The Meat Department

This review is an edited version of my original. While to start I was not a fan, The Meat Dept has grown on my and I really appreciate it for what it is — an independent butcher that does everything right. The Healthy Butcher was previously my local shop. A great butcher. By comparison, there is less fanfare and less selection at the Meat Dept but they get prepare cuts of meat and are small enough to do any custom orders you could ask for. Great quality meat prepared. Great staff.

The best butcher I have ever gone to. Extremely knowledgeable staff and great service. Aged ribeyes are great.

A lovely butcher. A nice array of meats without being overwhelming. Quality products well sourced. The butchers are friendly and unfussy, as well as very knowledgable. I rarely buy meat elsewhere. This shop makes the Danforth even more livable. Thank you Meat Department..

Best butcher I know in Toronto. Great variety of meats and the service is outstanding. They always provide very helpful cooking suggestions if you ask and go out of their way if you want a special order. Also always great fun! The new BBQ prepared products are awesome.

At the moment this is a superfly place to get long-​aged Ribeye, steakhouse-​grade Prime Striploin, and some unusually well-​made sausage flavored skilfully with fresh herbs.
A little disappointed to learn the meat is not of clear provenance — ie. no mention of farm name, nothing’s organic or otherwise similarly vaunted. How are the animals treated? But as someone said, they verbally claim animals are hormone and antibiotic free. I think the non-​mainstream food handling shows in the quality.
Generally when you see ‘Berkshire Pork’ you are already talking a specialty breed that is raised with more care, gives much lower annual meat yield, and has better taste and texture.
And for example nearby The Big Carrot, while very nice could not butcher a properly-​cut organic steak to save its yippy ass. You want pro butchering, all organic and can pay steak prices for sausage, yes you can have that, try Healthy Butcher on Queen West.

I live much further east (Main) and my friend recently moved east too (closer to this butcher). I was so happy to finally have an east-​end friend. We went for a little walk closer to her place and dropped in here to get some meat to BBQ. We bought the marinated chicken thighs, some marinated pork chops, and then some hot salami sausages. Everything was amazing. The owner was so nice to us, I couldn’t believe it. We’re both quieter people who don’t normally get the attention from staff that louder/​more outgoing people usually get. We asked him about his chalkboard of athletes and he took the time to explain it to us, even though they were so busy. Even the back staff were super nice to us. The meat was amazing too! I didn’t have the pork chops though, I was way too full after the chicken and salami sausage.
I will 100% be back, even though there are a few butchers closer to my house.

This place has without a doubt the best steaks in the city! The dry aged rib steak is outstanding and the house made burgers are fantastic and come in many unique varieties. Also the staff seem very cool.

One of the coolest looking meat butcheries I’ve been to! Everything was very interesting to look at, and I think they had fantasy football on the blackboard? Hahah weird!
The meat itself looks delicious, even in its raw form! They have a fridge and freezer full of pre-​packaged and ready-​made food, as well as canned goods.
I got myself two lamb & mint sausages. It was a very delicious combo, however weird it sounds!

so this miracle actually happened but first a quick prelude: i’ve been coming to this shop for a couple of years for the great atmosphere and service and all the cool accroutrements they have like their special blends of rub and aioli, however you spell it, just call it butcher’s bukkake, it’s all food porn. i go there even though it is slightly out of my hood because it the kind of place where you can just hang a bit and they will recommend stuff like what cut of steak is important and also what’s good on netflix. sometimes a bitch need some free therapy from some dudes who swing knives all day.
one day i was there and someone told me about how they have raw meat for dogs available and how great it is, etc. seems a bit scary at first, but i decided to try it as my crazy-​ass hyper dog, betty, rules the roost in my household and nothing is too good for her… also i did some googling along with talking to zach about mixing up proteins, et cetera. along with your pie hole, he cares about the canines. so betty thrived, her coat is lush, she calmed down quite a bit, and she is learning spanish while completing her degree in passive aggressive urination. also nobody in the house got hit with salmonella thus far and it’s been a year and a half. and bonus, her poops are quite exquisite, they are neat and taut and far less grotesque than your kibble eating furry friend. You barely shudder when you have to pick them up and even if you neglect to do so, they go white and turn to dust in a couple of days. and blow away, like fluffy dandelion seeds. sweet.
the actual miracle that happened was that my friend’s 8 year-​old dog, a yorkie, who was on a canned food diet recommended by the vet was suffering from such severe allergies that he was scratching his skin raw and having to wear a cone for an entire year! his hair was falling out and his whole body was super greasy and hot to the touch and he was really skinny. the vet kept trying new meds and more expensive dog «food» but things kept getting worse. one day he ripped his collar off and for several hours got to bite his own skin and really went to town that it got pussy with infection. we thought this was the end for sure. thankfully a friend who is a vet came to her house and even though he was in such rough shape said he still had such life and sweetness in him that he prescribed some antibiotics and then my friend immediately switched him to the raw food from guidance from zach. NO JOKE, within a week his hair started growing back and now 4 months later he looks like a completely different dog. where he used to have bald patches with white tufts, he is fully furry with thick black hair and he is soft to the touch. he has a layer of chub on which means he is absorbing nutrients. i cry every time i see him, seriously.
the meat department saved a little dog’s life, how cute is that?

