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The Healthy Butcher
Category: Food Specialty Food Meat Shops Meat Shops [Edit]
565 Queen St WToronto, ON M5V 2B6
Neighbourhoods: Alexandra Park, Queen Street West
(416) 703-2164
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 10 am - 7 pm
Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 12 pm - 5 pm
- Price Range:
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$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for The Healthy Butcher
Review Highlights
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"...drop $14/pound all the time for boneless chicken breasts." In 4 reviews -
"Very good selection of fresh meats." In 3 reviews -
"I recommend the filet mignon, roast, elk and bison." In 4 reviews
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19 reviews in English
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Review from Patrick M.
Toronto, ON
7/4/2011
Righto, Healthy Butcher is now my go-to shop for meat!
Great variety, top-tier quality, reasonable prices (accounting for the fact it's all free-range/organic/antibiotic-free), and excellent, knowledgeable staff.
My only complaint is that, while they sell a wide variety of amazing sausage, they don't sell any sausage buns! They have other fresh baked breads, but no sausage buns. Sacrilege! No matter, though, there are good bakeries in the area.
Finally, of special note, they now have a promotion where if you bring your own bag, you get $1 off orders over $20.
If you ride a bike there, you get $1 off orders over $20.
Do both, get $2 off orders over $20. Sweet!
As for what to buy? Go nuts -- whatever floats your boat! My staples are inexpensive clodhopper steaks and beer/jalapeno sausages, though I've done bison (both ground and steaks), elk, t-bones, and chicken very successfully as well!
Top notch! -
Review from Georgia F.
Mississauga, ON
12/21/2011
I've been looking for a shop that sells well made Afrikaans biltong(other than my favourite shop in Oakville) and on my first visit to Healthy Butcher, I met a lovely South African gentleman giving samples who was able to direct me to my favourite snack even though HB didn't sell it. Love that he was willing to give me another shop's name.
Great selection, and yes, the prices are a little exorbitant, but once in a while for some great meat? Well worth it. -
Review from Allison D.
Toronto, ON
10/12/2011
There are times when a girl just wants a big steak. Or a thick slice of meatloaf. And doesn't want to make it on her own. On days like that (today?), the Healthy Butcher is really the only place I can think of.
I've only shopped here a few times, but every time I have been amazed by both the service and the taste. The folks who work here know their stuff! My first purchase was a large steak for bbqing; I think I asked the butcher 20 questions about his opinions and preference for grilling, how this steak would compare to that steak, and even so far as "Ok, so exactly how do I cook it?" He didn't sneer, laugh, or talk snotty to me, something I was afraid of with that last question. Since then, I've popped in to get some seasoned chicken breasts and meatloaf sliced, all of which are wildly delicious. The staff have also been consistently pleasant; always timely, always helpful, and always affirming of my choice to get one of the fancy chocolate bars they sell.
Conveniently, that brings me to my next point: they don't just sell meat here, guys! I have purchased delicious breads and buns and chocolate. They also do sammy's and cookies, to make up the perfect lunch!
The only drawback *I* find is the price. Yes, it's expensive; more expensive than Big Chain grocery stores, and perhaps slightly more expensive than other butcher shops that are semi-close, in kensington or over on Dundas west. However, queen west is prime real estate; everywhere in this area has to increase prices to accommodate location rent, so why would a butcher shop be any different? Also, and the most important point, the quality is worth it. I don't mind paying top dollar for excellent quality meat that I don't have to worry about genetically modifying my digestive tract.Listed in: I *heart* the Hood!
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Review from Jen C.
10/28/2011 10 Check-ins Here
The space is small and tightly packed. There are, of course, meats - and a good selection - but also crackers, snacks, spices and sundry items like knives. The odd one out is the Green Egg they're selling (on sale now!). I was tempted to pick up a cookstown assorted fall heirloom veggie bag, but resisted. Maybe next time!
