crispy chicken fillet that's breaded with buttermilk and drowns it in a buffalo sauce that has the perfect amount of spice. The fillet sits on a bed of shredded lettuce and is topped with a rich ranch sauce. Unlike their Ranch Dipping Sauce, the ranch in this sandwich is actually really good and features peppercorn and parmesan flavors. The bun is far from great but it doesn't ruin all the good work.

Even if you usually skip over spicy foods, the Buffalo Crispy Chicken Sandwich is safe to order. While the chicken itself is a bit spicy, the flavorful ranch stops it from becoming overwhelming.

One of the most unique menu items at Arby's is the Smokehouse Brisket. Even if you're a brisket fanatic, this bad boy is unlike anything you've ever tried. While definitely an odd combination of flavors, it actually works out really well.

The star of the show is the brisket. Arby's smokes their brisket in a pit smoker for 13 hours, at minimum. The resulting flavor is legitimately very good. Beyond the brisket, this sandwich has gouda cheese that has also been smoked. Like the brisket, this smoked gouda is excellent. To finish off the Smokehouse Brisket, Arby's adds crispy onions and a zesty barbecue sauce beneath the top bun and some mayo on the bottom bun.

When you take a bite of this sandwich, the texture of the crispy onions is enjoyable and the combined flavors of the smoked brisket and the smoked cheese is stupendous. The only iffy part of the Smokehouse Brisket is the mayonnaise. There's really no need for mayo on this sandwich, so feel free to ask for it to be removed.

While the Jalapeno Bites from Arby's are a bust, the Mozzarella Sticks more than hold their own. Even if you think all fried logs of mozzarella taste pretty much the same, you should order these sticks and see that they are indeed some of the best in the fast food world — if not the absolute best.

Arby's Mozzarella Sticks are battered and then fried until they are a perfect golden brown. Pull apart one of the sticks and you'll see that the mozzarella is amazingly stretchy. Put it in your mouth and your taste buds will instantly recognize that these things are next-level good. Flavorwise, the cheesy, oily goodness will captivate. The texture, with a mix of crunchy and gooey, is also a joy to behold. Even if you need to reheat them, they still will be outstanding.

What makes the Mozzarella Sticks even better is the marinara dipping sauce that Arby's provides. It's thick, which makes it easy to scoop, and extremely flavorful.

Of everything on Arby's dessert menu, it may come as a surprise to some that their vanilla shake is the best of the bunch. This dessert is so good that it's one of the best fast food milkshakes you can find anywhere. The vanilla flavor is so deep that you will thoroughly enjoy each sip. Arby's Vanilla Shake also comes with whipped cream on top that you will quickly inhale with an ear-to-ear grin.

The Chocolate Shake, which is also made with genuine Ghirardelli chocolate, is also really good. It's not on the same tier as its vanilla counterpart but you will like it. This shake is also capped with whipped cream, with even more Ghirardelli chocolate drizzled on top.

If you need a pick-me-up, the Jamocha Shake is what you need for that job. It's like the Chocolate Shake but with coffee added to the mix. Even Arby's employees rave about this chocolatey coffee shake.

We know that Arby's has the meats and there's no better way to experience the diversity of their meat selection than to order The Meat Mountain Sandwich. Although this mythical beast of a sandwich isn't on Arby's official menu, you can easily find it on their secret menu.

This gargantuan sandwich, which came to be thanks to a request from a customer, is truly mountainous. Open up The Meat Mountain Sandwich and you'll discover Arby's exemplary roast beef, a pair of chicken tenders, multiple slices of pepper bacon, roasted turkey, corned beef, smoked ham, and the same delicious smoked brisket from the Smokehouse Brisket sandwich. But, wait, that's not all. The Meat Mountain Sandwich also has slices of Swiss and cheddar cheese.

According to a user on Reddit, Arby's used to put Angus steak in this sandwich but no longer does. But even without the steak, this behemoth will fill you up to the brim. You could actually split it in half and have enough for two full meals.

You can make the case that the Curly Fries from Arby's are the best fast food fries (certainly of the curly variety) in existence. If you've never tried these fries before, be prepared to be stunned — in the most pleasant way possible, of course.

The amazingness of these fries begins with their shape. At a factory, Arby's Curly Fries are shot through pipes at 60 miles per hour where sharp blades are used to transform full potatoes into spirals. Next, they are blanched, battered, fried, and frozen before being shipped out to Arby's restaurants. Then, when you order them, Arby's finishes cooking their legendary Curly Fries so that you get them at their very best.

Everything about these fries is perfect. They're crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. The coating, which is believed to be a combination of garlic, salt, onion, and various other spices, makes Arby's Curly Fries so scrumptious that you don't even need to bother with a dipping sauce. No matter what you order, always (always!) add these fries on the side.

While the Classic Roast Beef sandwich might be more popular, Arby's Classic Beef 'n Cheddar sandwich is absolute perfection. By comparison, the Classic Roast Beef sandwich is a tired, boring, sleepy afterthought.

While both sandwiches have roast beef, that's the only thing that's the same. Instead of a sesame seed bun, the Classic Beef 'n Cheddar has an unbelievably tasty onion roll that is far and away the best bread available at Arby's. The dryness of the Classic Roast Beef is solved by adding a cheddar cheese sauce and a Red Ranch sauce. In place of the dryness you'll find an enjoyably gooey experience that will leave your taste buds dancing with delight. The richness of the cheddar, the zestiness of the Red Ranch, and the marvelous onion roll somehow manage to make Arby's roast beef taste better than ever.

It's not a terrible idea to add Horsey Sauce if you want a bit of a kick, but it's difficult to justify messing with perfection. The bottom line is you aren't doing Arby's right unless the Classic Beef 'n Cheddar sandwich is your go-to menu item.