I can only speak of my experiences at Cliff's, so after looking at some of the critical reviews, I thought I should note my own recent experience for balance. I needed some smoked items (boneless turkey breast, boneless ham) in fairly large quantities, and the staff were great at helping me sort through my options, unlike the $$$ caterers who invariably just gave me a checklist where the items rarely matched my plans. The guys at Cliff's were patient and helpful, and super-cheerful. The special order was ready right on schedule -- they do their own smoking -- and the quality of the items was outstanding, not just in my opinion, but also as reflected in the endless compliments made by my guests. The meat was not delivered like some sloppy product, but was beautifully produced, attractive, and easy to cut and serve. Perfect. The total cost was not simply reasonable -- for the quality and service, it was a steal. Other than the crowd that sometimes gathers at lunch time, I lover going to Cliff's, not simply for the outstanding range of offerings, but because I like the vibe of the place. Every time I've been there, all I see are enthusiastic and appreciative customers, and true experts delivering superior products in an upbeat, helpful way. I don't dispute anyone else's experience, but the points of criticism I read here are not at all part of my experience. I love Cliff's! read more

After our 3rd time ordering from this location, we will never again! We like the food but the process to get the order is insane! Never have the chicken parm ( at 3pm ). No hard rolls available. Male answering the phone was a rude jerk! This is our family of 5 opinion. read more

Just beware, they charge a surcharge if you use a debit card. There is a small info card at the register stating their marked prices are cash and there is a service charge for not paying cash. read more

I am not trying to be mean, but I dont understand how this place stays in business? $8.99lb for ground beef, $29 bucks a lb for ny strip! Cliff come on! Take the 5 min drive up to deep river and go to adams where the meat is great and the prices are half of cliffs. read more

Cliff's Quality Meats - chopped beef - Meat Shops Near Me - Essex, Connecticut

I noticed I was upcharged by a few bucks after getting home, so I looked through my receipts and it's been happening almost every time I've shopped here. Quality meat but it looks like the cashier just eyeballs prices, won't be going back. read more

The damn sign doesn't read: "Cliff's Quality Meats and Service." It says: "Cliff's Quality Meats." So if you want some quality meats, shut up, know what you want before you approach the counter, and don't you dare smile at this butcher of meats. He doesn't suffer fools and he doesn't suffer YOU! Ask a question, and the butcher of meats will present his displeasure by slamming the meats on the scale, bang! Snarling with dissatisfaction that you would be so stupid, so aloof to dare ask how much beef is needed for four. How would he know?! FOOLS! How can HE know how hungry YOU are! Does the sign say he went to customer service school and graduated with honors??? Hmmm? NO! It says butcher of meats and that's what he'll do for you. Do you want some one to hold your hand at the butcher, make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Maybe recommend a savory little steak dish you can prepare for your boring neighbors coming over tonight? WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME! Now get in line! PS. Some of the highest quality meats I've ever purchased. I'm loyal but also find this place hilarious... 4 stars for quality. Minus one star for making me feel like I might end up on the other side of the counter....then plus one star because they deserve more than their 3 star average. read more

Whenever I want a special cut of meat, this is my go to place. Just had 5 great 1.5 inch ribeye steaks and they were delicious! Will be back for my next special event very soon read more

Had heard a lot of great things about Cliffs- to include their house roasted deli grinders. You walk in and immediately smell the meats roasting ( which was amazing). Very clean and friendly, with a huge selection of fresh meats. Tuesday-Friday is fresh roast beef. I got a large Grinder with the meat still hot and juicy. Smelled so good I couldn't even wait - had to immediately take a bite....Delicious. Not soupy, runny, messy, or soggy. Just warm and tender. Bread looked and tasted fresh. I'd be willing to bet it's also made in house- held together without killing the roof of your mouth, and was soft and chewy. I grabbed a small container of macaroni salad as well which again didn't disappoint. Long story short- I'll be going back. They had a couple different flavored chicken wings in marinade ready to cook- I'll be trying those for sure in the smoker. read more

Cliff's Quality Meats - Macaroni salad - Meat Shops Near Me - Essex, Connecticut

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Cliff's is a god send, conveniently located here in Essex, fantastic fresh & reasonably priced selection, we especially love the variety of yummy marinated chicken breast that are grilled & so juicy, the fresh bacon & breakfast sausage, and we just ordered our Thanksgiving turkey as well because it will no doubt be delicious like everything else here! Love shopping local too, this place also has great baguettes, ice cream and other stuff you might need. Cliff's is my 2nd stop after visiting Scott's Farm stand right across the street! So lucky! read more

