Cumbrae’s

Often great quality sources and beautiful cuts. Prices can be astronomical but if you shop around (and I recommend you do) it’s still hard to find a higher quality to price ratio. If we’re talking juicy beef steaks, it’s all about the finely-​distributed marbling of white fat you can clearly see.
Oliffe, Healthy Butcher and Meat Dept are in a similar ‘fancy’ category. Chopping Block and Sanigans are at least close to that level with more variance in quality, but on a good day maybe a better deal. In high-​demand grilling season well-​marbled beef seems to take a nosedive in availability except in fancy shops (I would never settle, spend more or don’t bother.)
Cumbrae’s have some unusual items like the excellent Boudin Noir blood sausage. Amazing veal leg scallopini. For sure worth a look inside, a handy store.

This is probably the worst butcher shop I have ever been to. This one female worker there has no basic knowledge at all and gave us the wrong pricing. The guy with beard gave us a what the fuck face when we decided not to buy it. It is not our fault. Ur coworker gave us the wrong price. Train them before you use them. Don’t recommend this place

Fuck yea meat. Pork rib chops are an unbelievable deal if you want to test the waters with farm fresh food. Things here can get pretty pricey but if you know how to cook them it’s always worth it. Whole chickens are also a stellar deal if the price of broken down meat is too high.

Horrible customer service by lazy arrogant people.

Delicious. They offer a variety of quality meats for relatively fair pricing. Everything is flavourful and quality. Price varies on amount and type if meat you get. They he daily sandwich to go options for great deals. I love the braised beef one I had the other day! They have a counter top on sidewalk where you can eat your sand which which is unique. This is our go to spot for dinner meats for sure.

Having now been a regular customer for over 20 years, and having tried several other, what can be best described as «high end» custom butchers, my carnivorous instincts invariably lead me back to Cumbrae’s.
I shop primarily at their Church Street location where the service is impeccable, with Jean and her crew always willing to take whatever time is necessary to ensure that you get just exactly what you need, from advice on the proper amounts needed to serve your dinner guests, to the appropriate cooking time and method of preparation.
The various types and cuts of pork being offered, such as Berkshire, Wild Boar and the like are outstanding, and their back ribs are the only ones I have ever come across that are incredibly tender right off the grill, without the need for pre processing of any kind. During the holidays they often bring in naturally wood smoked hams from small Quebec and/​or Ontario farms that are to die for.
All the cuts of beef are well marbled and aged — usually a minimum of 28 days of dry aging — and believe me; you will definitely taste the difference.
They have a wide variety of freshly prepared foods, specialty butters and homemade stocks, and something you won’t find all to often — homemade veal demi glacé. Try incorporating some into your soups, sauces and/​or stews, and it will add a depth of flavour you may have never imagined possible.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention their poultry and lamb as well. Racks of lamb are tender, flavourful and perfectly «frenched,» while their chicken, whether straight up or in one of several house made marinades, is delicious and probably unlike any poultry you may have tasted.
I’ve heard it said that to cook you must «make ghosts,» and if you care about how an animal has lived as I do, then look no further than Cumbrae’s. All of their meats are antibiotic free and the animals are allowed to roam free, and fed natural wholesome foods.
Don’t expect supermarket type prices — simply expect to be amazed — because in this particular case you most definitely will get what you pay for.

Beautiful meat, poultry, great sides, and frozen beef and chicken stock that has no equal in the city. The Church Street staff are exceptional — know their products and clearly love their jobs. It is such a delight to experience such great customer service. Jean oversees a great team. Everything is so plump and hearty that, in my experience, you will be satiated with less meat than from that you might purchase elsewhere. I will cut down on my meat consumption before I will go elsewhere. It’s a local business delivering 120% on service and produce. The commercial strip on Church Street has become quite dismal. Seems to be moving back to a ghetto from a village. Time to stand up and support the entrepreneurs who have chosen to weather the changes and stay put, keeping up their establishments and offering a first class service in an increasingly tawdry environment. And you get an exceptional experience while doing so.

Selection of meats is great, and they are always willing to cut me pieces if I need any.
Just had the lasagna short rib, and I was in heaven. I always buy the filet mignon and it’s perfect. Also like deep frying their chicken wings.

It’s time for me to share my love with my local butcher shop, Cumbrae’s. It’s a mini-​chain only 3 locations, so no factory meat here.
First off, I will tell you two important facts to keep in mind:
1) The quality of the meat here is very high. It’s not necessarily organic, but the animals are almost all pasture-​raised without antibiotics or hormones. I taste the difference.
2) You will pay for quality. Prices are fairly expensive, although I’ve been surprised how comparable they are to Loblaw’s if you use their antibiotic/​hormone free product as a baseline.
It is great to have a local butcher’s shop in the food dessert that is the Village. Cumbrae’s stocks a large assortment of base meats, ready-​to-​cook items like sausages, and various «fancy» items like herbed-​butters, broths, etc. I have yet to do it, but I’m told they are quite willing to help with special-​request items for unique cuts or items. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover some items, like the chicken breasts are pretty comparable to Loblaw’s prices.
The STAFF are generally quite excellent: friendly, knowledgeable, and ready to help. If it’s busy, it can be a bit disorganized without a clear queue for where to order and pay… be patient and watch out for rich self-​entitled folk that try to cut in line ;)
OVERALL, this is a great and expensive place for your edible animal needs.
PS. Their website is really cute… I recommend checking it out.

