Toronto butcher shops are an integral part of our neighbourhoods, and any self respecting meat eater can tell you that the quality and knowledgeable service they provide is invaluable. These meat mongers are a cut above your average grocer; they know the provenance of each animal and dispense cooking tips too.

Here are my picks for the top butcher shops in Toronto by neighbourhood.

Annex

Bespoke Butchers is a neighbourhood shop committed to selling grass-fed beef and lamb, certified organic chickens, and heritage breed pigs. Aside from top notch cuts of raw meat, find the shop stocked with cured meats, cheese, breads, house-made marinades, and condiments.

Baby Point

Butcher by Nature has built relationships with local co-op family run farms and suppliers to ensure only the best quality of meat products are found in their shop.

Beaches

Rowe Farms operates multiple retail locations and has distribution deals with grocers across the GTA. The shop is an excellent source for fresh pork, lamb, beef and poultry as well as frozen convenience foods like meatballs, burgers, and chicken wings.

Bloor West Village

Take a number at the Bloor Meat Market and wait your turn at this old school butcher that has been in business since 1929. Locals love the enticing cuts of meat and sage advice offered by the friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Bloorcourt

Find a smorgasbord of chops, tenderloins and ground on-demand meats at Vince Gasparro's Meat Market on Bloor. Aside from the ample selection at the butcher counter, look forward to buffalo mozzarella, unfiltered olive oil, free-range eggs and much more.

Cabbagetown

St. Jamestown Steak & Chops on Parliament prides itself on carrying high quality cuts at excellent value. Find everything from hand-made specialty sausages to house marinated meats and kebabs.

Castlefield Design District

Speducci Mercatto is a full service butcher counter that deals in premium products and makes its specialty dry aged Tomahawk rib steaks and triple A ribeye steaks.

Danforth

Ella's Meat Market is a cozy little family-run butcher shop located on Pape. The store specializes in meat, olives, cheese and frozen goods.

Danforth East

Royal Beef is a butcher shop that's been around for decades. The store sources their meat from small Ontario farms. Their standards focus on humanely raised beef, lamb, chicken, and pork.

Dundas West

Family-owned butcher shop Salsicharia Pavao is a fixture in Little Portugal and a longtime Toronto source for imported Portuguese groceries and freshly prepared meats.

When The Pig Came Home serves up more than just deli sandwiches. Photo by Jesse Milns.

East York

Fresh From the Farm is a grocer on Donlands that partners with Ontario farmers to provide organic and/or hormone-free foods. The one-stop shop carries an ample selection of roasts and steaks, and ground meats.

Etobicoke

From classic cuts of steaks to duck and bison burgers, Royal York Meat Market has you covered. All of their meats are hormone free and naturally raised by local Amish farms across the province.

Junction

When The Pig Came Home is not just a desintation for a tasty meal. Along with their signature sandwiches, the shop is stocked with charcuterie, house aged steaks and even pantry items.

Kensington Market

Sanagan's Meat Locker is a local favourite for beautifully butchered cuts, housemade sausages, and charcuterie.

Lesilieville

Meating on Queen at the corner of Jones and Queen is a small but well stocked butcher and grocer with fresh beef, sausages, salmon, chicken and other items perfect for a barbecue.

Little India

Stock-in-Trade is a butcher and food store where the display case shows off selections of pork, chicken, beef, rabbit and lamb. The shop serves properly raised, hormone and stimulant-free meat.

Little Italy

The butcher case at Grace Meat Market is stocked with traditional cuts, while the store is packed to the brim with deli meats, cheeses, and pantry items like imported pastas, sauces, spices, and marinades.

North York

Eddystone Meats boasts a huge meat counter along with a line of cheeses, olives, and ready-to-eat hot table selections. The shop specializes in porchetta and makes delectable hot sandwiches.

Ossington

Cote de Beouf is a Parisian-style butcher shop devoted to showcasing local Ontario and Quebec product. Aside from groceries, find fresh and frozen take-away foods.

Parkdale

Chantecler Boucherie is a butcher shop coming from the folks behind Chantecler. Incredible cuts aren't all you'll find here, though. The shop also employs an aging program, makes their own sausages, pickles, pates, terrines, charcuterie and sandwiches.

No matter the meat you're searching for Roast will have it. Photo by Jesse Milns.

Queen West

The Healthy Butcher operates multiple locations and each is committed to selling fresh, locally grown meat from cattle that graze in large pastures, and chickens with access to both indoors and outdoors.

Riverside

Butchers of Distinction opened in 2013 and prides itself on offering direct farmer-to-customer service. The shop engages in 'whole animal' butchery, with all meat cutting, trimming and aging done on site.

Roncesvalles Village

The Meat Department has skilled butchers on staff that will happily accommodate requests and supply everyday staples like organic deli meats, prepared foods, gourmet sauces and condiments.

Rosedale

Ollife works directly with the best farmers and individual producers from Ontario, Saskatchewan and PEI to source beef, game, poultry and lamb. Staffing some of Toronto's finest and most sage butchers allows for custom butchery and informative customer interactions.

Scarborough

Kostas Meat Market and Deli on Ellesmere at Warden is a Greek butcher that's home to a wide selection of meats at fair prices. Not to be missed are house specialties like souvlaki skewers and tzatziki.

St. Clair West

Roast is a premium butcher shop where top grade, organic and/or naturally-raised raw meats are available alongside a wide array of fine foods and chef-prepared meals for take-away.

St. Lawrence Market

Choosing just one butcher in St. Lawrence Market is almost an impossible task, and while some of the meat counters have various strengths, Diliso's Fine Meats offers a broad selection that includes aged beef, fresh pork, lamb, milk fed veal and poultry.

West Queen West

Cumbrae's retail outpost on the west side is a marvel to behold. A shrine to meat, it's stocked with premium cuts of beef, pork and poultry supplied by a network of Ontario farms. There's also a wall of prepared foods that's a blessing for those that don't like to start from scratch.

Yonge & Eglinton

The Butcher's Son is shocked with superior, restaurant-style cuts. Expect to find a wide range of beautifully marbled top cuts of beef, traditionally raised chicken, Ontario pork and lamb, and a superb selection of game meats such as duck, quails, venison, elk and more.

Yonge & Lawrence

The Friendly Butcher has been in business since 1996 dealing in locally raised products from Ontario farms. The onsite production kitchen stocks the shop with easy meal solutions too — expect to find prepared foods like steak sandwiches, potato latkes and chili.