Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meat Shop & Wild Game

Hands down, best butcher in Queens and The Boroughs. Their meats are very flavorful and fresh with great quality. Very old school butchers who are friendly all times. Please tip them in the end, at least $ 1, they’ll remember you and will take care of you.

The guys at the shop are great! This is a great neighborhood butcher shop and is a great part of of the woodside neighborhood. The porterhouse and ribeye were both phenomenal. I’ll definitely be going back.

Still the best in western Queens. Great dry aged prime meat at reasonable prices, and the guys there are always top notch with service. Frank is great and I appreciate his knowledge and wisdom.

How have I not written a review on this place? The only knock is the price (and sometimes the line due to how busy it can get), but you’re getting good quality to make up for the price point.

This place is my jammmmmmm! Prices are really good, cuts are fresh and everyone is friendly and helpful. Don’t forget to check out the freezer section in the back where they sell ravioli and such at really good prices. All the supermarkets in Woodside have enormous meat sections but I’m only getting my meat from Ottomanelli’s because if you’re going to eat meat, it should be guaranteed fresh and delicious.

the nicest people run this beautiful shop,
and they have awesome aged steaks like you cannot imagine!!!
they are also extremely knowledgeable about all things meat and beyond:-)
i just bought two 21 day aged prime rib steaks and a 21 day aged porterhouse steak,
i cooked them all, blood rare and they were truly truly the very best steaks i have ever consumed EVER, thank you fellas at Ottomanellis and sons But her shop!

The sawdust on floor us nice old school touch (which I don’t recall from the chic’er UES & Bleecker locations), and the staff is knowledgeable and conversational. They don’t carry certain items you may expect, but do carry many you won’t but should consider. Support your local butcher and skip the generic sections at your supermarket.

IF YOU’VE NEVER SHOPPED AT A LOCAL BUTCHER…
I grew up in suburbia, where standalone butcher shops are basically a thing of the past — which is a big reason why
it took me so long to discover the upside of having access to a neighborhood butcher shop, once I’d moved to NYC: I didn’t know what I was missing.
THE STAFF themselves are knowledgeable — try asking questions and you’ll see the difference between your typical supermarket meat dept and a true professional butcher.
AMAZING BURGERS. I recommend buying them here and cooking them at home (a true grill is ideal, they turn out excellently even on a Foreman).
It’s not just me — I’ve taken their burgers for tailgating, and brought them to friends’ houses, always to widespread acclaim.
At every single WOODSIDE STREET FAIR, when Ottomanelli’s has sold SLIDERS, their tables typically have the longest lines (especially impressive bc they do a good job of keeping the line moving)
(The long lines are also what first drew me to try their food.)
Excellent butcher shop.

If you want the best quality meat in Woodside Queens there is no better place. The service is unparalleled. Give yourself a treat. Come on by and cook yourself a wonderful meal.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t cook for squat. I enjoy cooking but I am too critical of myself and I hate cleaning and doing the dishes, so the only thing I make are deliveries and reservations =) Steak is the one thing I don’t mind making since it is more forgiving and if you start with an amazing product, you will typically finish with an amazing product. On the day I visited, the guys at the counter were super friendly and helpful, also the variety of the prime aged steaks were freakin mouth watering! They had prime as well as dry aged prime anything from Rib eye to New York Strip, Porterhouse, Pork chops, lamb chops, sausages etc. You can get the steaks adjusted to how thick you want it, the butcher suggested an inch thick and it came out great. I bought up some rib eyes and some marinated lamb and took it over a friend’s house where Denise C fired up the meats. Oh sweet meaty Jesus…
The food:
Prime 21 Aged Bone in Rib Eye Steaks cut an inch thick with Italian seasoning. Perfection! The steaks were excellent, so insanely tender, great flavor on the beef and the Italian seasoning was a nice accompaniment. The marbling on the steak was very impressive, it was so juicy. This was easily the best homemade steak I ever had and better than some of the steakhouses I have been to. Next time I will try the dry aged prime New York Strip.
Marinated lamb– The lamb had a really nice lamb flavor but was a tad on the chewy side. The lamb cut easily with the knife but was a tad hard to chew, especially when it cooled down.

Local resident here and these guys have always been class acts. I could go to the butcher that’s closer or settle for the grocery (always for convenience sake), but when I want an excellent cut of meat, I head to Ottomanelli’s.
There’s also a ton of hidden character buried within this establishment. It’s one of the staples alongside other others in woodside proper (can I call this side of woodside as «proper?»). A trip here is like stepping into Woodside’s past. Stick around long enough, you’ll know many members of it’s community. Woodside is deep and Ottomanelli’s just adds to the wonderful richness of Woodside Proper.
I’d also like to point out that the two low one start reviews I’ve noticed are about them not selling Bell & Evans anymore and another not accepting a credit card. I’ve never had a credit card problem over numerous transactions and I’m not losing any kind of sleep over the loss of Bell & Evans. The cuts I’ve received have always been excellent. In fact, I’m going right now to grab an excellent cut for my brand new Sous Vide machine!

she said «i got elk»
i said «it looks so dark»
she said «it s the fillet please grill it»
it was half frozen almost black
no vain of fat
what the hell, i grilled
small, lean, gamy, exquisite
it was, was not a bit
that silly beef

This place has fresh butchered meats, and lots of grass fed elections.
I stocked up on grass fed ground meat, lamb sausage, free range turkey burgers and chicken. We’ll be fed for a while

I wish I could give more than five stars. Every time I leave here, I am in a better mood than when I came in. The steaks are top-​notch and my guests are always impressed. All of the credit goes to the butcher! I pick something up from here about once a week and I have never been disappointed. They always give good advice and really get to know their customers. I absolutely love this place!

