Royal Beef

Excellent quality! Staff are knowledgeable and friendly, it always looks like they are having a good time and enjoy their job. Of course, there is a premium when buying meat from a butcher.

This is the only place we buy our meat now. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and skilled. They even offer cooking advice when asked, and will help you select the best cuts from what’s available, which is a lot. The prices are better than the commercial grocery stores where we used to buy our meat.
In addition to fine meats, they also have a selection of other foods, such as cheese and eggs, frozen meals, jams and spreads, seasonings and much more. If you’re in the neighbourhood, I suggest you pop in and see what all the fuss is about, there’s no way I could possibly describe the magic that is Royal Beef, you won’t be disappointed.

I get most of my steaks here. Excellent cuts of dry aged beef complemented by their friendly staff. They usually have a lot of gourmet sausages in stock as well. This is a good neighborhood meat shop.

A landmark butcher shop on the Danforth. A family run business for as long as I can remember. Friendly and attentive staff. Great selection of red and white meats, cold cuts and other deli treats.

Great family-​run business that has been around for a long time. Wonderful selection of beef, but they also carry chicken, lamb, pork and other harder to find items like sausage casing. I’ve always called ahead to order roasts or other specialty cuts and have never had a problem.

Wicked cuts, more selection, seasonings and sausage than you could ever imagine from all animals that don’t breathe underwater. I usually come here when I am going to entertain as I find their pricing for cheeses and some of the preserved goods to be a little steep. The shop girls are all personable and willing to give you pairing ideas if you ask them. Great place to shop for any BBQ occasion.

I came in to Royal Beef to give my father The Gift of Meat. Ok… that sounds weird, let me explain… It was my father’s 80^th birthday. I used to live in this neighborhood, before moving to the NYC area 5 years ago, and used to go to Royal Beef all the time. I remembered them having very high quality steaks … it was FAR better than I remembered!
Since my Mother gave Dad a new Barbeque for his 80^th, I decided to give him a big package of assorted steaks for his freezer, an 80^th birthday present that could be enjoyed all summer. To be honest… I hadn’t worked out all the details, and I’m glad I didn’t. The Butcher at Royal Beef did everything for me.
First, the Butcher, helped me pick a number of quality pieces. We discussed what my Dad likes and dis-​likes, and he made recommendations. This guy knows meat! Actually, to be fair, ALL the butchers got into the act. They were quite taken by the idea of giving The Gift of Meat and made recommendations from their vast well of knowledge and experience.
The Butcher then cut and trimmed my choices by hand, right before me. He then prepared them in air tight freezer packaging and labeled them so my Dad would know what he was taking out of the freezer later, without the price tag… this was after all, a gift. They took their time, they did the highest quality work.
Beef, bison, chicken and a couple of sausage selections. All beautifully custom prepared and packaged. It was breath taking. As for price? I put a package of meat in my parents freezer that will last them MOST of the summer. Enough meat that it was hard to carry to the car. How much did it cost? LESS that the cost of taking my parents to a nice steak house for 1 meal. I am not kidding. It was less than 1 meal for 4 at a high end steak house.
Now let’s talk about quality. We barbequed up an assortment from the package. I’m pretty handy in front of a barbeque, so I am not too modest to say that I did a pretty good job grilling the meat… REMEMBER… that’s all I did! No marinating, no sauces, no pre-​treatment except an extremely light sprinkle of the spice rub that Royal Beef provided, (don’t leave the store without a bottle).
My Dad took one bite, put down his fork and declared that in his 80 years, this is the best steak he has ever eaten, anyplace, anytime, hands down! You tell me… how are you gonna put a price on that?
It’s The Gift of Meat.

I gotta admit, I only approach the steak counter at Royal Beef on very special occasions, because although they are the best steaks in the city, they are priced accordingly. However, they also have great sliced deli meats, cheeses, chicken and various Berkshire pork cuts that I really like. If you live in this neighbourhood and you haven’t introduced yourself to Carmen, you really should. Staff here are extremely warm and friendly. Cabbage rolls are awesome.

I am feeling the quality has gone down since the older butcher retired (?).
The steaks are cut much thinner, and have less fat trimmed. I am not 100% sure, but there seemed to be less marbling as well.
The flavour is still good, and I will continue to use them, but Royal Beef is now on my «keep under close scrutiny» list.
In addition, I think they would do well to branch out a bit and perhaps carry some game from time to time…

Ah Royal Beef one of those shops that’s worth the walk east on the Danforth. Sussed this place out 13 years ago when first moved to the east side. Carmen the owner and will give you a recipe or two if your lost. Gordie the butcher will hand cut your meat so if you need only 3oz steaks will be done for you.
Lamb Shanks are hard to find that are not frozen, fresh here. Osso Bucco, cut fresh for you., aged Alberta Beef, Duck Breast, Tri-​Tip Roast for BBQ, every cut of steak that you need, all cuts of veal, plus chicken, shish kabobs, homemade sausages and hamburgers etc… high end Cheeses, Stocks, Deli Meats, Bread, Pickles, Olive Oils, Balsamics, Spices, Pasta and (Canollis on the wknd).
The prices are reasonable if your reasonable about buying quality food. Fresh Turkeys at xmas, thanksgiving & easter. Not to be missed. You may find yourself having a cappuccino and staying longer than you should…(also spending more than you wanted, don’t go hungry)

Who are the people in your neighbourhood? Well, Sesame Street tells us a postman or fireman are people in my neighbourhood and though I whole-​heartedly agree with both their message and method at which to teach children, they fail to mention the butcher!
I heart meat.
I can’t begin to tell you what’s considered a good price for a hefty cut of top sirloin or ribeye steak and if this place fits the bill. What I can tell you is they have fresh cuts of meat, lamb burgers, these ridiculously addictive pepperettes (who knew I was a fan, huh?), panchetta, garlic aioli with herbs and lemon (among other flavours), pot pies (the steak and mushroom one is fantastic), homemade cannolis and biscottis, fresh bread and the friendliest staff wielding a knife.
Those living in this area? Use the grocery store to buy your cereal and frozen dinners. But for your meats, bread, pasta (oh yes, they gots pasta here too), Royal Beef is your carnivorous weapon of choice.