The Healthy Butcher

I didn’t even get any food here. But let me tell you why I’m writing a review.
My friends and I had traveled into Toronto from America and parked in front of this shop. We had never been to Toronto before. We walked around and checked out a few stores in the area before deciding we were ready to go. When we got back, our car was gone. *gasp* So we walked into the store and asked if they had seen what happened to our car. Next thing we heard: «ohhhhh that was your car? Yeah, they towed it.» *sad face* okay so we sadly walked out of the shop. Apparently Toronto tows your car if you park on the street during rush hour. So anyways. As we’re heading down the street, one of the guys from The Hungry Butcher (I later found out his name was Nikolai) ran out to us and asked if we would like for him to call the tow company. Being from America, our cellular plans were not ideal for international phone calls.
Long story short, he called around (even stayed on hold a couple times) and found out where our car had been taken, got the address for us and told us the best way to get there. Nikolai was soooo nice and really went out of his way to help a few strangers who obviously don’t read signs. This place has GREAT customer service and I would for sure shop here if I ever find myself in Toronto again.

it’s a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. nothing i’ve bought from them has ever been bad. they know everything about what they sell.

Best butcher in the city for me. Get on there email list and get updates from
They have weekly sales that you can stock up on to save a bit of money. As eating healthy meats and produce is always going to be more expensive. They also have a great albeit small selection of fish and seafood.

I took one of the cooking classes offered here– Knife Skills with Dave Meli.
I generally take a class or two per year, and this one was by far the best that I’ve ever signed up for. Dealing with a topic that’s not particularly entertaining, Dave made our knife skills class incredibly engaging. He’s extremely knowledgable, funny, and helpful. It’s hard to imagine finding a better class in the city.
Bonus: Because we weren’t «cooking» any food per se, Dave and Co laid out a pretty sweet cheese plate, complete with a nice pâté and a few drinks.

This place is a real gem! The staff is there to make sure you have ALL your questions answered. The store on Queen is very well laid out and very well stocked. Now as most would ask when it comes to organic food «is it pricey»? For the quality of food you get the answer is no. Does it cost more than Loblaws… yes it does but go to The Healthy butcher’s website and learn all about organic food. There also is an online store and you can order and have it delivered to your door. The website is amazing for at home shopping and has loads of info and pictures. Oh and organic really tastes better and it’s very good for you. I have had the steak, salmon and their salads. The staff is there to please, I asked for a tenderloin steak and they had none out front. They had the butcher cut me some fresh steaks and that is service!

While I do love coming here, I find that the price point is much higher than other butcher shops. This is probably because their meat is organic.
They do have a good selection of grass fed beef, which is sometimes hard to find.
The chicken burgers here are delicious.

I don’t have anything really new to offer in comparison with other posters in that I am trying to buy less meat so I can afford meat from here. I do tend to go in when I’m feeling flush as I am not a big resister of temptation and I do want everything I see. I also want to try their cooking classes so I’ll report back when I have accomplished such a thing. They are good people selling good things. I love eating.

Wonderful staff, great options for food and excellent hours. We go every weekend and stock up on (better tasting) meats that when carefully picked, can cost the same as Loblaws next door.
We’ve always found that the staff are passionate about food and can list off different ways to cook everything in a flash. They encourage a small community like environment where the staff comes to know what you like and what you should try. We’ve even called randomly about recipes and the staff have gracefully taken the time to explain things like how to cook liver, what wine goes best with the clodhammer etc.
We did buy raw sheeps milk cheese there once and it made us both sick. That’s why this place didn’t get 5 stars. I would avoid buying anything that isn’t just plain meat there, as that’s when it gets pricey ($ 8.00 for a small bag of sprouts, $ 25 for a game meat pie, $ 8.00 for a small trout quinoa cake).
A must-​see for foodies moving into the city!

When I first moved to the neighbourhood two years ago, I initially avoided this place thinking it was too pricey, or snotty — but I was totally wrong.
This place is a gem.
The staff is why I keep coming back: Will, Keith and Head Butcher Candice — they make incredible recommendations and and recipe suggestions. And they’re great people to boot. Plus, I know that my meat didn’t come from some kind of horrible feedlot where animals are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.
Try the citrus duck burgers, the grassfed hanger steak and the miami ribs. Delish!

