Carniceria Tianguis

The store with the three names! So, I write three reviews.
The place is dirty and kinda smells. I’ll pick up canned goods and laundry detergent from time to time, but nothing else. Surprisingly, the beer selection is pretty good.

This is the worst grocery store I have ever been to. I used to live near it but would rather go to the Red Star liquor store instead. Or stop by the Jewel off Division on my way home from work.
The produce in there seems outdated and dirty. I don’t even want to touch the meat. Somehow they even get the lowest end quality of the brand products and then over charge you for it, such as cereal. I also once got a mini Home Run Inn frozen pizza there for about $ 6 or $ 7 when desperate. You can find a pizza 5 times that size, and better, at an Aldi for the same price.
The main things that I would get there are beer and Mexican Coke, and even then I would usually go over to Red Star for beer.

Here’s the thing:
I’ve lived in Logan Square just about the entire time I’ve been in Chicago, and before that grew up on the Mexican border, so I’m quite accustomed to latino-​oriented grocery stores. Granted, this one bears striking similarities (in terms of aesthetics and stock) to one I used to frequent in my hometown, but there are some real surprises on the shelves since the shift in ownership.
1. Decent beer selection. Seriously, not too shabby. They don’t have an abundance of micro brews like Foremost, but there have been some unforeseen treats upon several visits. Flossmoor Station brown ale, really? Really? Who else has that in Logan?
2. Tahini. Ever have a desire to make some hummus and realize that there’s virtually no where in your neck of woods where you can get some sesame paste? Sucks. Props for that. I don’t think even Tony’s even carries tahini.
3. Earth Balance vegan butter. I haven’t been a vegetarian for some time, but when cooking, I often keep things vegan to accommodate friends or convince myself I’m health-​conscious. Nice to have this option
4. Those Honest juice/​tea things. Still not super low in terms of caloric-​content I know, but it stops me from getting walking out with super-​junky Mexican sodas I have such a soft spot for.
5. Tofu. Bottom-​of-​the-​barrel-​brand tofu, but at least they carry extra firm and it’s fairly cheap.
6. Scotch Bonnets. Admittedly, their produce is pretty weak. Even when things are in season, they’re of low quality and picked-​over no matter when you go. As a pepper junkie, I’ve got to say that their pepper selection is overall none too impressive, but they randomly have scotch bonnets. Kinda neat.
Nothing too spectacular as a whole, but it has its merits for sure…

I don’t do the one-​stop-​for-​everything convenience of Jewel, Domonicks, Trader Joe’s, or Whole Foods. If I did, I’d be sacrificing either price or quality. Same goes for this Carniceria. I don’t go here expecting to find my american condiments for a fair price, I come here for some cheap ass meat selection, cheap vegetables, and a whole lot of beans.
I’ve been more than happy with my visits to this store. I was thrilled to find beef short ribs for such an amazingly low price. They also have goat meat and a whole pig’s head, in case you want to try that recipe in The French Laundry Cookbook.
I’m wavering between three and four stars, but will keep it at three only because they were out of most types of milk last sunday night.

I’ll stop by here after getting off the train to pick up some items for dinner. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at larger stores, like Strack. I mostly stick to the meats at Tianguis, since they are much cheaper than most places. Tony’s which is towards Central… wanted a good $ 1 more for the pollo para la parilla (seasoned chicken for grilling). Good eats at a very low price. A friend of mine drives a couple of miles to Tianguis just for their smoked pork chops. I personally find them salty. I do find it annoying that the steaks and pork are sliced super thin, which makes it hard to keep moist when cooking… but if I had a large family I would understand. Rice was also a bit cheaper here than at Tony’sl. Stay away from the freezer section. I can swear i saw a frozen pizza for $ 10. I do find that the check out people and butchers are very nice… which might be a language issue. Tianguis isn’t very neat, nor does it offer a ton of variety… but its close and affordable for the most part.

Very low prices on some items. Good selection of meat. A variety of food for all kinds of people. Not really dirty, just older. Wide aisles, friendly staff, right off the EL. Alcohol as well.

Man this place is kind of dirty and just well sort of bad. Prices are high for most items, but that is to be expected. At least I can walk to it. But the meats are actually a good price, and its never made me sick so at least its got that going for it. If you have no car, and this is close enough to walk by…

This grocery store changed owners during the summer of 2007 and had their official grand opening as Sunrise Market in November. I’d say it’s fairly clean, reasonably priced and suprisingly diverse in what is stocked. They’ve extended their business hours (I believe) from 7AM till 8PM. The managers are nice and the check out girls (even those who don’t speak English) are always pleasant. It’s not a major chain supermarket. It’s a neighborhood grocery store.

I’m one of those people who bitch about not having a grocery store in logan square. And I do not find surly staff, grubby floors and lack of quality and selection refreshing. I’ve lived in Logan Square for 5 years and I WANT to shop in Logan Square. However, the stores do not cater or reflect the entire population. I do not want to get rid of the mexican restaurants, dollar stores, silver, furniture and cheap clothing stores. Keep them! But can we add some other ethnic restaurants and stores, and ESPECIALLY a grocery storet that doesn’t JUST cater to the latino community??? I still support these stores, but keeping my fingers crossed that someone figures out the market they are missing out on and gives us more choice. And who knows, if there is more choice maybe Carniceria Tianguis will have to do a better job than they are currently doing.

Neighborhood Latino-​oriented grocery store with some items that the «newer» elements of the neighborhood have asked for, like soy margarine alternative, whole wheat pasta, and 1% milk. Now that Belmont Produce has closed indefinitely this is the standby for me and most Logan Square-​ites who shop locally and on foot. Pretty good produce at good prices, and inexpensive meats as well. Please don’t close like everyone else seems to be!

When I first went here the floor was all buckled, like there had been an earthquake… probably, poor foundation work. Then they cleaned the place up and it started getting better. Now, unfortunately, the quality has slipped again. Real expensive, and the pack the produce in ice. Also, generally lots of Milwaukee Ave loafers buying lottery tickets and booze here. Also, the checkout people are generally rude. Go to Tony’s instead.

People bitch about not having a grocery store in Logan Square, but they must not be looking too hard. Supermercado Tianguis is an actual urban-​grocery– you don’t have to walk through a parking lot to get to it on foot– a rarity in Chicago. Sure it’s a little shabby inside, but you’ll be hooked up with a huge bag of groceries for under twenty ducats. Sure the produce section doesn’t have fresh basil, or cucumbers, or anything organic, but you’ll get a chance to grab bunches of cilantro, 73 limes for a dollar, and bananas pequenas. They have a full butcher counter (we got an entire pork shoulder for $ 6), a pretty damn large beer section (lots of imported Mexican brews, but also the best price on Fat Tire in town), and 15 different types of fresh tortillas (if you get there at the right time they’re still warm). Sure the staff is surly, the floors are grubby, and you can’t get the selection of Jewel or the quality you get at Whole Foods, but actually that’s kind of refreshing.
WARNING: We bought meat from here that was repackaged to cover up an expired sell by date. It was absolutely rotten. And the manager refused to replace it because I didn’t BRING THE ROTTEN MEAT BACK TO THE STORE. The fuck?!

Pretty large neighborhood Mexican market, near the Logan Square blue line. Nice meat counter, decent produce. Good selection of beer & liquor. Also a wide assortment of Latin soft drinks.