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Categories: Meat Shops, Delis [Edit]
5330 W Belmont AveMon-Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
After a year and a half in this general neighborhood, we finally got to Gene's today (Thanks, Pam D.!) and boy I have to say I was impressed. The meat and deli department is large and well stocked with mostly Polish specialties. We picked up some gypsy pork loin and asked for a cheese to go with it, and we got samples of several different cheeses so we could make up our minds. Very nice service!
There are also a lot of baked goods including some bread that looked wonderful. If we hadn't already been to Great Harvest I might have bought some, but I'll be going back. The shelves are just full of wonderful European specialty foods -- again, mostly Polish. But we did find jars of honey from a local supplier and French butter. I also found a bottle of "Pure Birch Juice" but wasn't brave enough to try that, or the sour apple liquer. maybe another time. There were so many jars of pickled vegetables it made my head swim, and of course the ubiquitous pierogies. The meats looked very nice, though there didn't seem to be anything too special there. There were LOTS of cookies and candies.
Prices were good and the service was good, if not particularly friendly except for the one deli counter lady who was so sweet to us. It also looked squeaky clean, which is a big plus. In all, it's a winner
Dear Gene,
Will you marry me?
Love,
Nat
Oh damn... I have a husband and he's a Yelper. I'm
so busted.
Two words for you: POTATO SAUSAGE. it's heaven in an intestinal casing. Mashed potatoes... onions... BACON.
We have started a new camping tradition. Whenever we go, we must make a stop at Gene's for potato sausage and those GIANT hotdogs. Perfect on the open fire.
I honestly have no idea what most of the stuff behind the meat counter actually is... but it doesn't matter. Just get some of everything. Cook it. Mmmmm... meat coma.
The grocery section is impressive as well. All sorts of goodies. I take the same approach as the meat counter... if it looks good, buy it.
The highlight of my week: the Mr. and i were walking through Lincoln square and noticed a new storefront... with a large cow over the doorway.
COULD IT BE?! We eagerly pressed our noses to the window and peered in.
YES!!!! The work permit displayed on the door told us it is, indeed, a new Gene's location. Significantly more convenient for us Ravenswood residents.
I can't wait!!!
I know this is NOT going to sound right, but I REALLY don't care, because Gene's Sausage Shop is TRULY amazing.
The first time I went into Gene's with one of my awesome friends and now camp buddy...I thought I died and went to Sausage Heaven (told you it wasn't going to sound right!).
What is sooo special you ask? POTATO SAUSAGES. My friend boasted about these suckers when we were there (and it took us some time to find them - we had to ask to receive on that one!) she ordered tons for camping. We cooked them for breakfast one camping morning and only one word can describe these heavenly creations...WOW!
The hot dogs? Ginormous. And VERY tasty. Oscar Mayer, you are soooo out! Once you have tried Gene's hot dogs, you will never go back to mass produced wieners.
And the Polish sausages were outstanding. And so were the bratwursts. And the sauerkraut. And the mustard.
And that is NOT all...I had to venture into their pastry and baked good sections. And ended up purchasing a tray of kolachkies (for those of you who are not familiar with this, they are pastry filled with fruit jelly). Flaky, soft and they melt in your mouth! Two thumbs up.
Oh, and if you like imported European beer, they have a MASSIVE section full of beers.
What's making me more excited is the fact that my friend stumbled into their soon to be open new store in Lincoln Square. That means, RIGHT down the corner for me. I CANNOT WAIT!
I save 5 stars for really good places, and Gene's deserves it because of their deli. They have some of the best NON-FATTY Polish sausage you can buy in the city. It is perfectly garlicky and doesn't have the congealed fat some other delis grind into their sausage. Their smoked butt must be something they serve in heaven. So smoky, and porky, lean and tasty. I'm not even going to describe their deli counter prepared foods, because it is ridiculously amazing, diverse and stocked with drool-inducers.
I needed some sausage for a potato and kale soup I was making so we shot down Belmont to the giant cow place. "Giant cow place" as in "there's a giant cow on the roof."
What looks tiny from the outside is, once through the door, a very large Polish wonderland brimming with meat and fish, produce, blood soup, chocolate and cheese.
Not much is in English, and I get the feeling they don't really like non-Poles here at Gene's, but I have some sort of pan-European face that makes foreigners think I'm one of them no matter where I am. (European foreigners. People in Chinatown do not think I am Chinese.)
I asked for a ham hock and some garlic sausage and they were both fast and friendly with me.
The produce is fresh, the spices are varied and the deli is pretty impressive. If for some reason you find yourself all the way out in the 5000 block of Belmont you might as well swing in and stock up on cheap, delicious meats.
Try to look Polish if you can.
Let me just say HEX YEAH!! I love Gene's and go every year at Christmas and take things in a cooler back to Arizona with me. This year the airport security people confiscated several items (previously permitted) and I wasn't happy but hey-at least some smoked porky goodness made it through. Maybe I should have hid them in my burkha LOL!!
Their kabanosy and gypsy ham are not to be missed, though I have never had anything that wasn't absolutely delicious. The counter help can be a bit b!tchy if you're not Polish but this last time the lady was real nice!
When I first walked in here I thought sheesh, what a sausage fest.
(badumbum!)
A fellow yelper, G.R., knew I was in search of a good deli that could rival the NY delis ouf my youth, and recommended this place. I walked in and really enjoyed looking around at some of the more unusual litems. I love ethnic groceries for that reason. However, as someone who rarely eats beef or poultry, I was at first thinking I was not going to be able to review it highly because there wasn't much I wanted to buy.