Merguez? Haggis? Saucisses anglaises? Bangers? Viande de qualité, préparée avec soin, c’est au Healthy Butcher qu’il faut aller !

This place just keeps getting better and better. After a recent facelift to house their new cooler section at the front, The Healthy Butcher is my favourite local store and hands down the best butcher shop in the city.
On any given day I can find duck, elk, venison or anything that tickles my culinary whim. Often I stop in just to get dinner inspiration and pick up something fresh to cook.
The staff are always happy to cut the meat any way that you prefer and they genuinely seem to have a love for good meat and all the products that they sell. Although the prices tend to be higher, the quality of the meat, selection and service is far superior to anywhere else in the city. You can always call ahead to place orders for the holidays and they will have whatever you like waiting for you with your name on it.
Give the New Zealand Rib steak 7 – 9 a try. It’s not cheap, but I can’t eat steak anymore unless it’s this. It’s so finely marbled, buttery soft and bursting with more umami– all on it’s own, than any other cut of beef I’ve ever had.
The clodhammers are a great value, super lean and perfect to grill or pan fry and cut in medallions for a quick weeknight dinner.
Liver is usually brought in later in the evening, but very economical and great for the iron deficient (me).
They also have free run eggs that are unbelievably fresh and tasty.
The Healthy Butcher is a wonderful example of a homegrown business doing what they love and doing it well.

Generally good selection of high quality locally sourced beef, pork, poultry and game.
However, I am a NY Strip man, and the ones at Healthy Butcher are both bizarrely small (seriously, I was here once and the biggest they had was 10 oz) and over-​trimmed — it’s called a «Strip» because it’s supposed to have a strip of fat on it! (Well, maybe that’s not exactly why it’s called that, but that’s how you’re supposed to trim it.)
So I end up buying my steak from Sanagan’s or Cumbrae’s — can’t wait until it opens on Queen W. — and game/​poultry/​pork from HB.

This place offers a complete throwback to yesteryear… both in terms of service quality as well as a healthy choice of food unadulterated by hormones, antibiotics, force-​feedings, and living on a container ship or truck for 15,000,000 miles.
My first purchase from the store was less than stellar. The steak was ruined by my less than stellar cookery skills. Thankfully for me, my skills have improved immensely.
I didn’t bother going back however until I heard they were carrying chocosol products.
Much to my delight, I also discovered that they are now selling non-​homogenized milk.
The selection is small, but they generally offer some game as well as traditional fare.
Will I be back? URHMAGHERD yes!

Make sure you are prepared to take out a loan or come here on payday.
I gots me one steak cut in half because it’s hard to cook on a stove top without drying it.
Let’s just say, one steak set me back $ 14.91 one day and the next week I came they gave me the organic grassfed sirlion, it’s the same price. Nope it’s $ 3 more a pound $ 21+ for one steak.
Ok the meat is marbled, girls there are friendly. But I can’t afford to come here often!

While still awesome, HB is no longer offering the bike/​bag promo. Colour me sad.
On the plus side, they’re still awesome.

I’ve been looking for a shop that sells well made Afrikaans biltong (other than my favourite shop in Oakville) and on my first visit to Healthy Butcher, I met a lovely South African gentleman giving samples who was able to direct me to my favourite snack even though HB didn’t sell it. Love that he was willing to give me another shop’s name.
Great selection, and yes, the prices are a little exorbitant, but once in a while for some great meat? Well worth it.

The product at The Healthy Butcher is amazing. Great selection of a wide variety of meats and lots of prepared chilled stuff too. It’s also really convenient to get to.
Two stars are lost for the price. I know organic meat is expensive — actually I expect it to be. But the pricing at The Healthy Butcher far surpassed what we anticipated. We bought two chicken breasts that cost us $ 32.00, while comparable organic grass fed chicken from the big-​box grocery store we usually go to are $ 10 – 12.
Unfortunately I really don’t ever see myself going back to The Healthy Butcher, unless I’m in a pinch for dinner and unable/​unwilling/​too-​lazy-​on-​a-​winter-​day to go elsewhere.

