- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Lincoln Quality Meat Market
Rating Details »
Category: Meat Shops [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Lincoln Square, Ravenswood4661 N Lincoln Ave
(at Leland Ave)
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 561-4570
- Nearest Transit:
-
Western (Brown)
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Lincoln Quality Meat Market
Don't go in here looking for "warm fuzzies" from the staff , but do go here for really great fresh meats, deli meats, a nice assortment of flavored mustards, delicious homemade breads which are perfect for muffelettas. Look for the puffed up version of pita or middle eastern bread. It also looks like the bread for a Mexican Torta. There are also some fun Eastern European treats and cookies. And beverages.
If you want a good meal at home, you need the best and freshest ingredients. And here I will gladly pay more for the free range chicken, and boneless chicken breasts. They are not like the Dolly Parton-sized ones you find at the local grocers, which are often fibrous and probably full of hormones. And there is a clear difference in flavor. My favorite thing about a neighborhood butcher too, is their willingness to bone and butterfly and prep anything to save you time. Good selection of sausages, stew meat, and other fun items like stuffed chicken breast and stuffed pork chops you can take home and throw in the oven. These are reasonably priced, too, for large portions.
I like the convenience, the freshness, the prices and the lack of long lines here. And It's no skin off my butt shank if they're a little cranky.
If I had one steak to choose to eat for the rest of my life, it would be the ribeye. I purchased and cooked (almost to perfection!) two wonderfullly marbled, textured, aged ribeyes from LQM this weekend. I so appreciate that they are all cut to order - get it as thick or thin as you desire.
Also picked up some yummy pancetta - what a savory, satisfying cut of pork to add to my arsenal. Very high quality product.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
4/9/2009
LUCY from YELP continues to edit my updated review, and send me half-assed reasoning for doing so.… Read more »
They have affordable and amazing BEEF RIBS!!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
Regardless of what some uber-yelpers might say... this place is not s great. I special ordered a pork shoulder for some pulled pork I was planning on serving for some friends and family. When I went to pick up the cut of meat, I was shocked that they were insisting that the a pork loin was indeed pork shoulder. No other explanation was given for why they could not supply a pork shoulder. How unbelievably disappointing for what I was hoping to be a go-to neighborhood butcher. I will be sticking to Paulina Meat Market.
They've got meats, as promised. Some yelpers have pointed out here they've got surly teenage butchers. Teenage, no--more like an immature early twenties--but surly, yes. And not only do they cut the meat, they certainly must've had some part of the shop slogan, "nobody beats OUR meat."
I've had a good experience here before when not dealing with 'the teenagers', and I do enjoy getting meat from a specialty shop rather than under the fluorescent glow in a Jewel. If you're in the neighborhood and need some meat, well, nobody beats theirs.
You're better off heading down the road to Paulina Meat Market or, hell, even Dominick's. Don't waste your time or money. I've been to this place a handful of times over the past year. The service is always lousy, but sometimes they have good stuff. I put up with the surly teenage butchers in the past because I wanted to support a local small business, but today was the very last straw.
I went in for a couple of 10 oz. ribeyes. The two, um, butchers in the back were having trouble figuring out my order, so I settled for one thick steak. When I got home, I discovered they had stuck me with a very old piece of meat graying at the corners. I worked in restaurants for a number of years and know that the steak they gave me was probably five days old (outside of the vacuum pack). I noticed that the skirt steaks in the case were pretty haggard too, so shame on me for giving them money in the first place.
When I took it back for a refund, the employees and then the owner said the meat was just fine. They both claimed that the smell came from the plastic wrap, but that's just not true. When you take a steak out of the Cryovac, there's a faint pungent smell that dissipates quickly. Old meat, like my steak, smells sour (check) and looks gray (double check).
Rather than just replacing the meat, giving me a refund, or telling me to get lost, the owner proceeded to throw a tantrum. He opened a new pack out of spite and cut a much larger steak (bright red and free of odor). I begged him not too since I just wanted my $14 back and because he will now have about 18 pounds of unsold steak sitting around until Tuesday (the cycle continues...), but he insisted on teaching me some kind of weird lesson. He gave me the steak and, in his most threatening voice, said "don't ever say my meat is old!" That shouldn't be a problem since I won't ever shop here again.
Oh, Lincoln Quality Meats! How I adore thee!
Your cuts, so delightful, so well-worth the price!
Jewel may be cheaper, but there be a goodly reason for the cheapness.
Jewel is nothing to thee, oh, Quality Meat Market of my heart!
I shame us both by mentioning that vile imitation of a meat purveyor, and seek your forgiveness. Perhaps your approbation could take the form of skirt steak, delightfully cleaned for the lazy chef that I am, for my skill with a blade is no match for yours.
Or mayhap a delicious free range chicken, delicious and tasting of freedom, and also of the spicy horseradish mustard that graces your shelves.
In a picnicking mood, you might give me the gift of spicy garlic pork sausage and cheese, with a pretzel roll to round things out.
Oh, Quality Meats! Your wonders are too varied for a mere mortal such as myself to capture! May I humbly add only that you are within walking distance of my apartment, and that is a blessing of great joy.
