West Loop Salumi

Amazing — meats, staff, everything. Can’t wait to stop by in the summer when the tables come out.

I really can’t get enough of this stuff.
I woke up this morning wishing I had stuffed my pockets with the thin slices of heaven I was enjoying the night before.
It’s as real as it gets.
Everything is perfection.
Greg is a down to earth guy, with an out of this world product.
Don’t pass up a chance to try everything he has to offer.

WLS is an incredible gem in the West Loop! Stopped in over lunch and Greg and his brother were extremely nice and helpful in walking us through their unique and very delicious offerings. Their N’duja was one of my favorites, a spreadable salame made with fresh chili peppers. It is unbelievable and should be lathered over everything you eat.
A must try joint when you need your cured meat fix.

This place makes me love Chicago. The meat is awesome they take the time to patiently serve a person with a small order despite selling mostly in large volume to restaurants. Greg, one of the owners, is super cool. I want to eat cured meat right now.

Your dad likes hard meat! Seriously… he probably does.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that something from Salumi is the perfect gift to get for an uncle or some dude who works in your office that you’re trying to suck up to. It’s manly, delicious, and goes great with beer or wine so if you’re looking for a great gesture for a guy hit them up during retail hours.
Most of their business is high end wholesale, but if you catch them during the right time it’s awesome to grab a sandwich, tasting board, or thing of bruschetta. Not cheap by any means, but this meat is seriously amazing.
Credit card accepted and preferred, BYOB, menu changed weekly, and pretty awesome dudes who run the show. Definitely a hidden gem off of Randolph.

Greg Laketek and business partner Jesse Katzman are knocking it out of the park with this fairly young salumeria!
Most of their product is sold to high end restaurants all over the country. Retail hours are Saturday and Sunday 11 — 3. Stop in, taste and you’ll be converted. Highly recommended. Once you’re hooked, you can order custom catering trays or online home delivery. In the Chicago area, Peapod and some local markets also carry their lines. Check the website for details.

Walking back from BellyQ, we happened upon West Loop Salumi, unmarked by name or street number, except for a red trim.
We were treated to delicious samples of the available selection and enjoyed a conversation about the West Loop culinary scene.
Primarily a wholesaler, the shop is open on weekends selling select salumi by the ounce or piece, which is fantastic considering you get 15 – 20 slices per ounce — just enough to enjoy for a week before it dries up in the fridge.
Standouts: soppresata, chorizo, bresaola.

West Loop Salumi is a wonderful new addition to Chicago’s culinary scene and as Illinois’ first USDA-​certified saulemria it fills a niche. Owner Gregory Laketek honed his craft in Italy and now is producing several different kinds of amazing cured meats in Chicago’s bustling West Loop.
Open to the public on weekends from 11:00am-3:00pm you can sample different cured meats and make purchases in the small storefront; several other options abound as you can order via the website (the website offers pictures, descriptions and pricing), enjoy the salumi at a large (and growing) number of restaurants such as diverse as Spiaggia and Coalfire Pizza or at retailers such as J.P. Graziano’s or soon to open Eataly. The product is so good that venues in New York and Massachusetts are already starting to sell West Loop Salumi’s goods.
After hearing several friends rave about this place I finally made it in this weekend and loved the half dozen varieties of cured meat I sampled and walked out with a bounty of salumi — virtually everything I tried was too hard to pass up! Some of the salumi is available by the ounce, others in four to six ounce logs or you can purchase larger pieces, gift boxes with a variety of cured meats or even salumi platters.
While pricing certainly is not cheap, it is very reasonable considering this is top notch meat that is expertly prepared. Truly some of the most amazing cured meats you will ever consume. Definitely the perfect gift option for anybody you know who loves and appreciates quality food, for a delicious snack at home or to impress guests at a business event or a dinner party. I predict a long and bright future for West Loop Salumi!
To learn more here is a nice video clip about West Loop Salumi that aired on ABC:

You can also follow West Loop Salumi on Facebook, Twitter or check out their informative website.

Fantastic selection brought to you by a sausage friendly group. It’s worth it.

Yum! Everything we tasted was excellent!

Stopped in Salumi yesterday to pick up some meats for a dinner party. Phenomenal meats, service was excellent-​they are generous with the samples and very knowledgeable. I will definitely return! Prices are fair-​you have to pay for the quality so you cannot compare to general grocery store prices

Stopped by Saturday for a tasting everything tasted excellent and the information they provided was insightful. I would highly recommend stopping by for a tasting on the weekend. We are looking forward to a charcuterie & wine night with our recent purchase.

My $ 36 8 – 10 ounce stick of Finnochionna (Fennel Pollen Salumi) arrived quicker than you can say «That’s some Fine Flavorful Finnochionna, my friend.» And if you can get past the slightly off-​putting aroma (think soiled gym socks fermenting in an anaerobic environment, but only for a day or two), the taste is out of this world. I would recommend refrigerating it and eating it cold, as this seems to enhance the flavor.
With the renaissance that has occurred relative to charcuturie, this place is timely and will do well, especially based on the attention to detail and craft vibe that is demonstrated here. It ain’t cheap, but neither is Kobe Beef, Oskar Blues G’knight IPA, or Door County’s Best Cherry Pie. I.E. the finer things are going to set ya back a bit more than the stuff ya pick up at the Jewel.