Little City Market
Categories: Grocery, Meat Shops [Edit]
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill1400 Stockton Street
(between Card Aly & Vallejo St)
San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 986-2601
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
113 reviews
San Francisco, CA
"Despite reading several books and articles about slaughter houses, the meat industry, chicken farms and fish farms as well as being around…" read more »
15 Reviews for Little City Market
Probably the best meat market in the city. Hard to say, since I've never been anywhere else, why would I? Easily the best service, as they'll always give you advice and even recipes should you need them...
I have mixed feeling about this meat market.
I really want to love this place because:
1.The guys (both younger one and older one) are very very nice and helpful.
2.They make their own sausages! I LOVE fresh sausages!! I used to make them at home (but it takes too long...soaking casings, grounding meat and fat, mixing spices and seasoning in, stuffing the casings...). Their Puccini (garlic) sausage is very nice. Smooth consistency with hint of garlic (not too strong)
3.They have fresh raviolis
I am not happy that
1.Their Calabresi (hot) sausage was not that great. The meat was too coarsely chopped that sausage fell a part when I cut it with knife.
2.They don't have the kind of beef I eat. I only like 2 kind of beef. 1- beef with marbled fat through out (such as Kobe) or B) 100% or 2- grass feed free range beef.
3.They don't have prosciutto. I though they were Italian butcher...
Bottom Line, I will not buy meat from them but may go back for their Puccini sausage.
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Very pleased to have discovered this little butcher shop so near to North Beach! Friendly, knowledgeable service and a respectable selection of meats. Not the cheapest or the biggest, but not much longer a walk for me than Safeway - and worlds better.
Remember: they don't take credit cards. Hit the ATM on the way over.
CAUTION: Closed Sundays. :-(
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I've bought my meat here for many years. There is no other place in the state of California that has ham shanks that compare to theirs. Wanna do split pea or hocks and beans? Go here... Don't waste your time anywhere else. The staff has always been friendly, courteous and patient with me even when I've sampled my "special red sauce" a bit too much. They will even go out of their way to cut my order to my specs as well as pinching fresh garlic for me when I ask.
Excellent steaks, hamburger and turkey as well as veal. (I don't do veal... don't like the way the animals are treated.) Even salmon and shrimp on occasion. Need canned tomatoes? Spices? They got that too.
Jennifer C. really needs to get a life. Nobody buys just 3 slices of bacon. Crimanee! Buy a half pound at least! :)
update: 5/14/07
Went in to pick up some eggs out of convenience as I usually hit T-Joe's for the cage-free variety. Mentioned to the old man he might want to pick up cage-free for us animal rights type of folks. Turns out his eggs ARE cage free. He buys them from an independent farmer in Petaluma and the birds get to roam and pick at little critters and stuff. The farmer buys the boxes locally... in case anyone cares to know.
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I came hear mostly for the locally made stuff since I'm near Dittmer's for my normal butcher needs. Purchased quite a bit of vraious varieties of Italian sausage and their Nonna's meatloaf. Dig the mom and pop style business and various other Italian goodies.
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I just bought the *BEST* piece of Kobe beef tenderloin for chateaubriand! The butcher / proprietor was the friendliest man and had some great advice. I'll be coming back here for sure.
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This place is precious!
I went to Little City on Friday in search of veal shanks. Not only did I get my veal shanks (no it's not P.C., and yes, I will keep eating it), but the super friendly butcher gave me 3 recipes, and talked to me about how to make demi glace. He even made me smell his demi glace. No joke.
The veal was great, but beyond that, the character of this place is ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean awesome. While I was talking to the butcher (a mature guy, maybe in his sixties) this ANCIENT guy (I'm guessing the butcher's dad) sat in a chair and alternately sang songs to no one in particular in Italian, and then growled and barked at me. I think it was a compliment. And I'm not kidding, he actually growled, and then barked, as if saying, "you look tasty!" While this would normally piss me off, it was so funny (and ridiculous coming from a likely octogenarian), I left with my veal shanks, laughing and wondering when I would come back. It's a gem.
