Meat Market Correction

+ Why your local butcher might be making the best sandwich you haven't tried

Author

Club:Sandwich
April 02, 2025

The other day I was roaming the streets of Brooklyn, quite hungry after running some errands but also short on time. Across the street from me I spied a butcher shop. Based on prior experience I had a feeling they might also make great sandwiches. I was right.

Something about a storefront like this is just hard to resist.

This got me thinking about why you don’t hear enough about butcher shops being the origin point for some of the best sandwiches. I thought back to the days of Esposito & Sons (RIP) in Brooklyn - aka The Pork Store. It had one of those statues in front of a pig wearing an apron and chef’s hat, which is how you knew it was great. I still daydream about their juicy, razor thin-sliced porchetta and broccoli rabe laid on fresh Italian bread from the bakery down the block. I love a sandwich that relies on multiple artisans in the neighborhood to pull it together.

Alas, it’s never to be eaten again. Their shop closed a few years back after a solid 100 year run. 

This scary-as-hell pig is a good sign that there are great sandwiches inside.

Because you never know when you’ll lose a classic, it’s time we paid homage to these temples of meat. They’ve been quietly serving some of the most exceptional sandwiches around, flying under the radar of the Instagram hype machine.

It makes lots of sense when you think about it. Who better to make your roast beef sandwich than the people who selected, aged, and actually roasted the beef? Here are a few lookers from some of the country’s prime butcher shops, now added to our wishlist. Let us know if you try one!

Publican Quality Meats (Chicago, IL): This butcher shop + café serves up a wide variety of options from their cases to your plate, including this lovely jambon beurre.

Rabbi’s Daughter (Los Angeles, CA): Delivering high quality meats and accoutrements. Just don’t ask for cheese on your pastrami on rye.

Dickson's Farmstand (New York, NY): Serving up house made hot dogs (yes, a sandwich) that are maybe the best I’ve had. The one on the left is the jumbo in case you were wondering.

Marrow Provisions (Detroit, MI): This spot has a sandwich menu that changes regularly. If we get there we wouldn’t mind finding this capicola with fig preserves & brie on ciabatta.

These are but a handful of the many local butcher shops that serve up delicious house made creations. If you know a great one, grab a sandwich there and upload it to the MSD (it’s easier than sharing it on Signal). And if you’ve never ordered a sandwich from your local butcher, there's a good chance they've got some of the best in town behind that meat counter.

Until next week, may your meats be ethically sourced and your sandwiches expertly crafted.

Club:Sandwich is the world's first ever members-only club for sandwich lovers (as far as you know). Together we discover, order, make, eat, and discuss sandwiches while building the largest, most comprehensive database of sandwiches ever. Grab or make a sandwich and then share it with us by adding it to the Million Sandwich Database. Uploading sandwiches will earn you points that have no value and cannot be used in any way.