Skip to main content
Sliders are a rarity in this corner of the fast food world. This isn't to say you can't find them anywhere. Their economical size makes them quite popular happy hour items at bars like the Rialto and Buffalo Wild Wings. But we've no White Castle out in these parts. While many consider that a good thing, it does leave some of us wanting in the cheap, nearly bite-sized sandwich department. And so Arby's addition of five sliders to the permanent menu is a welcome change.
Arby's continues it's counterpunch to the longtime criticism of its roast beef with one louder, more boisterous, Ving Rhames-narrated commercial after the next, but these sliders work on a different, much-deserved criticism. Arby's is expensive. While McDonald's and Burger King have slowly crept up into similar territory, the second-largest quick service chain in the country has always felt overpriced.
These five sliders are listed at $1.29 a piece. In some markets, Arby's is testing the sliders at $1 piece. For some reason, my nearest Arby's is testing them out at $1.59.
Each slider contains the same two ingredients: a tallish roll for much-needed calories and essential carbohydrates and a white mystery cheese with a low viscosity. I honestly have no idea what the cheese is other than it has a similar texture to American cheese. Arby's website lists it simply as "melted cheese." And yet, it wasn't bad. I'd even go so far as to say it was alright. But once you move past these two foundational ingredients of the sandwich, that's where the real fun begins.
- Chicken ‘N Cheese Slider
This is literally a breaded chicken tender with some cheese served in a roll. It's reminiscent of the Chicken Littles I used to devour from KFC back in the olden days, but I've always had a fondness for the tenders at Arby's. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it—it's something in the batter—but this Ohio-based roast beef chain serves some of the most underrated chicken in the land.
- Corned Beef Slider
This was a real greasy son of a bitch. It soaked through the bottom of the box, which the cheese melted onto like an unexpectedly strongly glue. The corned beef proved a dramatic step up from the chain's roast beef in that it tasted and had a texture much closer to its inspiration. My only complaints as I bit into it were that the bun wasn't rye and where was the sauerkraut?
- Ham ‘N Cheese Slider
Ham is lame.
- Jalapeño Roast Beef Slider
The Jalapeño Roast Beef Slider won this informal taste test largely because I am an easy man to please. Jalapeños are good, adding a fourth ingredient to a simplistic sandwich is good, and the jalapeños grabbed the reins from its milder compatriots and took me to Flavortown at a breakneck pace. Or something. This slider is spicy, and I like spicy.
- Roast Beef ‘N Cheese Slider
This is the Whopper Jr. to the sandwich that Arby's has been serving throughout its entire existence. Do you like that sandwich? If yes, then go right ahead. The only mostly plain roast beef sandwich I've ever felt affection for at Arby's is the french dip. There isn't any au jus served with this slider, so the more interesting options are probably the better choice.
Willamette Week