We love shopping at The Meat Department. Friendly and knowledgeable with great recommendations based on your interests and budget. We go for the steaks but have enjoyed other cuts as well.

Suckered. I was completely suckered. The meat is NOT from small farms. The animals are NOT raised on grass; it is NOT humane.
What you get is sourced from feedlots; what you get is factory meat.
UGH: I FED THIS MEAT TO MY CHILDREN!!!
The owner will say it’s all «happy meat» (how’s that for precision?) But it’s not. I was wondering why they didn’t proudly display the names of the farms from which they source their meat.
I wanted it to be true. It’s not. What it is, is a scam.
It’s funny, because I got a smarmy hit off the owner and now I know why. They say you should trust your instincts. I should have – when the «Friendly» left the name of the store, I should have known.
I loved the butcher staff though. Will miss them…

I’m usually on the Danforth teaching yoga, so I decided to pass by The Meat Dept. After reading up on the Unilocal reviews, I was looking forward to checking it out. It being a Tuesday morning, it wasn’t busy (a good thing). I was greeted by the man behind the counter (always nice).
One thing I noticed that I wasn’t crazy about is that not all the meats and food that were in the freezer/​fridge had prices on them. I went to see if there was a board stating prices, but there wasn’t. Personally, I hate having to ask for the price of things and would think it would be better for the staff to have a price list so that they aren’t always bothered by non regulars (like me).
When I asked the counter guy about the italian sausages I was buying (ie — is it organic, local, store made?), it seems like he had to pay someone for every word he answered. Example — what’s kind of pork is in it? «Yorkshire». As a non meat specialist, that means nothing to me.
Is the meat organic? — «No» (wow, way to not expand — ie — «we source from local farmers and ensure that they are hormone and antibiotic free). I did get that last part of the explanation, but only after I had to prod him.
Got the sausages home and cooked them. They were nice, but I’ve had better at Sangam’s, so I will continue to go there (where they seem to be friendly to everyone).
Oh well, I gave it a college try.

We pass by this place all the time, and have been intending to check out their offerings.
Last weekend we dropped in and picked up a pound of lamb meatloaf for about $ 9. We also eyed the pork chops and gigantic chicken legs, but have a full fridge and just wanted something for that evening. I was also intrigued by the flattened chicken. As for the 45-​day aged steaks ($ 33/​lb), maybe one day when we are confident enough in our grilling skills for a pricey meal…
They have a good array of condiments that run along the west wall. I’m not sure if they are 100% local, but it looks like at least the vast majority of their goods are. They advertise a lot of Ontario. My SO enjoyed the sports tallies listed on the east wall behind the counter.
It was quite busy near the end of the business day.
About the lamb meatloaf… I just stuffed it in peppers for baked for 45min at 350 °F, and it was delicious! I love lamb. My SO is generally less of a fan, but said that the lamb meatloaf was mild enough and that he «really really likes it». We would both go back for more. I’d also like to see what’s available at the start of the day!

The flattened chicken is beyond amazing!!!

Wow! We had two dry aged ribeye steaks from this joint last night and they were incredible! At $ 33 a pound, they came with a hefty price tag, but I think they were totally worth it.
I really dug how into his products the dude at the counter was. He was totally helpful, giving suggestions on how to prepare the meat and so on. Flattery does work too. The butcher working away at the back made a big deal about how nice it was to have two stylish people in his shop. He even comped us a little treat while we shopped!
I was also feeling the assortment of condiments and other goods they had available. I picked up the Chipotle Aioli and a jar of pasta sauce. The prices of the dry goods available seemed mostly fair.
I will be back!

Note: now called «The Meat Dept». Still fabulous.
Every time I’m in the Danforth area, I make a point of stopping in. The meat here is fabulous; my husband thinks their steak is absolutely top-​notch (compared to other local butchers like Cumbrae’s and Rowe Farms). The meat comes from local Ontario farmers; may not be organic but definitely local. I usually buy their chicken legs (yes, I prefer dark meat!), marinated pork chops, ground beef, top sirloin steak. The last time I went, I tried one of their sandwiches — wow, it was yummy. Soft egg bread bun, arugula for a hint of peppery-ness…drool.
Other things I love: they always play cool music in the background. The staff are also sports fanatics, so capture scores on the blackboard. Very cool. And yes, the staff are very friendly here (before and after the name change).
Highly recommended!

Turns out the friendly butcher is in fact friendly! I went here after work yesterday and was happily surprised by the helpfulness of the guy behind the counter.
Honestly, my four stars are tentative, because I’ve only tried one item, thus far. I got some mango curry (?) chicken breasts, though, and they were delicious. This place is pricier than I am used to, and i had a bit of sticker shock when I saw the two chicken breasts added up to $ 15(!!!). However, when I got them home I realized the two were so big they should be counted as four. Fed two for dinner last night, with pasta, and made delcious chicken sandwiches for lunch today. Really delicious sandwiches.
I’ll definitely be returning to try out more delicious items on the menu.