Coming from Los Angeles, I've always had a pretty high standard for pastrami, especially the thick, piled-high New York-style sandwiches I grew up expecting. Minnesota has disappointed me more than once. Too often the pastrami is sliced thin, served light, and feels more like an afterthought than the main event. That changed today. I stopped at St. Paul Meat Shop and ordered their smoked pastrami on rye with mustard. Simple. Exactly how a pastrami sandwich should be. And damn, they got it right. The pastrami was smoky, tender, flavorful, and there was actually enough meat on the sandwich to call it a pastrami sandwich without laughing. This was easily one of the best pastrami sandwiches I've had in the Twin Cities, and honestly, it may be the best. If you've been looking for a proper pastrami sandwich in Minnesota, this is the place. read more

We've visited the St Paul Meat Shop on a few other occasions. Not only have we enjoyed each item we have tried, we have been able to find some items or cuts that other butcher shops don't have available. St Paul Meat Shop markets themselves as St Paul's only whole animal butcher shop. One of our favorite items is the pastrami. Their pastrami is amazing! Made and smoked in house. It is sliced thin and makes a great sandwich. They also have turkey which I believe is cooked sous vide. Our last visit we picked up some skirt steak and their juicy lucy burgers. As we were checking out, there was one condiment that we forgot and it didn't appear that they had that. The very nice gentleman was able to locate some for us and helped us out. Quality and service has always been top notch. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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The meat stick (PAUSE) by the cashier are seriously the best and delicious ASF sticks I have had. Let's talk about the house grind is beautifully made and perfect for anything from burgers, chill or Italian meatballs. I absolutely love the duck! The fact they had duck!! Customer service was top notch can't forget about my new buddy in the glasses. This is my MF place!! Top spot on all of the street. I'm looking forward to trying more on my next visit. Basically cleared out the hot dogs the other day and I was like the first person in the shop lol sorry but not sorry. I didn't try them before but they were damn good and shouldn't of been that damn delicious and they have that snap too. I got a chuck roast too for later in the month or maybe I'll try to do easter? Is it beef or duck that they have on Easter I wonder.. either this place is the dream spot of the MEATS (PAUSE! LOL that's me being goofy). Young and older people should fully support this place. I recently moved here but this is my JAMMY JAM!! I wonder if they had meat jam or pickled onions? Honestly somebody to build a bakery and cheese shop nearby so you just get my meat, cheese and bread all on one perfect block. Might have to find a job or buy a house near this place. If they haven't been here for 100yrs.. I hope you make it to that and another 100yrs. Btw who's the MF who made this pie?! This is the best apple pie ever had. I come from San Diego.. we're supposedly doing an apple pie considered like the best but someone was lying. This apple is delicious!! I'm coming for another pie next .. possibly this week but I need to stop spending. You BETTER have those pies on stock read more

St Paul Meat Shop - Apple pie - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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This place does remind you that quality is worth the price. The Shepard's Pie is LEGIT! Yes, it's a bit on the pricy side, but that's because they use a blend of beef and lamb, which is the traditional recipe. It's very rich, though, so you get a lot of flavor in a little bit, so it does last. My real find, though, was this Pork Tamale Handpie thing. I wish I could remember the name. The pork was flavorful and highly spiced, the dough flaky, and I don't know how they got the masa in there, but I could taste and feel it (you know that mouthfeel). It was buttery, flaky, crispy, spicy, meaty, and sweet all at the same time and I am positively obsessed. I was so glad to have decided to pick that one up. The store was lovely and the gentleman behind the counter was fantastic - friendly, knowledgeable, and personable. I will absolutely be back. read more

My fav local butcher. They'll cut all kinds of things other shops won't, and you know all the meat is high quality from local sources.

