Extremely high-quality food, both takeout and ready to cook. And there is a good fish shop right next-door. It's also right across the street from the Monterey market, the best place to get produce in Berkeley. And the people are very pleasant to do business with. read more

Picked up a roasted chicken tonight and was disappointed to find it had zero flavor, no seasoning whatsoever. Lucky and Costco are much better! I can't imagine this is the same Magnanis that used to have stellar gourmet chicken, charcuterie and other poultry and meats....just a real disappointment! read more

The bbq ribs from deli over spiced with too much pepper. They were better before. Only need a little bbq sauce.

I have been coming to this local butcher for years and appreciate the wide selection of meats and the excellent services from the staff. Thank you for everything you do! read more

Review is only for the frozen chicken soup. Health concerns have forced me to give up eating mammals and highly processed foods. Heard that this store had homemade soups, found frozen chicken broth and chicken vegetable soup in freezer cases in the back. Bought a container of the chicken vegetable. It was incredibly salty. Yes, I am on a low salt diet, but it is no worse than my own lifelong personal preferences regarding salt. WHY does everybody make soup with so much salt in it? Restaurants do it. Canned soups are inedible; the low salt canned soups are usually not very good, and in my old age I'm finding canned foods in general very distasteful. People who like salty soups can always add salt. I can't take it out. I won't be back to this store ever, there's nothing there for me. read more

Used to be such a great place, but unfortunately has gone down hill. Picked up some filet there the other day. One piece look lijethey tried tkxyt it but couldn't.sinew all throughout and just not great quality. read more

Bought chicken breasts today and had to throw them all in trash. Seems like they were previously frozen and deforested with hot water. I used to drive across the bridge to come and shop here but never again. read more

Great local butcher with fair prices and good quality chicken and beef. They can cut or order to any specifications you have, and you can pickup the next day, or order ahead of time. They also carry the awesome Fra'mani line of sausage and charcuterie read more

Great place to get fresh organic poultry. I go there often for turkey thighs and chicken wings

This is a wonderful local butcher shop in desperate need of renovation. The smell when you walk in the front door is alarming, the meat cases look decades old, as does the corroded tiling throughout. I assume the profit margins aren't high here but believe that the client community would welcome paying a bit more to help support a nicer and cleaner-feeling experience! read more

They have great prices on ground turkey, locally sourced, and chicken liver for paté, what else could you ask for.

Lookit here. This block is problematic. I'm not sure if it is because this is where the rich folks come down from the hills to be really picky when they shop, or if it because it is adjacent to a cauldron of burgeoning gross preteen hormones. I'm sure it is both. So the customer service at these places can be surly. BUT! If you can have a sense of humor about life, you will be able to remember when you were the annoying screaming teenager, silently look down your nose at the tone deaf rich people, and enjoy the foods and services this block has to offer. read more

I give this place 0/5. Less than a week ago, I saw cooked meats handled directly after handling raw meats. No gloves or change of gloves, and without washing hands. Cooked meat purposefully left out instead of being put back in the refrigerated areas. They do this infront of customers. The workers laugh at customers. They're arrogant. Clearly, the owner doesn't care. There is no respect for the farmers hard work. I no longer spend any money here. read more

Looks like Magnani is getting some negative comments here from-maybe- vegans? bicycle supremacists? The truth is that it is one of our few remaining butcher shops, and they do a darn good job of fulfilling the needs of their customers- if you need a stewing chicken, or a ton of legs or even fresh sausages, this is your kind of place. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would, I called to place an order for two smoked turkeys for today a couple of weeks ago. I called to see if they were ready to pick up and the girl said they did not receive any smoked turkeys. When I asked if they were going to call me to let me know she says with an attitude I have been calling all day. I have NO MISSED CALLS!! I asked if they had any pre cooked turkeys available for pick up today. She said she'd have to call me back. But, she suggests I look somewhere else. She was extremely rude and sort of incompetent. This is not how customers should be treated. EVER!! I suggest you never spend money here!! I know I won't!! I wish Tim still owned the place. He knows how to take care of his customers! read more

Great local market for chicken and other meats. Don't let the other reviews scare you away!

this place! They consistently give honest feedback about the cuts of meat & poultry that they sell.They consistently give the option to buy non-GMO, grass fed, no hormones, no antibiotics, Beef, poultry, pork, etc. It truly is an oasis from junkie meats! * and if you don't know what you want, simply tell them what you're trying to do and they will make a very good recommendation. And you can ask them to trim off the extra fat so you're not charge for the fact that you're going to not use anyway. Great selection! This is the only place I buy from. We enjoy meet three times a week and this is where I get it. Only the best for the few times that we're actually going to eat meat or poultry. read more

