Lincoln Quality Meat Market

I stopped in when no-​one else was carrying enough pot roast suitable for a big family dinner. I was met with a less than stellar aroma and employees not wearing gloves when handling the products. Our pot roast turned out just fine but I won’t be back.

Finding Lincoln Quality Meats was a vast improvement to me and my fiancé’s lives. The quality is well above what you might find at Whole Foods or Mariano’s, but the prices are not. As someone who is paleo, it’s been tough finding a good supplier of grass-​fed beef without killing our budget. Additionally, the service is phenomenal. It’s a family owned business and they treat their customers like neighbors.
Pro tips:
–Call in your order the day before — guarantees your meat and it’s less stress on everyone.
–Bring cash — you get a 5% discount
–Use their rewards program if you are a frequent customer. Seriously, the rewards are solid.
–Get liver, it’s good for you. They have both free-​range chicken liver and grass-​fed beef liver.

Great inexpensive butcher stop. My faves are the Cevapici. The turkey burgers are excellently spiced and the varied German bratwursts are worth trying.

Lincoln Quality Meat Market is an old time butcher shop and so much more. German, Polish and Eastern European meats, cheeses, sauces and bread line the walls and cases in this classic deli. It has been a true Lincoln Square charm since it has opened it’s doors in 1928. Yeah, that is 86 years of great meat folks!
My favorite meat at Lincoln Meats is their Cevapcici. These traditional Balkan sausages have the perfect combination of lamb, pork and beef with garlic and other secret spices. Juicy, succulent and savory these mini sausages pack a big explosion of flavor! Try these sausages with traditional spongy bread, lepinje, and a delicious red pepper spread, ajvar. You’ll love it and they’ll be a hit at your next BBQ.
Lincoln Quality Meat Market has great meat and so much more. Looking for something different and new to bring to a BBQ? Try their great Cevapcici with their great selection of accoutrements and you be the «Balkan» hit of your next BBQ. Lincoln Quality Meat Market opened it’s doors in 1926 and I don’t see them closing their doors anytime soon. Go support your local butcher and see what they have to offer!

This place is amazing! So many authentic German meats — they even make their own landjägers (German sausage like Grandpa used to make)! My Dad stops by every time he’s in Chicagoland area. I live in LA now, but we still stop by when I’m flying into Chicago before heading home for the holidays! Excellent meats, superb quality — you can’t go wrong with LQMM!

Great little neighborhood place to get top quality, custom cuts of meat. The prices are not low — but certainly no higher than others in the area (Gene’s, Paulina) and the quality is frequently much better. Incredible selection of high-​end products (e.g., prime cuts, bison, grass-​fed, Big Fork bacon sausage). Always friendly service.

And welcome to sausage heaven. Well, not completely, but man, what a selection of encased meats here. Lincoln Quality Meat Market sticks to the German and Balkan roots of the area with their general selection of sausages and that always puts a smile on my face.
Lincoln Quality Meats isn’t exactly a big place. You walk in and a slight bit of claustrophobia kicks in, but goes away soon. What they lack for in space, they more than make up for in selection of dead cows and encased meats.
I’ve generally come here for the sausage selection and they have yet to fail. They are really damn good and it always feels nice having this feather in your cap when people are raving about it. The meats are very good too as I’ve gotten some beef stew exactly for beef stew reasons. That has also yet to disappoint.
LQMM is definitely one of my go tos when I need grilling supplies. I love the selection here and there is always more to choose from. This is a must stop if you are a fan of sausages and meat in general. While I try to cut back on my dead animal intake, it’s places like this that reward me for when I do need them.

Extremely friendly, informed and helpful staff. As a west-​coast customer, I’ve been impressed with LQMM’s service, expeditious delivery and reliable follow-​up. In an era of corporate food monopolies, this ma-​and-​pa shop consistently manages to stay ahead through varied and well-​curated offerings and, above all, the (mostly) abandoned art of human touch. Give these folks your business. You will not regret it.

It is important when considering whether or not to admit an applicant, to look for a history of fostering rich and exuberant diversity among peers. Furthermore, we are looking for people who will be the next leaders of tomorrow. This includes being president of many clubs, and being an active participant in at least nine sports. The diversity of America has slowly been expanding in ever growing horizons. Please take a moment to watch my new film, Lincoln, starring real life professional me impersonator Daniel-​Day Lewis. One penny from every dollar of your ticket goes towards helmets for world leaders, a charity organization that provides kevlar helmets to world leaders in third world countries. Help Robert Mugabe live to be old enough to see himself be killed by an angry protesting mob of his own citizens.
–Abraham Lincoln
Also, the meat is quality.