Had a burrito bowl for lunch. It was kinda basic and a little dry, but the beef barbacoa was excellent. Overall, great place to buy fresh meat. read more

First visit to St Paul Meat Shop. I had been imagining a wonderful hot ham and cheese sandwich for a couple of days. Did my YELP research and landed in this wonderful establishment. The staff is very welcoming and knowledgeable. The ambiance is a nice meat shop, sandwich shop local market feel combo. The sandwiches are freshly made and worth the wait. We enjoyed our sandwiches on site and ordered some salads for take out. They have a nice variety of items to go soup, lasagna, meat sauce, beverages, breads, desserts just to name a few. Looking forward to the next visit! read more

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I feel so fortunate for the St. Paul Meat Shop. Earlier this week my boyfriend and I were celebrating our anniversary and had a last minute series of cooking nightmares at home--and Kelly, one of the many lovely employees literally came to our rescue and made the exchange we had so warm, genuine, and memorable. The energy of this shop is truly something that is so rare to find in our modern day. We have gotten to know Nick and Lydia who work there as well, and have always felt so enthusiastically welcomed when stopping by for a quick sandwich, to just grab some stock, or peruse their selection of meats when we plan on hosting. I can't say how much I appreciate this team and of course the farms they are working with, and stories of real people raising real animals and bringing them to the community. I will be a life long Meat Shop shopper. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - bone-in ribeye - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Grinder sandwich - so good! The pickles were to remember. The barbacoa burrito was awesome. Wish we could have taken some meat cuts with us too. Staff was awesome!! read more

St Paul Meat Shop - Grinder sandwich - so good! - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

The customer service and quality of the products are excellent. There's nothing better than people that know what they're doing!

Super helpful staff in a relaxed environment. Great selection of local products - meat and otherwise. I gave Nick a budget and he helped me curate a steak night that was fantastic. Best bacon I've ever tried, hands down. I baked it in the oven, but don't think there's a bad method out there. Looked like it had too much fat, but it turned out to be pure magic. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - Nick making it happen - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Great hidden gem but what happened to my favorite meat monger Matt? Knowledgeable, friendly. ......?

Full service shop with very knowledgeable staff serving prime goods. Nice find compared to grocery chain meat counters.

I came in here for a couple of hot dogs. More on that in a minute... This is a small neighborhood butcher shop. Whatever it is you might want out of a small neighborhood butcher shop, my one visit here leaves me confident that they will provide it to you with the utmost care and expertise. It's clear that they have all the typical cuts of meat you'd want from a butcher, and that they also take pride in their specialized, artisanal offerings. Everything in their cases and on their shelves, things like "hand rolled butter" and "duck prosciutto", appears to be homemade or locally made. Everything looked totally great. They have an appealing selection of deli sandwiches, salads, and a few other things which you can eat at one of their small dining areas. Which brings me to the reason for this visit. A friend let me know that after 2pm, every day, they offer $2 hot dogs. But these are not cheap, foil-wrapped ballpark weiners from a clammy steel steambox. These are the best hot dogs I've ever had. They were made to order, presented with tangy, coarse mustard on lightly toasted buns. Delicious mustard, phenomenal hot dog meat. (Kraut is included as well, except I didn't want kraut.) Nothing else offered by St Paul Meat Shop can be characterized as inexpensive, but they make up for that by offering the best hot dogs you'll ever have for two bucks each after 2pm. So go get some hot dogs, and while you're there, have any of your other carnivorous needs met with an admirably high level of quality. read more

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I don't eat meat often, so when I do I like to make sure it's good meat. As much as possible, I'd like it sustainably and ethically raised, carefully processed to be disease-free, etc. Today I headed there for fresh ideas on dinner. The clerk was friendly and ready with information on how long it takes any given item to defrost; or the best uses for the unfamiliar onion variety I picked up. She also let me browse when I needed to just take stuff in. There was a large array of items ranging from frozen broth to raw meat cuts to ready-to-eat pasties. I picked up some uncooked lamb burgers seasoned with spices, cheese, and mint. (It so happened that all lamb was 15% off, too!) If you're like me and don't like to run to multiple stores, there are also items like pasta, potatoes, onions, and premade side dishes to help you complete your meal. Not to mention frozen cookie dough and ready-baked desserts. As soon as I took the burgers out of the package I knew I was in for a treat. I could smell those spices as I placed the meat in the hot pan, cooking it slowly with care. Dynamite! Better than take-and-bake pizza. The spices and herbs were perfect, as good as what you might find at a Middle Eastern restaurant. Served with rice, yogurt, and fresh lettuce, this $14 two-pack of lamb burgers can easily last me four nutritious balanced meals. Fantastic service by people who care about what they're selling. Delicious food options. And ethically sourced. Some may say they'd rather eat cheaper food. But after reading recent bestsellers on the meat industry, and after some unfortunate experiences with supermarket meats, I'd say it's well worth the extra pennies. read more