I would shop here often if I lived in the neighborhood. As it is, they couldn't help me with a ham bone for making soup, and didn't really go out of their way to make any suggestions. These two kids' ages might have added up to 40--maybe. Also, I wanted to try some of the neat Eastern European sausages, but one was out and the other comes only in packages of 24. Booo.
Their pretzel rolls are better than Trader Joe's, heavier both in flavor and density. Excellent. A four-pack of fist-sized (well, a girl's first) pretzel rolls for $3.26.
$10 credit card minimum--bullshit! It was Saturday morning and I didn't want to start my lovely weekend with an argument, but that is not allowed and someone should call them out (like me on my next visit).
If you call ahead, these guys will get you ANYTING MEAT!. I called on a Monday, in need of a 6-1/2 pound beef tenderloin (!) for a party on Saturday. No Calls back. Wednesday: worry worry worry.
They were closed that week for Construction. Guess what? Thursday, I call, they pick up. Still closed, but they have my beef. And was it ever a good cut!
In-laws drove "all the way" from Beverly for the first time in about 8 years, and they raved. maybe they'll come North again someday.
Somewhat eponymously named source for quality meats in Lincoln square.
I just enjoyed a sensational corned beef and Emmenthal sandwich made possible by LQMM. Udderly moo-velous. Thanks to their reasonable prices I will be able to replay this bliss at lunchtime tomorrow. Out of pocket: a mere $5 and change.
The chops and sausages all looked broadcast-quality fresh. I want to try their Romanian and Hungarian sausages in the wurst way, recht schnell.
It was busy today at mid-day, which gave me time to appreciate their vast array of curiously named European imported goods, at least some of which I suspect they'd prefer not to be primarily known for stocking. (Are ya diggin' my bulky teutonic style subordinate clauses?)
Oh all right, today I somehow resisted the impulse to buy a litre of "Cockta" cola. Titter.
For the real useful lowdown I defer to fellow yelper Kurt S's review. Just consider me a fan who will return soon to deepen his awareness and appreciation of this fine purveyor of meats and mitteleüropaische lebensmitteln.
Big Barry hugz to LQMM!
A good meat market should, at its heart, have good meat. LQM passes this test ably. We've been customers for nearly five years, and still go back even though we've moved away from the square.
The sausages are made fresh, and preservative free. The chicken is free range (and shoppers at Jewel might be suprised, actually has taste without needing wing sauce!) The cuts of beef are incredible, hand-butchered to your specification. When we asked how fresh the steak we were buying was, John the Butcher's response was "It was still mooing this morning." Nice.
In addition, LQM stocks a variety of must-try goodies such as Gundelsheim pickles, German curry ketchup, Loewensenf, and fresh pretzel rolls. Mmmm... There are other breads (dark ryes, pumpernickles) and a full deli case. Try baking with Dr. Oetker's baking soda and yeast, and notice the improvement!
The best aspect is John's willingness to special order for your crazy whims. When we needed veal bones for stock, they were there two days later. Rabbit for my rabbit pie? No problem! A goose for Martinsgans on Christmas? Easy!
80 years old in Lincoln Square, and it seems new life has been blown into it. In addition to a good lawyer and a good doctor, a good butcher is a must for a good life.
This meat market should get five stars for their slogan alone: "Nothing beats our meat." Tee hee.
Meat here is high quality and well priced, and service is fantastic. I know where I'm stopping before my barbeque this summer.
This is a wonderful butcher shop. An extra bonus: It's just a few blocks from my house!
I came in to Lincoln Quality Meat Market this afternoon, 10 minutes before they closed at 2 p.m. for the New Year's holiday.
I refuse to buy my Italian sausage from anywhere else (especially Jewel, god forbid) because while it's sold frozen, it's done so because there are no preservatives.
The first time I went in, there were two younger guys working who were perfectly sweet, and I think today the owners were keeping shop. When I expressed my concern that, as a family-owned shop, business might have been slow enough for them to close early, the man who handed me the sausage told me that if I was ever running a little late, I could call them and they'd stay open a few extra minutes to accommodate me.
And I really appreciate that.
Next time, I'm going to try a pretzel they always advertise in the window.
Lovely, helpful meat market in a city where finding some decent beef and chicken is difficult. Convenient location across from the farmer's market in the summer and close to the EL. I will never, ever, ever eat grocery store meat again. Period. The good stuff from Lincoln Quality Meat Market tastes completely different and it's easier to cook, too.
Tiny flank steaks...never open....outrageous prices...teenage butchers.... hate this place...
I really, really wanted to like this place. Really. The meat was fine but the service was awful. It was like I was bothering the guy behind the counter, taking up his valuable time. My wife got the same impression when she was in there. There are other places with better meat and MUCH better service.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this butcher shop! My husband and I make a weekly trip here for all our meat. Their prices are reasonable, the selections is great, and the service is impecable! These people really know their meats and it shows! I highly recommend them.
I love this place. We always go here if we want to be a big hit at a BBQ. They have the best cuts of beef. I love their theringers. They have these skinless garlic sausages (homemade) that are amazing. I also like their selection of European mustards (great prices!).
They do sell other items, but stop in for the fresh fish or meat . They are personable and usually even remember what you ordered last time.
