Review: Arby's - Venison Sandwich

Arby's Venison Sandwich features a thick-cut venison steak topped with crispy onion strings and juniper berry sauce on a toasted star-top bun.

I went and bought one for $7. It went on sale nationwide for only one day yesterday.

The meat portion of the venison (deer) steak turned out pretty tender with a medium-cooked center but there was the occasional strands of gristle that was super chewy. It had me wishing they had sliced the steak thin rather than serving it whole. I wouldn't say it's a problem particular to deer meat though as beef steak can have the same problem depending on how it was cut/trimmed. The most annoying part of the gristle is how you end up pulling out whole steak from the bread as you try to bite through it.

Flavor-wise, the venison tasted like beef to me. It wasn't gamey like deer meat can sometimes be. It was lightly seasoned with just a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic.

The sauce was tangy with a combination of berry and herbal notes. I thought it was interesting but it might come off as somewhat medicinal to some.

The onion strings were a little sparse but added a light crispiness and a nice flavor. The bun cradled the steak and was moist and soft.

When it comes down to it, Arby's Venison Sandwich turned out well in the flavor department with a tasty steak and novel sauce but I wasn't a fan of the  whole cut of the steak, which, due to the gristle, had me just pulling the steak out to better chew through it.

Nutritional Info - Arby's Venison Sandwich (245g)
Calories - 490 (from Fat - 100)
Fat - 11g (Saturated Fat - 2.5g)
Sodium - 680mg
Carbs - 45g (Sugar - 9g)
Protein - 50g