Everything about this meat shop is amazing. First, they butcher all their meats themselves, which makes them fresh and delicious. You can trust that, since they're preparing their own meats, there is nothing added. The ground turkey is outstanding, making the best burgers I've ever had-so juicy and tasty. The same can be said for their chicken breasts and the spinach ricotta turkey burgers. Often they have homemade burger buns and fresh cookies. The deli sandwiches are so good as well. The service reminds me of growing up with real butchers who are respectful yet fun, and who know all there is to know about their products! I feel so good about everything I buy there. Oh! Don't forget to pick up one of their homemade soups! read more

Stumbled into this charming St. Paul boutique meat shop by chance, and I immediately became a fan. St. Paul Meat Shop is exactly what it sounds like: a meat shop, in St. Paul. Truth in advertising. GOOD: The exceptionally friendly service competes only with the exceptionally high quality of the meat products here. The store may appear ordinary on the outside but shopping here feels luxurious. Here we have the Nordstrum of proteins. MEH: Hard to criticize this place. My only beef (haha see what I did there) are the prices, and even that seems like a petty complaint considering the high quality of what is on sale here. But at some point you gotta step back and say, "C'mon, $12 for a container of soup?" This store is owned by the folks at France 44 liquor store -- or as the St. Paul Meat Shop folks will tell you, France 44 is owned by them. They are both great stores and they will be getting a lot of our business, particularly on days when we have two extra bucks to rub together. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - a man standing at the counter - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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My first Yelp review: This place was great. I knew I wanted to slap something on the grill. Budget was a bit tight and I wanted something about as good as bone-in ribeye. I had no idea that pork was on the menu. Zack gave us a quick education on their cuts, wrote down the information about where it came from, and fast-forward? Mind blown. I'll be back. Customer service at this level is noteworthy. This place killed it. I can't wait to see what's in store for my next trip. **Update** Listen to me. Listen. Go to this place. If you find a better customer service experience anywhere, I'll drink a cheap beer. That's how serious I am. read more

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Cooking is one of my hobbies and although I shop at my local Lunds and Byerlys I decided to expand my horizons by finding a butcher that offers more variety and personal service than is available at my supermarket. The meat cutters, I hesitate to call them butchers, at L&B are primarily involved in packaging and stocking meat for self serve and are not oriented to serving customers in person. They have no passion for the products they sell which may be understandable since most of their meat is an assembly line product - literally. Also the variety offered is limited-for example I could never get lamb shanks, beef liver, osso buco or other mildly exotic cuts. After looking at the reviews on Yelp, I decided to give the St Paul Meat Shop a try. I live in Minneapolis so it is a bit of a drive but there is a small parking lot in back of the store and they will take phone orders for "curb side" delivery. Their meat is mostly locally sourced, they deal in small quantities, do their own butchering in house, and have a real passion for the products they sell. Since they work with local farmers what they have available depends on when you call but to me this is part of the fun. This isn't a mass produced experience and reminds me of the boucheries I used to patronize when I lived in France. Even with my poor French I loved to talk with the butchers about possible candidates for dinner. St Paul Meat Store has a cardamom chicken which is a boned half chicken in a cardamom based marinade which is fabulous. Give them a try. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - View from the parking lot behind store - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Wow wow wow, what a spot!! Walked in to get some lamb chops and left with a load of new great recipes, things to try and suuuper quality meat. Not to mention they guy helping(wish I would have got his name) was REALLY FRIENDLY and completely won us over as repeat customers. What a blessing to find and can't wait to come back! :) read more

I am conflicted about this place. This conflict may come from the fact that I am still conflicted about the idea of shopping at a high-quality butcher. There seems to be a trend of returning to the system of specialty food shops among foodie culture. It leaves me unsure of what to expect and what norms to follow. We have had about three experiences with this meat shop. We have picked up special cuts of meat, tried their sandwiches, and grabbed their pre-made dinners. First off, I will admit that everything has been delicious. There is definitely a flavor difference between local, fresh-butchered meat products and your average store-bought items. I am just not sure if this butcher has enough of a selection to justify adding it to my regular shopping rotation. I also feel like their prices might be a little high when compared to local co-ops and Whole Foods. I will say that I am a bit skeptical of their pre-packaged dinners. The one we tried included roast chicken and mashed potatoes for $25. The price point matched the quality of the food, but the quantity was lacking. Luckily, we only needed to feed two people. I'm still not sure if it's overpriced or perfectly priced. read more