Prettiest meat counter in SF. I mean it's spectacular. Everything from handmade sausages to brisket and lamb chops. Gorgeous. It might not make a vegetarian cry with joy but this butcher's son gets a little choked up.
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The only reason that I give this place one star is because its its an independant buisness and thats always nice in this city...BUT, I'm very disappointed. I went in a couple of days before Thanksgiving and I was turned away because I wanted to order 3 slices of Bacon to make a Quiche Lorraine. Not only was I turned away, but the man behind the counter was rude and made some verbal comments. He remarked that he had to stay in buisness, granted, but what about customer service? I live in this neighborhood and was very sad to know that this man could be so rigid.
Everyone should go in and ask for 3 slices of bacon... maybe he will change his views on customer service!
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Father and son work side by side every day. The meats have flavor- an often forgotten word today. The farm fresh eggs make for great scrambling with a side of their bacon. The spicey meatballs have added to my expanding wasteline.
Besides that they have shrimp (devein yourself, sorry) and fresh fish. Oh, their bratwurst will get you in lederhosen in no time.
The red zone across the street near Victory Pastry should give you enough time to order while eyeing your car...
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Little City Market is a seriously old school butcher shop, really. Its a meat market that also sells a few other items, like olive oil, pasta, tomato sauce... many of the items direct from Italy.
It is the meat that people come for. The meat counter runs the length of the shop, and you can get everything from lamb chops to perfect baby italian sausage. Plus, you can ask for a recipe and they'll gladly oblige and even tell you the history.... You're gonna like it!
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Ummmmmm I know it's cool to like something super old with old people working the counter, but $12 for ONE stuffed chicken breast is a bit much. The only other things I remember seeing her were pork shoulder and all sorts of veal. Butcher shops that impress me are ones with all sorts of proprietary marinades on their tri tip, not fifty cuts of lamb. Sorry
Great place for meat lovers! Too bad I'm not one of them... just kidding, but it's hard to make my girlfriend, who really is a vegetarian, to stop by with me. This place is like a monument for the art of meat appreciation (with which I'm just fine :-)
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Best meat in town by the friendliest, most helpful meatcutters (don't call 'em butchers!).
They have the best bacon in town, and excellent prices on their steaks and chops. When I buy something, they ask me how I'm going to cook it, and give me helpful hints. And when I went in for one dish, they asked, "Do you have herb X for this? You really need herb X." Alas, I did not have herb X, so he promptly put some in a baggie for me. They set aside marrow bones for me. They know I love calves liver and start getting it for me when I come in. If I want an odd number of duck legs, I let them know and they order them for me.
I especially like that they remind me of things I need. Case in point: I have always wanted to try corned beef and cabbage. What the heck, I'm Irish and have never tried it. The week before St. Patrick's Day I was in and much to my husband's chagrin (who even WENT to Ireland and has never tried it, nor has any desire to), they reminded me of the holiday and asked if I wanted to reserve one. Hells yeah and thanks for the reminder (as husband cringes).
And to top it off: their meat tastes REALLY good. Their bacon blows Neiman Ranch, et al., out of the water. It's nice and thick. Their chops are super juicy, and I thought I hated meatloaf until I tried theirs (turns out I just hate my stepmother's cooking. HA). Their meatloaf is divine.
Also, I compared prices. Their meat is not any more expensive than anywhere else.
I love shopping at an old school, been in the family for generations shop like this. You simply cannot find this level of service anywhere else. In fact, while I was studying for the bar, I would take a break on Saturday mornings to walk down here for meat. Ron, the owner, would remind me to be sure to eat well while I was studying so I didn't run myself ragged. Seriously, can you get that at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods? NO.
Great old style butcher shop. Deduct one star because they stopped making my favorite "baby italian sausage."
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