Thuringer Meats

The meat and the produce are good, but the owner is very unpleasant, putting his ego above customer satisfaction. Once, a customer complimented the owner on his wonderful hair in a rather peculiar way, and I shared a spontaneous smile with the very friendly salesperson who was assisting me. I never saw that salesperson again... Today, I asked the owner if he could freshly cut some beef stew for me, but without a word, he took from the less fresh stock, went to the back, and mixed it with the new batch. When I confronted him about it, he insisted they always have fresh meat. If they truly have fresh meat, why couldn't he just cut me 4 pounds and leave the 'just as fresh' batch on the tray? Besides, if he had answered my question about cutting 4 pounds of fresh meat by saying it's all fresh, like he did last time, I would have chosen different meat. Very dishonest behavior. Well, the owner's ego won, and the store lost a customer who shopped there several times a week.

I have been to Thuringer Meats a couple of times during the summer and was very pleased with their products. Ordered a beef tenderloin for Christmas. I picked it up on the promised date (2 days before Christmas). It was delicious. It was a perfect cut, perfectly trimmed and tied with a fat cap added to keep the meat from drying out while cooking. Could not have asked for anything better.

Excellent butcher. Good selection of frozen prepared food. Big following. Easy parking. A cut above. ; )

I ordered a small prime rib. The quality was not prime. The medium rare roast (roasted according to directions on the package) was almost impossible to cut. It was filled with gristle and a huge amount of fat. It was very chewy--even difficult to chew. I ended up throwing most of the meat away. My guests left most of the meat on their plates, which was embarrassing. Based on this experience, I will never order a prime rib roast again. It was very expensive and very poor quality. I have never put such a disappointing holiday meal in front of my guests before this year.

I have visited Thuringer Meats only twice but each time was an awesome experience. The staff was friendly and welcoming and the interior was clean and well organized. The meat selection is extensive and they have some frozen options too. There are homemade meals that are also offered in the frozen foods cooler. The deli and other various meats are high quality and cut to order, when possible. The T-bone steaks I purchased grilled nicely and popped with flavor. The pork chops were fresh and tasty too. Looking forward to shopping here again soon!

All good except for very dry beef jerky. My go to snack when traveling. Van Hansen's or even better is thieleins, both in MN.

Friendly and efficient butcher shop. Superb quality meat and poultry. And they deliver

Great place and variety of products! Friendly staff to help with all of your questions! Highly recommend!

I love this place for cuts, deli, and frozen dinners. Can get a bit busy but line moves pretty fast. Make sure to take a number card. Reasonable prices.

Absolutely top shelf everything! Service! Selection! Quality! Staff! I can't say enough good things about this business! Wonderful experience every time I shop here and the meats are the best available

Love the steaks, frozen fish and some of the prepared meals for kids. Great place with nice customer service!

Great meats, always fresh. Also soups, sides and prepared frozen meals that are delicious. The butchers are knowledgeable and helpful.

Omg the Italian wedding soup, the chicken rice soup, the beef barley, the meatballs, the chicken pot pie, the lasagna, the veal parm And I'd I ever cook with chicken stock I use theirs! Plus great marrow bones for the pups. Awesome prime rib at Christmas two years in a row. Nowhere has the veal shank like they do for osso Bucco....and haven't event tried the burgers or sausages yet...great kind people. Best I've ever experienced

Great service, great meat! This business has been here for years. When my parents lived near by we use to split a 1/2 cow. Once I moved to the area naturally I stared buying from this gem!

I have visited Thuringer Meats only once but it was an awesome experience. The staff was friendly and welcoming and the interior was clean and well organized. The meat selection is extensive and they have some frozen options too. There are homemade meals that are also offered in the frozen foods cooler. The deli and other various meats are high quality and cut to order, when possible. The Ribeye steak I purchased grilled nicely and popped with flavor. The lamb loin chops were fresh and tasty too. Looking forward to shopping here again soon! 100% recommend!

If you haven't been here, you are missing out. The best of the best. Highlights are the beef tenderloin and the stuffed chicken for me. Great wings and bread stuffing too. The guys are all great people.

