From Firehouse Subs and Potbelly Sandwich Works to Jimmy’s Johns and Jersey Mike’s, I’ve tried many sandwiches from many popular chains. However, I must admit that I’ve never been a big fan of roast beef.
When I was little, I always ordered turkey when we picked up sandwiches at our local sandwich shop in New Hampshire, while my brother usually ordered roast beef. For some reason, I always resented that. Of all the ways to prepare and serve beef, it seemed the least appealing to me, and I could never shake the thought that it was just thin, flabby, flesh-colored meat. But I also admit that since attending culinary school—and eating my way through various other sandwiches—my preconceived notions have changed a long way.
Although roast beef has always been a blind spot, I’m willing to learn and evolve. And to my (largely) pleasant surprise, I’ve discovered that these sandwiches can be downright delicious. I recently tried the roast beef sandwiches from five popular chains, from all-around dinner experts like Jersey Mike’s and Potbelly to the roast beef specialists at Arby’s. The results were as eye-opening as they were shocking.
Here you can see the ranking of each chain in descending order from my least favorite to the best overall.
McAlister’s Deli
Nutrition:
Horseradish roast beef and cheddar (per 1 sandwich)
Calories: 740
Fat: 32 g (saturated fatty acids: 10 g)
sodium: 2,210 mg
Carbohydrates: 70 g (fiber: 2 g, sugar: 8 g)
protein: 45g
I was deeply dismayed by the results of my very first visit to McAlister’s Deli, a chain I’d previously heard nothing but praise about — and which has a glowing reputation for its high-quality ingredients. Those top-notch ingredients were undermined by poor execution, resulting in a lackluster result for the chain’s horseradish roast beef and cheddar. This sandwich of Black Angus roast beef, sharp cheddar, red onion, and horseradish sauce on toasted ciabatta cost me $9.79.
The appearance: What was most shocking was how deceptively delicious this thing looked. When I unwrapped this bulky beast, my first reactions were “wow,” “amazing,” and “mouth watering.” After all, this was by far the most substantial and meaty sandwich of the tasting, with what seemed to be the largest amount of roast beef slices. The “toasted” ciabatta neither looked nor smelled toasted. Still, I had high hopes.
The taste: Those hopes were dashed at the first bite. It looked meaty and rich, but tasted anything but. Despite the enormous amount of meat, it tasted mostly of salt. The bread? Boring, bland, and definitely not toasted. The red onions? Inexplicable and distracting. The sharp cheddar? Seemingly nonexistent. The horseradish sauce? Ditto. This was a salt bomb on boring, beige bread. I wanted so badly to love this, but I couldn’t excuse it.
Belly
Nutrition:
Steakhouse beef (per 1 sandwich)
Calories: 790
Fat: 38 g (saturated fatty acids: 16 g)
sodium: 1,770 mg
Carbohydrates: 65 g (fiber: 4 g, sugar: 5 g)
protein: 49g
Oh, Potbelly. I always try and want to like you, but you make it so hard. The Chicago-based chain is one of the fastest-growing sandwich shops in the country, but based on the results of my recent taste test of meatball subs, quantity does not equal quality. Once again, I’m disappointed by a Potbelly sandwich. In this case, it was the Steakhouse Beef, a tasty-sounding medley of Angus sirloin, crumbled blue cheese, provolone, and horseradish aioli. This sub cost me $9.59.
The appearance: I mean, sure, it’s meaty! It looks good quality! The roast beef looks juicy and the cut is thicker than the other sandwiches I’ve tried. The bread was actually quite noticeably toasted and the whole thing smelled pretty good. I couldn’t detect much on the sandwich other than the roast beef, but considering how good – and how freshly cut – the meat looked, I wasn’t complaining. No, I saved the complaining for the taste part of that equation.
The taste: To be clear, this is just a blue cheese sandwich and nothing more. I was absolutely speechless at the intensity of the blue cheese flavor, which completely overpowered every other component of the sandwich, including the main ingredient, roast beef. I say this as a fan of blue cheese too. The meat may have been fresh and tasty, but it was hard to detect under the sharp cheese that completely overpowered it. The bread tasted toasty, warm, and decent, but again, it can’t make much of an impression compared to the funky blue cheese. Also, the provolone and horseradish literally didn’t come through at all. Such a waste of roast beef that was clearly high quality.
