They drive around telling folks they have to liquidate some stock. They drop names of high end restaurants they supply. They boast their dry aged beef. I wasn't convinced but purchased a couple t-bone steaks anyway (small risk). Because they were frozen, it was difficult to tell the quality. Upon defrosting, the steaks appeared to have little marbling and big chunks of fat around the edges. I threw them on my grill, ate them... and the final rating is 1 star... and that is being generous. read more

This younger looking girl came to our house unsolicited, bothering us on a Saturday morning to try to sell us meat. Honestly, any business whose practice is to interrupt customer's saturday morning has a severe probllem. DOn't support this company until they renounce this practice. read more

For the 2nd time in a couple of years, a man knocked on my door and tried to sell me some "overstock" beef from his delivery truck parked out front. Truck had the Sonoma Cattle Exchange logo and the 1-866-707-Beef number. I'm not saying that he wasn't legit, but it did strike me as an odd practice for a reputable business to be engaged in. He used the old solicitor line of trying to name some of my neighbors who had just received a shipment from him, blah, blah, blah. Just an FYI. (Berkeley) read more

The ONE time I don't do my homework...and I fell for this. Maybe I was low on iron, I don't know. He seemed like a nice enough kid. Not pushy. I guess I was thinking "local business" as I worked in Petaluma for many years. The steaks did look good so after some good-natured haggling I bought some beef and chicken. The next night I checked Yelp and my jaw dropped. I immediately did a stop payment on the check ($27), unaware that they had already processed my check like an electronic payment because they had my routing # and acct #. And it's legal. Long story short, I did get some run-around, so took the meat to their headquarters myself and eventually got my $ back. I was so mad I was going to take them to small claims court if need be. These other reviews are horrifying and it sounds like I was lucky, in a way. Had I known this company's reputation I would have kept walking. read more

Guy was selling cases of steak for around 500 I talked him down to 30 witch leads me to believe the quality of meat is only so so........ and it is less than so so..... never again never again never again! read more

This is not a review for the meat itself. Just an FYI to the company-- If two men come up to a woman on the street and offer for her to "get some steaks out of the back of the truck," that woman is only thinking she is going to be shoved into the back of a refrigerator truck and chopped into tiny pieces. PLEASE train your employees in better sales techniques. read more

Some guy jumped out of his truck today in Oakland yelling to anyone walking by that he was selling meat: "I have some no-shows and the boss said to just get rid of 'em." Yea right, best way to get rid of them is probably depositing the "choice steaks" right in the trash. Funny that their address is on Industrial Avenue. Doesn't give one the highest of hopes that their beef was ever in a pasture. They probably just have a lot of freezers storing tons of very old and low quality meat. read more

Overpriced meat scam. Parked in neighborhood and then tried his hardest to sell me meat at an insane price point. Gave some bullshit story to go along with it. read more

I just had a similar experience as Smari and some others on here. And while I didn't buy anything (so can't comment on the quality of the meat) I too am a bit of a skeptic as well so I didn't take the bait (or meat... bad pun). To echo some of the earlier comments I don't being lied to either.... I'm in sales myself, and if you have a good product, there's no need to lie. The whole,.. "I was in the neighborhood delivering some meat when my freezer broke, so I'm selling at wholesale prices" line seems a bit fishy if you really have a good product to sell. I think they'd be much better off if they told the truth up front... (we're cutting out the supermarket and selling direct), and they'd probably get more business. It would have worked with me. read more

Luke stopped by a bar that i go to alot and kept trying to sell us meat. I thought it was a load of crap, so I ignored him. After about a year I talked to some others about him that had tried the meat and liked it. I bought a box for 236 usually 444 on the website. We tried the steaks, really good. better then whole foods any day. Its been about 3 months and we have enjoyed having steaks on demand. today I saw luke again and we bought a box of pork for 185 that is 359 regularly. We will let you know what we think. Luke never told me it was organic only natural. no antibiotics and hormones. read more

We ALMOST got scammed--so glad we didn't. We saw the truck on our block walking home, like a fools I said to my fiancé, "go get a business card" thinking they were a local farm that had been selling at a farmers market. Well the guy hops out and then the fast talk began. He offered to give us a box of steaks "at cost" for $30, said he had to make quota and that they were the very best, used at Ruth's Chris (like I give a damn) yada yada. My fiancé almost bought a box but then I started as asking questions as I checked out their website on my phone. That's when I knew it was b.s. I asked if they were grass finished, the response was that they are raised on grass and then eat grain. I said well, corn is a grain. The sales guy then goes, "oh no, not corn." I asked then what do they eat after grass. The response was "grain." To which I replied that they weren't finished on grass and (having been talking and browsing), i mentioned that the parent company was located in IL. Then I hear that the local CA meat is "bad" and this is so much better. At this point I'm just getting tired so I start my "no thank yous" as I walk away---I'm still pissed at my fiancé for making me do all the talking...grrrr lol Btw, reading these other reviews makes me think they are changing their technique. The guy dropped lines like "we're paperless b/c we're green," "we're Eco and all that," etc. Such crap. read more

