The Reuben Index

Your Elbow Slam Rating System for Sandwich Excellence.

Because Yelp doesn't know jack about rye.

How It Works

The Reuben Index is our official way of judging the perfect Reuben. Every sandwich is scored across five essentials: bread integrity, meat quality, sauerkraut balance, dressing ratio, and melt perfection. Each category is evaluated to see how well the sandwich holds together and delivers the classic Reuben experience. The final score determines whether the sandwich is simply good or worthy of legend.

The Official Reuben Rating System

Category Max Score Criteria
Bread Integrity 5 Toasted, crisp, no sogginess, rye authenticity
Meat Quality 5 Tenderness, flavor, quantity, pastrami vs. corned beef
Melt Factor™ 5 Swiss cheese melt coverage, stretchiness, goo-to-bite ratio
Kraut Calibration 5 Tang, portion control, juiciness without slop
Sauce Balance 5 Thousand Island / Russian harmony, not drowning the bite
Structural Integrity 5 Does it hold together? Is it a 2-napkin ordeal?
X-Factor 5 Ambience, plating, soul, and surprise
TOTAL SCORE 35 Average of 5 Elbow Slams per category

Rating Scale

4.5–5.0 Certified Legendary Hall of Fame worthy
4.0–4.4 Solid Excellence Worth the pilgrimage
3.0–3.9 Respectable Gets the job done

How The Reviews Work

1

Watch Video Reviews

The Reubenator visits delis across America, documenting every detail of their signature Reuben

2

Check the Reuben Index

See detailed scores for bread quality, meat portions, melt factor, and overall execution

3

Suggest Locations

Know a great Reuben? Submit it for the team to review next on their journey