Jimmy John’s
Nutrition:
Big John (per 1 regular sub)
Calories: 500
Fat: 21 g (saturated fatty acids: 3.5 g)
sodium: 1,100mg
Carbohydrates: 47 g (fiber: 4 g, sugar: 2 g)
protein: 26g
At Jimmy John’s, I went with the Big John, a pretty basic combination of roast beef, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I landed right in the middle of the taste test, and suffice it to say, it wasn’t the worst, but it didn’t blow me away either. It’s meatiest roast beef mediocrity. This sandwich cost me $7.49.
The appearance: Based on appearance alone, it probably would have ended up at the bottom of this list due to the skimpy presentation and paltry portion size. How ironic, considering it’s called Big John! It mostly reflected my lifelong stereotypes of roast beef sandwiches as sad and flimsy, with a few limp flaps of beef hanging over the edges of a long, pale bun. It’s not a pretty picture.
The taste: An improvement, if not a huge one. I must say that at least it didn’t taste as bland and meager as it looked, and it certainly wasn’t overpowered by things like blue cheese or salt. On the contrary, my main issue was that it was a little too bland and monotonous. The lettuce, tomato, and mayo seemed like unnecessary elements that didn’t add anything, but the bread was at least a solid take on a sandwich, and the meat itself was sufficiently tender. I could have used a lot more flavor from the beef, but it was definitely an improvement over the weird flavor bombs that landed further down this list.
Jersey Mike’s
Nutrition:
Club Supreme (per 1 regular sub)
Calories: 1,140
Fat: 76.08 g (saturated fatty acids: 16.14 g)
sodium: 1,977.51 mg
Carbohydrates: 58.41 g (fiber: 4.3 g, sugar: 6.83 g)
protein: 57.20g
After a mediocre showing, it was time to go big. Or at least try. Jersey Mike’s Club Supreme had a lot of potential considering its meaty blend of roast beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and mayo. It’s quite a chunk in many ways, and I had my reservations, but this bold offering ended up impressing me a lot more than I expected. Plus, the fact that the chain’s popularity is skyrocketing has to be a good sign, right? This sandwich cost me $12.09.
The appearance: True to its name, this thing looked pretty outstanding, being super meaty and substantial, almost like the offerings at McAlister’s Deli. Still, the roast beef was probably the least visually appetizing component of the sandwich, resembling more like overcooked ground beef. Everything else, from the fresh turkey and creamy mayo to the smoked bacon strips, helped to raise the overall average. And in general, this overstuffed sandwich was pretty appetizing in all its fullness, too.
The taste: Even better than it looked, the Roast Beef Club managed to stand out from the crowd with a unique flavor portfolio that mostly worked well. Again, the roast beef was the most understated aspect of the sandwich, but at least it didn’t taste like overcooked burger meat. And it worked well with the juicy turkey slices, mayo, Swiss cheese, and peppery bacon. Nothing was too overpowering and nothing clashed. The bread was a little too thick for my taste and threatened to overpower the rest of the ingredients, but overall I was happy with the harmony. Still, there was one roast beef sandwich that I liked even better.
Arby’s
Nutrition:
Classic Roast Beef (per 1 sandwich)
Calories: 360
Fat: 14 g (saturated fatty acids: 5 g)
sodium: 970mg
Carbohydrates: 37 g (fiber: 2 g, sugar: 5 g)
protein: 23g
The biggest shock of the entire taste test was my reaction to Arby’s Classic Roast Beef. Admittedly, I’m an Arby’s newbie. Maybe it’s a general dislike of a chain that gets sued for the quality of its meat, or maybe it’s because curly fries are my least favorite way to use potatoes. Realistically, though, as someone who spent his life thinking he hated roast beef, I just had no interest in visiting a chain that focuses on deli meats. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the no-frills Classic Roast Beef is worth all the hassle I’d spent my life avoiding. The sandwich cost me $4.99.
The appearance: Super simple, almost lazy, but the fluffy sesame bun fascinated me. The meat also looked much juicier (and more filling) than I had imagined. To my great shock, I was delighted and enjoyed it.
The taste: This really blew me away. While it’s not the most amazing thing I’ve eaten at a fast food chain, it’s one of the more pleasant surprises I’ve tried recently. The meat, while a little salty, was absolutely tender and had a texture that far surpassed the others here. I ordered it with Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce, and while it tasted great with either, it didn’t need either. The bun tasted as good as it looked, too, and was the perfect fluffy counterpart to all those layers of juicy roast beef.
I’m not saying I’ll be a regular customer at Arby’s, but after further research, I’m certainly convinced I will.
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