I’ve only tried Arby’s a handful of times but when I heard (last year, I think) that they would be serving a Venison Sandwich, I definitely wanted to give it a try.
Being an adventurous carnivore, I had tried venison a few times in the past. I enjoyed a reindeer sandwich during a brief visit to Helsinki, Finland, and I also remember having venison steak in Germany a couple of times.
From what I recall, the Arby’s Venison Sandwich was originally available in select locations. A few weeks back I started hearing that every Arby’s location would sell the Venison Sandwich for one day, October 21.
I wanted to give it a try but there are no Arby’s located in Brooklyn, NY.
I decided that I’d take a chance and visit a location about 40 minutes away, in Middle Village, Queens. I called the location around 11:00AM to find out how many they still had available. (Each restaurant was sent 100 sandwiches.) They had around 60 sandwiches left (they sold 40 before lunch time?) but there were no guarantees that there would be any left by the time I could get there-about an hour.
The save time, Kim decided to stay home with Theo while my little 5.5 year old wingman Lucas came along on this Food Quest.
When I asked Lucas if he wanted to come to Arby’s he quoted their TV commercial, “Arby’s, We Have The Meats” (I’ve never seen the ad but Lucas has told me the slogan before) and enthusiastically said that he wanted to go.
We arrived around 12:15 to a half-filled parking lot and I was definitely hoping that I didn’t waste my time driving 40 minutes only to be told that they were sold out.
I expected to see some signage outside regarding the Arby’s Venison Sandwich and some large signage inside but all I saw was this sign on the counter, next to the register.
I pointed to the sign and asked if they had any venison left and was happy to hear a yes! When I asked for two, I was told that one per person was allowed and the cashier went to ask another employee something. How rude, Lucas is a person too!
(We really ordered two sandwiches so I could take one home for Kim, or at least part of one!)
I’m not sure how the ordering worked at other locations, but in Middle Village, Queens, to get a Venison Sandwich, one had to order a combo. For $8.49, you get the sandwich, a drink and curly fries. The price seemed pretty fair if you ask me.
So what’s inside an Arby’s Venison Sandwich?
From arbys.com:
We waited a few minutes for our order, once it arrived, we couldn’t wait to dig in.
The campaign photos for the sandwich look a bit neater than the actual item in person. The sauce was a bit drippy and some of the crispy onions were falling out of the bun and not placed as neatly like in the promotional photo.
Regardless, taste was the most important thing regarding this sandwich.
The Venison Sandwich is pretty hefty. I’m not sure of the weight of the meat but it looks like a small steak as it should since it is described as one.
The meat was a little tough but I wasn’t surprised since venison is a leaner meat. As for the flavor, it’s slightly gamy (not in a bad way) but this didn’t bother me or Lucas. The flavor was really good, slightly garlicky and peppery.
The crispy onions added a nice little crunch to the sandwich. The Juniper Berry Steak Sauce was tangy and peppery. Lucas loved it and said it was the best BBQ sauce, I wouldn’t go that far. The sauce didn’t bother me but I felt it hid the venison flavor a little more than I wanted it to. My favorite bites were when there were less sauce so I could taste the meat.
Kim tried a few bites of the Arbys Venison Sandwich when we got home. Kim also really enjoyed the sandwich. Even though it wasn’t hot, the sandwich held up well.
Overall, Lucas and I had a fun time during our little food quest to find an Arbys Venison Sandwich.
I have to say that I’m impressed that a fast food restaurant could put out a sandwich of this level. It really didn’t feel like we were eating fast food!
If the Arbys Venison Sandwich is offered again, I’ll probably be taking a ride to get my hands on one (or two) again!