I hate to say it but it's not possible to have a shadier operation. Obey your instincts - buying sketchy meat from door-to-door salesman is not a good idea. Try getting your money back too. read more

Ugh, well we also experienced this. A truck with the same sign as below came up to us. Well, we haven't eaten the steaks yet, so I can't vouch for the meat. But the experience was weird and I wanted to check it out after I got home. And now I see we were probably scammed. read more

Same thing happened to us. My girlfriend was approached by someone who said they had 'extra.. blah blah blah" She asked if it was grass fed (we have only bought grass fed for the past few years) she was told it was... a total lie. She was also told she could have it at 1/2 price... another lie.. the website price was identical to what she purchased it for. The worst part is we spent more than we would for equivalent product at a grocery store. read more

So who buys meat off the back of the truck these days? I was approached off of Alamo Square, and the guy in the truck was really shady and pushy. I was given the same story as everyone else. A client didn't pick up their meat, and they had to sell it before the boss would let them come home. Most people will only come on here after they are approached by this jerk. Hopefully, you didn't buy. read more

If you see one of these trucks, RUN! I fell victim like the rest of these poor people and was completely taken advantage of. I was on my lunch break, taking my dog for a walk in a residential neighborhood, holding her bag of poop in my hand. I wanted to finish my walk, dump the poop, and get back to work. This truck drives by and asks me for directions. I guess that's one of their lines, a good way to stop and get your attention, right? He stopped and insisted on showing me two full cases, not just boxes, of beef and seafood, while I held bagged dog poop in my hand on a very hot day. "I have an end of the day special, got to get it off the truck, two for one deal." I tried to say no but was pushed and pushed and pushed until I gave in to to get hime off my back because I as late for work at that point. My card was then swiped for $400 dollars!!! " What would you like to add for a tip mam?" Tip?, the fact that I was just conned into buying $400 of terrible meat wasn't enough? I know he was making commission off that. Hows a bag of poop for a tip JD? The fish that came in my case were a couple types I had never heard of. Unusual and rare, he said this fish was amazing. I experienced the most fishy tasting fish ever! I had never had anything like it before. Disgusting! not even going to have another piece, just gonna throw it away and try to forget how much I paid for it. This company knows that what they are doing is wrong. CON ARTISTS! -Santa Rosa (Larkfield area) read more

Absolutely disgusting, rubbery, cardboard flavored fish. We just cooked the snapper, the white fish and the salmon. I spit it out immediately. I am a fool, but I do know how to cook fish. We're going to see about getting our money back on Monday. Looking at all the bad reviews, looks like we're screwed. We're going to report them to the BBB and drive to their headquarters if they don't reimburse. Do not waste your money. Will update. Sigh. read more

i would give these guys 2 stars because the meat does not seem bad and because i should have known better... they totally operate on a hit and run model, you have no oppty to check them out because 'i have to pick up my daughter at school and need to get moving'. oh well, i figure that i get taken for a couple hundred every 10 years so i guess this was my latest and hopefully last for another 10. update. some of the meat was just total shit, so the 1 star is legit. read more

Don;t get suckered into buying this junk. When you look at the frozen packages they look great. The fillets are pieces of the tail of the tenderloin put into one small package and they fall apart. The halibut looks great, but when you thaw it, the portion is over 50% water. They are a rip off. The quality is lousy, meat tough, fish not good. Don't waste your money. Wish I had not. UPDATE. I was informed the product I bought from a Cut Above in Anaheim is no longer associated with this company. I cannot comment on Sonoma Cattle Exchange, but the product from A cut Above is JUNK We had to stew the steaks and the t bone was clearly overtenderized. read more

slick sales guys, said that our neighbors were customers and we gave it a try after their seconds sales call to our door. my wife negotiated from $350 to $200 and it looked like a good deal -- until we ate the meat. the filets and new york stips were not good!!! the lobster tails and burgers were okay -- but nothing what we were expecting for $200. It is not worth it, turn them away!!! read more

Worst meat ever stay away from this meat. I haven't seen product this bad ever in my life..if two guys in a truck come to you just say no... They show off decent looking red meats but what you get is brown, old and half assed vac packed... The only joy I got from any part of their product was tossing it in the trash. I'd give it zero stars but yelp won't allow it... read more

