Carl’s Meat Market

Great little meat shop and deli (try the porchetta sandich, seriously). I was so excited to find out that you can get their meats in sandwich form (although, the ten pounds of porchetta and ham my boyfriend ordered porchetta for a holiday party was amazing, and both items were a hit.) There’s also good amount of local cheeses and prepared foods (pasta salad! butternut squash casserole!), and a healthy array of wines to choose from. Don’t forget to pick up a marrow bone or pig’s ear for the pup.
Carl’s is the real deal for craft beer selection. Whenever I’m traveling, I try to find the local beer to try, but the Maine selection is overshadowed by their extensive Belgian and German beers by the big bottle. They have a huge range overall, from more obscure craft beers alongside your Killians or Goose Islands.
Basically, Carl’s is the perfect place to quickly grab stuff for lunch, a party, a picnic date, or a cozy night in.

Hands down, Carl’s is the BEST meat market I have ever been to! First, let’s talk about the meat. What an amazing selection! The prices are a little higher than the grocery store but you are definitely getting your money’s worth! You can taste the difference! The refrigerated meals and side dishes are delicious! I recommend getting the butternut squash casserole (if there is any left!). My husband loves the craft beer selection they have! Now, to my favorite part of Carl’s.the sandwiches and burgers. We order from Carl’s at least 4 times a month! I suggest calling ahead and placing an order for carry out. They get a huge lunch rush. Some of our favorites include: Cuban, pesto chicken wrap, rodeo burger, parmesan fries, meatball, and the French dip. Thank you Carl’s for making me smile while I eat.

Call ahead and pick up a $ 4 cheeseburger — yes, you read that right. Awesome fresh ground chuck burgers cooked exactly the way I like them — rare. Add the condiments and enjoy the best lunch deal in the area by far!

That had to be the best BLT ever! The addition of an egg and avocado was a surprise
Great place! Too bad had to eat in the car
I’m coming back for a sandwich and then heading to the beach this summer
Only sorry there isn’t one near me

A lot of folks don’t know that you can get great sandwiches to go at Carl’s meat market. Do yourself a favor and try them, I always swing in for lunch as the sandwiches are made fresh to order and there is a great variety as well as salads and beverages. Today I had the Dagwood be aware that their small size is bigger than most sandwich shops large size.
The store is clean, well stocked, and it has very attentive staff. Definitely try it out.

I stopped in here spontaneously on the way to work for a quick egg sandwich, just a little something. I had no idea I was about to enjoy the greatest breakfast sandwich ever. Obviously Carl’s offers much more than a single sandwich, but this one experience has officially landed Carl’s on my top 10! Plan on trying lunch/​dinner options in the future

Found this place by accident but I keep going back. The food is great and the service is outstanding. Very friendly, helpful and kind people working there. 100% the place to go!

Anything from a full pig to hot dogs. Quality is great. The service is awesome and any question is answered. Steaks are unbelievable and many salads are great as well. I have been going to Carl’s for many years and don’t see that trend ending anytime soon.

I am a fan (if the Lobster company got bought by) Carl’s.
If Carl’s sold out I am bummed.
This place has been the best place for delicious mouthwatering home roasted beef for YEARS. Everyone has switched to boullion soaked deli crap.
Hopefully, Carl’s retained same quality. I see zero reviews since Sept.

Best burgers around! Beef is the best quality and the rings and fries are worth the cholesterol. So yummy. My advice don’t get the double patty. It’s too much meat for a single human. But maybe I’m a wimp. Wish I lived closer.

Date: 09/​16/​2014
The folks from Taylor Lobster Company referred us to Carl’s Meat Market.
We picked up sandwiches to-​go for our long drive back to New York.
I got $ 6.99 10″ The Ranger with Carl’s own roast beef with melted mozzarella cheese on garlic bread and au jus for dipping. Boy, oh, boy! Was The Ranger delicious!
My significant other got $ 7.99 10″ Franks Super Steal which the staff said has a kick. It’s a steak and cheese with mushrooms, onions, peppers, and salami. Compared to The Ranger, I liked my pick more.
We even got a side of risotto, and the staff was kind enough to heat it up for us.
We are definitely coming back to Carl’s for meats, sausages, and sandwiches next year!

I am so glad that I live near Carl’s Meat Market. Their prices are a little higher than those at Market Basket, but the quality of the meat isn’t comparable. I can literally taste and see the difference.

Came here the other day to buy some veal bones to make some veal stock which in turn I was turning into demi glacé. Carl’s does have a great selection of beer and some sandwiches and the meat looked perfectly marbled although the prices were a bit steep.
Two veal bones weighing a total of 4.21 lbs was $ 21.
Employees were nice.
Another plus they carry beef from Maine and some of it is grass fed.

Sort of a convenience store for carnivores.
Run by the Golden Harvest owners, so if you are vegan, the veggies are next door.
Just a hop over the rebuilt Memorial Bridge.

Excellent place to get lunch: roast beef sandwich, yogurt parfait and blueberry pie were all really good, and the staff was genuinely helpful.
The sandwich and yogurt parfait were so good, I stopped by a second day to pick up my lunch from this place.

