Bisher’s Quality Meats

Nice local spot to get what you need. If you don’t feel like going to Costco this is definitely the next best spot. I have to admit, Costco’s meat is just as good if not better, and cheaper, but I like to support small businesses from time to time. Quality is good, service is quick, and they’re hardly ever busy when I’m there. Beats the long check out line at the club when I just need to grab a couple chops.

Drove all over looking for some pork belly, finally found it here! Kid behind the counter was super friendly, was in and out within a minute.

I gave a call to ask specifically if they carry grass-​fed & finished beef. They said yes. I drove 45 minutes, arrived, and then was talked to condescendingly about how «all» cattle eat grass when they are young and the labeling of grass-​fed is ridiculous and there is only one place in all of San Diego that provides this, and they are super expensive. So basically I am an idiot. That was the gist of it.
I informed him that there are several sources of grass fed beef, including multiple locations of Jimbo’s, and that I called Bisher’s because I was looking to take business to a place closer to my commuting route. The Bisher’s guy is welcome to prefer corn fed beef, my choice for one of my family is due to some medical restrictions, but I really resent being deliberately lied to so that I can drive to buy something specific, and only then to be «preached» at by someone who thinks my shopping list is dumb.
I am sure that they have some quality meats, because I know the Ramona location has always had good support of locals where I live, but this experience was simply mean. Everyone has a right to eat what they want, but let’s please just be a little bit respectful when others have preferences different than yours. Lying and being rude should not be the way anyone operates a small business. And honestly, if they had said «no» in the phone call, I would have found other reasons to pop in and shop because only one in our family is all grass-​fed focused. I know it’s hard to find those sources, which was why I called and asked before I made the trip. And yes it may be expensive to get this type of meat, but some of us — and I know it is shocking — are in fact willing to pay for it. But this service experience will keep me from ever walking in their place again. I hope someone who cares at this location will see this review and take some «service» classes to help because from a few of these reviews I see that the product quality is good — and the complaints seem to be coming from the people side and not the meat side. Maybe the ones who are not good at communicating nicely can be moved to the back. I hate posting negative reviews, but this one really deeply bothered me.

Surly and poor customer service, as well as being overpriced.
Costco has much better meat and the prices are fantastic in comparison. If you are looking for a great butcher shop (there are very few left), try Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad — they have a fantastic selection and nothing is too much trouble for the staff who work there.

Overpriced and just not very pleasant — the guys at Stater Brothers are great and so is the meat!

Great meats and a great staff. We live about an hour away and it’s well worth the drive!

I placed an order via email (I like to test small businesses on how well the deal with online communication) my order was a whole rabbit, elk medallions and buffalo hot dogs. Surprisingly, I got a confirmation that my order was received within an hour or so! Great start so far! However he failed to answer my question about how much my order would be… so I emailed again, nothing. Oh well, we will see how it goes when we pick up the order. Walked in and quickly realized all the exotic meats are frozen without weights posted on the packaging and no information as too where the meats are from (except for a few items that were from wholesalers out of state). I was greeted while looking at the fresh meats (beef, pork, the usual stuff you see) I asked about my order and the gentleman inquired if they had received my order to a woman that immediately turned defensive and rude to the staff saying that she didn’t get any such order from me. I calmly said «it was a gentleman that had returned my email» OH! she said, it must have been HIM. (pointing to a very nice man that helped us out, despite the staff that seemed to hate him). He collected our frozen order while I told him I could collect our own order and was just hoping they had fresh products when pre-​ordered, no such luck. 1 star for selection of exotic meats albeit, frozen. 1 star for the one lone gentleman that rose above the grumpy staff and was helpful.
I’m in search of alternative butchers in San Diego that might be able to supply a better buying experience at much better prices. If I can’t find one, I might be back. Bishers is VERY EXPENSIVE, at least with their exotic meats (I’ve got much better sources for beef)
BTW, whole frozen rabbit is 13.99 a pound, frozen buffalo dogs are 10.99 a pound and frozen elk is 34.99 a pound… needless to say, I didnt buy the elk. I might be off a little on cost per pound, but my final bill was $ 77 for a 3# rabbit and 2# buffalo dogs.
Please respond if you have recommendations for other butchers that have exotic meats at better prices and a staff that doesnt seem to hate each other.

Great selection of meats but pretty pricey. The teriyaki beef kabobs were my boyfriend’s favorite. The three different brats we got were all good and the venison port sausages were sweet and rich. I bought my third bag of beef jerky that morning… Whatever brand it was that they had on a huge center display. I got the cranberry jalapeño flavor. Not very fruity but nice natural texture and meatiness.
No complains overall.