Delicious cevapcici from the butcher.
Most of the cevapcici fixings (they were out of kajmak, but told me when they should be getting it from their supplier).
Really friendly staff.
The selection of raw meat isn’t very large, but I really just came to get some cevapcici (and ate about 8 of them in a sitting after I cooked them at home).
You can thank LQMM for my cevapcici induced love handles when you see me next. ;)

Just went here today to get some Mititie for my Romanian husband. Mark was very helpful and entertaining.
We also got the Nadlac (Romanian salami) and it was so good.
Highly recommended :)

Totally rad Eastern European meat market just off the square.
I first read about Lincoln Quality Meat Market on one of the Chicago food blogs (Serious Eats? Eater?) and was extraordinarily impressed to hear about the owner’s passion for ethnically sourced, healthy eats. I finally got the opportunity to swing by on a lazy Sunday afternoon to grab a few things for a last minute barbecue.
The haul: Fresh Polish sausage. Smoked Thuringer. Romanian smoked garlic sausage. The Polish and Thuringer grilled up beautifully, juicy and aggressively spiced. Both were fantastic split onto half a bun and slathered with Kosciusko beer mustard. The Romanian garlic sausage? Outstanding. I’ve been working through a link with eggs, on crackers, and accompanying cheese all week.
Contrary to my fellow Unilocalers’ experiences, I found service really friendly. The clerk was even willing to offer up samples of things I hadn’t heard of before and was hesitant to buy. (Note: That totally sold me on the Romanian sausage.)
Parking was remarkably easy in the middle of the afternoon on a side street, the store looked spotless, and my shopping pal was super impressed by the nicely-​tailored selection of European cookies, crackers, canned goods, and condiments.
My lone woe? MSG. So, so much MSG. And I was feelin’ it the following day, no doubt.

Just call me the Cevapcici Whisperer!
In efforts to spice up our traditional BBQ fare of burgers and dogs, I decided to serve up my beloved cevapcici at a recent backyard bbq. Taking a hint from the ever-​resourceful Jelena Z., I decided to buy my cevaps from Lincoln Quality Meat Market. She likes em. I figured they’d be my best bet.
I pre-​ordered 4 trays of LQMM’s version of cevapi a day in advance. Do it, or prepare for certain disappointment. Meat is first come/​first serve in this joint! The gals working the counter were very nice and my cevapi were packaged beautifully.
But really… who cares how they’re packaged, right? It’s all about how they taste! And the cevapcici from LQMM are wonderful. I’m talking PERFECTLY spiced, juicy and delicious. If you’re outdoor grilling, they’re super easy. Just cook em up like any other sausage.
The cevapi were a huge hit at the party. My friends dove in with gusto. I even earned the seal of approval from Cevapcici Phil, the proprietor of THE BEST food stand at your favorite street fests, Cevapcici Chicago. Now that, my friends, is the endorsement that matters!

After shopping around Lincoln Square for select meats, I made the mistake of walking into Lincoln Square Meat Market (LSMM) with a bag from Gene’s Sausage Shop. The clerk, perhaps the son of the corner-​store dynasty, asked me what I bought from Gene’s. When I told him, he spent the next two minutes bashing the shop and casting aspersions on their sourcing while pointing to his «no hormones» sign. Just minutes earlier, I was treated very well by the Gene’s employees, one of whom went out of her way to help me not only find what I needed but offer suggestions in the neighborhood. I got a sour taste in my mouth as the LSMM clerk maligned Gene’s, a taste that returned when, three days later, I ate the turkey I purchased from LSMM. That turkey was so slimy, I needed to wash my hands twice to get the fatty film off.
It’s one thing to rip on your competitors so blatantly and unprofessionally. It’s another to serve disgusting meat. LSMM did a great job of solidifying my position as a loyal customer of Gene’s Sausage Shop.

Stopped by here a few weeks ago looking for a place that had andouille sausage for some jambalaya I was making. I was in luck, not only did they have some, but they make it themselves and it was delicious! They had a great selection of meats, all of their sausages are homemade, and you’re greeted with super friendly service and reasonable prices.
So, when I got a new grill I immediately thought of this place for something meaty to cook on it. I stopped by today and picked up a New York strip for myself. I don’t know if it was the new grill, the steak, or the awesome weather we’ve been having, but this was one of the best steaks I’ve had in awhile. Best part, they cut most of their steaks to your desired thickness.
This is my new go-​to meat spot in the area (sorry Gene’s).

