Ten Local Butcher Shops For When You Want to Cook Paddock-to-Plate Produce at Home
Find the perfect steak, house-made snags, French-trimmed cutlets or rack of ribs.
Ten Local Butcher Shops For When You Want to Cook Paddock-to-Plate Produce at Home
Find the perfect steak, house-made snags, French-trimmed cutlets or rack of ribs.
Trying to work out how many kilos of lamb shoulder you'll need to feed six? Not sure what type of sausage to use in that pasta recipe? Don't know the difference between grain- and grass-fed? One of the best parts about going to a Sydney butcher (aside from getting the freshest cuts of meat) is having a chat with the knowledgeable staff.
Butchers know their product, from the whole beast to small goods, and will be able to answer all your carnivorous quandaries. And whether you're shopping for minced meat, French-trimmed cutlets or a rack of ribs, you'll want to talk to your butcher about free-range, local and ethical options, too. To help you find the best Sydney butcher near you, we created this list of our favourite local spots scattered all over our fine city.
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Tucked away from the bustle of Hall Street is this excellent Sydney butcher. The guys from Field to Fork love to chat all things meat — whether it’s what you’re going to be cooking up at home, or about the meat in the fridges, much of which is grass-fed, cage-free and raised without hormones. Alongside its selection of red meats and poultry, are hot, cooked meals like sticky lamb ribs and slow-braised lamb shanks. The butchers is also known for its South African-style dried meats — the biltong is legendary, spicy and moreish, while the droëwors (a traditional dried coriander-seed spiced boerewors sausage) is meaty, tender and addictive.
Image: Yael Stempler
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This Miranda-based butcher puts an emphasis on provenance and transparency, to help support Australian livestock farmers. Along with showcasing meats, it also shares its support of specialty farms, including the Gourmet Goat Lady, Bergalia Beef, Camden Valley Veal, Canowindra Farm Chicken, Maremma Free Range Ducks and Leadoux Turkey. To this end, you can find beautiful hunks of veal osso bucco, free-range butterflied chickens and marbled wagyu rump cap. It also has a great selection of bottled goods, including Truff Hot Sauce, McLure’s Pickles, Malfroy Gold Honey, and Old Bones smoked garlic chilli sauce — helping rise up the ranks of the best butchers in Sydney.
Image: Leigh Griffiths
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This slick shopfront beholds one of the best butchers in Sydney. Service comes with a smile, and the black-tie and navy apron-sporting butchers are more than happy to talk you through the plentiful carnivorous goods. Owner Stef Millin took over the shop from Stephen Penny in 2018, and he’s set on honouring each animal through the traditional art of butchery. House specialties include dry-aged beef, smoked ham legs (from the on-site smoker) and English-style sausages. Semi-prepared meals are also a local favourite and include chicken kiev, veal involtini and lamb curry, as well as a selection of its own sausage rolls, stocks and soups.
Image: Leigh Griffiths
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Open since 2000, this Cronulla-based butcher is all about offering affordable, quality meats. The classic Sydney butcher offers hormone-free whole chooks, easy-to-cook skewers, thick rib-eye steaks, tender lamb backstraps and a range of sausages. It’s the sort of butcher you can walk into with absolutely no clue about what you want to buy, then walk out with a bag full of meat and some solid cooking inspiration. You’ll also find local eggs and seasoning options here, too.
Image: Leigh Griffiths
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This Bondi butcher focuses on grass-fed beef, and has been serving up organic meat and poultry to the Bondi community for 21 years. Alongside all the different beef cuts, you’ll also find lemon, thyme and garlic seasoned half chooks, French veal saucisson, gluten-free crumbed schnitzels and smoked chicken breasts. After a snag? There are 20 different kinds, including Italian pork, sweet chilli chicken and Sicilian pork and fennel sausages. These guys also specialise in an interesting selection of specialty meats, including camel steaks, venison, crocodile tail fillet and even emu meat.
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Ever wanted to enjoy sous vide (meat that’s been vacuum-packed and carefully cooked in a water bath) at home? Ribs & Roast is an Australian-owned company, which wholly focuses on pre-cooked restaurant quality sous-vide meats. Rather than being a traditional Sydney butcher, they do half the work for you, carefully seasoning and cooking meats for its customers. Opt for Italian inspired saucy lamb shanks, tender three-bone-in chuck beef ribs or Portuguese-inspired chicken Marylands. Can’t decide what to get? There are two pack offerings — a barbecue pack (complete with beef and pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken wings and beef brisket), or the burger pack (with pulled pork and shredded beef).
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Whether you want to go all-out with hunks of pasture-fed yearling prime rib or keep it simple with classic barbecue-ready skewers, Meadow Meat’s fridges are always stocked with plenty of options. Its staff hand-picks the best quality cuts of meat and dry-age produce on-site, which make for flavoursome, buttery tender steaks.
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Whether you’re after comfort cooking favourites like bone-in lamb legs and pork shoulder roasts, or weeknight dinner staples like whole chooks and lamb chops, this Botany Road butcher is a meaty winner. Owner Michael Kristallis prides himself on the shop’s homemade snags, with the traditional beef sausage proving to be the most popular. Regular customers return week after week to have a chat with Kristallis, who is passionate about delivering high quality grass-fed beef and lamb to locals. This service helps cement it as one of the best butchers in Sydney.
Image: Pasha Gulian
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Located within the Pacific Square shopping complex, Peters Meats has been serving the Maroubra community for over 30 years. This is the place to go to level-up your weekend barbecue game with some Rangers Valley black onyx striploin, a rack of Gooralie free-range pork ribs, eye fillets from the Manning Valley or some handmade brisket and chuck burger patties (which it also supplies to local restaurants). You’ll also find six shelves stacked with plenty of sauces and seasonings for extra inspiration, be it slow cooker base sauces, spicy sriracha numbers, bone broth concentrates or herb-flecked salts.
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This locally-owned Sydney butcher prides itself on its German-style sausages. Head butcher Jason Douglas was an apprentice here before taking over the shop over 20 years ago, and his Nuremberg bratwurst, chicken bratwurst and continental frankfurter are all made using traditional methods. You’ll also find legs of double-smoked ham, which is worth ordering ahead at Christmas time, alongside poultry, beef and lamb.
Image: Louis Hansel
Top image: Leigh Griffiths
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