6 Arby's Sides, Ranked Worst To Best

We're headed over to the place that has all the meats. We're going to forget about that part of Arby's fast food business for the moment, though. I know it's hard since those booming commercials have been drilling it into our heads for years. But we'll have to do our best, because today, we're dipping into a different, non-meaty corner of the menu: snacks and sides.

Sides aren't always the reason we pull through the drive-thru. In many cases, they're just fillers or an opening act to accompany the main event of a stacked burger or, in this case, a roast beef sandwich. But sometimes, they're so good that they manage to outshine the main meal entirely. Think McDonald's famous french fries or Chick-fil-A's mac and cheese. So, where do Arby's sides stand on this spectrum? That's exactly the question I was aiming to answer.

The Midwestern-based chain currently has seven different items listed on its sides and snacks menu, as of fall 2026. That's right, it's dishing out much more than just curly fries. I recently tried all of them, with the exception of an order of two chicken tenders, which weaseled their way in from the entree section. My goal was to rank each one based on overall tastiness and uncover which side is the best pick to tack onto your next Arby's order, or maybe even enjoy all by itself. We already know Arby's has the meats. But does it have the sides to match?

Arby's is one of the only fast food chains I know of that serves two different kinds of french fries: crinkle and curly. I get catering to different preferences. But it almost feels like a hedging-your-bets move. Like, "Hey, we're not confident our signature fries are good enough, so here's another variety just in case."

If it were up to me, I would ax the crinkle and go all-in on curly. The crinkle-cut fries aren't even in the same ballpark. And don't get me wrong, I think crinkle fries can be delicious when done well. Exhibit A: the fries from Culver's. Exhibit B: the fries from Shake Shack, although I do prefer Culver's rendition just a bit more. Arby's, however, doesn't quite get them right.

The texture isn't bad. They're crispy enough on the outside and soft on the inside. But they have next to no flavor. Barely any of that fine kosher salt that was promised, no grease, and hardly even a spuddy taste. They were bland enough to have me reaching for the ketchup before I had even swallowed my first nibble. I would say some of the chain's cheddar sauce would help, but even that's a bit questionable. So, for these reasons, the crinkle fries rank as the most skippable Arby's side.

First things first, these are not potato pancakes, like the traditional German dish (I may have misread that on first glance). They're just potato cakes, which is really just another way of saying hash browns. Think of the kind you get from McDonald's for breakfast.

But here's the thing. My Arby's location doesn't even serve breakfast. It doesn't open until 10 a.m. every day, so why exactly is it serving potato cakes? I found it a little odd to be munching on one at two in the afternoon. They're not quite as good as the ones from the Golden Arches, either. They're thicker and not nearly as greasy, salty, or savory. Maybe that just means they're a little healthier, but if I'm eating a fried potato, I'm not exactly worried about the nutrition facts.

I will give them credit for their crispiness, though, and they certainly have more of a potato flavor than the chain's crinkle-cut fries. They're also pretty hefty in size, and I like that you can order anywhere from two to five of the triangular slabs, depending on how hungry you are or how many people you're feeding. However, none of that changes the fact that I don't see myself ordering these again in the future ... like ever.

There are actually quite a few places where you can get a speedy set of mozzarella sticks. Sonic, Rally's, White Castle, and even Sheetz offer a pretty good rendition. Arby's also gets in on the cheesy action, though I wouldn't say its version is anything outstanding.

The sticks are short and plump, and they're actually battered rather than breaded, so the outside is more of a smooth, thin layer. Essentially, these things are about 90% cheese. But the mozzarella is more fresh and squeaky than melty. There was no cheese pull to be had. I will give them credit for having a bit of crispiness, though, along with a slightly peppery taste that keeps them from coming across as just straight-up cheese sticks (the kind you would pull from a package of string cheese).

The accompanying marinara sauce did have the power to move them up a notch or two in the rankings. A really good sauce can do that. But unfortunately, this one was just as mediocre as the sticks themselves. It really just tasted like a thinner jarred pasta sauce. There were perhaps some Italian spices mixed in, but not nearly enough to give it the oomph I was looking for. I wanted something with a little more richness and body. Maybe I'm asking too much of a fast food marinara sauce, but I don't think that's entirely unreasonable.