I've recently moved to this neighborhood with no expectations. I've appreciated the fact that this Hopkins strip consists of small local businesses, which I whole heartedly love and support, but I must say that this shop solely survives on it's fair prices of meat. I've been here several times now and have received the same experience each time- not memorable. The only reason I continue to buy meat here is because of the prices. Chicken thighs are cheaper than Trader Joe's. In addition, I live down the street from here. The last few times my partner went and asked for them to trim the fat off, they simply packaged the meat without acknowledgment of the question. I went yesterday and asked the same to see if my experience would be different. I asked how much the thighs were and the person told me $3.99. I asked for 2 pounds. Right before they wrapped it up, I asked for them to trim the fat off. The guy looked at me annoyed, dumped the meat on the counter, and did a half-ass job at trimming. He handed me the package and charged me an extra dollar per pound. First off, this is a meat shop. A butcher! It's your job to cut meat how a customer asks! Not to mention that on their website, it literally says, "has an in-house butcher who cuts the meat to customer specifications". To conclude, the only great thing about this place, is the fair prices and convenience. Otherwise, I'd never come back here. Hoping the owners will care enough to check their Yelp and Google reviews and make a positive change to their business. read more

Magnani Poultry - Do they even clean? - Meat Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I stopped here while I was checking out the Monterey Fish Market. Both were a disappointment. I did get a very nice grass fed strip steak. However I have a family history of loving nonsmoked pork neck bones. They had the smoked and unsmoked. However they were not securely bagged and were grossly freezer burned with several falling out of the bag and onto the floor. That particular bag was put back on the shelf after the ones that fell were put back in the bag. I also love lamb stew and was able to purchase nice cut lamb chunks. Very unfriendly staff. read more

I don't like to leave negative reviews, but for this, I had to. The last two times I bought steaks from here I had to throw them out the very next day after purchasing them. I thought it was something that I did but no. The meat is not fresh. It makes me wonder if their refrigeration is not cold enough. I will not be going here anymore. It's sad. read more

I'm updating my review from 2017. Unfortunately Magnani has now completely lost my business - and I spend big $ on meat. The reasons are: 1) quality - I have had it with buying meat that smells bad. And not just occasionally but regularly. They clearly have an inventory problem and no qualms about selling bad meat. 2) knowledge- most of the employees (not butchers) don't know very basic cuts of meat (like bone-in pork chop!). And forget about any actual butchering skills. I'll spare the details but have many examples of simple straightforward requests that are met with blank stares. 3) staff attitude - perhaps they're defensive because they have no idea what they're doing but it's not cool to be rude. I blame all of this on management. Workers need to be trained in order to become competent and the workers at Magnani haven't gotten a fair chance to do a good job. Please, please, Magnani ownership, fix the issues that are driving your customers away. We want you to be successful but I personally am giving up for now. read more

We bought a sandwich and stomach was upset. A lot of nausea. Bread was not fresh. Everything seemed mishandled. Sandwich could not even be toasted. Will not shop there again. read more

This is a quaint little shop with years of history attached to it, it's been open about 100 years or so and despite the world around advancing rapidly, it still somehow manages to maintain its small storefront charm and "family" style business practices. This shop focuses a lot of its business towards the sale of poultry in its many forms; ranging from raw/fresh to hot and ready to eat, but they do also stock many other fresh cuts of meat, cold cuts, soups, stocks, and dry goods. The prices here are slightly higher than other stores in the area, but quality is truly number one here and can rival any other small shop or chain grocery store. read more

Magnani Poultry - House Made Salads - Meat Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

First off parking kind of sucks in Berkeley but you'll find something around this area. The place is medium size but very high quality. You'll find some organic products. They sell all kinds of organic stocks. The meat is the freshest and they will cut it however you want. It is a little pricey but you get what you pay for here. The rotisserie chicken is also amazing. They have chicken noodle soup for sale. They also have tons of sandwich meat to pick from. I enjoy getting my meat very fresh and all different kinds of cuts. I recommend coming to check it out. read more

Magnani Poultry - a variety of meat products - Meat Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love this place. I'm addicted to their organic roasted chicken. Such s great shortcut to making dinner & using the delicious chicken bones for bone broth & left overs for infinite possibilities. Yummm thank you read more

