A & J Meats & Seafood

Correction -  A&J Meats is open Tues 11/25 and Wed 11/26
Closed Thurs 11/27 for Thanksgiving
Open through Sat 11/29 - then closed permanently for a well deserved retirement!
A Queen Anne culinary landmark!

When I lived on QA, I came here at least once a week to get fresh meat, seafood, or one of their prepared dishes. I was always afraid to cook meat before discovering this place (I'm a baker) so I loved being able to ask the staff how to prepare whatever it was that I bought.
Now that I have moved away from QA, I still drive by as often as possible to pick up goodies on my way home. My favourites are their frozen beef bones, bacon, blueberry sausage, smoked ham hocks, and landjäger.
My only wish is that they would carry tendon and boudin noir!

When having guests over for lunch or dinner, I end up shopping here for their great meats and seafood. For snack food that is a crowd pleaser, pick up some Maui beef jerky. This isn't your tough Oberto style jerky, but a very tender sweet treat. The plate is picked clean as soon as it hits the table! I also like their selection of flavored breakfast sausage links.  You can't miss out on their thick sliced bacon.

The staff here is very nice and helpful. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations!

Awesome butcher shop - wish it was closer to  me!

Tons of fresh (& local I believe) cuts of meat: pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish and the occasional oddball like bison, etc. This last time I grabbed stewmeat for, well stew and it was tender and just great in my winter-time meal! Their sausages come in many enticing flavors too, i'll need to be sure to come back when perhaps I own a grill. You can even buy long bones for your four-legged friends -- and they will even cut them up in easier to manage sizes. I have to say, while my dog may have preferred to have the stewmeat, he went to town on those bones!

Prices are fair --surprisingly so. Maybe im just used to the hiked up prices I see at the market, but everything here was priced reasonably, and with the quality so good it is totally worth the bus trip (as opposed to walking and paying 1/3 more at whole foods, etc).

If I actually lived in Queen Anne I would be here several times a week, im sure!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place.   I even prefer it to my fav grocery store Metropolitan Market.  The seafood has always been fresh, never fishy.  And the meats are wonderful.  Plus all grass/grain fed, no corn here!   Everything is also antibiotic and hormone free. The staff are uber helpful and always willing to answer questions.  

Most recently bought the linguisa - spicy, delightful and large, the maui marinated chicken breasts - best I have EVER had, sauerkraut - yummy!

BONUS:  apparently they have been getting their meats from the same suppliers in washington and oregon for over 50 years.

This is one of our favorite places to splurge on meats.  Of course you're going to pay a bit more buying your meats here (in my opinion) than at Safeway but you can clearly see the difference in quality and in taste.

They have a huge selection and the staff is as friendly as can be.  They are extremely helpful when it comes to helping us pick the right cut of beef for grilling on a warm summer night.

One of the reasons I love living on Queen Anne is that it generally has a very neighborhood feel to it, and A&J Meats contributes to that in many ways.  You don't really find dedicated butchers out there anymore.

A&J is expensive, but always extremely high quality.  They take special orders in advance of special events and for specific items (e.g. this year for Thanksgiving I ordered an 8-bone frenched pork rib roast...pretty specific).  You can order a half slab of bacon cured in whatever way you want.  The place is clean and the service is efficient but not necessarily the most friendly.

One caution:  if you're used to super market beef, you may need to adjust should you get steaks or any other piece of beef that you don't stew (e.g. shortribs, roasts, where the sauce covers the subtlety of the beef flavor).  The beef is grass fed and so has a slightly richer flavor and more of that grass-fed taste.  You may not like it.

I've been shopping at this shop for well over 20 years. I an still remember the wonderful "crown of thorns" that my then-wife cooked beautifully for us, back in the late-80's. And I've been coming here continually, since then. The quality of the various meats/seafood that I buy is always, uniformly, excellent. I actually enjoy walking in the door!
Give them a try; you'll be very glad that you did.
Rob in Wallingford

Love this place. They always have what I need and answer all of my questions. Best butcher in Seattle.

Recently I bought our NYE new York roast. Perfect for our celebration and the meat was amazing.

This is a great place. I've only been here for meat, never for fish, so I can't judge everything.

They have a HUGE selection of meats: from lamb and sausage, to bacon and maui-style short ribs. I try to go once a week and shop for the whole week. They are one of the few places I've been with quality lamb that isn't insanely expensive. Their bacon is delicious. The pork chops inexpensive and thick. Tons of steak and beef options. They recently had a maui short rib special and they were so tasty.

Something to keep in mind: they have more options in their freezer. You'll have to look on the counter for the menu of freezer options -- so if you don't think they have what you want it's probably in the freezer.

Staff is very friendly; prices are very reasonable. There is no reason to go to QFC or Safeway for meats when you have such a good butcher not far from the city.

Also, a tip: they have free parking in the back of their shop.