St Paul Meat Shop - Take home dinner - roasted chicken and mashed potatoes - $25 - Meat Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I ended up here kind of by accident after trying--unsuccessfully--to find a place for a quick lunch in the neighborhood. The French Meadow said it would take at least 20 minutes to get a takeout sandwich, and Shish was filled with people waiting at their tables to be served. My husband and I were on the way to the airport and didn't have much time to spare. When we poked our heads in the door asking how long it would take to get a couple of sandwiches, the friendly guy at the counter told us it would only be five minutes. He was right, and the sandwiches were delicious. My husband ordered pastrami and I got the tongue Reuben. Fabulous, both of them! The pastrami was really smoky. My only suggestion for the Reuben would be to serve it hot from the panini press instead of cold on toasted bread, but even so it was delicious. Prices aren't cheap--$12 for the Reuben and $14 for the pastrami--but these animals lived a happy life with just one bad day at the end. The Meat Shop is primarily a butcher, and they sell items that are difficult to find elsewhere like whole ducks and tubs of snowy-white beef tallow for those killer French fries you want to make. read more

Someday I want someone to talk about me the way the guy at the St. Paul Meat Shop talks about his pastrami. This place is the best: friendly, knowledgeable staff and high-quality products. They make it fun and easy to support a local business. read more

This is top shelf service and inventory. Always treat folks with kindness and go that extra step for you. They also have farm raised veggies, eggs and other fresh yummy treats. Great hearty in house sammies. Vegetarians you will find a home here as well. The staff are all glittery gems going out of their way to elevate your experience. Hurray SPMS! read more

I went in to get some steaks for dinner and was helped by Alice. She gave me a great recommendation and I bought a flank steak. She gave me really great information on how to cook it and it turned out excellent. 100% would recommend. read more

We live near by, so we've tried a lot of their foods. Their Pastrami sandwich - delicious, their house made brats and sausages - delicious. But what we really keep coming back for, is their rack of bacon - which means that our bacon is sliced fresh on each visit. After trying many bacons from many places - this is the best bacon I have encountered. We cook it in the oven on 400 for 15-20 minutes by putting the bacon on cooling racks and the cooling racks on cookie sheets (cover the cookie sheet in aluminum foil and you have little mess). read more

Great people. Great food. One of the few places I'll really miss when I move away. The burger mix is unparalleled and worth every penny you pay. Not sure what to grill? Ask. Nick and friends always love to talk it out with you. 5 Stars with no hesitation, from a stingy star guy. read more

Never have I moaned from eating a simple hot dog...until today. There's nothing fancy about it, just an incredible dog and a good bun. Amazing. Go during "happy hour" and get it for $2, but seriously it's still a steal at $4. read more

Really digging this place so far. It's pricey. Maybe a little too pricey. But. That's what you get for organics, grass fed goodness, products with thoughtful packaging and employees that give a damn. I heard about their pastrami sandwich and needed to check that out. It's pastrami on bread, period. Thick cut, wonderfully cooked pastrami with a little mustard and some nice bread. Also had the chacero sandwich which was much prettier. It's a cold sandwich which I think would do better served warm, but good nonetheless. So after hanging around and chowing down, seated by the window, we decided we needed more. So we got a 4pk of premium burger patties (marbled goodness), the tomato bacon jam and a pkg of aged white cheddar. Then of course we swung by ABW for some buns for a face melting burger. I digress... All the cuts of meat they have looked fantastic. The pork chops were claimed to be "life changing." By the looks of it, they may be. The staff was very friendly and well organized for being a week deep. And because I must know all locations to get pastries and/or ice cream, it's important to note that they have tasty ice cream sandwiches in flavors like peanut butter and jelly. read more