Most notably, they sell this chocolate banana bread there that is too delicious to resist. I certainly didn't - not after smelling the delicious aroma of vanilla and banana and brown sugar! Odd to make note of this at a butcher, but it was that tasty.
A very good first visit. Helpful, friendly, and efficient. I appreciate these things when I go shopping. I can see making this a regular stop on the way home. -
Review from roben h.
Toronto, ON
10/30/2011
The product at The Healthy Butcher is amazing. Great selection of a wide variety of meats and lots of prepared chilled stuff too. It's also really convenient to get to.
Two stars are lost for the price. I know organic meat is expensive - actually I expect it to be. But the pricing at The Healthy Butcher far surpassed what we anticipated. We bought two chicken breasts that cost us $32.00, while comparable organic grass fed chicken from the big-box grocery store we usually go to are $10-12.
Unfortunately I really don't ever see myself going back to The Healthy Butcher, unless I'm in a pinch for dinner and unable/unwilling/too-lazy-on-a-winter-day to go elsewhere. -
Review from Taylor O.
9/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
Well regarded and reviewed across platforms from BlogTO to Yelp and word of mouth. I'd passed by on several Queen Street West ventures but not at times in which they would be open. Alas, a visit to the quality meat purveyors!
Loading up my basket, I came home with Niagara Guanciale (cured pork jowl), elk and bison sausage, beautiful skirt steak, wagyu burgers, ground red veal, rabbit stew, bacon (of course) and veal and game (venison) stock with some dark chocolate containing sea salt as well. I'd complain about the washed lettuce costing 7.99 but that just prevented me from buying any vegetables; meat's better for you anyway.
I'll probably try a few more of their cured meat section next time; beautiful pancetta, duck prosciutto, etc.!Listed in: Carnivorous Canada
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Review from Tina H.
11/14/2010
This is my favourite butcher shop. Expensive but the meat experience is unparalleled by any other butcher. Meat is always super fresh here; never a problem for freshness. Sometimes they run out of popular cuts or types of meat, and rarely do they have grass-fed beef, unfortunately. If I want something though, I just call them and ask when it'll be there and they can set some aside if you come and get it in a reasonable amount of time.
The service is great. Staff are usually super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. I've had a problem every now and then and wrote to one of the managers/owners through email. He was very sincere and went above and beyond my expectations for customer service. Rarely have I encountered management that cares so much about customer satisfaction. Awesome.
Their non-meat grocery products are way overpriced but I guess you pay for the convenience of getting it there. You can buy the same non-perishables and kitchen stuff like pans and knives other places for much cheaper.
They are very knowledgeable and I trust their expertise... Except for this one time when I was asking about tips on seasoning a cast iron pan and the guy behind the counter began to describe how to season a cast iron pan and then mentioned salt and pepper... Doh! Nice try though. ;o) At least they know their meat!
Now that they have their smoker they make pepperettes and other cured/smoked meats. Love the beef-pork pepperettes! I'm also happy to see that they started rendering other fats that aren't just pork lard. They have beef tallow, duck fat and chicken fat (that I learned today is called schmaltz). Super! They also make yummy smelling natural soap using beef tallow (I think). It costs about $6 a bar and I find it lathers better than their natural vegetarian-friendly counterparts.
So even though their grocery and kitchen items are way overpriced, the service and quality of food well exceed my expectations that they definitely merit a full 5-stars. Awesome place! One of my favourite places to shop for food. -
Review from Maggie T.
Toronto, ON
3/8/2011
I love this place for random reason!
1. First of all, my last name means slaughter or butcher which is really strange so we have lots in common.
2. They have ORGANIC beef! That means their beef they sell, they DO NOT feed cows with chemicals,and they farm the cow let them eat grass freely. So they are naturally raised without being fed hormones !
3. It's hard to find nice butcher shop at heart of downtown Toronto. Besides St.Lawrence Market which is way in the east, there aren't many good places for nice meats besides department stores. Nice place to get some quality things. -
Review from Ellen L.
Toronto, ON
4/19/2011
The store has good selections of organic meats but not for salmons. I do enjoy shopping there.
Although the staffs are friendly, some of them don't really know the price of the stuffs that they are selling. If the items are on sale with a red tag on, some of the cashiers (i.e., the young white female cashier) will miss taking the discount off! I catch them few times, they are nice about the mistakes but they often repeat the same mistake from the time to time which bothers me most. -
Review from Dave S.
Toronto, ON
8/13/2010
Great butchers, the meat is always fresh, well presented, high quality and very very tasty. Most their stuff is locally produced which means they only sell meat that is in season. Prices are higher than a supermarket but the meat is far far far nicer than at a supermarket and the prices are not extortionate - certainly value for money as far as I am concerned.
The staff are all friendly and knowledgable about the meat, and happy to get you exactly what you want, even if it means re-cutting / trimming etc -
Review from Monica R.
Vancouver, BC
7/16/2009
If I could afford to buy everything at the Healthy Butcher, I would. But, not everyone can drop $14/pound all the time for boneless chicken breasts. The meat here is excellent, and the ground beef is actually rather affordable at around $5/pound. It's good enough that I'll keep buying the ground beef here rather than somewhere else.
The Healthy Butcher also offers cheeses, milk, local veggies, bread, and now even cookware like Le Creuset. -
Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
1/15/2009
I am in no way a vegetarian, but occasionally I get that little pang of guilt about eating an animal that probably had a really shitty life. Whenever I get that feeling in my gut, I just head over to the Healthy Butcher and grab my free-range, grain-fed chicken and maybe a couple cold salads, and my guilt is appeased.
My boyfriend has been loyal to their frozen stock for the past little while -- most recently he used the beef stock to make the most delicious French Onion soup ever, so maybe I can partially attribute the delicious taste to the Healthy Butcher. Although once he got the game stock and it had the most horrible smell to it that we had to dump it down the drain. Yuck.
Besides that one bad experience, every other time at the Healthy Butcher has been pleasant and stress-free. They've got a great assortment of organic milk and other dairy products, as well as some spices and oils and cookbooks in the corner. Prices are what to be expected -- you're not going to get cheap deals like at M&M's or No Frills, but the meat is more humane, so it's up to you if you're willing to pay the extra couple dollars to support the people who kill the happy chickens and cows. -
Review from Lynda W.
Toronto, ON
9/9/2008 1 photo
Walking into the Healthy Butcher reminds me of an old school small town meat shop. The staffers are extremely friendly and eager to please, just so foreign in that Queen corridor (I kidd, it's no that bad). The shop itself is pretty small, they have a freezer section on the right, when entering. It has pre-made, frozen, "homemade" meals. Healthy stuff, where frozen food is concerned. straight into the store is a meat counter, and to the left of the meat counter is a salad counter. They have everything from Mac & Cheese to couscous salad.
Pricewise, it's pretty much in line with any specialty locale butcher. Obviously more expensive then most chain supermarkets, but you're paying for the quality and freshness. I'm interested in trying their Mac & Cheese, I will update my review once I have! -
Review from Melissa M.
Toronto, ON
12/26/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Very good selection of fresh meats. I recommend the filet mignon, roast, elk and bison. Pulled pork is not too sweet,salty or heavy on the sauce. Creamy sheeps milk yogurt, tzaziki and foie GRAS are mouth watering. Rabbit ragout is a delicious option. Good service and very reasonable prices. Nice decor and displays. Great location.
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Review from Erin H.
Toronto, ON
9/18/2008
This store is great, I really can't complain about it. I'm just curious why organic meat eating is the new- fangled vegetarianism. People are queued-up out the door, patting themselves on the back for eating over-priced, ground duck and a sausage that is part of some kind of "international series." I mean the place is healthy, but come on people you are still eating the flesh of a once-living thing, lets not get too self-congratulatory.
Now that I'm over my rant I will say that for a small store The Healthy Butcher offers a lot more than just meat. They have a variety of frozen goods, a beautiful selection of cheeses (all organic of course), and quite a lovely prepared foods section. If I could afford it and I ate meat I would shop there myself. -
Review from Cindy C.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2010
Great piece of meat!
Go! Because:
- great cuts of meat, delicious when BBQ'd
- endorsed by the hottie Jamie Oliver
- Fresh and aged properly (beef)
- supplies healthier foods (not just meat!), they have frozen organic chicken, beef, vegetable stock, locally-made sauces, cheese, etc.
Yes, yes, yes, it is pricier but it's that on-going debate of "will you pay more for healthier foods?" And the answer will always be, "if I can afford it". So I say, go to The Healthy Butcher if you want to treat yourself to a nice piece of meat! -
Review from Kat T.
Updated - 1/10/2011
The Healthy Butcher has become a destination in my weekly rounds of shopping for my family. The staff are always so nice - especially the big, goofy guy who won "Dinner Party Wars" with his Duck three ways dinner party (I watch too much Food Network). They have starting smoking their own fish, which is totally reasonably priced and comes in a selection of fish- black cod, trout or smoked whitefish are all amazing. I haven't quite figured out when the Montreal style bagels get delivered, but if they are in stock, I'm getting a few.
If you need some specialty meats like Elk, Caribou or Boar, ask and they will either order it for you or let you know an alternate if its not in season. Want a special cut of pork- the pig just arrived in back and if you give the butcher a few minutes, he'll cut the shoulder out just for you!
But, for the vegetarians, the heirloom veggies- beets, carrots and potatoes in every color imaginable- gorgeous!
Finally, what to cook your excellent meal in? Le Crueset- I love you.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/19/2008 First to Review
The Healthy Butcher is just that. They have just enough food in there to make a great dinner on the… Read more »
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Review from Micki M.
Toronto, ON
2/11/2010
Being new to Toronto, I expected organic meats to be priced sky high. I was pleasantly proven wrong by The Healthy Butcher. My whole three weeks in Toronto so far, I have bought some pretty shady 'meats' in China town while I was getting acquainted with my grocer options; but never again will I buy meat that I don't know what or who and their grandmother's dog has touched it!
The prices at The Healthy Butcher are as follows:
Lean ground beef will run you in at $5.99/lb - cheaper than Loblaws by nearly $1.00/lb. I got two deeeelicious top sirloin steaks for about $20.00 (so cheap!), two large bone-in chicken breasts for $16.00 (gasp, I know, but I really wanted chicken!). Wings are $5.99/lb. Today I noticed their full birds are $4.99/lb - I'm unsure whether this is the going rate as I've never purchased one yet.
**They sell two different kinds of chicken some is organic (I believe the stuff I bought was) and the other is grain fed. The grain fed is significantly less expensive but it seems like they kind of hide it...the signs are always barely visible. If you don't specify the attendants will grab for the organic.
For fish they have Salmon, Cod, and Arctic Char. I noticed a salmon fillet was about $14.00, and I noticed that the child sized piece of cod they had was about $3.00. Fish is generally best bought at farmer's markets, in my experience.
Therefore I suggest taking your time to really pick out your meats there. As a university student who will never be a vegetarian, let me tell you that it is possible to eat local and organic on a budget! -
Review from Amanda L.
Toronto, ON
8/15/2010
A great place to get quality meats. Choices are often between natural (slightly cheaper) or organic meats. The organic pork bacon is the best I have ever tasted and I am also a big fan of the striploin steak, mamma burgers, and the whole chickens. They also have a good selection of gluten free breads delivered on Fridays. Also, the mad mexican chips and dips are top notch. The butchers are very helpful and have prepared special cuts of meat for me and given cooking tips as well. Try to special order only turkeys around the holidays. As always with food....you get what you pay for!