Hands-​down the best beef in the city. Small selection otherwise.

I come here to purchase meats when I am cooking for a special occasion, or I want to treat myself or my hubs. The quality of meat is definitely above your standard grocery fare, but it is significantly more expensive. It is one of the few places in downtown Toronto that carries Wagyu beef some times.
They also have a small but nice assortment of cured meats, sausages, broths and prepared items. The staff is always helpful and friendly, they are ok with me perusing and taking my time to think, yes I like to gape at the fine cuts of meat and really weight out my options when produce shopping, so no complaints there.
Unfortunately, being a graduate student does not allow me to purchase premium meat for meals daily, but it is definitely worth the occasional splurge for special occasions.

I am just thrilled to have discovered Cumbrae’s at Church and Wellesley! I was going much farther for my naturally raised meat prior to learning that Cumbrae’s was just a few blocks away.
I’ve gone twice so far. Once at around 2 pm on a Tuesday and once at around 3 pm on a Saturday. Both times the staff were friendly, extremely knowledgeable of the products, and helpful. Even on the Saturday when it was jammed with people, the butcher who assisted me took time to explain different cuts of lamb and even re-​selected my chicken breasts for smaller ones when I told him it was just for me.
Chicken breast is $ 10.99/lb –a great price for hormone free meat!
The chicken and lamb are both delicious.
I highly recommend Cumbrae’s

Fantastic meat and excellent service.
Although a little pricey, this is quality/​service that is missing elsewhere.

This review is mostly for their smoked duck… which is amazing!!!
It’s so good I recently gave it to a friend for her birthday… along with their Berkshire smoked ham and a jar of Kozlik’s Niagara Classic mustard, but that’s another post…
It’s not an every day item as half a duck breast was about $ 10 but it was flavourful and tender and you don’t need a lot. We’ve had it shaved on pizza (place it on the pizza after it comes out of the oven like prosciutto). OMG it was amazing!
I find their smoked duck and ham are well worth the money, they’re flavourful and well prepared and if this review was just based on those 2 items I’d say 5 stars all the way.
The rest of the items I’ve had are still 4 star, better than most but maybe not wrap it for a birthday worthy. :)
Now if only they’d make an apple & sage sausage…

Very good meat and you can taste the difference. I bought their Prime Rib roast that has been dry-​aged. The difference is that it is juicy and well-​marbled. I cooked it for a dinner party and it came out perfectly juicy and the right amount of fat. I used to buy roast from Costco for half the price but the difference is how much fat it renders. The quality of meat really shows at the end of the cooking process. Every bite is meaningful and there are tons of edible meat leftover and not just gristle. Therefore, you get what you really pay for in this establishment. Next dinner party I will try lamb chops since that is a favourite of mine but I could never find a good source for it.

This is a premier butcher in the downtown area. I prefer it over the shops located in St. Lawrence Market as they are either priced the same or more than Cumbrae and the quality isn’t at par.
My buddy and I wanted to splurge so we got the Flintstone sized Cowboy steak. Boy they were impressive with a price to match as well. I might catch some flak here for saying the end result wasn’t better than what one gets from buying AAA meat at say Costco.
The meat here is very well marbled and one can say its a carnivore’s paradise with a huge range of marinated and non marinated meats and poultry. they also have ready to go items like pies etc.
I have also tried their miami style dry beef ribs and they are excellent and are priced well.
They do raise their cattle in a harmone free and humane environment from what I have read. Now I haven’t tried their marinated stuff as I prefer to do that myself. With the prices they charge I usually save them for when I want to splurge as otherwise I stick to trusty old Costco or chain store when they have the AAA meats on sale.

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent. This place has so many good cuts of meat and different kinds of meat, not just chicken and beef. We went in wanting to grab something for breakfast. I got Boar bacon and house made sausage. AMAZING. It is a bit more pricey then id like to spend BUT its worth it. The people there know there shit and they are very friendly. Everything looks so fresh and bright and its just welcoming being in there. There is fresh made soups you can buy and seasonings and all sorts of pre-​marinated foods that they do themselves.
The Boar bacon i found to be sweeter then regular bacon and it was thick cut, but so frikkin good. 10 bucks for the pack though, but i did enjoy it. The sausages were really well put together too and very tasty. Next time im trying rabbit! :)

First, this place is expensive… BUT it is worth the money. The food here is delicious and the people are sooo friendly, they know exactly what they’re talking about, they know exactly what type of meat you should buy… It really is fantastic!!!
I have to go back it’s been months!

Since I’ve vowed only to eat local, responsibly raised meat I shop at Cumbrae’s on a weekly basis. They always have the freshest of ingredients and offer some delicious prepared foods. It’s a really clean store with great staff; I feel so good when I shop there!
I just picked up some lamb burgers for the first time today and can’t wait to dig in!

Undoudtedly the best meat shop in the city — worth every penny.
The meats actually taste different. And by different, I mean AMAZING. And it’s not the placebo effect, I’ve had parties where guests have commented on the taste of the meats.
The staff is friendly, unpretentious, and knowledgable.
Their prepared foods are better than anything you’ll get at Pusateri’s or Bruno’s.
It’s difficult for me to go anywhere else knowing the quality of the product Cumbrae’s provides.