Herman’s Meat & Deli Shop

I absolutely LOVE Herman’s beef jerky! I always get a few pounds of it and give it out to the guys for stocking stuffers for Christmas and they love it. The people that work here are always very nice as well.

This is a Topeka institution — some of the freshest beef, pork and lamb you can get west of the Mississippi. On hand is a sizeable staff of friendly smiling employees who clearly know their way around the butcher shop and they take their apprenticeships seriously — it’s obvious they know customer service is key to returning (and happy) clientele. They also have a nice selection of deli cheeses and charcuterie and I understand they’ll be expanding in 2016 to the west side of the county where they will also have a small restaurant. These are natural organic meat products from local producers so you can taste the sincerity — and freshness, with every bite.

We stopped here for sandwiches. We didn’t order anything special, just plain cold cut subs. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t anything to brag about it.

Herman’s is a wonderful local source for various cuts of meat. I’ve had a few instances when I’ve requested some custom cuts and they’ve been very accommodating with a little advance notice. If you go during a busy time, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed by the line but they do a good job of scheduling enough people behind the counter to keep things moving right along. They aren’t fancy but they ARE solid.
Their house made sausages aren’t my favorite but that’s really only a small blip.

Horrible old meat. My mom just spent $ 38 on 2 ribeyes for our Christmas dinner. They were brown throughout and stunk of oxidation. The marbling was none existent. Very disappointed and would never recommend the place to anyone.

You can tell when you see the sandwich, all of it is real. The bread is not the same frozen stick that Subway and Firehouse gets. The meat and cheese is sliced thick and tastes very fresh. The vegetables are good, but could be better. The chili is just as fresh as the meat and cheese. Overall this is not a bad lunch spot as long as you don’t mind the sparse seating.

This is the place to go if you want to get the best quality, local and cheapest meats. Literally they get a lot of their meat from less than 20 miles away. I like supporting my local farming economy so I will always select Herman’s over the other grocery stores. Not surprisingly, Herman’s is still family owned and operated.
It has the great feeling of a traditional deli as I’m pretty sure they haven’t updated their store for 30+ years. Plus, they make their own delicious jerky (out of various meats including beef, buffalo and sometimes other animals).
There are probably 5 – 6 butchers there at any time so even when it gets busy (and it does) you’re never waiting long. These butchers are knowledgeable and you can tell take pride in their job.
If you go during lunch they also will make you a fresh sandwich and you can pick up a can or bottle of soda. It’s a charming, simple and delicious lunch.
The only problem, if you want to call it that, is they have limited hours (hence the family element). This is easily solved simply by paying attention to when they’re open.