I Finally Tried Arby's and They Can Keep the Meats

Consider this a roast beef reality check.

For years now, I've wanted to try an Arby's. I remember eating at one when I was younger – I want to say it was in Quincy or Dorchester, Massachusetts – but couldn't remember if I liked it or not.

I could never figure out why Arby's didn't have more a presence in meat-loving Massachusetts. Perhaps it is because of our affinity for the sandwich known affectionately as the "North Shore Beef."

Get our free mobile app

Still, every Arby's commercial with its "We Have the Meats" tagline had me drooling over some of the sandwiches I could never lay my hands upon, at least not without making a lengthy drive just to get a $4 sandwich.

So when I recently took a trip out to western Massachusetts, I figured it was finally time to give Arby's a go. I was in Belchertown, within a short distance from the only two Arby's remaining in Massachusetts – one in Chicopee and one in Auburn.

I opted for the Auburn location, since it was on my way home heading back down the Mass Pike. I went through the drive-thru since it was about 9 p.m. and I assumed the dining room would be closed. When taking a look at the menu, I wasn't overly impressed with the offerings. Maybe I'd missed out on some of the limited-time specials that had looked so appealing in the ads.

I opted for just the classic roast beef, no cheese, so I could taste the full flavors of the beef. In retrospect, I should have asked for all the cheese just to give this sandwich some kind of flavor.

I don't know what I was expecting, though, from a fast food joint that made a minute-plus trailer for the fact that it was now offering Coca-Cola.

While the commercials and the drive-thru menu both picture a nice pink slow-roasted beef, what actually was served to me in the foil wrapper was some gray-looking, thin-sliced meat on a bun.

As for flavor, it barely qualified as roast beef. It was like someone made me a hot sandwich using that Carl Buddig beef that our parents would get at the grocery store because it was cheaper than the meat from the deli.

I choked down the sandwich in the Arby's parking lot and then washed it down with an entire bottle of water. It still wasn't enough to get rid of the taste in my mouth.

Let my meaty misadventure be a lesson to you. Arby's may have the meats, but we're better off just letting it keep them.

North Shore Roast Beef Places Worth the Drive

North Shore roast beef is its own kind of special sandwich. From the thin-sliced rare beef to the toasted bun, it may seem easily replicable, but not very roast beef sandwich is a North Shore roast beef sandwich. The best way to order one is as a "three-way" with James River BBQ sauce, American cheese and mayo. Here are some of the spots that our listeners say do it the best.

Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg