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A full-service deli and specialty butcher shop on the Central Coast has been crowned the best in California.
What makes The Meatery near Monterey special?
The Meatery, just 10 miles from Monterey in the beachside town of Seaside, ranked as the top independent butcher in a statewide poll by MarketBeat.
The shop specializes in all types of meat, from California beef, lamb, chicken, seafood and pork to more exotic and wild game. While they do carry some imported meat, like Australian and Japanese Wagyu, the focus of The Meatery is on high-quality, sustainably sourced meat.
"We work with a lot of great ranches to find what we believe is the best quality meats and local seafood," said Chef Todd Fisher, who owns the shop with his wife, Ada.
A big draw is their selection of over 30 flavors of house-made sausages.
"Sausages are a real passion of ours," said Fisher. "We have the typical Italian sausage, and we also do a French style Toulouse sausage, a fermented black garlic and miso sausage that is unbelievable."
Some sausage flavors do rotate out seasonally (so don't get too attached), with Fisher saying they just wrapped up a sublime apricot and goat cheese sausage that was "phenomenal."
"We've leaned into a 'turducken' sausage as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday -- it's a turkey, duck, and chicken sausage," said Fisher.
The Meatery also offers a full-service deli with fresh sandwiches made-to-order. The 18-hour smoked prime brisket sandwich with pickled onions, and a Coca-Cola BBQ sauce is a bestseller, as is their pastrami Reuben featuring a house made American Wagyu Pastrami.
"Chef Todd," as he is known locally, has more than 30 years of professional cooking experience on the Monterey Peninsula, and the knowledge he built up in the kitchen is generously shared with his customers.
"The fact that you can come in and get advice on not only what to cook but how to cook it really sets us apart," said Fisher.
Much like an old-fashioned butcher shop, The Meatery helps customers choose the best cuts for their needs, whether that is grilling, roasting, or preparing a special-occasion meal meant to impress.
"Or I'm doing a casual Tuesday dinner, and I want really good chicken thighs that are not overly processed," said Fisher.
"One of the greatest things we offer is the confidence that customers get when they walk away knowing that if Chef Todd told me to cook it this way and use this seasoning technique, I'm going to have the best steak of my entire life," he added.
Santa Rosa, Los Angeles butchers round out top 3
Following The Meatery in the poll results were Sonoma County Meat Co. in Santa Rosa and Marconda's in Los Angeles.
Located in Northern California's wine country, Sonoma Meat Co. has built its reputation on pasture-raised lamb, heritage pork, and full-animal butchery. In the fall, the shop buzzes with families placing orders for roasts, sausages, and special cuts, leaning on the butchers' knowledge to stretch their budgets without cutting corners on taste.
In Los Angeles, Marconda's is a three-generation family butcher that stands out for its commitment to clean, honest meat. Over the winter holidays, locals head there to lock in organic turkeys, grass-fed beef, and hormone-free poultry before the crowds arrive.