The Spotted Trotter

I visited on a Sunday afternoon. Ordered a one inch ribeye cut from the roast. I found it a bit overpriced. Seems like more hype than substance. I bought a $ 30 rib-​eye and cooked it on my Big Green Egg. It was a quality steak with good flavor. Much too much fat, but not marbled fat. I’ll keep looking for that perfect source.

I have been here several times to try different things. The steak is wonderful. I tried the kielbasa, chorizo, hanger steak and andouille. I wish I lived closer so I could come here every week

I have been meaning to stop by this location (I have purchased bacon at the Thursday EAV Farmers market and it was always delish) but necessity had me stopping by last Friday on the way home from work, scared of the Edgewood Kroger parking lot at 6:30, with an impromptu boatload of people coming over for a cook out and the only thing that I was missing was a slab of meat for the grill. The three skirt steaks were $ 40 total and they easily fed the six people in attendance. Actually, they were the highlight of the night and even though there was plenty of left overs the first time everyone filled their plates, there was nothing left at the end of the night.

If you claim you sell prosciutto on the website on the weekly menu, then I come in and you tell me it’s all reserved for your restaurant, I’m going to be livid. That’s not running out, that’s lying.

Sadly it stays a three star. The reasons below stand. :(

Finally got to check this place out yesterday, after having it bookmarked for months!
First off, the dry aged rib eyes. They carry it in one big slab & slice of your individual steaks based on thickness required. These steaks had amazing flavor, cooked them with a little coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper, no need for a sauce, topping etc. They melt in your mouth & the meat has an abundance of flavor on it’s own. Yes, it’s a little pricey per pound, but damn is it good!
We also each got a bacon & gruyère crepinette, also delicious. The young man working there, Luke, gave us instructions on how to cook them & they came out perfect. The smell when we opened the oven made me drool with excitement, I can’t wait to try the other ones they make!
We wanted to get some more items, but all of a sudden the small storefront was packed with 2 more families. We offered to step to the side & let them order so we wouldn’t be rushed & could ask more questions, but they weren’t going for it. I quickly asked for a few ounces of lomo (which angered the guys who refused to cut us in line), and I’m so glad I did. It was awesome! It was cured perfectly and the taste pretty much brought tears to my eyes. I sat on my couch savoring each bite & kicking myself for only buying 4oz.
We can’t wait to go back, hopefully next time we won’t be so rushed by other patrons, as we’d really like to explore the charcuterie & cheese selections a bit more!

Meat, glorious meat!
Local? Check.
Delicious? Check.
A bit expensive but service so friendly you can’t help yourself? Check.
I’ve had Spotted Trotter many times thanks to events and restaurants that use them. The time was right on a lazy Saturday to head down to Kirkwood and pay them a visit.
It’s a small store but loaded with lots of options. Everything looked really tempting particularly the sausages. We settled on a soppressata though and have been more than happy with that treat.
Meat is definitely the focus but there are some cheeses for sale. There are also MALVI MARSHMALLOWS there. I like to pretend they pay me to endorse them. They don’t, I just really like local marshmallows and yes I’m aware how pretentious that sounds.
Oh and this place has super easy parking. Like ample.

As a former vegetarian, fairly new to the world of carnivory, I find myself interested in eating high-​quality meats from respected locations. My boyfriend has developed an interest in butchering and trying different types of meats, and I don’t think he could be more excited to be able to share this world with me.
I’ve come into contact with Spotted Trotter at a number of farmer’s markets, but hadn’t given their product a whirl yet. Until the boyfriend grilled up a sausage and I found myself begging for a bite. And it was as good as I thought it might be! We’ve had a number of their sausages, bacon (out of this world!), stuffed quail, and stuffed lamb roll. The guys behind the counter are super laid-​back and are happy to answer any questions you might have.
Every product we’ve had from Spotted Trotter has been well worth the price for the quality, and we love to be able to give them our business. They’re opening a restaurant and cheese shop in Krog Street Market, so we’re looking forward to experiencing that as well!

