9 signature sandwiches, ranked from worst to best
CLEVELAND, OHIO >> What's even more American than apple pie?
Fast food that's what. The big fast food chains have worked their way into the fabric of American life since White Castle first started hawking those Sliders in Wichita, Kansas, in 1916. Fast food is a multi-billion industry with global reach — and its major players are some of the most recognized brands on earth:
McDonald's. Burger King. Chick-fil-A. Wendy's. Arby's. The list goes on.
Each of those brands has a signature sandwich, too — from McDonald's
Big Mac to Burger King's Whopper and plenty in between.
The Best of Cleveland team at cleveland.com recently went on the hunt for the best of them. We picked a small sample group of the best-known signature sandwiches, and added some from wellknown local chains like Swenson's and Mr. Hero's — and started heat.
We visited nine popular fast-food chains across Greater Cleveland to try the sandwich they are best known for, then ranked them based on appearance, freshness and taste.
How did your favorite fare? Check out our thoughts below to see which fast food eatery deserves your hard-earned dollars.
No. 9 — Arby's Classic Roast Beef
PRICE >> $4.39 CALORIES >> 360 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
This is the sandwich that put roast beef on the map.
Our classic roast beef is thinly sliced and piled on a toasted sesame seed bun. Try it with our delicious Arby's Sauce, or for an extra kick go with the zesty Horsey Sauce.
OUR THOUGHTS >> For Yadi Rodriguez, her first Arby's classic roast beef was unimpressive and Brenda Cain had to agree. While the bun was fresh and toasted, it was soggy — and managed to overwhelm the thinly-shaved roast beef, despite the generous mound of meat it carried. The roast beef was tough, bland and grey with only a hint of salt and had a thin coating of greasy “sweat.” This looks like something they would feed you in prison commented Rodriguez. The Arby's Sauce helped to ramp up the flavor a bit, but this sandwich was still unimpressive.
No. 8 — Swenson's Galley Boy
PRICE >> $4.50 CALORIES >> 527 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
“America's Best Cheeseburger”. Our award-winning, signature double cheeseburger with two special sauces
This sandwich was tastier than it appeared when we unwrapped it. Fans of smashed burgers, this one is for you. The BBQ sauce is mild and sweet and the first thing you taste when you bite into the smashed twin patties. The burgers were slightly greasy and tasteless — though it may have just been a product of all those condiments: BBQ sauce, relish, mayo and onion. The cheese was only
OUR THOUGHTS >>
slightly melted and still a bit cold. Bonus points for the olive atop the sandwich.
No. 7 — McDonald's Big Mac
PRICE >> $5.20 CALORIES >> 550 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
Ever wondered what's on a Big Mac? The McDonald's Big Mac is a 100% beef burger with a taste like no other. The mouthwatering perfection starts with two 100% pure all beef patties and Big Mac® sauce sandwiched between a sesame seed bun. It's topped off with pickles, crisp shredded lettuce, finely chopped onion, and a slice of American cheese. It contains no artificial flavors, preservatives, or added colors from artificial sources. Our pickle contains an artificial preservative, so skip it if you like.
OUR THOUGHTS >> McDonald's has cornered the market on the “secret sauce,” which is the ingredient that most likely draws us back these days. The bun was the only thing “big” in this Big
Mac, and fortunately, it was fresh. We know times are tough on budgets, but the sandwiches we were served had us searching for the meat. Both patties together don't add up to the height of the center “bun”. The sauce and lettuce were plentiful, but the cheese had a “gummy” consistency, and the pickles were limp and offered no bite.”
No. 6 — Wendy's Baconator
PRICE >> $7.19
960
CALORIES >>
MENU DESCRIPTION >> A half-pound* of fresh beef, American cheese, 6 pieces of crispy Applewood smoked bacon, ketchup, and mayo. Carnivores rejoice!
