Here’s What Arby’s Debut Burger Actually Tastes Like

In Elite Daily's series Chef's Kiss, we taste the latest food and drink trends to help you figure out which ones you definitely don’t want to sleep on. In this piece, we taste Arby’s debut burger made with Wagyu beef.

Get ready to have a brand new main dish accompany your Arby’s curly fries. The company released its first-ever burger on May 23, and it’s a departure from the beef sandwiches you’re used to. Made with 52% American Wagyu, the company’s debut burger might just pique your interest on your next trip to the drive-thru. For a preview of what you can expect it to taste like, check out this Arby’s Wagyu Beef Burger review.

Fast food burgers are not a new concept; they’re the probably the first menu item you think of when you pull up to grab a quick bite. But a burger hasn’t been an option on any of your Arby’s runs... until now. Officially dubbed the Wagyu Steakhouse Burger, it dropped on May 23 at participating Arby’s locations. For its entry into the burger game, Arby’s went all out — the 6.4-ounce patty is made with more than half American Wagyu beef and 48% ground beef. ICYDK, Wagyu has more marbling (read: fat) and is more tender than OG ground beef. Arby’s cooks its burger using a sous vide method, which keeps the juices locked in and results in a juicy, tender burger, per the company’s May 23 press release. The burger patty is topped with American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, and a special burger sauce (more on that later) that’s all sandwiched between a brioche bun.

To see if all this really makes for the “highest-quality burger” as it’s referred to in the release, I got an early taste of Arby’s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger, and here’s my review of the new menu item.

First off, this thing is big. With the 6-ounce patty and all the toppings, I cut it in half to more easily bite into it. I tasted the burger sauce right away, and it overpowered the patty and other toppings. According to Arby’s, the sauce is made with tomato, sriracha, white mustard, onion, dill, and sweet relish — as you’re eating it’s hard to put your finger on the flavors, but when you know what’s in the sauce, you’ll be able to recognize them right away.

It took a few bites for the rest of the burger’s flavors to come through. I took a bite of the patty on its own, and it tasted more like something you’d get at a sit-down restaurant. It was juicy but not overly tender (I think my patty was little overcooked on the edges, but the inside was still slightly pink). Overall, it was a tasty burger, and it really packed on the condiments, adding to a more upscale burger vibe.

You can also order the burger with ranch and bacon instead of the burger sauce — that was my favorite way to eat it. The ranch sauce, which is the chain’s Parmesan peppercorn ranch, didn’t overpower the burger flavors as much as the burger sauce did, IMO. So ranch stans, I highly recommend trying this version of the Wagyu Steakhouse burger.

Overall, Arby’s debut burger is good. Is it better than all the other fast food burgers out there? That’s a tall order, but if you want a big burger that might leave juice dripping down your face, this fits the bill. Plus, you can get it with Arby’s iconic curly fries.

If you’re marking off your fast food burger bingo card (let’s just pretend that’s a thing), you can order Arby’s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger for $5.99 before it leaves the menu on July 31.