Recently went in here to buy some bacon for a carbonara I was going to make later that evening. The young woman who was serving me seemed new (I could tell by the fact that it took her 3 minutes to just wrap the bacon in butcher paper). When I returned home and unwrapped my "bacon" I found 5 slices of pure fat. One or two slices had a tiny bit of actual meat on them, but 90% of what I bought was just pure fat. As you might imagine I was horrified, this was one of the final steps in the preparation of my meal and my guests were on the way over. I tried frying it up as a last resort (see pic) but ended up throwing it all away because I'm not going to serve my poor guests chewy, gross fat! New as this employee might have been, has she never seen what bacon is supposed to look like before? I cannot believe I was sold this. Horrible service. read more

Magnani Poultry - Disgusting bacon I was sold at Magnani's. Pure fat. - Meat Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

Flies swarming in the food case and an employee named April, who was in a pissy mood, and insisted on charging us for a large whole cooked chicken when it was a small. To quote April: it's a small, but I charge you for a large (?!!). The cashier, Jess, was nice and agreed it was a small chicken and charged us accordingly. Left six messages for the manager/owner, Trino, and heard nothing back. This is your place for unhygienic food practices and unsavory business practices. Bon appetit.. read more

What a shame that owners can't open their eyes and change their ways based on such bad reviews. This used to be such a well respected business, now, it is disorganized, disheveled, and dirty. And just their system alone of taking people at the meat counter is sloppy. And I know you were dealing in meets, but it never used to have such a bad stanchion there before. C'mon Magnani's, have some pride. read more

I am very glad to have this establishment in our community. They have an excellent range of meat and poultry and will order anything that you need if it is not in stock. The broth selection is quite good. I miss the duck broth, though. Service is a bit slow but helpful. read more

Bought chicken parts here recently. Got them home, started cooking, unwrapped chicken and it smelled strongly, almost like fish. Brought it back and owner refunded our money. Also returned a whole raw turkey we ordered that had gone bad. Quality control seems to be lacking. Unfortunate, as the owner is a real nice guy. read more

I so wish I could give a good review. I bought frozen chicken soup and the chicken had clearly been boiled until oblivion: dry and almost chalky tasting. I would love to be positive about a family business but I also share the concerns about having had to throw meat out after one day in my frig as it smelled rancid. read more

I have been visiting Magnani's for 15+ years. The overall quality of product and customer service has taken a nose dive in the past year. I am guessing that something has changed with management or ownership. The employees come off as impatient and/or unhappy, and that you are burdening them with your business. I ordered sliced turkey breast from the deli yesterday, and opening it today I found dried out, off smelling, unappetizing meat. I paid ten dollars for 3/4 of a pound of what felt like leftovers from the back of the fridge, a few days past the due date. Magnani's is lucky there aren't many other butcher choices close by. It seems they are riding on this fact, and pushing low quality meats. They do have some interesting, hard to find items, but Berkeley has a wealth of nicer places to provide this. I really don't like to post a negative review for an independently owned business, but the proof is in the pudding. I really hope they can raise their standards to where they used to be! read more

After many years of shopping here, I no longer frequent this shop. The meat does not look fresh, the place feels less clean, and the staff is not nearly as welcoming as in the old days. Convenient and local, but unfortunately off my list. read more

I've shopped at Magani's for about one year, always hoping that my next visit would be better. The freshness and quality of meat is abysmal; discolored, questionable odor, odd texture. The entire place needs to be deeply cleaned. The olive and pickle brines are poorly executed. The cold cases are filled with a disorganized mashup of random items. The staff seems to be merely "phoning it in". I've continued to visit due to their convenient proximity to Monterey Market. I hope the ownership will take note as they have great potential and the neighborhood deserves better. read more

I have been a Magnani customer since the late 1980's when their store was located on College Ave in Oakland. I have continued to shop Magnani's at their Hopkins Street store in Berkeley. While their customer service has certainly declined over the years, my most recent experience was so negative and upsetting that I will never again patronize the store. One employee in particular - a rather matronly Hispanic woman - was shockingly rude and aggressive from the moment she spoke to me. Perhaps she was just having a bad day but, as always, from the customers perspective that really doesn't matter. This woman was condescending, very disrespectful and oddly enough it seems she really enjoyed mistreating me. My friend who witnessed this spectacle was really appalled, as was I. I decided there and then that I did not want to make the over $100 purchase I had come in for and I quietly told the woman that I won't be buying anything because she was so so so very rude. I was very mindful to keep my tone quiet and dispassionate in an effort to communicate to her my experience of her offensive behavior in hopes that she might reflect upon her unprofessional demeanor and not mistreat anyone else who simply wants some poultry sans abuse ! Such a shame that the management allows such an ill-behaved, abrasive female to interact with their clientele. I sure miss the good old days of Magnani College Ave and the fun guys behind the counter. I will never again return to Magnani's - there are lots of great alternative places to get chicken. read more