Then I got home and tried what I had bought. Whoa. I bought a piece of stuffed cabbage (I was in need of childhood comfort food memories) and some beet salad. I never had beet salad like that, and while at first I wasn't sure I liked it, that changed in a a few seconds and I happily and eagerly devoured it. For another meal I bought cheese pierogis, sauerkraut and mushroom pierogis, and potato pierogis, and all were also really good (though really, what isn't going to taste good when fried in real butter?). The prices were amazing--my pound of beet salad was a little over two bucks, a pound of cole slaw was a little under $2, a thing of strawberries (which were in better shape than most grocery stores that charge way more) were $1.89 I think.
If you are a meat eater, make your way here for the vast assortment of items, they did look really good and interesting. If I am in the neighborhood, I will definitely return to try some more of the vegetable and fish items.
Note: they have a parking lot. Note 2: Credit care minimum is $15. (Prices were so cheap I didn't hit it!)
Being a "raging Polski," (as many of my non-Polish friends call me) I know a couple things about Polish food. This place is hands down, without an argument, my all time favorite Polish deli. They have a wide variety of Polish sausages, as well as various deli meats, as well as other groceries. The reason this place shines brighter than other Polish delis in the area is that it's well kept, organized and very friendly.
This used to be my neighborhood Polish deli growing up and I'll still go out of my way to stop by here to get my fix of Polish goodness.
Hands down the best place i kno to get your 'deli' on. While the selection of produce and fresh meats is not the biggest they do carry some -and after all, its DELI u came for ..and deli they got! The deli counter stretches along one very loooooong back wall .. great assortment of ready to eat staples like pierogie, meat croquets, schnitzel, dumplings and assorted 'breaded' meats .. good selection of salads and slaws-and then there are the sausages .if u came in and tried one every week for a year, u would still be going down the line next year .. Deli meats like ham and roast beef are fresh and plentiful (3.99 for a lb of roast beef- try to beat that!) and they have a good variety of cheeses-also fresh and very affordable. The bakery section is a little skimpy (but again .. 'DELI' .. its just the small assortment of cakey sweets they do have makes me crave more), but the liquor section is huuuge and well stocked and includes some european treasures u dont see very often elsewhere. (Try the cherry liquer bottled with cherries by Cracovia) There is also a nice variety of imported canned products, both in tins and jars and condiments tucked into those general rows. Very easy to visit Genes and buy some precooked schnitzel, beet salad and a quart of soup for dinner that night and shop for your deli needs at the same time =D .. 4 stars instead of 5 because of the cons-and there arent many. The largest one has to do with the language barrier. Most of the shelved products and the sausages are labelled in polish (which makes sense since the shelved products are mostly imported and the sausages are just going by their names, but a little guidance would be nice) The other con is what other reviewers have mentioned before - you may not get the most helpful attitude if u dont appear to be Polish. We went to the Deli and spent $50 (which is a feat here !) and the girl behind the counter pretended at first not to understand me ..then was impatient and slightly bored as we ordered items. A request to suggest a sausage that we might like was met with an eye roll and we were handed a regular polish sausage out of all the varieties available lol but hey maybe she was just having a bad day .. I lived in the neighborhood about 20 yrs ago and Genes was going strong back then-and yes, the attitude situation was the same back then. After the people in the shop got to know me tho, it changed and i was always treated nicely on my weekly forays for tidbits. Im planning on being enough of a regular again now that we've moved closer once more-so heres hoping =) Either way, the goodies are worth a little bit of tude.
In an area loaded with Polish deli's Gene's is a little different. First, it's not just a Deli, it's a mini grocery store- they've a side parking lot and inside you'll find produce area, canned goods, beer, etc. You'll know you've found it by the giant cow on the roof! And the deli counter really is something to see- the longest deli counter I've seen! I usually order something, even if as a non-Pole I don't know what it is!
This place had it's 15 minutes of fame years back when the Frugal Gourmet paid a visit on his show (alright, enough with the young boy jokes)- it was good enough to put on TV and I'm sure you'll find it's good enough to pay a visit. 'I bid you peace.'
Just incredible!
This place is really good. This place is on my mom's list as one of the best. Yes we're polish. So is most of the staff behind the deli counter. I try to order my stuff in my very limited Polish, they humor me and give me the goods.
So many ready made items, you can put together dinners for over a week. In addition to that, they have a butcher area. Some items cross nationalities, such as potato pancakes, knishes, and more.
You can get everything here, they have grocery items, fresh produce and they carry liquor also; from Vodkas, a Polish must have staple, like pasta is to an Italian , to various Polish and other European beers. I'm not a big beer drinker and I always bring home one of their sale beers. Hey it's a sale right!
Bakery selection could use improvement, however they carry a good selection of bread, especially rye.
Yes it is out of the way for some, but remember this place is amply sized and you can complete your shopping list here.
And during the holidays they carry all the specialties.
I should of done this review before eating dinner, I just made myself hungry. Darn it, double calories, time to nosh.
A great Polish deli and market. An extra star because they carry Czarnina (blood soup), my mom loves the stuff. Minus a star because half of the customers are so rude and parking is tight.
My husband would give this place five stars, I'm not there yet but we'll see. This small store (huge inside) seemingly has every Polish product you could get on the boat and sneak into the States. Just about nothing is in English and there are such a variety of jars, packets, boxes of curious items - that unless I bring a translator I'll just never know what to make of them. They do have 2 aisles dedicated to chocolate, a huge deli, lots of cold items and a big barrel of dead (probably pickled) fish. We like the sausage - bought 6 lbs of fresh made italian, polish, and bratwurst along with fresh mustard and homemade kraut - came to $14. $14. Not sure if you read it, but $14. Holy. Good for cookouts, experimental Eastern European food shopping, and deli items (potato pancakes and german potato salad).
Chicago, IL
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Avondale
Category: Meat Shops
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Archer Heights
Category: Delis
When I want to feel like I've left the US, I don't…
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