I bought some breakfast sausage @ a week ago. I was so excited for some good pork sausage. As soon as I opened it ( it was vacuum sealed in the freezer), it smelled like kielbasa. There was too much fennel or some other spice in it. It was NOT breakfast sausage spices. I was very disappointed. Breakfast sausage is not difficult to make with fresh ground pork and Mortons sausage mix. Maybe my expectations were too high. That's why I spend extra to go to a specialty store. read more

The BEST on a consistent basis year after year. The difference between "supermarket" and Cliff's is like the difference between "No, I think I'll pass on that" and "You gonna eat that?" read more

10/10 This roast beef grinder I'm eating right now is easily the best roast beef grinder I've ever had

Employees do not enforce masking-up policy for customers during the pandemic. As someone who works in healthcare, this is very disappointing to see, especially after a long day. Will not be returning. Too bad, because I liked their sandwiches. read more

awesome hot lunch sandwiches during the workweek. gotta try it if its in your lunch break radius.

Great selection of meats. By far the best hams I have ever had. Stop in for a sandwich with one of the storemade Turkey, Chicken, ham or go at the right time and you can get the fresh warm roast beef for your sandwich. We always enjoy everything we get here. And the staff is helpful with cooking instructions. read more

I can't understand the debbie downers and negative nancies. Whenever I am there they handle their meat with gloves, they wrap it with a smile, and a 'see you soon' when I leave the door. I call in advance sometimes hours before (thanksgiving, christmas, passover) and they always, always accomodate me. Yes, I'm a pain because I can't plan ahead because my life is a zoo with children and a husband and dogs and chickens but Cliffs always is there for me. Can you get a grocery store to do what Cliffs does? Eh, Maybe, but who actually enjoys going to a grocery store? Local businesses are SO important to me, and supporting my COMMUNITY is important to me, and supporting their FAMILIES is important to me. It makes for a beautiful and prosperous town. Sure, go support the big box stores and don't support Dan from down the street. See what happens when Dan can't afford his mortgage anymore and your street have foreclosed signs. It affects all of us. Don't be passive and write a bad review- SAY something, I bet you they didn't even know that it bothered you so much, and when they do, they will change it to keep you happy and your business. It is 2020, businesses progress on constructive criticism! Support your local business and support your neighbors. Go Cliffs! We love you. Thank you for your delicious meats! read more

You know what? I would love to give this place a positive review. The meat/sausage selection is awesome--the store itself offers so much. But--the people who serve you are for the most part hostile, unhelpful and very dismissive. I'm new to the area--but I don't want to feel intimidated every time I walk into the store. I feel like I have to steel myself before asking for anything there. Hoping for a nice response but always preparing for a negative one.Not a good way of running a business. read more

They have the BEST stuffed chicken breasts around, man are they incredible! Sometimes they have them, other times you have to request them. They also have delicious sandwiches, the pork and roast beef are the best. I could literally buy everything in here, the meat is delicious, they have all kinds of specialty items, spice rubs, etc, some really delish baked goods, treats, and they carry Salem Valley Farms ice cream as well. Little known secret. Almost forgot, they have awesome rotisserie chickens as well. My whole family has been shopping there since I was a teenager and I'm in my late 30's now, we will always support Cliff's, so lucky to have such a great place so close! read more

We have been using Cliif's for our meats exclusively for the last 2 years - we have never been disappointed.

I purchased a stuffed and ready for oven turkey from Cliff's today. Even though it was the day before Thanksgiving, they were patient and polite. I have never roasted a turkey before so later on in the day I called them in a bit of a panic. They explained exactly what I needed to do tomorrow and also reminded me that the bacon that the turkey is wrapped in should be removed after an hour and a half as a treat for the cook! They could not have been nicer and I look forward to roasting that turkey tomorrow. read more

Customers were all masked, but employees were not. Very little regard for social distancing and health protocols. Will not shop there again.