I really appreciate that this meat shop is in my neighbor.
They have the best hamburgers both in quality and price! After eating their burgers, I have stopped going anywhere else for my burgers (Friendly, Ruby, pubs, etc). Service is really nice in general. Meat is really really fresh. Their meat cost more than Market Basket & other chain store, but the quality speaks for itself and its reasonably priced for the quality. I only shop there 1 – 2 a month because I am on a budget, but if you can afford it, this is a great place for your meat. There is no smell from their pork like the ones at the supermarket. This is how fresh their meat are.

I am like a kid in a candy store here, except the candy is meat — and beer!
I’ve become a big fan of this place over the last year. It’s small, and as you enter you are herded to the left by a wall of seasonal beer offerings. That leads you to even more beer –and good beer, at that. They stock a great number of microbrews, frequently including one of my favorites, the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.
If you make it past this with an arm free, for which you should be commended, you hit the meat counter. They offer a number of cuts and seasonings, sausages, and everything you would expect from a meat market.
The staff is very friendly, always helpful, and I always walk out the door a happier man than when I went in — a statement I usually reserve for sketchy oriental massage parlors. Once you recover your appetite from that thought, go buy some steaks.

One stop shopping! I love that I can go to Carl’s (and Golden Harvest next door) and dinner is done. Great grillables at a good price, an amazing selection of beers, and the best macaroni salad around!

I’m giving them four stars but I’m a bit uneasy about it… Main reason — confusion!
As everyone else can attest, the selection is fantastic. Great, great butcher shop/​meat market. My issue (and for me it’s kinda big since there are not as many options here as I’m used to in bigger cities, making it a bit frustrating to find the things you need within the context of a pleasant experience) is the service, which is really confusing… argh.
I think I am generally pretty easy-​going/​low maintenance but the service here leaves a lot to be desired. As Don W. has mentioned they don’t necessarily advertise everything they’ve got (and I’ve noticed sometimes they leave the signs up even though they are out of something), meaning you’ll kind of need to ask just to be sure, kinda making all the signage and display irrelevant… huh…
Again as Don W pointed out, they also don’t seem to consistently have their protocol down for taking orders, etc. I’ve been in here when there’s a sign saying to form a line to the left. Sometimes there’s nothing. One time, they asked people to get in either a line for sandwiches/​hot food and one for the butcher/​meat case (hmm…what if I want both??? More confusion…) When they’re not attempting to control the process, there isn’t an obvious process. Have to agree again with Don, do you want me to step up and order even though I’m not really sure what I want, causing delay and holding up the other patrons? Or do you want me to hang back & decide before stepping up (although I’m not sure what you have since not everything is displayed), all the while letting lots of people get helped before me, even though they got here later… sucks to be me?!? I don’t know. It’s confusing.
Despite the confusion, the service itself is not bad per se. Not rude or anything like that. It just doesn’t lead to a highly enjoyable experience. Its more frustrating & annoying. (As I write this, I feel like I should give them 3 stars but that’s not right either, because they are much better than that… oh, Unilocal,why don’t you let us give half stars?)
I must admit that there have, at this point, been a couple of occasions where I did want something from here (some chicken parts or something) but decided against coming in to buy because of the minor hassle I had a feeling I would experience by going in. In an effort to preserve my good mood, I have opted to skip going to Carl’s. That’s a shame because the quality is far superior to others in the area.
Anyways, I obviously do go back in but only if I am also going to go to Golden Harvest for sure. Otherwise, I avoid the confusion if I am not in the mood. (Maybe I am too picky but I feel service should at least be neutral/​un-​able to generate any note-​worthy observations or feelings.)
Pros: Bell & Evans chicken (whole & pieces), quality, selection, Applegate Farms deli meats/​cheeses, pretty good house-​made tortilla chips, easy parking, decent selection of local alcohol.
Cons: Confusing process, place isn’t exactly cheap (but you are getting good quality)

I’ve been going to Carl’s for years and for the most part, I’m a big fan. There’s plenty of meat, several flavors of marinated tips, chicken breasts, etc., a freezer full of game meat, and a good variety of things to choose from. There’s also a killer beer selection and a deli department.
Two criticisms for Carl’s: First, you know all that good stuff in the back? You need signs telling people what you’ve got. If I don’t see it in the case, I probably won’t order it. If you can’t fit a piece of everything in the case (and how could you?), give me more signs. The more I think of, THE MORE I BUY. You want display ideas? Go to Butcher Boy in N. Andover, then go to Karl’s Sausage Kitchen in Saugus, and on the way home, check out The Meat House in Portsmouth.
Second, it feels like every time I go in there, I’m standing in the wrong place. Sometimes there’s a sign saying to form a line to the left, sometimes there isn’t. I know you’re trying to solve a problem but I’m still confused. Last time I was there, my choice was to get in line when I had no idea what I wanted, or jump in front of everyone to see what I wanted to get. Please keep working on this one, it’s still a mess.
Okay, the good news about Carl’s: It’s fresh, it’s a local business, and there’s a good selection. Then you can walk next door to Golden Harvest and Beach Pea, or across the street to Terra Cotta and continue your grocery shopping without going into a supermarket. If you like to eat meat, go to Carl’s. We really want to support this kind of shopping experience or we’ll all be buying food at Walmart.
The nearest competitor that I know of is The Meat House which is slightly more expensive and according to their web site, is a franchise with stores across the country.