The guys at Spotted Trotter have completely changed my thoughts on high-​end packaged meats, charcuterie, great cheeses, and how all of these can become an artful arrangement. I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing their wonderful work at several events and have picked up many of their dried meats, beef jerky, and other items from around town at other vendors.
The shop is just magical. Located right off of Hosea L Williams, really close to the middle school, with a great deal of parking out front. As soon as you walk in, the aroma of all things beef, pork, smoke, spice, age, and aromatic hits your nostrils. It’s a wonderland of smells met with a wonderful array of things to look at in the deli case and on the giant TV with the day’s menu. Both Kevin and Scott are great guys and will help you figure out exactly what you’re in the mood for.
They really have it all — sausages, steaks, bacon, pork, chicken… you name it. They have tons of variety within each protein family, too. My recommendation would be to know what you’d like to prepare, whether grilling, roasting, what have you, and let the guys help you find what you’re looking for.
One of the places we tend to pick up some small items from is Ale Yeah in Decatur. They have a nice array of salamis and cheese to make a board to go along with your beer selections.
The Spotted Trotter will change every way you’ve viewed high-​end meats. Pick up their products around town at a farmer’s market or at the shop. So good.

Small shop with a somewhat small selection (especially of cuts of meat), but what they have is very good. Love the andouille.

Lots of fun for carnivores, this is a fabulous place to buy meat. It’s nice to know when my purchases have impact on local people, small shops, and regional farms. I feel really good about the meat served here and everything I’ve bought has been super tasty.
I’ve tried the following:
Brasstown steaks, North Carolina cheeses, rabbit boudin, pork belly wrapped rabbit crepinettes, bacon, andouille (best ever!), chorizo, jerky, and… (drumroll!) ground beef with bacon trimmings. The latter made for the baconiest burger I’ve made.
I highly recommend the Spotted Trotter for its variety, cleanliness, and the obvious passion for quality.

I live close by, and everything I’ve ever tried from here has been AWESOME!!! I’ve had the dry age ribeyes, strips, and hanger steaks. They’ll cut them to your specifications, and they grill up perfectly.
The sausages are awesome, and the variety they have is impressive; Italian sweet & hot, lamb merguez, rabbit boudin, chorizo, andouille (and those are just the staples, menu changes weekly).
The salumi is also fantastic.
Everything they do is top notch, all the guys that work in the store are super-​friendly and knowledgeable.
The only downside is the price; it does get a little expensive, but it’s worth it.

I’m new to the area and have been looking for a meat market or store to get beef jerky at. I found this place on Unilocal and wanted to give it a try.
I waited in line for about 15 min to taste test the 2 different jerkys they sell. (only one person in fount of me, but the 2 people behind the counter were both helping that 1 customer)
Finally one of the guys came over to help us. He was very nice and gave both my mother and I a taste test. Unfortunately both of the beef jerkys were terrible. Everybody has different tastes, but neither my mom or I liked the meat there. And at about $ 26 a lbs… I would need to really love it to get it.
So while some might like this place… it’s not for me.
Better luck to the next person!

I just made some crepinettes and went into another flavor universe… again. I swear it’s like doing meat LSD.
Not only is every single thing I’ve gotten over at the Grant Park Farmer’s Market or their cute little store absolutely amazing, the guys behind the counter are extremely nice. I’m a poor grad student, but I will gladly pay premium because it’s local, the meat is treated right, and it’s way good. I don’t even try to make elaborate meals; the meat speaks for itself with an accompanying side salad.
I told parisians they were missing out. Sorry France. If you live in the ATL area, don’t skip over this store!