As another reviewer stated — «Unfortunately, Papa Ottomanelli must be spinning in his grave. Once a first-​rate, prime butcher, they’ve become a sub-​par meat market.»
Wanted to make a purchase, but was unable to. I tried to explain about me having my old credit card on me and if they could manually key the card number in with the new expiration date (had already called the credit card company and verified the new expiration date and verified if the merchant could key in the number, it would be just fine).
I was met with suspicion and distrust upon asking the butchers about this. The one guy kept going on about how it didn’t seem legit and was fishy. I once again calmly explained that the card recently expired and that I had the new expiration date and they just had to key it in.
The second guy basically said we don’t have time to do this for you, so too bad. Mind you, the store was completely empty at this point, no other customers bothered to come in for the 7 — 10 minutes I was in there trying to give them some business.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS — RUDE, NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS, SUB-​PAR, PATHETIC PLACE!

I wish I had a place like this in Jersey!
Prime dry aged rib eye at $ 15.99/lb. Now $ 18.99. These prices are unreal! The meat quality was incredible. We seared it on the grill until medium rare and it was one of the best cuts of meat we have ever had. We no longer to need to break the bank at Luger’s or Wolfgang’s for premium steak.
The guys behind the counter are also very friendly and love to talk food. So jealous of the Woodside community for having this butcher in their hood.

Update on Ottomanelli & Sons.
Unfortunately, Papa Ottomanelli must be spinning in his grave. Once a first-​rate, prime butcher, they’ve become a sub-​par meat market.
They’ve stopped selling Bell & Evans chickens for some other brand that they don’t name, and on two occasions, they sold me bad meat.
On my wife’s birthday, I went in to O&S and asked if they had osso bucco. I was told that there was none fresh, but that there was frozen. While I always prefer fresh meats, this wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I took the frozen shanks and made my way home. I put the meat into a pot of warm water to defrost it. After about an hour, my kitchen REEKED of rotten meat. I went back to the store and presented the bad meat to the butcher (no names necessary). He apologized and offered to exhcange it for me. Ummmm… no, thanks. Got a refund and went to C&J Prime Meats on Roosevelt Avenue (review to follow) where I bought FRESH osso bucco. Not only was it fresh, it was a buck-​and-​a-​half cheaper than at O&S.
OK, so I don’t complain to the owner, but I don’t go back for a while, either. About a month later, I got an email from the owner asking me where I’d been lately. I told him that I’d been going to C&J. He asked me why, and I told him the story of the bad experience I’d had. He apologized to me profusely, and asked me to give them another try. Being a basically trusting person, I agreed and went back.
I was greeted with foul looks from the butcher who’d sold me the bad meat. When I confronted him, he said that it wasn’t necessary for me to rat him out, that he’d made an honest mistake. I said that if it had been an honest mistake, he wouldn’t be angry with me. Besides, I hadn’t said anything until I was asked.
OK, so I start to regain my confidence in them, and keep shopping there, though with somewhat less frequency.
About two months later, I went in on a Saturday and for a whole, fresh chicken. Got the bird, paid, put it in my backpack (loaded with ice packs), and went on my way. Got home about an hour later and was unpacking my bag when I caught the unmistakable aroma of rotting meat AGAIN. Sure enough, it was my chicken. Mind you, the ice packs were still frozen, and the chicken was still cold. By then, it was too late to return the dirty bird, so I tossed it and chalked it up to experience.
This time, though, I sent the owner and email telling him what happened, and that he’d lost a good customer. That was about two years ago, and I haven’t looked back.
I’ve heard from others since then that O&S had sold THEM bad meat as well. Seems to be a trend, and not a good one.

Couple weeks ago got 3 ny strip steaks and half a length of the skirt steak… Came out to around 80 bucks plus tax. I believe the guy told me 10.99 a lb but might’ve charged me slightly more per lb, no clue, need to pay attn better and not get too excited with the selections.
I called later in the day to ask how much the steaks are and the guy said they don’t give prices over the phone, you interpret that as you deem appropriate, Feels like I got taken for a ride though…
but the meat was good!

This shop is just the best. I don’t want to buy my meat from anywhere else! They have these amazing cuts that just cook up so fast and melt in your mouth. The staff is a total throw-​back and have great suggestions. For fresh, quality ingredients– go here!

I went to Ottomanelli after everyone in my neighborhood was raving about their meat selection and how knowledgeable the staff is. Walked in asked for ground beef the guy picked up beef patties for burgers I had to make it clear to him that I want fresh ground beef I got some lamb chops and went home. I think they are overpriced and they are not that great in their service.
I decided to give them a second chance and went to their Burger place in Woodside. Burger was OK. I think Donovan’s is better!
I haven’t purchased anything from their West Village location perhaps service and staff are nicer.
Lady Gaga might’ve designed and worn Ottomanelli’s meat but I’m not planning to do that so they are no go in my book! :)