OUR THOUGHTS >> In the 1980s, Wendy's was on everyone's lips for their “Where's the Beef?” campaign. Today's question might be more like “Where's the pig?” For a sandwich heralded as the “Baconator,” this one was sadly short on bacon. Rather than the thick fullsized slices of salty goodness
we expected, we got “pieces” of bacon that were hard and felt like they were left over from the breakfast rush. The beef patty was the usual square we expect from Wendy's, but the meats were drowning in condiments. Call quality control. Sad, we went in wanting to love this sandwich and left disappointed.
No. 5 — Mr. Hero's Roman Burger
PRICE >> $7 CALORIES >> 805
MENU DESCRIPTION >> Our #1 selling sandwich of all time. This delicious burger is considered by many to be the besttasting burger ever created! It's our customers' first and favorite choice. Burger patties, grilled salami and Italian luncheon meats, Swiss American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and Mr. Hero's house dressing.
OUR THOUGHTS >> It was Cain's turn to experience a fast food icon that Northeast Ohioans love for the first time — the Roman Burger. Definitely different
from anything else out there on the market. Not sure if it is the eatery's signature dressing or the slice of salami topping two burger patties, but you definitely get meat in every bite. The bun was soft, the veggies were fresh and crispy, and the cheese was melted. The only downside was that the grilled salami was a bit tough and chewy. But the flavors came together nicely.
No. 4 — Burger King's Whopper
PRICE >> $5.49 CALORIES >> 680 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
America's favorite burger. Look who's here — THE burger to rule them all. A real meaty flame-grilled Whopper beef patty, topped with tangy pickles, ketchup, fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce and fresh onions, finished with creamy mayo and served on a toasted 5” sesame seed bun. Feeling hungry for a real meaty burger yet?
OUR THOUGHTS >> There is just no denying the smoky grilled taste of a Whopper. But have the buns gotten bigger or are the patties smaller? The fresh bun almost overshadowed the meat — though the “flamegrilled” flavor still managed to shine through. The veggies were fresh, and the cheese was nicely melted and enhanced the taste of the meat. Although it was hard to get a bite that had ALL of the ingredients together.
No. 3 — Chick-fil-A's Classic Chicken
PRICE >> $5.29 CALORIES >> 440 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
A boneless breast of chicken seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips. Also available on a multigrain bun.
OUR THOUGHTS >> A thick chicken breast that was fried crisp, yet remained moist and juicy although a bit greasy. The bun was fresh and lightly toasted. While other fast-food eateries serve their sandwiches with tons of toppings, Chick-fil-A chooses to serve theirs with just pickle chips — which were crisp and added just enough tang and saltiness. You can request any of Chick-fil-A's sauces with your sandwich, but it is good enough to stand on its own if you don't like much seasoning.
No. 2 — Rally's Big Buford
PRICE >> $5.79 CALORIES >> 770 MENU DESCRIPTION >>
The boss of all burgers is made for The Fast Foodie with two large hand-seasoned, 100% beef hamburger patties, topped with two slices of melted American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise all on a toasted bakery-style bun. Ask for extra napkins.
OUR THOUGHTS >> Aptly named, the Big Buford is one of the larger sandwiches we tackled on our journey. A hearty burger with all the fixin's is worth a visit to the Rally's drivethru. Two thick burger patties and two thick slices of cheese and plenty of fresh toppings. A definite mouthful. You need to be hungry if you have any intentions of finishing this burger . ... Napkins are a must.
No. 1 — Popeyes' Classic Chicken
$4.99
700
PRICE >>
CALORIES >>
MENU DESCRIPTION >> n/a OUR THOUGHTS >> If you are looking for the true taste of a Southern-fried chicken sandwich, look no further. There is no denying the spice or the crunch of the coating — which had the potential to be addicting. Don't be surprised if you find yourself eating any crumbs that may fall. True to the southern tradition, this sandwich comes only with mayo and pickle chips. While they may have been a bit heavy-handed on the mayo, it tasted like it had been homemade, and the chicken's crunch stood up to the creaminess. Best of all, the pickles were sharp and crisp and added another level of crunch.
The bun tasted like a potato bun and stayed fresh and warm in the aluminum foil packet. Definitely worth your $5.