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The Healthy Butcher
Category: Food Specialty Food Meat Shops Meat Shops [Edit]
298 Eglinton Ave WToronto, ON M4R 1B2
Neighbourhood: Yonge and Eglinton
(416) 674-2642
- Price Range:
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$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
4 reviews for The Healthy Butcher
4 reviews in English
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Review from Tina H.
Updated - 6/13/2011
I've been a regular shopper at the Healthy Butcher. Usually this is the meat in my fridge and freezer.
This location is bigger than the original location and has some veggies too. The prices at the HB are always quite steep for grocery and cooking items compared to other places. The Healthy Butcher is the best butcher shop in the city that I've come by. They have organic and naturally raised.
Pasture raised/grass-fed only beef is rarely available but that's Ontario not the HB. When I was in Vancouver I was able to find all kinds of providers for grass-fed beef, which I truly miss. I hope there's more grass-fed beef in the Toronto area in the future.
They make their own sausages, burger patties, meatballs, beef jerky, pepperettes and other food items, which are all pretty good. They don't always have what I'm looking for. I go in *hoping* they have what I want. If they do, I'm often very happy with what I get, but that's only if they have it. I generally stock up because I know the next time I go they won't have it. It's hit or miss unfortunately.
This location has a coffee shop. Unfortunately their coffee is TERRIBLE. The milk was scalding hot (which the best coffee shops will tell you is a big no-no), you can hardly taste the espresso, and they use these funny agave syrups for flavour shots. Not sure if it was the agave or the latte itself, but I couldn't drink it and had to literally throw it out. Worst "vanilla latte" I've ever had in my entire life, no word of a lie. I should've gone back to try to return it.
Service is often very friendly and helpful.
They now offer $1 off to customers who bring their own bag and $1 off to those who ride their bike, meaning if you do both you can get $2 off your purchase. Free valet parking on Saturdays.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/24/2011
This location is bigger than the original location and has some veggies too. The prices at the HB… Read more »
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Review from Heather M.
12/10/2010
I had heard a lot about this Healthy Butcher store and had been keen to check it out, went on the website and saw that they had all sorts of cooking classes! I decided to take the sausage making class. It was about 2.5 hours long, and Mario Fiorucci, the owner, taught it, with 16 people in the class. It was fun (and funny.... you can never underestimate how many sausage jokes you can make in such a short span of time.) and at the end you took home between 6-8 of the sausages that you made (each group of 4 got about 10 lbs of meat to work with) I highly recommend the class!
Otherwise, in terms of the store, what I like about it is that it is very nicely merchandised. Typically, I find with "natural" and "health" food stores, they are a little bit institutional looking. This one has a fantastic cafe at the front, and organic everything. Also, I love that they sell all sorts of great cookware here - everything from some very expensive Japanese knives to le Creuset cookware. As you can imagine, things are a bit pricier than a Loblaw or Sobeys, but in return you get great service and people who know their products and take pride in them. I'm a fan! -
Review from Robert K.
7/7/2011
The meat is expensive, but it's good quality and a good selection. Sausages are made here, and they're quite delicious (though you get much more bang(er) for your buck if you can make it to El Gaucho chorizo in St Lawrence market). Not my favourite butcher shop, but certainly a reasonable choice.
Also, working in the area, I have discovered that the Healthy Butcher is a great place to get lunch. Sandwiches are ~$7, made to order from fresh bread (from Epi) and the selection of excellent deli meats, along with whatever else you like. (pro tip: get some of the grilled marinated onions) Then you stroll over to Eglinton park, grab a picnic table, and Bob's your Uncle. Afterwards, walk over to Bulldog for a coffee and return to your office satisfied and lethargic, ready for a quick, discreet nap at your desk. I wish that the sandwiches were $1 cheaper, but I'm a dreamer (with a limited imagination).
Today I had a sandwich of white bread, hot mustard, ham & cheese, and marinated onions. It was good - the ham in particular was first rate. -
Review from O S.
Thornhill, ON
2/11/2011
Where THB exceeds is probabaly the most interesting meat offerings in the city. The water buffalo burgers will turn you off regular beef burgers forever. And the Elk has an amazing flavour on its own without having to be manipulated by spices.
My issue with THB is their teminology of 'organic', which is touted heavily in their marketing. Consumers in Canada should understand that what is deemed as organic by industry and government DOES NOT translate neccessarily as healthier or more 'natural'. The day-to-day administration of this classification diverges to many different food products and many different producers. In short, it means something different to different producers, and the requirement to make an organic apple can be VERY different that producing organic veal.
I listened for 10 minutes at the girl at the counter brag about how THB was touted by some newspaper/magazine as the organic retail outlet of the year. When I asked her what organic meant, she had very little as a response. It's not her fault. Her difficulty in responding reflects a confusing mish-mash of industry-led definistions on what this actually is/means.
For example, one very simple meat requirement, in my opinion, is grass fed beef. The highest quality of beef world over is fed this, which is historically part of a cow's main diet. In North America, 80% of our stock is fed corn - a method which is responsible for the development of ecoli in cattle. I asked the meat servers behind the counter if their beef is grass fed. They either didn't know, or at least 1 person mentioned that because the beef was local, grass feeding was impossible. This comment basically revealed that they have no clue how the meat industry works, since I know for a fact that it is possible to feed beef grass during the winter.
That said, I want to make it clear that I trust their product. I just wish they had a full understanding of what they sell as their marketing has tried to establish. Clearly they are somewhat disconnected from the food they sell, but this is the challange of retail stores that grow to a certain size. It becomes too costly to challange the chain, and eventually, the need to cut costs will overrun how the system works (a la the supermarket chain stores).
Generally speaking, I feel it's importand to keep them supported for now. And when I feel in the mood for something exotic, THB is my place of choice, but I would not actively pursue a rack of veal from their outlet with any less guilt than I would from Longos.
