Cliff’s Quality Meats

A treat is some meat from Cliffs.
So far I’ve had premarinated pork chips so good that they were moist and juicy after grilling. Have also tried a fresh smiles piece off pork, good on it’s own, good in stir fries, good good good.
This place IS pricey, but the quality is always great, and it’s a nice treat.

I have always loved Cliff’s meats but today was another story. The man behind the counter was rude and did not want to cut the meat for us. He threw the precut steak back in the case and begrudgingly cut us the piece we requested. The meat in the case looked old and we wanted a freshly cut piece (as they usually do). He slammed the meat on the scale and loudly wrapped it in paper. It makes me not want to not come back there again. What happened to Benny’s — my favorite Essex meat shop?

The best place on the shoreline to get a prime rib, or any other kind of meat that you want. I am never disappointed. If you have a recipe that calls for a special cut, they cut if for you just how you need it. A must go for the holidays.

Of my three experiences ordering meat from Cliff, only one was correct. The first time was a rack of lamb for Easter that had a huge diagonal «mistake» cut in the middle of the rack that almost severed it in two, and ruined two chops. The second was a rib roast that was okay. The last order was for a chateaubriand (center cut of the tenderloin). At $ 22.50/lb, what I got was a tenderloin netted and wrapped in fat. When I removed the netting to take away the fat, what I had were two tenderloin tips laid side-​by-​side to give the illusion of one contiguous piece of meat. This is discovered at 7:30 pm on Christmas Eve, too late to do anything about. I phoned after Christmas to find out what happened and Cliff himself told me that he «didn’t know what a chateaubriand is». He was rude and dismissive, and said that a chateaubriand is whatever you want to define it as, it’s all just beef and apparently doesn’t give a crap about what he sells to his customers. He just overcharges for it. I could have bought an entire tenderloin at S&S or Adams for less than the $ 60 I paid and cut and trimmed it myself, with meat leftover, for less money and A LOT LESS AGGRAVATION. Too bad I can’t give zero stars.

Went to Cliff’s on a scavenger hunt for new places to eat in the Essex/​Centerbeook area. Very happy I stopped in. They have a ridiculously wide variety of smoked meats that have been prepared in-​house. They do sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese, it’s a great old style butcher shop with employees that are willing to do what you want! Best thing, they have breakfast sandwiches in the a.m. I will definitely be frequenting here! P. S. Try the house smoked beef jerky. Killer!

Real butcher shop with quality meats and specialty food offerings. A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for when it comes to fresh meats. I love the new homemade pickles they sell– just like grandma used to make.