The Spotted Trotter produces the most exquisitely fine meat I’ve ever put in my mouth. I don’t care how dirty that sounds. It’s TRUE.
The gentlemen behind the counter were warm and personable, happy to offer up samples and eager to talk about the various cuts for sale. (Jonathan and Brad? I hope I’m getting that right. They were both nice.) I also met Kevin, the chef.
I ended up going home with the following:
Nduja (a spicy spreadable sausage)
Sorghum and black pepper salumi
Petit salami snack stick
Samples of their meat jerkys (southern stained and peppered umami)
Sweet/​Hot Italian sausage
Everything was just fantastic. I can’t rave about it enough. I cooked the Italian sausage my usual way, with homemade tomato gravy and spaghetti rigati. It was the best I’ve ever made. We’ve all seen Italian sausage in «hot» and «sweet» varieties, but never in the same batch. It was perfectly balanced; a little bit of heat, a little bit of sweet. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it.

I’ve met Brad at Decatur and Grant Park Farmer’s Markets and John in the store. They have both been extremely patient and courteous when discussing their products.
The meat is of the highest caliber. This is probably the best sausage I’ve ever had.
Things I have tried:
Chorizo
Lamb Merguez
Brandy Boudin
Salchichon del Diablo
Black Pepper Pork
Toulouse
Smoked Whole Chicken
The chorizo and the lamb merguez have been my favorites so far. Chorizo seasoning is usually a winner for me and their blend is on the mild side but allows you to enjoy the quality of the pork.
You can’t really go wrong here. It’s definitely not cheap, so start small with something you know you will like such as a few links of lamb or the new burger mix they came out with containing a special mix of brisket, chuck, and pork belly.

The only reason I can’t give this place five stars was the miserable man behind the counter. He sassed me when I asked questions, was purposefully vague, and very reluctant to help in any productive way. I’m by no means a salumi-​pro, and I definitely got the vibe that he didn’t want me to be a part of his elite dried-​meat-​club.
That being said, it’s a very cute tiny place and the meats we did manage to get (had he been helpful I’m sure we would have bought more) were very good. The free jerky from the scoutmob was awesome, and we tried some chorizo and hanger steak (which may or may not have been grassfed? Upon inquiring, Mean Meat Man’s only response was «it’s natural»).
Pricey, but maybe that’s just what it costs? Great quality.

This is how it should be done! Local, healthy artisan meat. So glad that they have set up shop. Great service, dedicated professionals.
I am all for paying more for this level of quality, but had a bit of sticker shock after paying over $ 50 for a few pounds of sausages and some jerky. I ordered ahead online, and the prices are not listed. $ 16 a lb for lamb sausage? Whew. I do realize that it costs them more to do things right, so understand that they have to pass their costs on, and will continue to support them.
Lamb sausage was amazingly tender and delicious. Breakfast and cherry sausages were the best I’ve ever had. Chorizo=perfection (does have nitrates & nitrites, tho).
Have to say, not loving spicy paprika on pastrami-​overpowering. The meat itself was perfection. Bacon was seriously sour and jerky had mystery seasonings that I couldn’t completely place and didn’t love, either.
Sausages were the standouts in the last few visits.
Looking forward to trying the steak, chicken an crepinettes in the future.
Cheers~

Love, love this place.
I have had their meat at Deckard’s, and a friend cooked a meal for me recently with their rabbit boudin. I had to check the place out. The owners are incredibly nice folks. They gave us samples of 4 or 5 things in the case. The jerky is great. It tastes like a cow. Try the tasso as well. I purchased a couple of ribeye steaks, they are waiting to be cooked. But they are locally produced and dry-​aged. They definitely look better than any steaks I’ve purchased in recent memory in the city.

Their bacon is better than Benton’s and Pine Street Mkt’s! As a matter of fact, it is, without question, the best bacon I’ve ever had in my life!
Their pecan smoked pastrami is also heavenly good.
Looking for non-​hydrogenated lard for pies and pastries? Leaf lard is here, and they make it in house!
This place is an absolute gem. I love Pine Street Mkt, but I truly believe The Spotted Trotter has edged them out. Trotter is the best charcuterie in town!