Ranking Chain Restaurant Roast Beef Sandwiches From Worst To Best

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Arby's is pretty much the only major chain restaurant synonymous with the roast beef sandwich, but it's certainly not the only chain with a roast beef sandwich on its menu. That said, virtually every other large chain that serves a roast beef sandwich is a sub shop, at which roast beef is one of numerous deli meat options.

I visited every chain restaurant with a roast beef sandwich in my vicinity, in the suburbs of Las Vegas, and compared all seven sandwiches. There are a few reasons Arby's roast beef is so delicious, and I set out to find exactly how it stacks up against its competition. Is the signature menu item at Arby's the best in its class, or should true connoisseurs of a quick-service roast beef sandwich go elsewhere? The answers to this and other questions lie ahead, in my ranking of seven chain restaurant roast beef sandwiches from worst to best.

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The most important thing to know about Capriotti's Sandwich Shop is that it's the home of The Bobbie — a Thanksgiving leftovers-style sandwich containing turkey, cranberry sauce, mayo, and stuffing. While The Bobbie is safely among the best items from any quick-service sandwich chain, I found that my American wagyu roast beef sandwich from Capriotti's was the single worst of the seven roast beef sandwiches I tried for the sake of this ranking.

At the heart of what I felt Capriotti's did wrong in constructing its roast beef sandwich was overthinking the beef. It was flavorful, but overly so, defined by an excessively sharp black pepper bite more than any other characteristic. Compounding my issues with the sandwich was a surplus of veggies, combining overly watery lettuce with tomato slices that tasted a little old. The tomato was detrimental to the point that I removed it after my first bite. Capriotti's remains in my personal sandwich chain rotation on the strength of The Bobbie, but its American wagyu roast beef sandwich is something I will never order again.

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Despite Subway's less-than-sparkling reputation, I've historically been a bit of a Subway defender. Sure, its veggies may often be a little wilted, and its sandwiches can be sodium bombs, but sometimes, its decidedly fast food-ian, openly indulgent approach to deli sandwiches hits the spot — or that's how I felt in the past, anyway. My roast beef sandwich was so disappointing, it had me rethinking my mild affection for Subway.

The first thing I noticed about my sandwich's roast beef was that it was thicker than average. That turned out to be bad thing, however, because it was dry, low on flavor, and a little tough to chew. My sandwich's white bread was just a little tougher than I would have liked as well, contributing to an aggressively bland whole. Attempting to combat the meat and bread was a combination of mustard, mayo, and pepperoncinis, but even that power trio wasn't enough to make my sandwich less of a slog. Worsening matters was the fact my 6-inch sub was the second-most expensive item I bought for this ranking. For even just a decent roast beef sandwich, go pretty much anywhere other than Subway.

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When I pitted Jimmy John's against Jersey Mike's to find out which was better, Jersey Mike's secured the win by a pretty safe margin. But that was before private equity firm Blackstone acquired the Jersey Mike's chain — a move some have claimed is making the chain decline in quality. Whether the culprit was the company's new ownership, or merely subpar conditions at the location I visited, the roast beef and provolone I ordered wasn't up to the level of quality I usually expect from Jersey Mike's.

For what it's worth, I thought my Jersey Mike's roast beef sandwich looked nice. An ample pile of thinly sliced roast beef contributed to its visual flair, but all that meat mostly just imbued my sandwich with a pervasive blandness. Attempting to counteract the sort of flavor void the meat created was vinegar, oregano, and salt (included in "Mike's Way"). But those all fell victim to the prominence of that largely flavorless roast beef. I did, however, think my sandwich's bread was pleasant, and the veggies of a solid level of quality. So, while my Jersey Mike's roast beef and provolone wasn't bad, it lacked anything more than just a baseline solidity, earning it a spot in the lower half of this ranking.

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While the best Jimmy John's sandwich according to 27% of people Mashed surveyed was the Italian Night Club, the Big John earned a respectable third place, selected by 21.55% of those surveyed. The Big John, for those unfamiliar with the chain, is just what Jimmy John's calls its baseline roast beef sandwich. By default, it comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I got mine without tomato, adding onions, mustard, and Jimmy Peppers. It does not include cheese.

First off, the meat on my Big John was perfectly fine, with both rosemary and black pepper subtly perceptible to my palate. What made the sandwich shine was a surprisingly excellent white bread — perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside — as well as the combination of mustard and Jimmy Peppers I added. While those are adjunct to the core Big John concept, I did still find it noteworthy that those flavors complemented the meat, whereas the meat in some of the lesser sandwiches I tried subsumed additional ingredients. Its lettuce, meanwhile, was a net neutral, contributing the textural crispness that it should have without impacting the sandwich's flavor. The lack of cheese made no difference to me. Altogether, I enjoyed my Big John. But, since the roast beef itself was not quite its best quality, Jimmy John's earns a spot in this ranking right at its mid-point.