This company is the most fraudulent, unethical and immoral business I have ever come across. They are notorious for the deceitful business practices, making guarantees and promises that they do not keep. Once you give them your money, you will never see it back - even though they offer a 100% hassle-free guarantee (within 7 days). Their salespeople are pushy and lie to your face. And then there's the quality of the meat which made my family sick to our stomachs. Literally. I am not exaggerating here. And when they do come to pick up the returned meat (again, which they will refuse to return your money), they will re-package and re-sell it. Pretty disgusting thinking that the meat we tried was most likely sitting somewhere else for who knows how long. If it's a sweater from the Gap, that's one thing - but meat, come on. I even had a salesman break down and confess that he doesn't like to be associated with their business practices. So in the end, if they are attempting to get you to cave in a hard sell, and you happen to google this review - heed my words --- DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! DO NOT BUY! read more

Same story as the rest. I was at this gas station in Oakland, kinda zoning out. This guy yells "Hey man, do you want some steak?" I'm kinda a smartass and was in a bad mood, so I say, "Uh...now? Here?" He starts a sales pitch. I tell him that I'm out running a bunch of errands so I don't really want to tote around defrosting meat. He asks me where I'm going..?!?!?! So wierd...I don't really tell strangers at sketchy gas stations in Oakland where I'm going...I'm like "I'm running errands for a few hours". I must've sounded rude or pissed because he left it alone. I told him I would check them out online. I'm glad I didn't buy anything... read more

San Carlos friends from Jen Kaufman (via Steve's YELP acct.): This truck selling steaks and seafood came to San Carlos Ave. today. Really creepy salesperson that immediately gave me a bad vibe just by looking at him. When he asked if I "wanted to see his steaks" I replied "I can't right now" and he said, "Why not?". He was driving around in a "Cattle Exchange" truck and parked in front of my house and knocked on my door, - probably the doors of my neighbors too. When my husband went to the website it links to Sonoma Cattle and he was unable to get through by placing an online order or by phone. There was not even a recording to pick up the call that mentioned the company's name. read more

Ripoff alert... This is a very shady company. They sell their product by the portion not the pound. The way it is packaged it seems like you are getting a decent deal but your not. The sales people came bye my house and tried selling me 4 cases of chicken for 175 bucks. They said there were 11 breasts in each box. For normal chicken that would be about 25 lb of chicken (9 oz per breast x 44 total breasts) I weighed the chicken and it came out to 9 lb. total (and they are marinaded so that weight was included) and ranged from 2oz to 5 oz. per breast. So that is $19..44 / Lb. for frozen marinaded chicken.. seriously.. That is why they don't give weight when they sell this; there is no other meat retailer that will sell you a product and not sell by weight.. The sales person seemed shocked when this result was made; I have it on video via my new HD flip cam. Very sad sight.. Run,, run.. run.. read more

Got me too, same sad story. I'm usually more skeptical but I had been wanting to try out a local butcher and thought this was a good opportunity. Help shut these guys down. File a Better Business Complaint against Sonoma Cattle Exchange at: https://goldengate.app.bbb.org/complaint/new/ read more

A few months back someone knocked at our door and offered us beef and fish for a very reasonable price. Since we had the room in the freezer we thought we give it a try. I have to say the beef and the fish are of excellent quality. We even tried a steak from our regular grocery store with the same cut from Sonoma Cattle exchange wondering if we could find a difference. What a HUGE difference it was - The Sonoma one was excellent while the other one was just ok - even my 7 year old was able to taste the difference. The Ahi tuna we bought was of Sushi quality, I prepared it pan seared and it was just yummy As for their practice to sell it on the door - if you don't like it, don't buy there, but I find it unfair to give them a bad rating if you have not even tried their product. read more

I thought it was very strange when someone in a truck pulled up to me and tried to sell me steak as I was walking along the residential Oakland street where I live. There was no way I was going to buy any, since I don't eat steak, and I generally wouldn't take out my wallet for a stranger who pulls up to me in a truck. So when I got home, I went online to see if they were legit, and I see here on Yelp that this is their M.O. To tell the truth, I'm surprised they even sell meat at all. I thought it must be some kind of weird scam. read more

Who buys meat from a door to salesman? I told him I didn't eat meat and shut the door

Okay so we've tried some of the cuts. I do have to say that they were pretty darn yummy! Since the last review we've had NY Steaks, jumbo shrimp, halibut and salmon. All were extremely fresh (despite being frozen) and tasty. The salmon was particularly nice. Now I still think they are way too expensive - and many equivalent or better options are available....but the quality is sound. More to come as we make our way through the lot... read more

