Primal

My favorite place to shop for a variety of meats, vegetables or to grab a sandwich.
Primal is conveniently located in Stuyvasant Plaza. You can be helped by one of the many staff members choosing through assorted marinated meats from their display case, or choose your own from the prepackaged selection.
They have excellently flavored meats and vegetables.
My recommendations would be to try the:
Meats:
Maple Bacon Steak Tips
Burgundy Wine Steak Tips
Chicken:
Lemon Pepper Chicken
House Seasons Chicken
Veggies:
Marinated Asparagus
Black Pepper Green Beans
I have also stopped in during lunch and got a pulled port sandwich. Very generous portions or pork and excellent flavor.
I read other comments about the price being a little on the high side. I can agree to an extend you will pay a little more for steak tips and meat cuts but the taste/​flavor you’re getting is well worth the extra cost.
Also be sure to sign up for the email list and keep an eye out for specials they do throughout the month.
Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Delicious! Fresh meat, great service, professional staff. Loved the IVY roast beef wrap and the Steak and Cheese sandwich I had last time I was there. Keep it up guys!!!

I went to Primal specifically to get marinated steak tips, as I had heard they’re good there.
$ 13 dollars a pound! What?
The smallest package was 1.8 lbs for a whopping $ 23 and change.
Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but steak tips are marinated because they are an inexpensive cut of meat, and need the additional tenderization and flavor a marinade imparts.
Nowhere on the package did it state the cut of beef these were, so I can only assume they’re a cheap cut. I’m sure if these were a good cut of beef, they’d state that on the package.
Sorry, but I’m not paying near filet mignon money for a cheap cut of steak.

The house steak tips and hot Italian sausage are really good and the employees are actually normal now so I don’t mind coming here.

Starting off this review with the following statement: I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years!
I went to Primal to special order some meat and odds and ends for my dog who is very sick.
The customer service was bar none and all the employees were more than willing to answer any questions or find out more about any inquiries.
That being said, if I did eat meat, I’d buy from Primal! Thanks guys!

Love this place… I always get the 2 pounds of steak tips… (House) then 1 ½ pound of asparagus… And a third item… Always good… Staff are always friendly… Highly recommend

Stopped in for a change of pace and it was great. I had the BBQ chicken sandwich on toasted sub role with fantastic mix of cheese and spices. I will be back with Joe when we want meat sandwiches

It was my first time coming here. I ordered the steak sandwich. The roll was extremely soggy although I specifically asked for toasted. It was DRENCHED in mayo, they forgot my cheese and the steak was terrible, tons if gristle, so much I couldn’t eat it and tons of fat. Needless to say, I got through about 5 bites that I mostly spit out and tossed it in the trash. Maybe they’re not ordinary like this because they’ve gotten tons of great reviews, maybe I just went on an off day.

The Cochese. The Holy Grail of deli sandwiches.

Fabulous customer service, all three of the employees were so helpful! Everything looked so fresh and the quality of the meat is assured through their standards i.e. free range, antibiotic free. As someone who does not eat meat, I feel comforted feeding this to my family members who eat meat.

no number system when it’s crowded you stand there while they wait on pushy customers that came in after you — - our experience was that plus a very nice young man who started to wait on us only to be diverted by another customer, when the manager asked if we were being helped I responded yes but he seems to be gone the manager barked at me he is helping you until he looked over at the young man and realized I was right then he helped us never did buy anything but the meat looked good

Two words: Mind blown.
I went here with two of my classmates were weak and lacked taste, so they ended up going to Chipotle.
Man… I asked the gentleman at the counter what he would recommend and he promptly had them make me a steak and cheese sandwich. That was so amazing. The bread, the meat, the cheese, everything. The meat was perfectly cut, and had the sweetest spice to it, the cheese was melted, but not dripping, and the bread was durable, yet soft.
The price was also fair considering it was something so beautiful.
I highly recommend this place for its food and A++++ customer service.

The place carries some of the most delicious meat I have ever seen and their steak & cheese sub was like getting to 3^rd base on the first date: totally awesome.