This is my go-​to place to get my carnivorous fix. They have some interesting meats, as well as your run-​of-​the-​mill cuts.
They can get you almost anything (but you may want to call 3 days ahead to make sure they will have it!). They are very knowledgable and can answer about any question you have about meat.
I think their meats are hormone free, which is a perk. They are a little pricey, but the quality is worth it! Not to mention the facility is pretty clean and you can get some random imported treats to complete your meal.
It is run by a kind of quirky family, but that makes your experience interesting.
Definitely go here for your next meat purchase and you will keep going back!

It is a real treat to have a local butcher shop in the hood. Don’t take it for granted. Support them
Yes, Gene’s up the street is great, but they don’t need your help — let the Lincoln Square tourists be lured in by their gaudy pleasures, but I love simple and low-​key LQMM. I sometimes feel like I am on a one-​man crusade to keep them open.
I am an amateur sausage maker and LQMM are more than accommodating when I ask for specific things to be ground in specific ratios – they even sell me casings by the foot.
And their chicken is superb. You get it home to prepare and it looks, feels and smells… better, much better than anything you bring home from any chain store. Ditto for their homemade bacon. There is absolutely no reason to buy meats at Jewel/​Dominicks/​whatever when you have a place like this nearby.
Bonus when they have fresh pretzel rolls in!
And personally, I’ll take the idiosyncratic, family staff over corporate robot nice anytime. They all crack me up. Get to know them and they will crack you up too.

Butcher shop bliss!
If you’ve had the opportunity to try some of my cevapcici lately (by ‘my’ I mean I buy them, not make them!) then you’ve sampled some of LQMM’s fine meats. I’ve purchased cevapi from a few meat markets in town, and I can vouch that these not only look the best (they don’t shrivel up as some do), but more importantly, they TASTE the best. And if you’ve patiently waited in line for Cevapcici Chicago’s Balkan slow food at the festivals, then you’ve also tasted LQMM’s meaty goodness. Yes, it’s true: this is Phil’s go-​to meat source!
Besides other Eastern European specialties such as raznjici (pork kebabs), they carry ever-​popular items such as a comprehensive collection of steak cuts, Italian sausage, German sausage, smoked sausage, housemade bacon, free range poultry, as well as pork chops/​ribs/​tenderloin and more.
They also carry cheese and will whip you up a made-​to-​order sandwich! But the best thing about LQMM (besides the beautiful, plump cevapcici) is that they carry the quintessential cevapcici accompaniment, kajmak. This ‘European style’ buttery sour cream meets cream cheese is a pain in the ass to make yourself, so a tub for $ 6 is priceless. Believe me. Try it!
Fantastic service and just an all-​around friendly little shop. I’ve found my butcher for life! Just like the old days — mama and tata had a go-​to butcher and now, I do too. Just ask for Ivica (aka John)!

Don’t go in here looking for «warm fuzzies» from the staff, but do go here for really great fresh meats, deli meats, a nice assortment of flavored mustards, delicious homemade breads which are perfect for muffelettas. Look for the puffed up version of pita or middle eastern bread. It also looks like the bread for a Mexican Torta. There are also some fun Eastern European treats and cookies. And beverages. German brats, meats and other special cuts.
If you want a good meal at home, you need the best and freshest ingredients. And here I will gladly pay more for the free range chicken, and boneless chicken breasts. They are not like the Dolly Parton-​sized ones you find at the local grocers, which are often fibrous and probably full of hormones. And there is a clear difference in flavor. My favorite thing about a neighborhood butcher too, is their willingness to bone and butterfly and prep anything to save you time. Good selection of sausages, stew meat, and other fun items like stuffed chicken breast and stuffed pork chops you can take home and throw in the oven. These are reasonably priced, too, for large portions.
I like the convenience, the freshness, the prices and the lack of long lines here. And It’s no skin off my butt shank if they’re a little cranky.

I would shop here often if I lived in the neighborhood. As it is, they couldn’t help me with a ham bone for making soup, and didn’t really go out of their way to make any suggestions. These two kids’ ages might have added up to 40 – maybe. Also, I wanted to try some of the neat Eastern European sausages, but one was out and the other comes only in packages of 24. Booo.
Their pretzel rolls are better than Trader Joe’s, heavier both in flavor and density. Excellent. A four-​pack of fist-​sized (well, a girl’s first) pretzel rolls for $ 3.26.
$ 10 credit card minimum – bullshit! It was Saturday morning and I didn’t want to start my lovely weekend with an argument, but that is not allowed and someone should call them out (like me on my next visit).