I went to them to just check it out. I have heard they were there for a while they were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Amazing sandwich deli!!! Actual meat is very pricey but the best tasting meat around. You get what you pay for!

Outstanding quality, worth the drive. They used to be down Midland by the hamburger place and Old Poway Park. Excellent beef and chicken and all kinds of exotic frozen meat and good frozen fish. Plan ahead and order your holiday turkey or ham from Bisher’s. Not inexpensive but definitely worth it – head and shoulders above any meat you’ll find at the local supermarkets.

Came here with a groupon… (you get the idea).
The reviews alone were enough to deter me from purchasing the groupon, but when I saw that they had some exotic meats (venison, elk, etc) I figured that I could avoid the meat counter and go that route. My girlfriend and I both bought groupons and gave it a shot.
Meat selection: subpar! their rib eyes looked terrible, Siesel’s /​Costco will blow them out of the water any day of the week.
Customer service: once they saw the paper groupons, it was over. The guys were being so friendly to a person I assumed was a regular, then when it was me it was a complete 180. Or maybe they are just bipolar?
Long story short– I got some venison/​elk priced at 11.99/lb, and my girlfriend got some buffalo burgers. They accused us of using the same groupon (going off of the date at which they expire as evidence– ok sir, we bought them on the same day), where I got defensive and pulled out my second groupon. No apology or anything just a rude tone, like I was hassling them. DON’T OFFER GROUPONS IF YOU DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO USE THEM!
Needless to say I ripped up my other groupon after I got to my car. Not worth the hassle. They rubbed me the wrong way so much, that I felt obligated to write my first review.

Great sandwiches and selection. Just wish they had more organic options or grassfed beef.

The meat selection here is fantastic and the service is great. My girlfriend and I bought one of the group on deals that they had just so we can try their meats and I will definitely go back here whenever I am looking for a marinated steak or chicken. Also if you go in here don’t be discouraged by the prices because they are a little high but you are paying for the quality of meat which is better than what you will find in the grocery store. Also the butcher actually knows his meat knowledge and they will season it for you if you ask nicely. Overall great stuff we tried the teriyaki chicken kebabs, a few rib eye steaks and there stuffed Mushrooms. Those stuffed mushrooms are huge and delicious! Keep it up and we will be back soon.

Been going here for over 6 years, now not so much. Jeff (the owner) is only happy when he’s miserable and carries a «I win, you lose» attitude around much of the time. He’s a micro manager and won’t give his employees any power to make a decision. Plus the younger ones try to emulate his attitude and the overall vibe doesn’t work.
Unlike recent reviewers I have had only one problem with the meat, in probably over 100 trips. But service needs a tune up and the place stays pricey, even more so now with the surge in wholesale meat prices. Bacon is good, the sausages are also good, but if you can buy in bulk, get your beef at Costco.

. I happened to walk in during a particularly busy time of day and it was blatantly clear that I was being discriminated against. I stood patiently waiting to be helped, to no avail. When finally I was acknowledged, I was asked, «What do you want?» I found this extremely rude because the person before me and the person after me were greeted in a much more hospitable fashion.
This is the first time in my adult life that I have experienced a blatant discrimination. As I stood there waiting, I contemplated leaving. But I became more and more curious as to how/​when I would be addressed.
Ultimately, the food here is good. But I will not be returning to this establishment. Too bad, my family loves a good steak. Find another small business to support.

Awful customer service. A sign on the door said to mention your Groupon if you will be using one, before you place your order. Apparently that is their signal for chastising a customer and providing horrible service.
The 20-​something behind the counter was a complete smart ass. I told him I’d never been there before and asked him to give me a rundown on their store and popular items. I am familiar with Seisel’s and Iowa meats but had never been here before and i always ask employees for their opinions. After all, who would know more than them about their products? Through his gum chewing (or snack remnants) he was short and seemingly annoyed that I was bothering him (there was no one else in the store at 4pm on Sunday).
After some small talk and me trying to figure out if he was being intentionally rude or if it was a character flaw, I asked about the ribeye steaks. Surprised at the $ 18.99/lb price he told me that if I want cheap meat that I’m in the wrong place then proceeded to throw a prepackaged chunk of marinating chicken on the scale and said that my Groupon would work for that.
I guess I was still trying to figure this guy out when I asked for a recommendation on a good sausage and he pointed to the shrimp sausage. I asked of it had a deep «fish» flavor. He replied «yeah, its shrimp.» Then chuckled and just stared at me showing his annoyance.
It was clear to me at that point that I was in the wrong place to spend my money. I turned around and walked out. There were a few other exchanges that seemed odd but overall, the kid was simply unpleasant and very intentional with his remarks and attitude.

