I came to the Fatted Calf intending to grab some cuts of meat to cook for dinner. I left with nothing but a few containers of dates. The reason for this was not the quality, but the price. The selection was decent, although not as extensive as some of the other meat shops in the city. But DAMN do they charge a lot per pound comparatively. Almost everything seemed at least $5 more per pound than the other butcher shops in the city. I'm not made of money so I decided to go elsewhere for my meat. read more

Fatted Calf - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Wow! A buddy and his wife took me here yesterday, and I was blown away. They really have a very wide offering of charcuterie, and all good. Everything I tasted I'd get 20/30 slices. Prosciutto crudo, prosciutto cotto, white rock salame, pancetta, you name it. The cost is a little high, but the quality is superb. And frankly, if you compare that at Mollie's Stones you can buy pre-sliced prosciutto di parma, in a plastic container for $22/pound, and here most items are $25/pound and sliced of the bone right in front of you... It's not abad deal. read more

Before you read this update to my initial review, please refer to my initial review before you read this update so that everything I say is taken in context. Here's my update: Since my initial visit, I have been back to Fatted Calf twice and, unfortunately, my subsequent visits have been disappointing. I have no complaints about their foods/wares/meat. My initial review in that respect remains unchanged. My subsequent visits to the store suggest that the word has gotten out and it has become quite busy and popular. That being said, the problem is exactly: Quite busy and popular. They do not have any organized way of serving you -- one of those "taking a number" systems is needed now that the place gets busy. A store full of eager customers but no way of telling "who is next in line" can elicit dirty looks and raised eyebrows amongst the customers. Also, on a busy day, customer service (beyond the "taking a number" problem") tends to fall from "excellent" to a "not that great" rating. This problem is a poor management problem which is fueled by the lack of a "take a number" problem. My recent visits felt like I was at the "returns and exchanges" line at Costco. Rushed, rude and unwelcome. Also, when I went in yesterday (Friday, 11/26/2010) they had run out of breads by noonish. Not a good thing for an eatery that serves sandwiches. This is poor inventory control. Again, I have no complaints about their products, this is purely a customer service problem and one that needs to be fixed. And quickly. Poor customer service in my book, can be a real deal killer but since they are still fairly new on the block I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and look forward to improved customer service improvement SOON. I have to lower my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars based on what I've seen lately. Hopefully these issues will be fixed and I will reinstate my 5 star rating. read more

Sum super fire high grade cured herbed meat at this joint .... blaze sum of this up and your wallet will burn Ok enough jokes - great sandwiches at lunch, high quality meats, fantastic selection, higher priced upscale deli. I wish the lunch sandwiches had more meat for the price, but they are still great read more

Fatted calf specializes in cured meats (confits, prosciuttos and pates) and homemade sausages. they have a shop on fell store and they were at the ferry farmers market. sampling: -salami stick(2.75): cured with red wine and a bunch of stuff i forgot. tasted fatty, greasy, definitely different than jerky type sticks. would probably taste a lot better with red wine or stout beer. -duck coniff (5.79) 15.00lb in frozen state. cooked at home by a semiexperienced amateur. not me, can't cook at all. *duck tasted a little juicy, a little dry, not much fat on it. fat left in pan. -3505 chicarones (3)- the bomb, saving for a good occasion, melt in your mouth pork rind. -many more goodies to try -though not totally enamored. am intrigued by the offerings. good quality meats.. read more

I'm not a meatloaf fan but their sandwich is pretty tasty - imagine a spaghetti meatball flattened in between 2 slices of bread. They've also have a large selection of meats. The people are friendly and the place is really clean. read more

Fatted Calf - Meatloaf Sandwich 12.05.11 - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

The sandwiches here are great. The sliced meats and charcuterie are of exceptional quality. The prices are a little steep but well worth every penny and not outrageous. They have a nice selection of pastas and organic goods. Definitely worth your time and money to come here. read more

Fatted Calf - Cheesy and delicious Croque Monsieur - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The meat was fresh and they help me too pick the lamb that I needed for the evening. Thank you

I love this place so much I wish I could pay rent and move in. Charcuterie: White Rock Salami, Lomo and Chorizo are my favorites, but I would trust any recommendation their staff gives me. It's a mouth-gasm every time. If you're looking to wow, grab a fois gras terrine-- it's $30 a jar but you will have no regrets. Sandwiches: smoked ribeye and salami/mortadella sando are my go to's. Roast beef plate or picnic platter if I'm self conscious about eating carbs (SF is a hard city to live in sometimes.) Staff: Amazing. On a Friday before a holiday weekend (think a line of 10 trying to get cured meats), I watched a lady order "exactly 10 slices of salami" for whatever party she was throwing and the butcher was so delightful about it (I gave her a stink eye though, what kind of host only serves you one slice of salami?) Regardless of the request I've see patrons make, these guys are always pleasant and accommodating but ultimately, they're SO knowledgeable about their product (which in turn you pass as your own knowledge and impress your friends). Go there and be impressed. read more