Well...i went back. The gentleman behind the counter picked up my (raw) meat order with his bare hands, wrapped it, taped it, weighed it and handed it to me. With his bare hands. The cashier then handled it, and handled the register. Bare hands, raw meat, multiple transactions. Did not wash his hands the entire time I was in the store. As someone in the healthcare business, I am so disheartened. read more

A treat is some meat from Cliffs. So far I've had premarinated pork chips so good that they were moist and juicy after grilling. Have also tried a fresh smiles piece off pork, good on it's own, good in stir fries, good good good. This place IS pricey, but the quality is always great, and it's a nice treat. read more

This place is amazing, great smoked meats and sandwiches! It is a shame that some people are giving this business one star over not wearing a mask. If you want quality meats, smoked seafoods, or maybe a nice brisket to smoke at home. Hands down this is the place! read more

the best place for fresh meat in the area,by far. great hams, smoked meats, their own bacon a real treat. if you are a "foodie" this is the place to be between new haven and new london. fyi the ice cream is great too. read more

Real butcher shop with quality meats and specialty food offerings. A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for when it comes to fresh meats. I love the new homemade pickles they sell- just like grandma used to make. read more

Went to Cliff's on a scavenger hunt for new places to eat in the Essex/Centerbeook area. Very happy I stopped in. They have a ridiculously wide variety of smoked meats that have been prepared in-house. They do sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese, it's a great old style butcher shop with employees that are willing to do what you want! Best thing, they have breakfast sandwiches in the a.m. I will definitely be frequenting here! P.S. Try the house smoked beef jerky. Killer! read more

Terrible service! When we dropped off our hams to be smoked, the person behind the counter was rude and complained that the hams were frozen. He said it would add an extra week for them to be ready. We called 3 weeks later and he said that the hams were smoked and ready. We told him we would be there midmorning on Saturday to pick them up. When we arrived, they were not ready. He said he forgot! He never apologized. We waited for them to be cut and wrapped. When I asked if he could take something off the price since they were not ready and I had to wait, he became very angry and yelled. He told us to take our hams and never come back. No kidding. With service like that, we would be crazy to go back there. read more

The best place on the shoreline to get a prime rib, or any other kind of meat that you want. I am never disappointed. If you have a recipe that calls for a special cut, they cut if for you just how you need it. A must go for the holidays. read more

Of my three experiences ordering meat from Cliff, only one was correct. The first time was a rack of lamb for Easter that had a huge diagonal "mistake" cut in the middle of the rack that almost severed it in two, and ruined two chops. The second was a rib roast that was okay. The last order was for a chateaubriand (center cut of the tenderloin). At $22.50/lb, what I got was a tenderloin netted and wrapped in fat. When I removed the netting to take away the fat, what I had were two tenderloin tips laid side-by-side to give the illusion of one contiguous piece of meat. This is discovered at 7:30 pm on Christmas Eve, too late to do anything about. I phoned after Christmas to find out what happened and Cliff himself told me that he "didn't know what a chateaubriand is". He was rude and dismissive, and said that a chateaubriand is whatever you want to define it as, it's all just beef and apparently doesn't give a crap about what he sells to his customers. He just overcharges for it. I could have bought an entire tenderloin at S&S or Adams for less than the $60 I paid and cut and trimmed it myself, with meat leftover, for less money and A LOT LESS AGGRAVATION. Too bad I can't give zero stars. read more

I have always loved Cliff's meats but today was another story. The man behind the counter was rude and did not want to cut the meat for us. He threw the precut steak back in the case and begrudgingly cut us the piece we requested. The meat in the case looked old and we wanted a freshly cut piece ( as they usually do). He slammed the meat on the scale and loudly wrapped it in paper. It makes me not want to not come back there again. What happened to Benny's - my favorite Essex meat shop? read more

Meats are really good!! The prepared salads however, really awful! Tried the potato salad and tortellini salad... both were terrible like something pre made and sent in... Expected much better from an old school meat market! So bummed out... We got steaks and burgers and those were both good! read more

What a gem! Just like an old fashioned butcher shop. The butchers are very knowledgeable and they have a ton of variety. They will custom cut pieces of meat for you. Cliff's has an onsite smoker and you can get all kinds of in house smoked meats and cheeses. They also have a bunch of homemade soups for sale. The prices are very reasonable - in many cases cheaper than the supermarket. read more

Famous local butcher shop. When we want to get a special piece of meat we always go to Cliffs. I few cents more, but you always get what you pay for. A great smoked selection and the BEST hand made jerky ANYWHERE!! read more

several times I have had Cliff go out of his way on a last minute pick up. This is what an old school butcher is all about. Classic kind of place read more

I agree with Cassie M's review on one point. "Cliff's has an onsite smoker..." The last time I went to Cliff's was at their former location and I asked for some ground beef. The butcher was smoking a cigarette and placed it down on the edge of the counter and he proceeded to hand-scoop the meat for my order. No hand washing. No gloves. I have never been back. read more