Fabulous service, quality meats. Love Thüringer. Been coming here for years and will continue !

Great meat, lovely service! Can think of nothing bad. In addition to fresh meat and sausages, they offer a wide variety of frozen items including fish, meat stock, chicken items.

I wanted to make my wife a Prime Rib dinner for her birthday, and I wanted to try a local dedicated butcher rather than just seeing what I could find at the grocery. I'd heard other people mention Thuringer, and it gets good reviews, so I checked it out. Thuringer's shop is well organized and efficiently run. I explained what I wanted and what I was doing, and the counter guy asked a couple of questions and made some suggestions. They cut rib roasts to order, so I had to wait about half an hour (they said next time I could call it in ahead of time). As I expected, the price was a bit more than I was used to paying at the grocery meat counter, but the roast...what a magnificent piece of prime beef. They had double-wrapped it then bagged it, and when I got it home I saw it had a proper fat cap, and they'd cut away the bones and tied them back on with twine, saving me the trouble (and doing a cleaner job). I haven't cooked it yet, but I already know I'll be going back to try some of their other offerings.

With all of this COVID-19 stuff going around, it was hard to find what I was looking for in the normal places. I remember going past this place probably 1000 times and I was wondering what it's like inside. I ended up finding exactly what I was looking for which happened to be four porterhouse steaks and then also picked up a package of frozen Hungarian bratwurst to cook at another time on my grill. I told the person helping me exactly what I was looking for and boy, did he hit the nail right on the head! I cooked the porterhouse steaks for an anniversary dinner, they were absolutely outstanding! A week later I cooked the Hungarian bratwurst, they were also extremely good. Can't wait to go back and explore my other meat options at this butcher. I would highly recommend checking out what they have so much better than at any grocery store or discount place such as Sam's Club or Costco.

This is the second year we have bought our New Year's Eve meat from Thuringer. Both the beef tenderloin and the prime rib were outstanding! The service is amazing and they made us feel valued and welcome. The rub they give with their meat was wonderful, and the experience of visiting is always fun! Highly recommended.

But all your meat from this place. Awesome. Great staff and management and quality meat. Be well. Happy New Year.

First time here and will be back for more meats. Burgers were flavorful and juicy. Today was a spin on our new grill with our first attempt at NY Strip. Strip cooked on our new grill, 3 minutes high heat per side, plus 4 minutes per side on indirect heat. AMAZING. Brats coming up tomorrow, expecting greatness.

Love everything about this store except this one thing. Is it just me or someone else is wondering why customers cannot see for themselves the weight of the meats they are purchasing on the scales? Only the butcher. Than he writes it down...Hmm...Very annoying and therefore I feel that they must be cheating and charging more. Otherwise why they would do so? I may be wrong but please turn on the scales for the customers to see how many pounds of meats we are actually buying.

This place has been around for a long time in Arlington Heights. We learned about it from a friend who always has delicious meat meals when she invites us over for dinner. If you want top quality meats, this is the place to come. It's one of those hidden gems and a great place to frequent if you don't want to fight the crowds at the meat counter at Mariano's on Northwest Highway. (This place is about 4 minutes south of there.) We've never gotten anything less than excellent meat from this place. You can also stop in here and have them make you a deli sandwich while you're out and about and want a quick lunch without having to eat 'fast food'. (They even have a refrigerator with soda.) And the premade meals they have are so convenient when you're looking for something to have for dinner on your way home from work. They also have complementary items like potatoes and onions along with sauces and breads. It's a great quick place to come if you want to put together a comfort food meals and don't feel like fighting the crowds at the grocery stores in order to do it.

I LOVE THE MEAT HERE!!! the skirt steak is the best thing i've ever tried!!! The business has been going for years, but a friend of mine recommended me the burgers!! And those were so good too!!10/10 Recommend

I liked this place a lot. Fantastic brats and Italian sausages! Owners we're kind and attentive. Definitely will return!

I ordered a goose in December 21, wanted 8 lbs., was told it doesn,t exist (it does!), minimum is 10 lbs., ordered a small one and received 14 lbs.! In over 80 years, I have never received such a bad product. Way too much fat! Although I had removed all visible fat inside, more than half a gallon of fat spilled to the pan after frying. It was definitely not "young" and "free range", at a cost of $150, The shop pretends to sell highest quality products at affordable prices (for the rich!).