One of my favorite businesses in the city. It's so hard to find good cured meats, and these folks just do it right -- all in house, super friendly and helpful staff when I ask for the 90th time what this or that salami tastes like. Plus really good accoutrements like cheeses (the aged Gouda!) and wine and crackers and so on. Such a gem! read more

The meats here are amazing. So amazing that the first time I tried a dried sausage it blew my mind...the fatty goodness just fills your mouth and you forget that you're still alive. It's that good. I don't think I can live without those sausages anymore... read more

Fatted Calf has exceptional fresh meats and smoked/cured meats, too. The pastrami is excellent.

The role model for how and why every neighborhood should have a local butcher. I'm spoiled for anything else and will gladly wait in line than get my meat from a supermarket. read more

Love love love! Nothing makes me more happy than browsing through different cuts of various meats. All of the meats are so red and fresh and ready to be eaten. The first time I came here was to get some meat to make steak tartare. Since tartare is supposed to be eaten raw, I wanted to make sure that I get the best meat possible. I felt safe getting the meat from here and was confident I wouldnt get food poisoning (and I didn't). I've also tried a lot of their salami and prosciutto. The employees are pretty great and helpful, letting you sample them before you decide. I do wish they had a better description of the cheeses, like they do with their wine. Also, they seem to run out of acme baguettes earlier in the day :( but they still have other breads you can purchase. All in all, great place to fulfill your carniverous needs! read more

Living in Arizona we have no local producer of charcuterie so when planning our trip to San Francisco I knew what my first order of business would be.. get me so pork! Placed an internet order before we left.. when we got to the stand at the Farmer Market it was already to go. The staff was so friendly and outgoing.. they are part of the reason why me and the mister want to move out there.. everyone is so friendly in the food community! read more

Sure it's expensive, but everything you eat here will be amazing. Even my pup loves the treats I got for her here. Hots dogs, chorizo, absolutely the best Ciccioli, pulled pork and meatloaf sandos are a must. Cheeses, fresh made salads, yogurt, raw milk..and the list goes on. Helpful service and relatively quick. read more

Today my experience at the Fatted Calf was not good. It is often difficult communicating with the staff. The music is too load which I have addressed on numerous occasion. If it were not for the high quality of their products I would look elsewhere. read more

Love love love stuffed duck and quails for Thanksgiving- not cheap but worth every penny ! You need to pre order and then pop in oven for 2 hrs + Voila !!! read more

Fatted Calf - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

This might be the best place to go for cured meats and rillette, which is a delicious spread that you can eat with chips or bread. Sometimes I'll get an eighth of a pound of various salamis, which is their smallest increment. The higher prices means that the meat is cured with finer ingredients and that it'll be an even softer bite. For spreads, I usually go with the duck rillette which is a richer than pork. They also have great cheese and wine to pair. Recently we brought my family there to eat there because there's a single standing counter. They didn't have disposable cups for so my recommendation for management is to have some handy. We got by instead with 1oz sample cups. This is smaller than a normal shot glass :) challenging but fun to pour champagne into these cups! read more

Fatted Calf - Special salami. I believe Lonza. - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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f walking around w ice cream the REAL way to enjoy hayes valley on a sunny day is walking around eating a bbq pulled pork sand & orange grease slobbering everywhere. 2 sandos to go ready in seconds just under $30. meatloaf was forgettable bbqpp very memorable. i started a frequent eater punch card; don't act surprised if the rest of my stamps are more of the pulled pork. read more

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I haven't been to any other butchers in SF, but came here upon recommendation. Can't say that I left disappointed! Picked up 2 Dry-Aged Boneless Ribeyes at $36/lb and boy were they delicious. Marbling of the meat was nice and the woman behind the counter who helped me was fantastic and very helpful. Will definitely be back here again! read more

Wow, what a great shop. I'm more of a sweets person and they don't really advertise their sweets. They've got Bacon Crack which the NoshThis guy made; sort of a bacon toffee covered with chocolate. Then there's the bacon sea salt chocolate covered caramels. I also had the bourbon bacon rocky road. All really awesome...too awesome that they can't keep them in stock all the time even though they're a bit pricy! Oh, and their regular meat's good too. read more

