Favorite Butcher?

Would love to hear from folks about their favorite place to buy meat.

I love Huntington Meats in the Fairfax Farmers Market but would love some more east side options.

McCalls is great and super spendy. Anyone have any faves?

1 Like

Marconda has better quality meats btw. But I go to Huntington’s a lot as well.

2 Likes

Gwen and Standings are both good.

1 Like

Nijiya Torrance - Meyer Ranch Prime Angus

Eataly - Dry aged ribeye

Butchery - Creekstone Prime and Duroc pork

Meat Cellar - Dry aged Creekstone

1 Like

Is there much of a price difference?

I like Standing’s. Expensive, but good quality. On the weekends they do their ground beef with brisket and short rib and it’s awesome

My favorite butcher is Dario Cecchini. Very friendly guy although he speaks little English and I speak little Italian. Great experience going to his place in Tuscany for lunch.

In OC Electric City butcher at 4th St Market is fantastic. Nose to tail and they use everything. I like the dry aged steaks at Eataly but only buy them when they are on sale once or twice per year.

1 Like

I love A Cut Above, my local and lovely butchershop. They order me a fresh goose and hang it for me. I know when they get in their pigs for butchering and they will always try to accommodate whatever cut I want. I love their house made bacon and country pate. I’ve cooked brain from them, and gotten blood from them. I can get sweetbreads and quail, whole tongue, grassfed oxtail, the list goes on and on.

I like Bobs Market in Santa Monica. The butchers are friendly, they are open until 9pm. They have oxtail and prime cuts. Their bacon is pretty darn good. They always have liver in the case.

Nijiya Market on Sawtelle has thinly sliced tongue, which I keep frozen and use for a quick Japanese curry or stir fry. They also sell beef tendon, which I crave occasionally. And they have a fantastic sashimi selection and great items for a to-go lunch. And we love their pearled barley.

European Deluxe Sausage is fantastic place for sausage and smoked meats. They also carry items from that German place in the south bay, like blood sausage. I love the flavor but the casing always breaks on the blood sausage. During Christmas, they have a fantastic deal on bone-in prime rib. They are family run and remember their customers. When I ask, they will order me boneless prime rib at a great price. I cannot find a good breakfast sausage (read fatty) and they have offered to make a nice fatty sausage.

I go to Marukai for their mushrooms and rice selection, but they also have a great selection of pre-sliced meats, like pork belly, which I like to buy and freeze for fast stir-frys. They carry Jidori chicken.

I get my guanciale and pancetta from Guidi Marcello. They have a great selection of Italian cured meats, pre-sliced. I get my cotechino there. A pantry staple and makes for a fast and easy dinner.

Sorry, nothing on east side. The times we’ve been to Gwen the service has been spotty.

6 Likes

I like Gwen and standings as well

Not that I’ve noticed.

No fair. He’s surely everyone’s favorite butcher. How’s this for a funny not funny story:

fam an i were in italy 2 yrs ago and spent a good couple weeks around tuscany… we drove around a lot hanging out in small towns. Panzano was of course a long time bookmark for me but in the business of the travels i forgot to check back on it, so when we finally got to panzano randomly driving around one day, i totally spaced that it’s where Dario is. We ended up having a very average meal in town just steps from him after cocktails at another. Brought back some great olive oil. But what a bummer lol

something to return for

We were there about 2.5 years ago sans kids. Had a great lunch. Meat sweats for days. Huge grill and they don’t use utensils to cook the meat. Just lots of young men picking up meat with their hands. They have mitts on. Can’t believe you went to that that area for lunch and missed them. Bummer especially since that town is so small.

dinner even … .with drinks… stayed for 3 nights nearby… but you know what… it goes back to my rebelling against all food celebrities… i’m just happy being in chianti drinking and eating anything the locals do.

Still doesn’t make sense that the house wines at every place I ate at in Italy were great and unreasonably cheap.

1 Like

Yea, the locals just don’t accept low quality… And at so many places the most expensive bottle on the list was still under 30 e

1 Like

If you are in the South Bay, South Shore Meat Shop on Western in San Pedro is very good. Not many people outside the San Pedro area knows about them.

1 Like

Is this going to start a trend of cured meat vending machines across the country? One can only hope.

3 Likes

In the East Valley I like Romeo at Hardy’s Market. I get whole pork bellies from him as they are skin on and leaner than other places I have bought them. As a bonus he has great bbq on the weekend.
In the West Valley Jim’s Fallbrook Market has excellent products, and will order it if they don’t have it. Plus they also have great bbq on the weekends.
The new Whole Foods on Ventura and Tyrone has a great meat department. They offer grass fed beef and lamb, Mary’s chicken, and organic pork. They had hangar steaks the other day, a Butcher’s cut I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. No weekend bbq though.

2 Likes