If you're a die hard carnivore (like myself) and happen to be a local or a visitor from out of town…read moreand are in the greater Reno-Sparks metropolitan area, do yourself and make a stop to "Blue Ribbon Meat & Butcher Shop". Established in 1946 during the post-WWII/baby boomer era, this wildly popular butcher shop is one of the top picks for quality meats in Northern Nevada. Located directly on Prater Way and adjacent to 15th Ave in Sparks, they are nestled in between a 7-11 and Scoopers Drive-In. Parking is quite easy to find as they have a dedicated lot directly outside of the business. Furthermore, they have a very cool mural that showcases a pig, chicken, and cow which are all the types of meats this place sells. I came here during the afternoon on Saturday 6/20/2026 at around 4:15pm. Keep in mind that they are closed for business on Sunday/Monday but are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am-6pm. Upon entry, there were quite a few customers but just about everyone was being serviced in a timely manner. Before we get to the meat, this place has a ton of seasonings, dry rubs, marinades, sauces, and a small amount of produce. Additionally, they also have a pre-packaged refrigerated & freezer section where you can purchase quantities of their meats/seafood as well as cold cuts and bottled beverages. However, the real winner is there display case as they offer a ton of beef items. This includes short ribs, chuck wagon, carne asada, tri-tip, and all very popular steaks. They carry a nice variety of pork, lamb, elk, venison, chicken, liver, veal, bacon, and sausage. Since I came prepared with an Igloo cooler (and still had a 2-hour drive home), I purchased their sirloin steak, ribeye steak, bacon burgers, and Hawaiian sausage links. Since I already cooked the sausage (the following day) for breakfast and sirloin steak for dinner, I will say that this place absolutely hits the spot and is arguably much better than Safeway, Raley's, & Save Mart. There's a reason why "Blue Ribbon Meat & Butcher Shop" has been around since the mid-1940s and that's because they are a quality old school butcher shop with very competitive prices (even with the huge price hikes in beef), excellent customer service, and delicious mouth-watering meats. The gentleman that helped me was very polite while their inventory display case was filled to capacity; even during the late afternoon on a Saturday. So if you're into family owned-and-operated butchers shops like myself, you can't go wrong checking this place out. With that said and done, I am giving this place a perfect five stars.

I always get my selection of different proteins from Blue Ribbon!…read more This shop has many options from meats, poultry, sausages and signature items such as korean short ribs (my favorite!). I made Beef Wellington at home for the first time and the tenderloin at Blue Ribbon was delicious at a decent price. There are also different selections of rub spices and some produce so you don't need to go to the grocery store for 1 or 2 things. The staff are always welcoming and quick to assist anyone for a selection or answer questions. I've become a reoccurring buyer and urge everyone to check out this local butcher shop!

I really don't know why it took us so long to find this amazing place. Heard about it, saw it…read moredriving by it, but never shopped there until recently. At our first visit we were sold. Aside the obvious lineup of meats, there are variety of sausages. Great looking steaks. Fresh chickens. Our meat budget at our regular supermarket has since shrunk, because we now make a separate trip here. What's really great about this place, on top of the choices and quality, is the people. Everyone is very attentive, helpful, pleasant and knowledgeable. Last week I wanted to splurge on some wagyu, and I of course had to ask what the best way to cook was. I'm sure everyone who bought wagyu ask this question. The guy was super kind and patient to give me all the tips on how he'd do it. I'm not very confident about cooking meat -- it's always been my husband's thing. But now I know where to go, who to ask, and all that. Wagyu was, by the way, amazing. This place is a local gem.