I grew up in Madison WI always going to Kens Meat Market and I am so happy to say it's met it's match! Amazing cuts, great staff with awesome attitudes and good food that will keep the whole family happy! Can't wait to get back here for our isolation Memorial Day grilling!

Fantastic selection of fresh meats. Brisket from there was awesome on our smoker. Very friendly and helpful. Please do pay attention to their packaging. We bought a turkey London broil, removed the vacuum packed bag, baked it then discovered that it was wrapped in a second bag. Beautiful piece of meat we had to throw away, very sad.

Customer service is wonderful, their pre made frozen hamburger patties are moist and great taste. Our favorite is their chicken pot pie. Easy dinner and the gravy in the pot pie is so tasty! Smoked Polish sausage is perfect. Try this butcher!

I pass this shop all of the time and after reading great reviews on my neighborhood FB page, I decided to visit. Thuringer Meats is amazing! My kids, who hate everything, are raving about the chicken and steak that I brought home. The prices are competitive with grocery stores and the service was amazing. I haven't tried the frozen items yet, but the butcher told me that they were all homemade.

After living in Arlington Heights for over 25 years we went to Thuringer for the very first time. Really liked the selection of meats and fish. As we were telling the butcher what steaks we wanted it was to my surprise that he picked up the steaks with his bare hands. This totally turned me off! Where are your gloves! You would think that a place like this would handle their meat in a professional way especially when customers are standing right in front of you. Very disappointing. Will not be back!

Excellent butcher shop. Tried ribs, meatballs, chicken legs and thighs, and a great porterhouse steak. Will definately be back next time I am.in the area.

Great selection of meats and prepared meals! The worker who helped us with our selections was super helpful and made sure we found exactly what we were looking for. Would highly recommend stopping in!

Can't think of a single thing my family has ever purchased here that wasn't exceptionally good. Wonderful skirt steaks, terrific burgers (they have a Skirt Steak Burger that's to die for); great place to order your Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey. Also great little assortment of side dish stuff, like rice mixes, even buttercrust rolls from Cumberland Bakery, NW Hwy in Des Plaines. Very helpful, friendly staff. Check 'em out!

I'm new to this area. Ordered Thanksgiving turkey breasts. They were delicious! Will use this store again.

A genuine, old-fashioned butcher shop: I'd thought they disappeared sometime during my childhood! But Thuringer's is alive and well, selling prime meats (I believe they make their own sausages). This is where we go to buy veal and other cuts of meat to make a special meal (we've bought the Thanksgiving turkey here for a few years, now). Their burgers and Sheboygan brats are excellent (you'll never eat Johnsonville again), their cheeses and lunchmeat are tasty. As well, the shop sells frozen pre-made meals and side dishes to heat up for dinner. Service is outstanding; the owners know their customers and cater to them. If you want something they don't have, they can probably special order it for you.

Love this place. It is hard to find good meat in the burbs. They make their own sausage - the brats are awesome and love the Italian sausage. I agree with other review you will never eat Johnsonville again if you try these. Fresh ground beef made daily makes awesome burgers and is cheaper than Jewel and Dominick's. The seasoned prime rib roast is to die for - very tasty and tender. They have a lot of prepared foods and meals that are not loaded with sodium and preservatives that taste good. Service is great and they go out of their way to get you what you want. If you want something that is not in the cases Wally the owner will make it for you while you wait. Have been going there for years and have never been disappointed.

What's with the thick haze of cigarette smoke that assaults you the moment you walk in? Didn't stay to learn more about this place.

Wish I'd been here before the stay home order so I knew exactly what they had because what we did order was all awesome. We ordered skirt steaks, boneless chicken, flank steaks, and ground sirloin. Absolutely wonderful customer service and curbside pickup. Wholly recommend.

Hands down best steaks around, and frozen food section will keep any husband and working mom great cook out of microwave. Support local business instead of big chains. Amazon is killing our way of life. Guys keep it up.

