Toronto butcher shops are an integral part of our neighbourhoods, and any self respecting meat eater can tell you that the quality and knowledgeable service they provide is invaluable. These meat mongers are a cut above your average grocer; they know the provenance of each animal and dispense cooking tips too.
Here are my picks for the top butcher shops in Toronto by neighbourhood.
See also: The Best Butcher Shops in Toronto
THE BEACHES
Queen East's The Chopping Block is home to a fine selection meats including air-chilled chicken breasts and beautiful Frenched racks of lamb. You'll find prepared foods at the back of the store, including ready to heat schnitzels, cabbage rolls and lasagna.
BLOOR WEST VILLAGE
Take a number at the Bloor Meat Market and wait your turn at this old school butcher that has been in business since 1929. Locals love the enticing cuts of meat and sage advice offered by the friendly and knowledgeable staff.
BLOORCOURT
Find a smorgasbord of chops, tenderloins and ground on-demand meats at Vince Gasparro's Meat Market on Bloor. Aside from the ample selection at the butcher counter, look forward to buffala mozzarella brought in seasonally from Italy, unfiltered olive oil, prime Parma Prosciutto, free-range eggs and much more.
CABBAGETOWN
St. Jamestown Steak & Chops on Parliament prides itself on carrying high quality cuts at excellent value. Find everything from hand-made specialty sausages to house marinated meats and kebabs, while the adjacent deli serves up soups, slow roasted ribs, and a fantastic chicken schnitzel.
CASTLEFIELD DESIGN DISTRICT
Speducci Mercatto is a full service butcher counter that deals in premium products and makes its specialty dry aged Tomahawk rib steaks and triple A ribeye steaks. The market carries cured meats from Paganelli's, while the cafe crafts panini and serves up prepared foods like its signature speducci and spit roasted pork.
DUNDAS WEST
In business since 1974, Nosso Tahlo is the neighbourhood go-to for traditional cuts of beef, pork and poultry in Little Portugal. Deli meats and cheese here are never prepackaged but rather sliced to order, and the shop also carries traditional Portuguese specialties like chuorico sausages and bacalau.
THE DANFORTH
The Meat Dept. brings in the majority of its meat from Ontario and Quebec, but can also offer products not found anywhere else. Skilled butchers on staff will happily accommodate requests for the extraordinary and can just as easily supply everyday staples like organic deli meats, prepared foods, gourmet sauces and condiments.
DANFORTH EAST
Stock in Trade is a compact butcher and food store where the display case shows off selections of pork, chicken, beef, rabbit and lamb. The shop engages in whole animal butchering and will happily produce custom cuts and special orders. Sandwiches and prepared foods are worthwhile, most notably, the house-made pastrami and porchetta.
EAST YORK
Fresh From the Farm is grocer on Donlands that partners with Ontario's Amish and Mennonite farmers to provide organic and/or hormone-free foods. The one-stop shop carries an ample selection of roasts and steaks, ground meats and offal, alongside locally sourced eggs, dairy, produce and prepared foods.
ETOBICOKE
Medium Rare is boutique butcher where beef is aged on the premises and is offered alongside a range of sausages, charcuterie, sauces and grab-and-go foods like meat pies, gourmet entrees and slow smoked barbecue.
THE JUNCTION
Gourmeats on Dundas West isn't your average meat market. The butcher case might be stocked with your standard cuts, but customers are encouraged to have orders packaged in any of the many house marinades so that mealtimes are made easy and exciting.
KENSINGTON MARKET
Bubbling with activity, Sanagan's Meat Locker is a local favourite for beautifully butchered cuts, housemade sausages, and charcuterie. The recently spruced up St. Andrew Poultry deserves a nod too. Prices here are a tad cheaper and the shawarma at the food bar is top notch.
LESLIEVILLE
Rowe Farms isn't a single farm, but rather a team of farmers that have banded together to
promote conscientious farming. The meat purveyor operates multiple retail locations and has distribution deals with grocers across the GTA, but the outpost in Leslieville is a popular source for fresh pork, lamb, beef and poultry as well as frozen convenience foods like meatballs, burgers, and chicken wings.
LIBERTY VILLAGE
Bespoke Craft Butchers is a neighbourhood food shop committed to selling grass-fed beef and lamb, certified organic chickens, and heritage breed pigs. Aside from top notch cuts of raw meat, find the shop stocked with cured meats, cheese, breads, house-made marinades, and condiments.
