Arby's Restaurant

I was a little skeptical of the sandwich because I had heard about it from so many sources before sampling it. However, I am quite impressed by the mass-produced Arby's Reuben. I thought that the corned beef was pretty good and the ingredients seemed to be well-balanced. The only odd thing about the sandwich was the extremely light "toasting" of the bread. But I really love soft bread. I thought the bread was soft and delicious and just grilled enough to give it texture. Call me a heretic, but the bread was a highlight of the sandwich. The sauerkraut and cheese were also noticeable and nice. The thousand island was a little light, but enough to taste. The sandwich was a really decent size, too. Just the ability to get a Reuben from a drive-thru window is a marvelous prospect. And I love how all of the Arby's Restaurants in town have "Try our new Reuben" on their marquee. Maybe we're on the cusp of a Reuben resurgence.

I had already tested this sandwich several times prior to this occasion and was quite impressed with it for a "fast food" establishment. Of course, for me, even fast food seems to become slow food. It's my lot in life. I think it's because I traveled a distance again. I ordered jalapeno poppers as the side... I thought it would complement the sandwich. They were out of raspberry tea--another let down. I also asked for a side of extra dressing. I don't usually do this, but someone at the table invariably does this, so I thought it was my turn. I asked... waited... then had to ask again... took awhile. Wasn't impressed with the service, but the place was busy as it is located near the interstate and a newly congested business area. The sandwich tasted the same as always--quite good--but I find that unusual that every one comes out the same: too mechanized. The bread is like nothing I've ever seen available. It has the texture of polyurethane foam wrap used for protecting glass objects during shipment. However, if you like a Reuben, you can't beat it in a pinch. The sad part is it's only temporary.

The day of mass-produced, homogenized Reubens has arrived. The Reuben so lovingly handcrafted at every other place we've gone is now being made to exacting specifications. Squeaky clean teenagers are now following instructions that enable them to whip up a Reuben in less time than it take for the order to be placed at most places. The bread appears to be pre-toasted and then packaged back in the loaf. When used to create the sandwich, the bread has acquired a curious texture. It's somewhat like cloth, but it's bread. The rest of the ingredients are no longer individual components, but one complete unit. I suppose, if you're really hungry, and new to the Reuben, you know experimenting with new alternatives to the burger world, this could be that first baby step into reality. I can't say I was really satisfied with the Arby's Reuben. Lord knows, many roast beef cheddars have passed through my hands here. Order one of those instead.

This particular Arby's seems clean and well-ordered. Service was pretty good: they couldn't keep up with our fry orders for some reason (weird: usually it's the Reubens that don't come out fast enough) but they did bring them out to our table when they were ready. Neither my jamocha shake nor my curly fries were as tasty as I remember from the distant past. The fries were rather bland, and I didn't really taste any flavor in the shake except chocolate. The bread was attractive swirled rye, with noticeable but not strong flavor, but not as toasted as I would like. It seems like it's been heated in some sort of press, so the texture was somewhere between fresh bread and toast. The meat and cheese and kraut and dressing all seemed to be in good supply, and of good quality, but none of them had very strong flavor either. The overall effect is well-blended but more subtle than I would like: there was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't very interesting. This, my second Arby's Reuben, was probably my last.

This is Arby's. What can I say? But, you know what? It was a pretty darn good Reuben. My service was excellent with a great smile and prompt service. After the sandwich was unwrapped it looked really good, and tasted even better. I put a little Arby Sauce on it, and it was very tasteful and satisfying. The bread was a bit homogenous, but held up well. The internal ingredients seemed to work well. This may be the best thing on the menu. It's what I'll order next time at Arby's. FYI: the sandwich still had 27 grams of fat in it, which seems a bit high, but on target with the other premium sandwiches offered. Oh well, just don't eat too many of them a day.

I must admit that the concept of a fast food Reuben sounded hokey. The issue was how could you create quality product in such a short time. The problem turned out that the bread was not toasted properly. After going back a second time one of the managers told me that the sandwich could be double toasted. That seemed to do the trick. The bread was strange--very spongy, almost tasted like French toast. I think with some refinement in the toasting process and a different bread they'd have much more success with this sandwich, thus I am going with a C rating. Sorry Arby's!

The Reuben could be toasted more, ask for a side of Thousand Island (personal preference).

Good Reuben considering it was one of the better things to eat at Arby's, but it was quite dry, and definitely not one of the best Reubens in town. Woe to you if you don't ask for extra thousand island on the side.

Great Reuben for a fast food joint. Marbled bread is good, although toasting it a bit more would make the sandwich better.