My husband and I were hankering for some good steak, and I stumbled upon this butcher shop on yelp. I am so glad that I went. Got the bone-in rib eye. It was definitely pricier than what I am used to (it was 16.90 per pound today) but the meat was absolutely beautiful. I pan fried the steak (we shared one- ut was plenty for both of us! We have one left in the fridge) and it was the most tender steak I have ever had, even compared to aged steaks at popular steak restaurants. I will definitely be back!!

Most amazing meat that I've had. Such a good quality and their customer service is phenomenal. I've yet to be disappointed with anything I've had. My favorites are their ground turkey meat and breakfast sausages patties but everything super amazing. Even during the pandemic, great curbside service! Please support them!

For years we have ordered a Barber fresh turkey from Thuringer for both Thanksgiving & Christmas and this past year was no exception. However, this will be the last time we frequent Thuringer. They bait and switched our product, refused to admit their mistake and we experienced the worst customer service I have *ever* encountered. My family ordered a Barber fresh turkey for pick up on December 23rd. When we picked up the turkey it looked different. We asked the employee to double check & ensure it was a Barber. He took the turkey in the back room and came out and assured us it was, in fact, a Barber. It weighed 23.59 pounds & we paid $77.61. The next day we started to prepare the bird for brining. We noticed that it did not look the same as all the other turkeys we have prepared over the years. For one thing, it was not shrink wrapped with the Barber logo. It also had a pop-up thermometer and the neck, giblets, etc. that are found inside Barber birds were all missing. At that point we decided to call Thuringer. They told us if we were not happy with our turkey to bring it over & they would exchange it for us. They said had a 20 pound Barber turkey available for us to switch. Within 20 minutes we were at Thuringer to exchange the bird. To make a very long story short, they held true to their claim that it was a Barber, would not exchange it, and we were told that the owner was in back and was too busy to come out and talk to us. We at least wanted an explanation as to where all the stuff found inside the bird went. The only explanation we were given was that the turkey had to be "repackaged". At the least, we wanted to know why our turkey had to be "repackaged" and were told again that the owner was too busy to come out & give us an explanation. To make matters worse, they wanted to charge us a second time for our turkey! Two different employees insisted that we owed another $77 for the turkey when in reality, they watched us walk into the store with it! We personally called Barber Farms and found out that it definitely was not a Barber turkey. They always come shrink wrapped (identifying it as a Barber) and they NEVER have pop-up thermometers. I was told that pop-up thermometers are a sign of a frozen turkey. They always include the neck, etc inside the bird. The Barber representative told me that it appeared as though I was sold a frozen bird that was thawed and wrapped up and sold as a fresh bird, at a fresh bird price. Our turkey was the worst turkey we have ever served. It was extremely dry (which is also a sign of a frozen turkey). I firmly believe we were victims of a bait & switch - and Barber, it seems, would agree. I paid almost $80 for a bird that I believe was not a fresh turkey but was, in my opinion, a frozen bird. We will never buy a turkey (or anything else) from Thuringer again & strongly suggest you do not either. And one has to wonder what else is going on over there with their other products. I was extremely disappointed in them as we have been going to them for years & it makes me sad to see how they have treated long-time customers. I will be finding another meat market and I suggest you do the same.

Bought some spicy/regular italian sausages. They were top notch on a daytime barbecue in fall. Super moist and super flavorful. Apparently they're made there in shop. Also had some beef jerky. It, too, was awesome - but who doesn't like REAL beef jerky?! Highly reccomended for sure. i go back as often as I can.

The one thing I have noticed with all the reviews is how great the reviews are for they're meats, and its true, the meat is amazing. However, the one thing everyone missed is how amazing their deli meats and salads are also. The lunch meats are super fresh and high quality and the salads are delicious. The Tuna, Chicken Salad, Seafood Salad, Cole Slaw and Various Potato salads are really a treat. I have never had anything from here that has disappointed! They have a variety of burgers and they are all so delicious. You can't go wrong here, top quality, delicious and for a Butcher Shop, decent prices.