Amazing meat selection. I’ve come here twice for the sandwiches which are good. (Poway has NOWHERE to go for any respectable deli sandwich). HOWEVER the kids who make the sandwiches are very polite but VERRRY verrrrrrry very slow. I’ve had 2 diff boys & each has taken over 15 minutes to make a sandwich. Meats great, thy also have dog bones, fresh turkeys for thanksgiving and a ton of spices.

Been a loyal customer for years, have been recommending them to friends and family as «the best butcher shop in Poway». Unfortunately I tried their Groupon deal and experienced a similar issue to another Unilocaler — ruined by terrible customer service.
Was greeted by two Bisher’s employees, mentioned my wife and I would be using the Groupon deals individually — they said that would be fine, and we proceeded to place two separate orders.
During checkout a young man helped us at the register, he rang me up, wrote down my Groupon details in a ledger, and then bagged my order.
When my wife got to the register the owner came over to ‘help’. He chastised her, saying she could only use one Groupon per visit, and told his employee to ring her up at full price. I pointed out that she was using one Groupon during her visit, but he started giving me grief — right in front of a line of customers.
He told the young man at the register to get out of his way so he could ring up the order and deduct the Groupon. The young man asked for the ledger details, but the owner said «just don’t worry about it, we’ll sort that out later». He handed my wife her order without bagging it, and started helping the customer behind her. he was in such a rush my wife had to remind him he needed her signature.
Never seen this individual before, always had great service, and great quality meat, but this experience completely ruined it.

So the sausages are good. I especially love the Cajun shrimp sausage!
But…service apparently varies which is why 3 star rating.
I was helped tonight by a nice lady who was very sweet and attentive. When she went to ring me up at the cashier, she fumbled a little with the Groupon book. No big deal. But then, a man, I presume the owner, came over and was very rude to her, told her she was screwing things up and asked her to move aside so he could fix it! How unprofessional and rude! Work out your personnel issues behind the scene. Don’t embarrass your employees in front of customers!
I had my «go to» Amex out. The sign right on the register says Amex. I’m used to being told «We don’t take that,» but there was a sign that said they did. The presumed owner said, «No, I don’t take that.» I said, «No problem, but your sign says you do.» He leans over, crosses out the amex logo with a sharpie and says «I’m done with their fees, plus I’m giving you a discount.» Really? Maybe a lesson in customer service could be beneficial. I didn’t ask for the Groupon. You, sir, made it available. If you don’t like giving discounts, don’t sell groupons! Come on!
So if I didn’t have a Groupon, I don’t think this place is worth the rude service from presumed owner.
The nice lady, however, smiled sweetly and said, «He’ll ring you up with a smile.» I love that she recognized he was being a jerk and still smiled. Props to the sweet lady. Thumbs down to the rude man!

Their chorizo is excellent. I cooked up a batch, I didn’t see an ounce of orange grease or chunks of fat or gristle. The flavor was spot-​on with just the right amount of spiciness. Went perfect with eggs and cheese. I’ve never been disappointed with this business and will be a regular customer.

I love a good butcher shop and I really want to love this one since it is in my area but it just doesn’t make the mark. I actually try hard to love it and go back time after time to give it another chance but it’s always a disappointment. The shop stinks and doesn’t appear clean, service is awkward at best and you leave questioning the freshness of the meat. If you want the real deal, don’t be lazy, fill up your tank and head to Bisher’s Ramona.

The only negative thing to comment is how slow the attendants were to wrap up our selections; kind of an old-​school charm, but yes – slow. Now the meat, however, is exactly as the store is named – QUALITY! Picked up bacon, chicken cordon bleu, pork chops, Polynesian pork skewers and ranch chicken — all AMAZING. It’s a bit of a ways from the brothers house in San Diego, but well worth the trip!

Great selection of meats and even sell bones for dogs. My dogs have been chewing on their bones for the past hour and haven’t stopped.
I tried their italian hoagie as I saw an advertise it and it was good. It was sloppy but a tad salty.
Prices are high but you get what you paid for. Besides, they are a small business, which I try to support when I can.