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After arriving one minute before closing, I ordered a pastrami sandwich @ $14. Sure seemed as though it took an inordinately long time to build two pastrami sandwiches. On that breezy & cool evening, when we asked if we could eat inside the shop, we were told that since they closed at 7pm, they'd have to ask us to take it away to eat elsewhere. No problem with their request - we walked over the Macalester's quad area and sat at one of their tables outside. Eating this sandwich a 2nd time, I did not care for it. End cuts of chunks of meat, with fat globs attached to most chunks was rather unpleasant to eat. I opened up one sandwich half to begin picking away the gross fatty globs from the meat. After this disassembling & nibbling process, I left the soggy, mustard-saturated piece of bread for the compost bin. The other half I picked through pretty well so that my companion could eat it for lunch the following day. Left feeling like the quality of their offerings is not at all worth the price of their sandwiches. Probably won't be back for sandwiches. Might return sometime to try one of their hotdogs. read more

This place is simply the best. We are new to St Paul--happened upon this gem--(and its sister gem... cheese!) and have felt welcomed; well educated by the staff on new cuts of meat to try, cooking details and have commented again and again how friendly and helpful they are. And, bonus, the meat is terrific! You really cannot beat it! read more

As an avid Clancey's fan, I was thrilled to see a high-quality meat shop open closer to home. Unfortunately, my first experience with them was a total bust. Unlike Clancey's, where the butcher herself is always on hand for consultation and the meat is cut on prem, the St. Paul Meat shop does its cutting elsewhere. That means, at very least, you have to think and order ahead for any custom cuts. Okay, not the best but something I could live with if they actually followed through on orders. Which, at least in my case, they did not. Ordered sweetbreads a week in advance. Didn't hear back from them until a week and a half later, when a dude called to say that yes, they could order sweetbreads for me! Really? Not very helpful when I was planning on serving them for dinner four days earlier! At some point I'll likely give them another chance, but it's going to be a while. read more

Underwhelmed. Cooked a pot roast with the changing weather. Tough meat after being in crockpot for 8 hours. 3/4 of the meat was all gristle. I think I would have gotten a better cut at a big box. $55 down the drain. Not even worth saving for left overs. read more

My partner and I love this place! Ever since our first visit, we've been consistently impressed with the quality of the meat and utterly blown away by the knowledgeable, friendly customer service! Make it a point to stop by and pick up something special for dinner! read more

We stopped in for lunch and ordered the pastrami sandwich and the turkey club. Pro: Both were meticulously made and the staff was very friendly and willing to answer any questions we may had about their products; even offering free samples of some of their potato salad as we waited. The sandwiches were tasty, the pastrami especially with the spicy mustard adding a nice kick. The turkey was moist and had good flavor. All in all, both were tasty sandwiches. Con: Sandwich prices are a bit on the high side ($14 for the pastrami) and those prices don't include any chips, drinks, or sides items. Didn't expect to pay $30+ for two sandwiches and two sodas. read more

Great place for sandwiches and meat for home. High quality grass fed beef. I had the pastrami they had just made that day and it was delicious. I recommend the grinder! My aunt ordered and I had to try. Sooooo good! Nick is very helpful. You can tell he loves his job. read more

I stumbled across this shop while shopping in the area and thought I'd check it out to grab some cuts for dinner. I had zero idea what I wanted, and the guys behind the counter were super helpful! They explained each cut, where on the animal it was from, the general flavor profile, and then gave it suggestions for how to season/cook it. When I told them I wish I lived closer, they told me they also have a counter at France44 wine shop! I love that this place uses local meats and isn't crazy expensive. Local will always carry a premium but I'm happy to support such great local businesses and farmers. read more

This place rocks and is so underrated. The staff are all AWESOME, and that meat....WOW!!! the cardamom chicken is the best chicken I've ever had, and their prepared foods and sandwiches are equally as good, especially the chicken noodle soup and sweet potato mac. Great place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick dinner to bring home, or if you wanna talk about meat with the awesome manager nick. read more

Absolutely love their sandwiches and brats. The potato salad is also a favorite. It can be a little on the pricey side, but the quality definitely makes up for it. We are here for a quick sandwich pretty regularly read more

Very helpful staff directed me toward a product I could prepare for dinner that night. I purchased marinated cardamom chicken pieces, with the deboned white meat pressed against the deboned dark meat. I thought it was absolutely delicious and my family loved it! Also picked up the Fancy Pickles and liked them too. A lot to offer, a little pricey, but definitely worth it! read more