Arby’s, 1534 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL (630.584-3611). Sides $3–8; Entrees $6–12; Sweets $2–4.
Roast beef. Chicken. Brisket. Steak. Apple pie. Mac and cheese.
All flavors that can be found at Arby’s, but not all of them are worth a try.
(Photo by Aaron Hernandez Granados)
I visited Arby’s with my friends in November 2025. We drove to the St. Charles location around the time school ended, and we were pretty hungry, so although nervous, mainly due to the social media criticism about Arby’s, we definitely were looking forward to something to eat. Upon arriving, we noticed that we were the only car in the parking lot, which was surprising considering that it was around the time when most restaurants tend to pick up a little bit. Walking in, it smelled like food, but it was not a bad smell. Although we did notice that in all the time we spent there, which was around 40 minutes, only two other customers came inside.
Arby’s was founded in 1964 as a drive-through sandwich restaurant that, since then, has opened up multiple locations across the country. In an article by Shantella Huddleston, “Why Does Everyone Seem To Hate Arby’s? Inside The Fast Food Chain’s Controversy,” multiple controversies are brought up, ranging from how Arby’s has cut back on its portions but not its prices, to how the quality of its meat has been declining, noting the roast beef’s grey-like appearance. Despite this, Arby’s largest controversy was the discovery of human body parts in the food, which happened on two separate occasions. Because of all this, social media has not been kind to Arby’s, a good number of people deem it as terrible food online.
At Arby’s, customers order at the counter, and it is relatively quick considering it is “fast food.” The staff was really friendly, and the food came out in around three minutes. The overall vibes of the restaurant were nice and enjoyable. The restaurant has dim lighting with a variety of seating options, from high chairs to booths, along with a cozy atmosphere. The music selection they chose was very up-to-date and brought tranquility within the room. The restaurant itself was very clean, including the bathrooms, which, according to my friend Omar, were surprisingly (based on its reviews online) well-maintained.
We ordered a variety of things to try to provide the best review of the food. Starting with beverages, we ordered an apple pie shake. The apple pie shake was tasty, it had a very rich cinnamon taste that did not overpower the apple flavor, which is important in terms being too sweet.
As for the side dishes, we ordered their signature curly fries, mac and cheese, and their new steak nuggets. Arby’s curly fries are definitely on the better side of fast-food fries. They came out nice, warm, with good seasoning and a savory taste. On the presentation side, Arby’s fries are no strangers to looking appetizing.
Unfortunately, the rest of the food is not receiving the same high praise. To start, we ordered the mac and cheese, which had a very pungent smell, like aged cheese; it did not smell the best, and the taste followed that trend. It tasted old and had a very pronounced taste of cheese. The steak nuggets were even more underwhelming. To call those pieces of meat “steak nuggets” is definitely a reach. They looked like they were burnt, as when we opened the container, there was no color other than black in sight. The texture was really rough, and the meat itself was very hard and not easy to bite into or pick up with a fork. The taste, unfortunately, was even more underwhelming as there were no hints of steak in the flavor. Instead, all we got was some mediocre beef jerky.
The Arby’s signature sandwiches do not get much better. The Brisket Sandwich was not too bad at its first bite, giving that sweet and savory flavor all-in-one with a good sauce to accompany it, but as I took a few more bites, somehow the sandwich just got worse. The brisket felt colder the closer I got to the center, despite the rest of the sandwich being warm. It was not pleasant to eat; it felt like eating leftovers after the first couple of bites.
Arby’s Classic Roast Beef sandwich is one of Arby’s most popular sandwiches, providing the meal high expectations, but ultimately fell down. The odor is very strong, but it just smells artificial; I could not really get a whiff of the meat. The look of the sandwiches themselves was not very appealing, as the roast beef almost appeared plastic when observed without taking a long glance. The taste was salty, and definitely needed some sauce as the sandwich felt very dry. When comparing Arby’s roast beef to, say, Portillo’s, for example, it can be described as a night-and-day difference in quality. Arby’s roast beef is simply too dry, which can be tasted when customers take a bite. After trying to chew, it just felt like I had a ball of meat and bread that was seasoned with mediocrity.
On a better note, the Arby’s Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich was relatively enjoyable. With the bar so low on the rest of their sandwiches, the chicken sandwich earns Arby’s some points back. It had a good ratio of bread, lettuce, and chicken. This ended up giving it an enjoyable savory taste that balanced everything a chicken sandwich needs.
Overall, Arby’s was an ordeal of an experience. There are only a couple of items on the menu that are pretty good, but unfortunately, they do not outweigh the bad. Alongside that, all three of our (my friends and I) stomachs were in pain around an hour after we ate at Arby’s. Arby’s should be a last resort pick only if there are no other restaurants nearby to choose from.