Perhaps it was the day I went but I ordered two rabbits in advance and asked they be cleaned and cut up. When I got there no one knew where the rabbits were and then after 5-10 mins the cashier told them they were in the case. They were still whole and I asked they be cut but it was like no one was a butcher. Finally I said I would do it myself (like I have always done). If I am going to a place like that they should have someone knowledgeable around all the time or train their employees. read more

I have been going to Magnani's for years and am very sorry to see that it go downhill. Today we ordered chicken thighs. Not too tricky, right? Not boned or skinned. Just chicken thighs. BUT these were so badly cut that bits of the back bone were sticking out. Some of them were a strange shape. There was lots of extra skin and fat hanging off them. They were, if you will excuse the expression, butchered. Why don't they have people there who can cut meat? It's a lose to the community. read more

From across the street, I saw the object of my obsession. Everything went hazy as I crossed the street. Was that a horn that just blared at me? It was so surreal! I didn't care! I entered Magnani's and felt like I was in the midst of a Penthouse Letter come to life. Luscious and full breasts, supple and firm thighs. Every man's dream. I took a number at the counter and gaped in awe. The excitement and anxiety building... 3 lbs. boneless skinless, please. NUTRITION FACTS Serving size 140g ___________________________ Amount Per Serving ___________________________ Calories 231 Calories from Fat 45 ___________________________ % Daily Value* Total Fat 5g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 7% Trans Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 119mg 40% Sodium 104mg 4% Total Carbohydrate 0g 0% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 0g 0% Protein 43g ___________________________ Vitamin A 1% | Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% | Iron 8% *Percent Daily Values are Based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Thanks to Magnani's, Madame was pleased with the award winning Mochiko Chicken of Cafe Kevo notoriety. I'll be back for their duck, quail, bacon and other fine offerings. read more

Feb '08 update: Yeah, the new owners are introducing more prepared foods (higher margins), but they still stock Fulton and Hoffman and they still have staff capable of skinning your chicken legs if you're going to cook them Indian-style. Still the best chicken shop in the Bay Area. *** Original ROTD'd review: It's so clearly the best place to buy chicken in the East Bay, and possibly in the entire Bay Area, that I don't know what comes second. (Maybe Cafe Rouge, but their selection is minuscule. Andronico's has some good stuff but is ridiculously expensive.) Their standard brand is Fulton Valley: no antibiotics or hormones or similar crap. More importantly, it tastes so much more like chicken than even other sustainable producers, let alone the sorry excuses for birds you get in most supermarkets, that I wouldn't advise buying anything else... Unless, unless, you're going to splurge for a Hoffman Farm chicken, also available here, but only as a whole bird, where Fulton Valley comes in various cuts. I've never been able to bring myself to pay three dollars-something a pound for Hoffman, but my restaurant experiences suggest it's that much better again than Fulton Valley. Truly the alpha chicken. Duck, well, at these prices I'll take my chances in Oakland Chinatown. But come here for chicken! *** BONUS RECIPE~!: Stove-top chicken legs 2 servings, about 45 mins total A day before cooking (although even a few hours before will help), rub 2 chicken legs with 3/4 tbsp of salt, 3/4 tbsp pepper and 1/4 tbsp dried rosemary (to taste). Try to rub more on the thicker parts (the thighs) than the thinner parts (the ankles). Refrigerate. When you're ready to cook, warm a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2 cloves of garlic (chopped into about 4 pieces each) and the chicken legs, with the side with more skin facing down. When the underside is brown (about 5 mins), turn. When this side is brown as well (another 3 mins), add 3/4 cup dry white wine. The wine should quickly come to a boil; then reduce the heat so that it's barely simmering, and cover. Turn the chicken every 10 mins; meanwhile, drink some wine. Stick a thermometer into the thickest part of the thicker piece of chicken; cook until the temperature hits 165-170F (if you don't have a thermometer, 35 mins should be safe). Take out the chicken and garlic and put them somewhere warm. If you're fat-conscious, scoop out the excess fat from the pan, add a dash of wine, then reheat and stir to make a sauce. If you're not fat-conscious, just pour the fatty liquid over the chicken. Mmm, chickenfat. Serve with rice and booze. read more

Snotty kid behind the counter gave me attitude when I asked if they had meatloaf mix. He tells me no, and I asked if they have any ground veal, and he rolls his eyes and in a monotone that says "I HATE MY JOB AND I HATE YOU", he rattles off everything ground that they have including f@cking chicken and turkey instead of saying "Sorry, no we are out of f@cking veal". I will drive to Berkeley Bowl and put up with their BS as opposed to driving to Monterey street for YOUR BS. Oh, and you store smells weird. read more