Arby's has had an on-again, off-again relationship with its white cheddar mac 'n cheese since 2019. That's when the side was first introduced at the chain, and it's been brought back several times since. As of fall 2026, it's planted firmly on the menu yet again, and I got to try it for the first time.

I would definitely place it as one of the better fast food macaroni and cheeses out there. Panera and Chick-fil-A still have it beat. But Arby's is holding its own. It's extra thick and gooey. You definitely won't be wanting for more cheese here. In fact, it goes past creamy and into almost sticky territory. But the taste is still buttery and mildly sharp, with a bit of saltiness mixed in, too.

As for the noodles, the chain went with an elbow variety, which is always a good choice. My only issue was that they seemed to be slightly undercooked. They were just a touch hard and chewy, even a bit past al dente. And that's not exactly what you want in a bowlful of cozy mac and cheese. Because of that, this dish did fall behind two other Arby's sides in my ranking. But overall, it's not a bad choice to accompany your roast beef sandwich.

I've definitely had bad batches of Arby's curly fries in the past, where they were overly crisp and, in some cases, even burnt. And the chain's version of cheese fries isn't exactly its finest work (though that also has a lot to do with the cheese sauce it's using). However, this particular carton of curly fries reminded me why I used to love them so much growing up.

They have something that many other fast food fries don't: seasoning. Most chains stop at just salt, but Arby's sprinkles its curly Qs with an extra combination of spices. I'd guess garlic powder, onion powder, and maybe even some paprika are thrown into the mix to give them that extra flavor. And it certainly works in their favor. This particular batch was also crispy, yet not fried to oblivion, and I could still taste the soft spud inside. The curly fry definitely still stands as one of the best sides Arby's has to offer. Now, excuse me while I pick out the tightest spirals to eat first. We all know those are the best ones.

Arby's took a chance on a snack that brings the heat. Jalapeño poppers definitely stand out on a menu full of warm and savory comfort foods. But it was a gamble that paid off, and these ended up being my favorite side of them all.

The breading on the outside is good and crispy, and it gives way to a creamy filling. There's just enough cream cheese and it actually tastes real, too (which isn't always a given). The pepper itself has a good flavor and a decent amount of spice, but nothing so fiery that most people wouldn't be able to handle it. I thought it was the perfect balance of breading to pepper to cream cheese. They were so tasty that it made me wish I had ordered the eight-piece instead of just five.

Of course, when you order the Jalapeño Bites, you also get a side of Bronco Berry Sauce with that. What the heck is Bronco Berry Sauce? Well, it looks like strawberry jam and to me it tastes like canned cherry pie filling. It definitely creates an interesting contrast with the bites. A little bit of sweet and fruity meets rich and spicy. But I think I would go with something simpler like ranch next time. Or honestly, nothing at all. The bites really don't even need a dipping buddy.

I swung by a local Arby's here in Columbus, Ohio, and ordered every side on the menu, with the exception of the two-piece chicken tenders. Those didn't necessarily fit in since they can also be found among the chain's entrees. So, that left me with six different sides and snacks to try: crinkle fries, curly fries, potato cakes, Jalapeño Bites, mozzarella sticks, and the recently returned white cheddar mac 'n cheese. It was quite the enticing collection of grease and carbs, and I ate my way through all six options in one sitting to see which was best.

To rank each one, I was really just looking for the most appetizing pick. For french fries and other fried foods, that meant a good texture with a crispy outside and a softer inside. For items with breading, I wanted it to be sturdy enough to hold everything together but not too thick or overbearing. For everything, I was looking for plenty of flavor and that classic American comfort food goodness.

Not every item came with its own specific sauce, but for those that did, I briefly considered its taste and how well it paired with the side. It certainly wasn't the most important factor in my rankings, though. The sides themselves had to do most of the heavy lifting.