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Of all the chains included on this list, Port of Subs has the smallest footprint, relegated pretty much entirely to a handful of Western U.S. states. That's about to change, however; Port of Subs is among 11 booming chain restaurants you're going to see everywhere in 2026. That should come as good news to connoisseurs of a quality roast beef sandwich, because the chain's Classic Sub #7 — its name for a simple roast beef and provolone — was among the very best I tried.

Everything I wanted from Subway, Port of Subs actually delivered. In other words, while my Port of Subs sandwich felt a little artificial, that wasn't a marker of bad quality, but in service of big, bold flavor. Its white bread, for instance, was on the processed end of the bread spectrum, balancing a satisfying density with a super-soft consistency. The actual roast beef was also a standout, cut thicker than most other chains and driven by a rich, oily character. One unique customization option at Port of Subs is a pre-mixed mayo-mustard sauce, which I chose and thoroughly enjoyed on my sandwich. In short, even if my order from Port of Subs was pretty much a standard roast beef sandwich, it was done just about as excellently as possible for a quick-service American deli.

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Arby's is the only major American chain restaurant that offers a roast beef sandwich as its signature item. But is it any good? Based on my experience trying it alongside six competing roast beef sandwiches, the answer is a resounding yes.

I opted for the Arby's Classic Beef 'n Cheddar, deciding it was the sandwich that best represents the chain on a base level. A couple things make the Classic Beef 'n Cheddar unique; one key ingredient for a copycat Arby's Beef 'n Cheddar, notably, is liquid nacho cheese. Meanwhile, its bread is a soft bun topped with fried onion pieces and poppy seeds.

I found the cheddar sauce delightful, whereas the bun was just subtly sweet and onion-y. The meat itself was thin-cut, but generously portioned, and defined by an oily, umami-forward flavor. Together, those three ingredients added up to a uniquely pleasant whole. However, my initial impression earned the sandwich this ranking's No. 3 spot. Then I added some Horsey Sauce (the chain's cutesy name for a sweet horseradish spread). That seriously leveled up my sandwich, adding a bold bite to what was already a warm, comforting combination of flavors. Altogether, the Arby's Classic Beef 'n Cheddar with Horsey Sauce is a fast food flavor bomb, completely unrestrained, and all the more satisfying for it.

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Whereas chains such as Arby's and Jimmy John's are located throughout the U.S., Cheba Hut is spread out more sporadically, albeit across 20 states. Its restaurants are blatantly stoner-oriented, in both decor and menu. As such, many of its sandwiches are designed with a more-is-more philosophy, like something that might be assembled in a midnight haze. While that approach could easily veer into novelty territory, Cheba Hut balances its goofy theme with high-quality ingredients.

The KGB features roast beef, horseradish, green bell pepper, mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle, plus the chain's proprietary "shake" spice blend and house dressing. All in all, it was the single best roast beef sandwich of the seven I tried for this ranking. Key, of course, to what made the sandwich so good was the actual roast beef. Not only was it cut thicker than at any other restaurant, but its edges were a little burnt, giving it an almost bacon-like quality. That was reflected in its taste, which was indulgently oily and more naturally meaty than a typical sliced deli beef. While the bread was also well-made and its veggies were tasty, the biggest difference-maker was the horseradish. Just like at Arby's, rich beef and bold horseradish were a winning combo. At Cheba Hut, however, the ingredients were simply of a higher level of quality. For the best roast beef sandwich a restaurant chain has to offer, track down the nearest Cheba Hut.

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I divided my roast beef sandwich analysis between two consecutive days so I could maintain enough of an appetite to adequately assess each item. On the first day, I picked up my Cheba Hut, Jersey Mike's, Port of Subs, and Capriotti's sandwiches. I ate about half of this batch of sandwiches in one sitting. I had the leftovers that night, which didn't significantly impact my rankings, but did help solidify my opinions. On the second day, I got my sandwiches from Jimmy John's, Subway, and Arby's. This batch I ate all in one sitting.

While I took advantage of customization options offered by some of the chains, I ordered every sandwich — save for Arby's, which does its own thing — on white bread, to keep one variable more-or-less constant. For what it's worth, most of my sandwiches included provolone, which was something I didn't mention in any of my analyses because I just didn't perceive it, positively or negatively, while eating.

None of the restaurants had any indication these sandwiches were for the sake of a ranking, instead of an everyday lunch. My rankings are based entirely on these sandwiches, and did not factor in any prior experience I have with the featured chains.