Superior meats to anything at Hannaford or Price Chopper. I’ve purchased several types of meat from this place and thoroughly enjoyed the marinated meats. They have non-​flavored dry aged cuts as well but I found their marinated meats the best value.
I find the marinated beef tastes much better if you let it sit in the refrigerator and eat just before the «use by» date. Sound gross but you’ll notice a flavor improvement than if you eat it the day you buy it. I wouldn’t go beyond the use by date though to avoid spoiled meat. This is my experience but you may find doing this makes no difference.
The store is very clean and the staff is helpful. Prices are high so expect to pay.

The Meat House is a great place to shop for marinated meats and vegetables for those who want to throw a quick and delicious meal together. They also offer other gourmet items like ravioli, cheeses, breads, and spreads. It is a tad pricey, but I was pleased with the marinated shrimp I purchased.
The store itself it pleasant looking, clean and well organized. They also had a few items set on displays for tasting. The employees are very polite and always offer to help without sounding too pushy. They also will give you what you ask for without any unnecessary over-​weighing or coercion for you to spend more. A nice place I highly suggest it for those who want to throw together and impromptu meal or don’t have the time to prepare one.

This was my first time visiting The Meat House in Albany. I have been to the Clifton Park location a few times but this one is a lot closer to me.
The Meat House is primarily a butcher shop but they also carry other food stuffs like cheese, frozen foods, vegetables, sauces, fresh baked bread and rolls, etc… Among the meats they have a great slection of marinated meats, especially steak tips. The first time I bought steak tips I was very hesitant seeing they are from the bottom (which can be tough) and considering they were $ 10/​lb. I am glad I took the risk because they are absolutely delicious and incredibly tender. I have not tried any other meat but I want to try the dry aged beef they sell to see how it is.
On Sunday I picked up a few pounds of the «Meat House Marinated» steak tips, which is their own blend of spices and seasonings, and 2 baguettes which happened to be from Ninos Bakery in Albany. I cooked the steak tips medium-​rare and they were a hit with the family.
I wish I was able to spend more time during my visit because I would have probably picked up a few more things but the fire alarm was going off since I had walked in. Thank you to the manager who allowed me to grab my few items.
I also noticed that they have a deli counter towards the back of the store and seem to make sandwiches to order.
If you are looking for quality meats and products I strongly encourage you to check out The Meat House.

Quite a selection of different tips of meat in marinate. Lots of neat specialty items and local cheese, deserts and some produce. They also have a good selection of their own spices which are reasonable in price. The staff goes out of their way to help you and is very knowledgeable. First time visitors get a nice little sample of a marinated meat.

LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Moving from an area that had WHole Foods and I was concerned about where to buy good quality meat until I found this place.
They have affordable options. like the Asian Park Marinades, and meat under 5 dollars a pound. I stick to a budget and get my chopped meat here. I do choose to get my hormone and antibiotic free chicken at The Fresh Market because it is cheaper there.
They sell 5 avocados in a bag for dirt cheap!!! Love it!
I had the best burger of my life prob from here because it is fresh and grass fed. Even better than Whole Foods and I LOVE Whole FOods.
I dont understand why anyone would complain about the steep prices of natural meat. YOU get what you pay for. Watch Food Nation and then get back to me if paying A LITTLE extra isn’t worth your health.

They have a wide selection of marinated meats and specialty grocery items. Lots of local products, some local dairy (Ronnybrook). A small selection of fresh veggies. The butcher was very accommodating to my requests and ground up some fresh natural ground beef and butterflied a pork loin for me.
Prices are a little steep for natural meats — you definitely pay the Stuyvesant Plaza tax by shopping here. Not a bad little place, but didn’t really have an authentic butcher feel to it.

I went here for lunch, I did not partake of the vast majority of specialty items and there are many.
I purchased the steak and cheese sub, it was good. Actual pieces of cut steak a new experience and much different than other places that I have been. It was fresh and I was happy, it could have been bigger, I am not a tiny guy, but for 6.99 I have not one negative to write.