Fatted Calf - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Marina Meats recommended the Fatted Calf for their pork belly because they always have at least 12 pounds on hand. Had a informative phone chat about the history and the breed of the pig. After all, you are what you eat. It's pricy for hormone free, organic, Berkshire pork belly, but worth it. Unwrapping the pork belly is a delight similar to viewing a marbled piece of art. Y'know the homemade dinner is a success when it inspires others to host future dinners. Yum, will definitely return to try the sandwiches. read more

Fatted Calf - Pork belly. - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

For some reason these guys didn't show up in my 'sandwiches" search, but fortunately I remembered them. One of my all time favorite sandwiches ever was the porchetta sando at their Napa location - also, my debut with porchetta, if I recall. I've been a fan ever since - of both FC and porchetta. Meanwhile, their other sandwiches are also excellent. read more

I had checked this place out once before when I first moved to the neighborhood when I was just walking around but didn't purchase anything. This place is really great if you're in need of some meat or charcuterie. We were heading to a wine and cheese party and needed some meats. They let us sample items that looked good to us and I felt as though it was reasonably priced for the amount of charcuterie we received. Apparently, they also make sandwiches?? I'll have to grab one some-time! read more

Normally the cuts are pretty fresh except this one. It's no longer fresh and smells a bit rotten. read more

Fatted Calf - I know times are tough but a bad cut doesn't help. I pretty much puke out the rest. - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great place to pick up some snacks before heading to GG park. They have a great variety of snacks from their cured meats, cheeses, breads, to beer. I highly recommend the "picnic plate" it has 3 meats, pickled veggies, & bread. I am a sucker for roast beef...It's my favorite deli meat...this place has some of the best roast beef I've ever had! They'll give you a taste if you ask...which i like because i'm always hesitant to commit to a pound of anything before i try it. The service is very friendly and unlike some of these bougie places in SF they actually treat you like a customer and not a burden. read more

Fatted Calf - Picnic plate. - Meat Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

I had the worst experience over the phone today. Called in to ask if what I wanted was available. The person who picked up the phone was either high and slow or just plain rude. I asked for bresaola because they don't always have it available. I've stood in line for 20 minutes to walk in and be told that it was not available (I did call before and was told that it was available.) another time, I put in an order to be ready for pick up and everything went smoothly. Today, the person on the phone (maybe George) told me to just come over because they get busy on Saturdays and don't take phone orders. I explained that I can't spend my entire lunch to stand in line only to learn that bresaola is not available. I offered to pay over the phone. He went on to figure something out and put me on hold. The beeping sound in the phone was like a torture lol and when he came back, he was way too unhappy to take my order. I asked, as I always do, to cut it paper thin and he replied that he would try. I asked what it meant that he would try? I've never had anyone say it before. And he just mumbled something in response. I think that I'm going to call back and cancel this order. read more

This is a special message for one of the managers at Fatted Calf (short, brown hair, round hipster glasses, beard): my dear, you are rude and you wouldn't know good customer service if it hit you over the head. I've been a loyal customer since they opened and I grab lunch there pretty regularly. Sometimes the sandwiches are great, and sometimes they aren't (I have a feeling they don't train their new staff enough). Yesterday I ordered a prosciutto sandwich, but when I got home discovered the new guy had messed it up: I had been given the ribeye sandwich with prosciutto instead. I hate horseradish and the combination of ingredients was... yuck! But since I needed food and I had to get back to work, I ate it anyway. Today I dropped by to let them now what happened (after all, those are NOT cheap sandwiches). When I finally got to talk to the manager (I had to wait a bit) this is what he said: "You took the sandwich, you ate it. What else do you want?". How about... Sorry? SORRY. Such a difficult word. Then he blamed me because I didn't take the sandwich home, discover the sandwich was crap, take it back to the store, wait to get a new one, and then go back home. Right. Because I'm free all day.... Surprisingly, I have a job to do. How about you do yours? P.S: He gave me a coupon in the end, but it really was an unpleasant experience. read more

Today my fiancé and I paid a visit to Fatted Calf because we live close by and always saw a line outside. We were looking for beef shank and I couldn't believe the wide variety of high quality meats they carry. I told one of the guys helping us it was our first time there and he threw in a bag of beef jerky for free! It was so nice and made my day especially right now when we're all going through difficult times! Thank you so much and I'll look forward to future visits to Fatted Calf. My fiancé and I are excited to make beef noodle soup with our delicious beef shank! read more

The only downside is the price point. I know it's SF, so I wasn't really expecting anything different. Picnic plates (with pickles, pickled veggies, beets, three types of meat, and a little cheese) weigh in at $12, which wouldn't be a bad price, but portions are small, and bread is not included. You can get yourself a salty pretzel for $3.00 to accompany your meal. I highly recommend their arugula and roast beef plate (another $10+), which comes with balsamic dressing. Great stuff. The roast beef is sliced super thinly and is tender beyond tender. Will be back for some charcuterie goodness. read more

the porchetta sandwich is bomb. they took the best parts of italy, france and vietnam and put it into a sandwich.