Same as many of the others, claimed it was grass fed and local and then when you get the box you read that it could come from anywhere in the US, Mexico and one other coutry, or maybe planet, I cant recall. They picked up the meat right away claiming we must have misunderstood it when they said grass fed, maybe they meant that the cow had at some point stood on grass, seen grass or had otherwise came in contact with the word through direct or indirect means. Moo. They promise a money back guarantee and its been over a month and those calls to the office where no one EVER answers arent paying off because that credit isnt showing up on my card. Had to file a claim with my bank. Lesson learned, if you want a good buy on meat, watch for the sales in the paper. read more

High pressure, door to door sales pitch in west Alameda. Was parked in my neighborhood and a salesperson came up to me telling me about how he had extra product because of a cancellation. After I told him I am in a meat CSA, he tried to push their product on me. Scam! read more

Beware. Rotten meat and lobster. Scam artist. Delivery guy came back to my home, and asked for gas and a bridge toll. He would leave. read more

The steaks look awesome. Nice color and marbling. Then you cook them and you realize you've been had. Strange color and consistency and as the others mentioned they seem to be filled with a strange "solution". Do yourself a favor and don't let these guys in your house. read more

Buying frozen animal parts from this company was the biggest mistake ever. The meat imitating steaks were mostly tough and not tasty. The fish turned mushy when cooked. That's the good news. The salesman cashed my check that I wrote to him, because he said he was an independent contractor. I had to track him down to clear my bill. The company said it was my fault for trusting him. At this point I wanted nothing to do with this business and returned the remaining product for a refund. It took me ten times of going to this company and listening to their excuses and BS before getting a partial refund. In the end they, charged me over $30/lbs for the few things I consumed. In reading the other Yelp reviews, it appears the MO of this company is clear and deliberate. I can only think that the few customers that had a good experience were "lottery lucky." The tactics and unprofessional culture of this company does one thing very well...validates P.T. Barnum's view of people. read more

The meat my husband and I purchased from Sonoma Cattle Exchange is excellent. Just last night, we had grilled steaks that were amazing! Loved it! read more

Would never buy frozen meat by a door to door guy. But since the guy was from Somoma Cattle, I decided to hear him out under the idea buy local/support local business. After 10 minutes of demos, etc, decided I didn't want anything, but bought some burgers to help the guy out and mostly to get him out of my hair. Of course we got all of the usual lines--closeout, below cost, etc... After he left, I discovered that the meat IS NOT FROM SONOMA. The package says product of EITHER US, CANADA, or MEXICO, packaged somewhere in IL, I think. And the box said midwest meat co. Haven't tried the meat yet. Hope it isn't as much of a joke as the company i bought it from. read more

Very creepy interaction with the salesman. It's the same story that others are buying from down the street, he has extra steaks. We are vegetarians and didn't want to be pushed. He came by our street twice in 2 hours. Very strange energy with this person. read more

So, let me tell you my story: At the beginning of the week, at dinner time, a guy rang our doorbell and presented himself as a salesman from Sonoma Cattle Exchange. You guys now the drill: he had a lot of meat and he would have sold it to me at more than half of the price. Nothing new over here: I bought the meat, and then I checked Yelp. What??? I have been fooled???? This is terrible!!!! I got up the morning after with pure rage: REVENGE!!! I called the number on the site and no one answered the phone. I called the salesman and he didn't pick up the phone (i didn't realize that it was 8:15am). So, why 5 stars? Because I called back at 11:00am and someone picked up the phone, and while I was almost yelling, saying that the salesman was a liar, the guy on the other side (Ed), asked me some basic questions (what happened, when, etc) and then promised me to call me back because he wanted to talked to the salesman. I called the salesman and he picked up the phone right away. Again, I told him that he told me a bunch of lies and... he did apologize, saying that there is a new salesforce that is not shady as before. The more I was getting mad, asking for my money back, the more these people were nice with me... So at the end I told the manager "You know what? Forget it, I will keep the meat, because I was judging a company without trying their product and without giving them a chance. I am glad I checked on Yelp, but I am also happy that I changed my mind thanks to the kindness that two people provided me: Ed and Tony. read more

I can't believe the reviews because they are the exact opposite of our experience here in Napa. The truck came to the neighborhood, I checked out all their meats: had a chicken cordon blu for lunch - delicious; cooked two lemon pepper steaks for dinner -- outstanding. I didn't need to go to the market, and the meat was fresh and smelled great. Maybe these other folks are leaving the meat in their freezers for a year. I got great food - comparable to the other high-priced "delivered meat company", and we are very happy. Have a good stock and I'd say the quality is very good! read more