When it comes to butcher shops in the greater Reno area, "Butcher Boy Meat Market" has ranked at…read morethe top spot for decades. This family owned-and-operated business has been around since 1974 with origins that date as far back as the early-1930s. And after all of these years, I had come to this place for the first time on 7/3/2026. Located on W. Plumb Ln and tucked in between S. Arlington Ave and Plumas St., this place is in a quiet strip mall bordered by a Starbucks and other small businesses. Upon entry, you are immediately drawn by the aroma of so many excellent meats coming from all directions. Considering this was a day before the 4th of July, this place was packed with customers. The selections here are vast as they offer just about every part of the cow imaginable; everything from chuck roast, ribs, sirloin, brisket, flank, and much more. And they carry a ton of choices in seasoned tri-tip and ground beef to choose from. Additionally, you can find a vast amount of pork, chicken, lamb, and a ton of house-made sausages. In addition to the huge assortment of quality meats here, this place has an enormous amount of marinades, dry rubs, sauces, and a large freezer case that offers a ton of frozen options. I will say that this place is a bit more expensive than one of my other favorite butcher shops in Reno, "Blue Ribbon". For example, a cut of sirloin steak at Blue Ribbon is around $13/lb while Butcher Boy is priced at $19/lb. However, when making these comparisons, you have to factor in the meat curing preservation and how these animals were handled prior to being slaughtered. It is a whole process that can get quite scientific. After it was all said and done, I purchased some jalapeño bacon, bone-in pork chops, and some ground chuck. After taking this home and eventually grilling/cooking everything, I was quite impressed with the overall flavor that these meats offer. Especially with how tender and juicy everything came out. My favorite was the bacon as this really hit the spot for my 4th of July breakfast. All in all, "Butcher Boy Meat Market" is an excellent (yet pricey) butcher shop. Keep in mind that they are closed Sunday/Monday but open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am-7pm. With above average service and a huge variety of quality meats, I am giving them a respectable four-star rating.

We have been faithful Alpine Ranch customers for years now, I think since '14? We like the small,…read morelocal, family-owned service we receive as much as we love their meats. Ordering is easy and convenient. Pick up at Bassett always goes off without a hitch, and for really big orders, they'll deliver to your home, too. I like the variety we get with our beef boxes, and everything is vacuum sealed, labeled and marked with weight, too. Take a look at the pics! This allows for easy storage and identification. I've always kept a list of what I have for a freezer "inventory" of sorts, and this makes it easy and convenient. Their bacon & sausage & Berkshire pork boxes are BOMB, too. Grass fed & finished beef is my choice for feeding my family a quality product without hormones or antibiotics, and we are happy to be Alpine Ranch customers! We've recommended them to family and friends and I know you'll like them, too!

Make sure you pay in advance with PayPal or credit card. I was going to pay with cash for two ranch…read moreboxes but they informed me tonight that the order was not fulfilled even after Christine sent me an email yesterday telling me my order was ready for pick up on Saturday on Topsy Lane. It's a terrible way of doing business. Joe

7/18/2023- It's…read morefunny how fate happens- and well all these fortunate paths have led me down the road to here- Had a very pleasant experience yesterday evening.. exploring variety of meats- I am very thankful and a big fan .. My favorite for now is the Durham Ranch Smoked Wagyu (American Style Kobe Beff) jerky!

Besides providing fresh seafood and meat that slways tastes amazing, the service is always above…read moreand beyond! No other place compares. Great gifts for Christmas too!

Alec Crosby was recommended to me by my favorite butcher, George, when I reached out interested in…read morebuying a share of beef in February. Alec raises his cattle in Fernley so super local, the cows are happy cows not trucked to feedlots at the end of their life cycle. They have good lives, these are the things that I appreciate as a meat eater. And yes I do know all beef is finished on grain, but there's a difference in mixing grass and grain in fields etc. I ordered through his website, super easy. I got a 1/4 of beef, after trimming and cutting, I ended up with around 110 lbs of beef. The percentages of certain types of meat described on his website, ended up being spot on for me. Yes, I wrote down every package, weighed them and created a spreadsheet haha. The packages came wrapped in saran wrap then butcher paper with a stamp of the type of cut. I like knowing what the weight is so a print out sticker with that would be preferred personally in the future, but I just wrote the weight on each package. I kept in touch with Alec and he was very adamant about quality and my happiness He said if it wasn't anything less than amazing, he'd get me a new one. I have the messages for proof, but to be honest, even if I wasn't 100% happy, I could never do that to a small business over possibly small qualms. He cheered me on when I sent him some pics of my first meals with the meat I got from him. He is a young guy, expanding his long run, multi generational family business. On Facebook he showed that he was opening up a store front and I couldn't be more excited for him and for Reno. This is a dream basically, to have local sources of meat, in affordable prices. And I appreciate his ability to take a chance and try to bring back some of the good things from older genertions like neighborhood butcher shops. I suggest giving him a try when you need a butcher or want a beef share for the family if you have the room. It ends up being incredibly worth it cost wise in the long run even though it can be intimidating for an upfront cost. In the end, we have been going through our beef pretty slow, I still have around 50% of it left, and haven't bought beef at a store since February. I've eaten some new meals, cooked cuts in new ways and learned to like hamburger again (because this stuff is tasty and not close to store bought). I haven't had any bad cuts, and I feel so good eating this beef, supporting local business and new generations.