I actually came there because they had better hours than the competition. I bought the guanciale which was delicious and better than the one I got in Eataly back in my Chicago days. I made some gricia with it. They didn't have veal but being a rather humane butcher that was understandable and they pointed me to a competitor instead of lecturing me. They didn't have chicken livers which I wanted but that is due to some technicality with their supplier who already pre-sells them since nobody but me wants them. They again pointed me to a competitor with recommendations. All in all I can't complain. What they do, they do extremely well. I'll definitely go back for their stuff or their advice. Love this place. read more

Great products, atrocious customer service. Actually had one of their employees a short asian lady raise her voice at me. During the time of Covid19 I would up my customer service and put a premium value on each and every customer. read more

I used to shop at this place all the time, but I won't after today. I ordered some items from them for pick up on a Wednesday, 6 days from the day I placed the order. I didn't specify the day; I was willing to pick them up any time they had my order ready. I just got a call from them, cancelling my order. They took an order for the same thing from someone else that (I guess) they'd rather fill. It wasn't even a manager who called me. The manager had someone who didn't know what was going on call me. I swear, this person was so UNCLEAR it took me awhile just to figure out that what he was saying was that they were cancelling my order, and that they had no plan in place for getting me what I ordered. By the way, it was meat. And they are a butcher. So I wasn't asking for anything out of their purview. For future reference, a better approach is to call the customer you're going to offend with an actual plan about what you *can* do. If you want them to continue as customers, you can't treat them as if their business doesn't matter. read more

I was looking for some beef for a ginger beef stir-fry dish. I wasn't sure what cut to use and the butcher, Austin, recommended skirt steak. It was absolutely delicious!! Great service along with great meat- thank you! read more

Bought 2 dry aged ribeyes and some truffle butter, recommended by our butcher. One of the best steaks I've ever grilled. Would definitely come back to a few more steaks! They also have a great selection of wine and cheeses. Staff was super friendly and helpful. read more

I'm a huge supporter of local business owners, and this meat shop is hands down one of the best in SF, but my unfortunate experience this weekend has sadly turned me away from supporting them in the future, and to writing this post. I had placed a pretty large order for all types of sausages, and arrived to pick it up. Asking the butcher if they still have more sausage coils, he unknowingly tells me that a "b**tch" ordered all of them so they don't have any left. Well, that "b**tch" was me, and immediately i felt incredibly uncomfortable. Do I say, "well, that b**tch is me" or do I keep quiet and leave? Because, who on earth calls a customer such a horrid name when they're giving you business? I ended up buying whatever sausages they had in the fridge case, but honestly, wish I'd just walked out. read more

I come here solely to buy an unhealthy amount of meat sticks I've been a fan of this shop for about 7 years now! read more

Fatted Calf has had my attention for a very long time, but it wasn't until recently at the Saturday Farmers Market did they win over my heart and my taste buds. Once, over 2 years ago, I called and attempted to place an order for the Ferry Building. They did not have what I wanted: specifically, pork rillettes. Twice, I placed an order using their online system, which also failed me. Thrice, I showed up in person at their stall, in major need of a fix. They were SOLD OUT. I am jealous at the ease in which my Gay Foodie Husband, Alexander C. and his Mister were able to score them some pork products. Lucky bitch! (I say this with genuine affection and simultaneous jealous rage.) But two weekends ago, I GOT MINE! Yeah, baby, yeah! A precious block of perfectly seasoned pork rillettes were, at long last, MINE, MINE, MINE! I made a pass at the booth, my shopping bag already laden with porcine preciousness (multiple bags of 4505 Chicharrones and take-home goodies from Boccalone, of course!) when I pounced on the last package of rillettes. Would it have been so wrong to ask for scissors, grab a loaf of bread and some cornichon and dig in, right there? Probably not - no one would have blamed me, but I was already full, and testing the resolve of my J Brand Jeans. Plus, since this was going to be our... "first time" - I wanted it to be special. Ah... and oh, was it! I have made my own rillettes before; the method is very simple, but the ingredients, seasoning and time commitment are key. Why make a disaster zone of my kitchen when I can have somebody else prepare this deliciousness for me? Lots of other seasonal offerings in rotation, which I will surely try, now that my rillette fixation has been addressed. If you are a meat eater, than you must get some goodies from Fatted Calf. Praise the Lard! read more