The Butcher & Larder

We went here for lunch. Their restaurant area was surprisingly nice considering it’s also a specialty grocery store. We sat at the bar/​lunch counter and shared the pastrami melt which was excellent. We did not know it was BYOB so ran down the street to Vin which was conveniently close. Can’t wait to return and try some addition items from the menu. After lunch, we made a quick stop at the cheese counter and grabbed 5 different cheeses plus some great charcuterie. The lady at the cheese counter was extremely helpful and allowed us to sample whatever cheeses we wanted.

I love that Butcher and Larder is with Local Foods. The breakfast patties are amazing. Many of the sausage recipes change each week. This week got chorizo.

Also known as the best butcher shop in Chicago — These guys and ladies know their cuts and they are all the friendliest (and funniest) people you will ever meet.
If you’re making eggs for a weekend brunch, they’ll provide you with the perfect sausage pairing. If you like beef jerky, they’ve got it often.
For the weekends they offer variations from taquitos, shepards pie and short rib max and cheese for an easy at-​home meal.
High quality meat from an extremely knowledgable and committed #butchersquad. Enough said.
Tip: call ahead for any and all meat related questions

I went here for a second time after having purchased a premade sauce which was very good.
I know these people know their way around cured meats and rillettes.
However, I would not recommend ever using them as a butcher.
I called and asked if they could cut a 6 lb brisket with fat on the bottom so that it was not a pure lean first cut. The person I spoke to said it was not a problem and that I could get it.
After making a special trip to get this brisket I asked to see it and it was a slab of bacon!
It was a stranger than strange looking piece of marbled flat and fat layered thing that looked like an entire slab of bacon and certainly NOT a Beef Brisket.
Sorry, but the Local Foods place is a pretentious farce of a warehouse with the emperor’s new clothes all over it.
When I noticed that all the sourdough loaves of bread were burned, I asked if any were not burned and was told by a man who sniffed haughtily, that «they are artisinal.»
As if that means they ought to be burned. Having had plenty of good artisinal breads, I shook my head and walked out. I will not be back again to Butcher And Larder and certainly not to this sad, silly, pretentious hole of a warehouse with dead produce and burned stale bread.
You can buy local canned, bottled and pickled products at Whole Foods, Marianos, and The Chopping Block thank you.