The space is small and tightly packed. There are, of course, meats — and a good selection — but also crackers, snacks, spices and sundry items like knives. The odd one out is the Green Egg they’re selling (on sale now!). I was tempted to pick up a cookstown assorted fall heirloom veggie bag, but resisted. Maybe next time!
Most notably, they sell this chocolate banana bread there that is too delicious to resist. I certainly didn’t — not after smelling the delicious aroma of vanilla and banana and brown sugar! Odd to make note of this at a butcher, but it was that tasty.
A very good first visit. Helpful, friendly, and efficient. I appreciate these things when I go shopping. I can see making this a regular stop on the way home.

There are times when a girl just wants a big steak. Or a thick slice of meatloaf. And doesn’t want to make it on her own. On days like that (today?), the Healthy Butcher is really the only place I can think of.
I’ve only shopped here a few times, but every time I have been amazed by both the service and the taste. The folks who work here know their stuff! My first purchase was a large steak for bbqing; I think I asked the butcher 20 questions about his opinions and preference for grilling, how this steak would compare to that steak, and even so far as «Ok, so exactly how do I cook it?» He didn’t sneer, laugh, or talk snotty to me, something I was afraid of with that last question. Since then, I’ve popped in to get some seasoned chicken breasts and meatloaf sliced, all of which are wildly delicious. The staff have also been consistently pleasant; always timely, always helpful, and always affirming of my choice to get one of the fancy chocolate bars they sell.
Conveniently, that brings me to my next point: they don’t just sell meat here, guys! I have purchased delicious breads and buns and chocolate. They also do sammy’s and cookies, to make up the perfect lunch!
The only drawback *I* find is the price. Yes, it’s expensive; more expensive than Big Chain grocery stores, and perhaps slightly more expensive than other butcher shops that are semi-​close, in kensington or over on Dundas west. However, queen west is prime real estate; everywhere in this area has to increase prices to accommodate location rent, so why would a butcher shop be any different? Also, and the most important point, the quality is worth it. I don’t mind paying top dollar for excellent quality meat that I don’t have to worry about genetically modifying my digestive tract.

This is my favourite butcher shop. Expensive but the meat experience is unparalleled by any other butcher. Meat is always super fresh here; never a problem for freshness. Sometimes they run out of popular cuts or types of meat, and rarely do they have grass-​fed beef, unfortunately. If I want something though, I just call them and ask when it’ll be there and they can set some aside if you come and get it in a reasonable amount of time.
The service is great. Staff are usually super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. I’ve had a problem every now and then and wrote to one of the managers/​owners through email. He was very sincere and went above and beyond my expectations for customer service. Rarely have I encountered management that cares so much about customer satisfaction. Awesome.
Their non-​meat grocery products are way overpriced but I guess you pay for the convenience of getting it there. You can buy the same non-​perishables and kitchen stuff like pans and knives other places for much cheaper.
They are very knowledgeable and I trust their expertise… Except for this one time when I was asking about tips on seasoning a cast iron pan and the guy behind the counter began to describe how to season a cast iron pan and then mentioned salt and pepper… Doh! Nice try though. ;o) At least they know their meat!
Now that they have their smoker they make pepperettes and other cured/​smoked meats. Love the beef-​pork pepperettes! I’m also happy to see that they started rendering other fats that aren’t just pork lard. They have beef tallow, duck fat and chicken fat (that I learned today is called schmaltz). Super! They also make yummy smelling natural soap using beef tallow (I think). It costs about $ 6 a bar and I find it lathers better than their natural vegetarian-​friendly counterparts.
So even though their grocery and kitchen items are way overpriced, the service and quality of food well exceed my expectations that they definitely merit a full 5-​stars. Awesome place! One of my favourite places to shop for food.

Well regarded and reviewed across platforms from BlogTO to Unilocal and word of mouth. I’d passed by on several Queen Street West ventures but not at times in which they would be open. Alas, a visit to the quality meat purveyors!
Loading up my basket, I came home with Niagara Guanciale (cured pork jowl), elk and bison sausage, beautiful skirt steak, wagyu burgers, ground red veal, rabbit stew, bacon (of course) and veal and game (venison) stock with some dark chocolate containing sea salt as well. I’d complain about the washed lettuce costing 7.99 but that just prevented me from buying any vegetables; meat’s better for you anyway.
I’ll probably try a few more of their cured meat section next time; beautiful pancetta, duck prosciutto, etc.