LITTLE ITALY
The butcher case at Grace Meats is stocked with traditional cuts, while the store is packed to the brim with deli meats, cheeses, and pantry items like imported pastas, sauces, spices, and marinades.
MARKHAM
Famu at Steeles and Victoria Park specializes in Japanese cuts as well as traditional North American cuts. This place is a best bet to find waygu steaks, plus ready to eat foods like curries and chicken katsu are available for purchase too.
MISSISSAUGA
Paramount Butcher Shop is the halal butcher from the Middle Eastern restaurant chain of the same name. Here you'll get to choose from fresh and marinated halal chicken, lamb, veal, beef and goat, plus a range of grocery items including cheese, sauces, marinades, pickles and olives.
NORTH YORK
Eddystone Meats boasts a huge meat counter along with a line of cheeses, olives, and ready-to-eat hot table selections. The shop specializes in porchetta and makes delectable hot sandwiches.
OSSINGTON
Cote de Beouf is a Parisian-style butcher shop devoted to showcasing local Ontario and Quebec product. Aside from groceries, find fresh and frozen take-away foods and the occasional in-shop dining experience where you can sample the goods along with a glass of wine.
QUEEN WEST
The Healthy Butcher operates multiple locations and each is committed to selling fresh, locally grown meat from cattle that graze in large pastures, and chickens with access to both indoors and outdoors.
RIVERSIDE
Butchers of Distinction opened in 2013 and prides itself on offering direct farmer-to-customer service. The shop engages in 'whole animal' butchery, with all meat cutting, trimming and aging done on site. In addition to raw cuts, find ready-to-heat and serve foods prepared in house including roasted, smoked and barbecued meats, stocks, soups, salads, side dishes, and pies.
RONCESVALLES VILLAGE
Custodio's Meats & Eats is a whole animal butcher shop specializing in local meats from small family farms in Ontario. The butcher here brings in whole hogs, entire chickens, and complete beef and lambs to offer high quality, sustainable, humanely raised meats that aims to give customers the peace of mind of knowing where their meat comes from.
ROSEDALE
Ollife works directly with the best farmers and individual producers from Ontario, Saskatchewan and PEI to source beef, game, poultry and lamb. Staffing some of Toronto's finest and most sage butchers allows for custom butchery and informative customer interactions.
SCARBOROUGH
Kostas Meat Market and Deli on Ellesmere at Warden is a Greek butcher that's home to a wide selection of meats at fair prices. Not to be missed are house specialties like souvlaki skewers and tzatziki.
ST. CLAIR WEST
Roast is a premium butcher shop where top grade, organic and/or naturally-raised raw meats are available alongside a wide array of fine foods and chef-prepared meals for take-away.
ST. LAWRENCE MARKET
Choosing just one favourite butcher in St. Lawrence Market is almost an impossible task, and while some of the meat counters have various strengths, Whitehouse offers a broad selection that includes typical varieties like aged beef, fresh pork, lamb, milk fed veal and naturally raised poultry, as well as, specialty items like game meats (venison, wild boar, and rabbit) and birds (pheasant, partridge, duck, and quail).
UPPER BEACHES
Close to the Bone is a craft butcher shop that offers certified organic beef, pork, lamb and chicken that are naturally raised without hormones or chemical enhancements. Also find sausages, cured meats, and a range of pantry items.
WEST QUEEN WEST
Cumbrae's retail outpost on the west side is a marvel to behold. A shrine to meat, stocked with premium cuts of beef, pork and poultry supplied by a network of Ontario farms. A wall of packaged prepared foods is a blessing for those that don't like to start from scratch, while whole rotisserie chickens and sandwiches are ready to eat immediately.
YONGE & EGLINTON
The Butcher's Son, inspired by old world butchers, is helmed by chef and owner Vito Rizzuto who stocks his shop with superior, restaurant-style cuts, Expect to find a wide range of beautifully marbled top cuts of beef, traditionally raised chicken, Ontario pork and lamb, and a superb selection of game meats such as duck, quails, venison, elk and more.
YONGE & LAWRENCE
The Friendly Butcher has been in business since 1996 dealing in traceable, locally raised products from Ontario farms. The onsite production kitchen stocks the shop with easy meal solutions too, expect to find prepared foods like steak sandwiches, potato latkes and chili.
What did I miss? Disagree with my selections in the comments.
Lead photo from the Cumbrae's by Jesse Milns.
by Liora Ipsum via blogTO
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