Culver's ButterBurgers Get All The Glory, But This Sandwich Is A Sleeper Hit For Real Fans

Culver's fans usually know what they're getting at the Wisconsin-based ButterBurger specialist, but for a fast food chain, it's still got some intriguing surprises on its menu. Past the burgers, the fried chicken sandwiches, and Culver's best seafood menu items, there are some dishes that fly under the radar. One of them can be found among the sandwiches: the Grilled Rueben Melt. Consider me as surprised as you when I say it's a great fast food rendition of the sandwich.

The first time I ordered one, I was simply not in the mood for a burger and wanted to branch out with something completely new. After my first bite, I was almost angry at myself for always skipping over it. On the surface, Culver's Reuben is just like most: It has the requisite hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing, all tucked into griddled rye bread. But it's executed perfectly, with hot crisp rye and a piping hot center, giving you that ideal combination of meaty, gooey, and tangy that you want in any Reuben. It seems so unlikely that this sandwich would be this good at Culver's, considering it's outside of the menu's focus, but the chain nails it.

At first, I felt a little like an outlier for my newly discovered opinion on the best items on Culver's menu, but then I dug around social media to see if any others were in agreement with me. It turns out I wasn't alone — I even found a post in the Culver's subreddit titled "Grilled Reuben Melt appreciation post." Though that alone should say it all, other users chimed in to say, "Best Reuben anywhere," and "One of their best items." One Redditor goes so far as to suggest that ordering extra corned beef on the sandwich is worth the upcharge. (It is admittedly not as loaded as some of the best Reuben sandwiches in the U.S. that come from proper delis.) 

The Grilled Reuben Melt also shows up in another Reddit post titled, "What's the most slept on menu item?" The author also posits that the Reuben is underappreciated (with the pot roast sandwich coming in second). There are other chains, like Arby's, that make a Reuben, but I can't say I've heard its praises online — so if you're at Culver's and a burger just doesn't sound good at the moment, give the Grilled Reuben Melt a whack.