AMAZING! I just love this place! The meat is so fresh and so good. They have a fantastic selection of precooked meals that you can buy and just heat up which is super convenient. Also, the salads are the best I've had particularly their chicken, seafood and macaroni salads. Service is also great and I trust all of those guys to give me a good recommendation.

While the meats and prepared food are top-notch here, I only gave 4 stars due to the staff. Whenever I go in they are all rushy, rushy even when there are a handful of people in there. They seem bothered by even QUICK questions about their meats and how to prepare them. After all, isn't this the reason one goes to the local butcher for a more personal experience than a big box grocery chain?? I find I get better input from other customers about their products then from them. I actually feel a bit anxious to go in there at times because I am not certain what to expect from the staff. I will say today there was a VERY helpful and nice lady there whom I have never seen before. They could use a few more like her to service the customers with a more friendly and patient attitude. Heck, I think they may get more customers with these changes, as well! Win-win for everyone!

The only thing missing from this great old school butcher shop is the sawdust on the floor! The staff is super friendly and knowledgable. Besides the great a selection of fresh meats ,you can also get a variety of frozen marinated meat as well as sides. I had them make a Turducken for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Their stuffed chicken breast is out of this world! Check out this place before your next trip to Jewel or Mariano's... You might just be skipping over their meat section.

Support small business! Support these old-school, ma and pa type establishments. Thuringer's is easy to pass - it's in an odd location, amid auto repair shops and kitchen furnishing stores, but that's part of the charm. You will feel like you've entered into a butcher/deli shop from days of old. If you're a bratwurst fan, they have a variety of different kinds from the aforementioned Sheybogan to a Cheddar stuffed one. You can also get sandwiches made, purchase a variety of pre-marianted chicken breasts, and grab a jar of unique spicey mustard in your stop. The help is efficient and friendly. This is a must-stop for grill gatherings any time of year! You'll also find conveniences like butter, potatos, and pasta here as well. Prices are reasonable. Check them out!

When I called in on my anniversary and asked for a 2" thick porterhouse their response was, "What time would you like to pick it up?" The steaks are delicious and I haven't met a sausage there I won't eat. It's the only sausage fest I get excited about.

Highest quality meat around. Their steaks are to die for! Stop by for a visit, you will not be disappointed.

I really want to like this place -- small, local business; friendly/helpful staff; close to my home; and a wide selection of meats both fresh and prepared. However, you walk into the meat market and it smells strongly of cigarette smoke. The staff claimed to a friend who complained that it was the smoke from their meat smoker but we know the difference between a cigarette smoke smell and 'smoked meat' smell. And, on a recent visit the person who waited on me had his cigarettes hanging out of a shirt pocket. I know this violates the Illinois Clean Indoor Air Act and who knows about food prep laws. I'll probably be driving a longer distance to go to another small-business meat market. Too bad!

Truly an exceptional business. it appears that every employee is efficient, friendly, knowledgeable and focused on making you happy. I've now gone from just an occasional customer to a rather dedicated patron. We've compared to other butchers, Mariano's, etc. Without exception the product here is better than elsewhere. Add the customer service and it makes no sense to go elsewhere. I do not know why but even the ground beef is a completely different level of meat. I have never been so consistently surprised at how pleasant really good meat can be. You can call in and have what you want wrapped and ready to go. Special orders are no problem. Better product and better customer service cost more so be willing to pay for it - what is great is that the premium is small. This is a local business that is doing everything right. Support your local business and enjoy the compliments you will receive for your great tasting meal.

Wally and the crew are great guys. Terrific customer service. Now onto the IMP stuff. Their meat is 100% better than what's avail in the supermarket. Their chicken is even better. Try them out...you'll become a regular like me.

This is the kind of old school German butcher shop that you just don't see anymore. They make their own sausages, which are all excellent (their veal brats are the best I've ever had - including Usinger's). Special orders are no problem (I make my family's Polish sausage recipe for Christmas and Easter and they will sell you the best natural casings I've ever used). I used to live nearby, but I've since moved to the City. I stop by whenever I'm in the area and I have occasionally gone to AH just to go here. The sausage is that good. If you live nearby, you have no excuse to buy meat at Jewel.