The commercials and PR photos for Arby’s new “Mac & Cheezers” looked very much like the item released by Jack in the Box not long ago, but I was hopeful they would be an improvement. Unfortunately, they are not. The Arby’s version has a slightly crisper coating with more bumps, ridges and crumbs, but otherwise they look, smell and taste almost identical to Jack’s. In fact, these two items are so similar that it wouldn’t surprise me if both fast food chains are being supplied by the same source.

If you remember my recent review of the Cheesy Bites from Jack in the Box, then you understand why I’m disappointed. It’s not that they’re ‘bad’… they’re just not very good. They failed to capture the real flavor of the classic macaroni and cheese dish that I’ve loved (and you too, probably) for many years. Arby’s version is the same as Jack’s. It simply tastes flat and dull. The crust overpowers the noodles and cheese packed inside, and the cheese sauce doesn’t have much flavor to begin with. It’s actually a nice crunchy shell, and Arby’s is better than Jack’s, but it’s still too much. The focus should be on the macaroni and cheese filling, not the battered coating. This is like eating a spoonful of pasta on plain toast. It’s overkill… too bland and starchy.

Deep fried mac and cheese sounds awesome, but the concept still needs work. I’m worried it might not be possible to achieve enough cheesy goodness without either making the crust lighter and thinner, or loading up more pasta and cheese inside, creating pieces that are bigger and thicker. But those changes might just create other problems, like increased cooking times, or the breading and batter not being strong enough to hold things together properly. Hopefully somebody will figure it out.

I can only recommend Arby’s Mac & Cheezers to those desperate for something new. Like I said before, they’re not ‘bad’… they are just bland and boring. You will eat them once, and probably never order them again. And if you’ve already tried the version from Jack in the Box, you can skip these completely because they’re the same thing.

Price: $2.79 (5 piece), $4.94 (10 piece) / Website: Arbys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C

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Nutrition Facts - Arby’s Mac & Cheezers (5 piece).

Calories - 390
Calories from Fat - 158
Total Fat - 18 grams
Carbs - 50 grams
Saturated Fat - 8 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 15 milligrams
Sodium - 805 milligrams
Protein - 10 grams

Arby’s has just introduced their own version of deep fried macaroni and cheese, called “Mac & Cheezers”. You might recall Jack in the Box’s similar item that came on the market a couple months ago. I reviewed those back in July, but despite being a big fan of the classic cheesy noodle dish, and loving all things deep fried, they failed to excite me. I’m hoping Arby’s has a different recipe which better captures the flavor of the real thing. Deep fried mac ‘n cheese sounds great on paper, but it’s not that easy.

Due to prior commitments I won’t get a chance to try these for a few days. I wonder if any FFC readers might beat me to it? Please post here and let us know.