I just received my first order for 1/2 cow and it was a wonderful experience. Alec walked me…read morethrough the process of what to do and gave me a date when the butcher would contact me for cutting instructions. The butcher called on the date given and was very helpful in guiding me with what I wanted the most. Keighley, who was handling the delivery contacted me the same day to secure the delivery day and time which was 01/01/24 at 4:00. She reverified the day before delivery to confirm all was still good and delivered on time. I was so impressed with how professional, friendly and dialed in the entire team was. Great communication!!! I can't say enough good things about this company and I will continue to use them and let others know about how great they are. Going to try the Korean Ribs tonight.

I've been trying different Carnicerias in the area and Mi Rancho is nicely organized and the staff…read moreis very welcoming and helpful to someone who can't speak Spanish well. The selection of meats was great, but the marinaded carne asada was a little more than I was expecting, but it was so good after we grilled it up. I also got the pollo para asar which was a hit with my family as well. This place has a lot of accompanying foods and ingredients to put together a great meal.

We are on our search for a good spot for lunch. We really love Mexican food. Carnitas is our choice…read moreof meat so we usually will order either street tacos or a meat only burrito. So we came here to try their food. I'll start with the market. The meat dept is stocked pretty good with a lot of different marinated and cooked meats. Seeing that we figured the lunch to be pretty good. I ordered 3 carnitas street tacos and my wife ordered meat only carnitas burrito. I'll be honest we have a favorite spot in Phoenix,AZ that we go to frequently when down there so our review is being compared to their food. So comparing the two here we go. This places carnitas was pretty tasteless. Just didn't have much flavor. So my wife's burrito was probably lacked the size compared to AZ. In AZ they ask you when building their burrito what you want ie. Salsa on top of the meat before they wrap it. Then ask you if you need more. If so you just tell them how many in a decent size container. Here she asked us if we wanted two. So we got our two. I don't know if that was all we were suppose to get. But my street tacos could have used at least 2 for my three tacos. But the burrito could have used 4 by itself. I went back in to get two more and I swear they we being really tight on giving out anymore. I finally received two more small containers of salsa. I was willing to pay. They declined the idea of paying and gave me two for our lunch we had paid for. Next is no seating so it's take out only. Not something we were looking for but it is what it is. So for us it's not a place we are looking for. AZ is putting a high bar to compare to but if we're laying down $20+ for two then the bar has to be closely reached. This place did not come close. I hope if the owner reads this he'll realize that a simple thing like enough salsa is simple in keeping a customer returning. Salsa is cheap if you want a return customer.

It's probably just me... but I get excited when I come to one of these Mexican Carnicería's…read more Honestly, it reminds me of growing up back home in Santa Ana. However, the places I used to go to were never this clean... Lol. This place is pretty nice, clean, it has a bit of everything a little neighborhood market should have: cleaning supplies, stationary, snacks, drinks, etc... But it's the wonderful meats in the case that catch most everyone's attention; marinated chicken, asada, pork, etc... They have the Mexican popsicles, rice pudding, gelatin cups, etc... Good stuff!

I needed some Chicharron for a thai recipe that I make. Though the Mexican version of the pork…read morebelly is not quite the same, it's an easy substitute. I usually go to a different Carniceria near my home, but they were out. This was the nearest place . I called them and though the conversation was a little awkward as the person on the phone didn't speak the best English, I was able to get my question answered that they did in fact sell Chicharron and it was $9.95 a pound. When I arrived, it was surprising how big this was and probably one of the best / cleanest, Carniceria, and market. I went great to the meat counter and waited for service. The guy behind the counter was filling and restocking some items and kind of ignored me. Finally, I said, excuse me and he turned to me and just looked. I told him I needed a Chicharron and pointed to the one I wanted. He got the item. Weighed it out, priced it and handed it to me. I went to the counter and again no greeting no ' did you find what you need?' or anything like that. The guy pointed to the payment option and I paid. Well stocked, clean and large with lots of goodies, but pretty much no Customer Service. I counted at least six people working. I will definitely come back and try some of the other products, as the price was good.

Awesome little market with great selection of meats, fresh made salsas, and imported goods from…read moreMexico. Definitely worth checking out.