MEET TUCSON'S MEAT SHOPS
A LOOK INSIDE BUTCHERS, CARNICERIAS & NEIGHBORHOOD MEAT MARKETS
By Stacey Gregory // Photography by Adelyn Baber
DICKMAN’S MEAT AND DELI
If you’re looking for a classic butcher-meets-deli vibe with high-quality meats, hearty sandwiches, flavorful sides, and an array of staples you need to build a meal from start to finish, Dickman’s is the place. With a reputation dating back to the late 1980s, Dickman’s has earned a loyal following among Tucson cooks, grill masters, and anyone who appreciates well-handled protein and attentive service.
The butcher case is filled with an inviting selection of cuts—tender steaks, roasts, sausages, and bratwurst—alongside specialty items you don’t always find at a typical market. One of the shop’s signature highlights is the beloved “ugly steak,” a term coined by the owners and a cut prized for its flavor and grilling performance. The freezer cases are packed with exotic meats and seafood, from alligator and ground camel to snapper, calamari, and steamer clams. Grab a piled-high sandwich made with Boar’s Head® meats and cheeses, and you’ve got a stopthat satisfies both what’s for dinner and lunchtime cravingsall at once.
7955 E. Broadway Blvd, 520-885-8020
@dickmansmeat
HOUGHTON MEAT MARKET
As soon as you arrive at Houghton Meat Market, be prepared forthe mouthwatering smells of grilled meats. This New York-inspiredbutcher shop is a true neighborhood butcher at the corner of 22ndStreet and S. Houghton Road. The cases are filled with expertly cutribeyes, New York strips, filets, roasts, and chops, plus duck, lamb,bison, elk, venison, goat, veal, and a robust assortment of seafood.
Ask for their Handsome Steak, a tenderized flat cut that has become a customer favorite. The in-house sausage program features a rotation of house-made varieties alongside reliable classics, from mango
habanero and Carolina Reaper to New York sweet Italian and sundried tomato and mozzarella. The shelves are stocked with sauces, rubs, honey, jerky, desserts, yogurt, lemonades, and grilling essentials, many from local Tucson producers. You don’t have to wait to get home to sample their meats; the food truck uses their fresh cuts in filet mignon sandwiches, New York pastrami sandwiches, and more.
10275 E 22nd St., 520-783-6328,
houghtonmeatmarket.com
TUCSON’S CARNICERÍAS
In Latin American communities, acarnicería is a cultural hub wheretraditional butchery and everydaygrocery needs meet. At its core, acarnicería is a butcher shop thatsells fresh cuts of beef, pork, andchicken and often prepares marinatedmeats and house-madesausages for tacos, grilling, andfamily meals. These butcher shopsoften carry a wide selection of otherstaples, such as tortillas, salsas, andpanadería goods, making them aone-stop shop for those seekingauthentic flavors.
Rancheros Carnicería has multiplespots around Tucson, offeringfreshly cut meats ready for carneasada or carnitas, plus a range ofprepared favorites like tacos andtamales, all served with the warm,friendly service that will keep youcoming back for more. Wild WestCarnicería’s locations blend thebutcher-shop experience with amarket, offering homemade salsas,fresh tortillas, and prepared mealslike birria tacos and grilled carneasada. Tortillas Don Juan is a SouthTucson institution where traditionalSonoran-style tortillas andfresh meats mingle with breakfastand lunch classics. With its tortillamakers, market section, and heartymeals like machaca and carneasada burritos, Don Juan deliversan authentic taste of local Mexican-American food culture to Tucson.
Rancheros Carnicería// rancheroscarniceria.company.site
Wild West Carnicería// wildwestmarkets.com
Tortillas Don Juan// tortillas-don-juan.restaurants-world.net
BUTCHERS PANTRY
Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall at Ina Road and Thornydale is Butchers Pantry. This neighborhood shop is filled with cases of hand-cut beef, pork, chicken, and specialty meats. Customer favorites include inventive sausages and bratwurst, as well as unique butcher boxes perfect for backyard barbecues. You’ll find the shelves are stocked with rubs, seasonings, and grilling essentials you’ll need to make a memorable meal at home.
Feel free to ask the friendly, knowledgeable staff for tips on the best way to season or prepare any cut of meat you see.
3840 W. Ina Rd., 520-579-6283,butcherspantryshop.com
FORBES MEAT COMPANY
“Are you shopping or dining?” That’s the question you’re greeted with when you enter Forbes Meat Company, located in the Five Points District at 6th Avenue and 18th Street. This whole animal butcher, brasserie, and wine and beer bar showcases a carefully curated selection of house-made sausages, steaks, custom cuts, and premium seafood, focused on sustainability and nose-to-tail processing.
Grab a table inside, on the patio, or at the bar to try signature offerings like steak frites cooked in beef tallow, Wagyu steaks, shucked oysters, and scallops, all of which pair beautifully with a rotating list of beers and wines for lunch or dinner. Brunch is served on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, featuring breakfast offerings such as the sausage biscuit made with smashed maple sausage, apple pie French toast, and other delectable dishes. Stop by to pick up top-tier provisions to grill back home or linger over a crafted plate, or both, at this must-visit stop on any culinary tour of the city.
747 S. 6th Ave., 520-474-2714, forbestmeatcompany.com
