Koenemann’s Sausage Company

It’s ok we visited for lunch around 1:30 so maybe staff was wound down ordered two sandwiches that took a loooong time to make. Like I said, just ok, cute place, ladies were fairly friendly but we had the impression we were inconveniencing them. I’ve been to a hundred better delis/​smokehouses etc

Highly recommend Koenemann’s! Have always been treated wonderfully here. Beef jerky and beef sticks are to die for!

My sister and I have been coming here for years to pick up their Westphalian ham and it’s usually just as good as the real imported stuff. Got some before the Super Bowl, but was kind of disappointed. It didn’t taste like it cured enough, not very died, or smokey, but it was tasty. Will give them another shot to be sure.

I’ve been on kind of a bad run lately. I’m hitting spots that don’t work for me. While having breakfast nearby I wanted to grab a sammy for later and thought what a good time it would be to try this deli /​meat market. The folks there were very nice and let me try a couple of lunch meats that I couldn’t pronounce. I ended up getting a sandwich fresh made to my liking to-​go. Much later in the day after my breakfast wore off I went in for half of the sandwich. It was pretty plain and the bread wasn’t fresh as it should have been. The best part was the pickles on the sandwich. I did buy some brats and when I cook up those babies I’ll add to the review. For now two stars for the sandwich and four stars for the nice people.

It seems like a really random place for Volo, but I recommend stopping in. I was raised with German and polish sausages and meats and I’m so happy to find all of that in one place. I’m so grateful that we still have places like this around here. Enough of the chain food garbage! I purchased a sandwich last time and it was great. Totally worth the $ 6. Id rather shop at a gem like this instead of a subway or fast food chain. There’s no mystery in what you’re eating.

I stopped in for the first time this week after seeing it pop up on Unilocal repeatedly. I had a smoked ham and smoked cheddar sub for lunch. The sub roll was fantastic. The ham was smoky and thinly sliced. Despite the simplicity of a ham and cheese sandwich, it was a great lunch and much better than any chain sandwich. While there, I saw the nice big slabs of fresh, smoked bacon and couldn’t resist buying some. It was a great choice. Bacon is so much better without all the junk they put in commercially manufactured bacon. I highly recommend it!

Great little meat market w a few unique German groceries & prepared foods!!! Great customer service!

First & foremost I must thank Gerry A. for reviewing this authentic gem — if it wasn’t for Gerry, I would have never been inclined to visit Koenemann’s, much less know they existed at all…
Let me point out (in case you didn’t know) I am Italian and obsessed with food, period.
I am fiercely curious about particular foods & cultures I’ve had little exposure to… which leads me to Koenemann’s, a charming little German deli & sausage store… can’t say I’ve really experienced anything like it or the German delicacies they offer…
Walking in around 4ish on a Saturday there was only one customer in sight, with a few patrons in & out the door during my visit, and 4 – 5 women behind the display cases. I totally SCORED coming in at this time & you’ll know why…
The store is very clean as other’s have mentioned. In fact upon entering, one of the women was sweeping the floors. She was friendly. I walked around a bit, checking out the very organized shelves. They had sauerkraut (home made — in barrel — almost empty), some fresh breads & pretzel rolls (very good, & tasted NOTHING like a manufactured strong pretzel flavor, very mild.), and a lovely selection of mustards, jarred sauerkrauts, spices, jams, German beverages, Polish items, European cookies & candies (Toblerone, Ritter bars, 5 or 6 Haribo varieties), teas, German coffee, etc… I just kept strolling on — and on… I was in no hurry.
I then wandered over to the meat cases — sausages, deli-​meats, dried sausages, cheese, German salads, pre-​packaged fish, frozen Italian sausage, blood sausage… I sort of felt overwhelmed… there are no ‘labels’ near any of the meats that you would find at a larger grocery store deli. I saw one large sign hanging on the wall listing all meats carried. But, what was what in the case?
Then, all of the sudden, this wonderful, charismatic woman named Linda greets me and asks, «What can I get you, honey»…(I’m thinkin, dear Lord, that’s a really good question, Linda.). I simply responded — «I’m here on a recommendation — I’m Italian — I don’t know a darn thing about German meats or what it tastes like — but I don’t eat Head cheese or blood sausage… What do you recommend?» …She pointed out the various meats to guide me — and after that — Linda gave me samples of ALL the selections I inquired, without me even asking! (not the whole deli case, you fools — just 6 or 7, I stopped counting…).
They had a Mortadella I tasted that was very different from the Italian version. The baked, smoked & boiled hams, smoked turkey, corned beef — ALL DELICIOUS. They also had Canadian bacon (which Linda likes a lot). Looked nothing like it, but OMG, this tasted 10x’s better then Canadian bacon as I know it, and this was SUPERB & LEAN. I bought a little of each of the above, and the baked ham…(including a slice of German cake, Linda recommended…(did you really think I was going to ask her to SAMPLE that?)
I basically had lunch on Koenemann’s dime (while not planning on it)…in fact, it became quite humorous, as Linda & I shared a nice banter between my samples, questions, orders… and at one point said «Just bring some crackers with you next time»…LOL! I agreed… she was an absolute DOLL and endearingly named me «My little Italian girl»… #IloveGermanWomen…
I ended up buying some Veal brats, Knockwurst & Bratwurst (& frozen Italian sausage)…grilled brats that night & shared with friends over — veal brat’s were really spectacular as was the bratwurst… the best I’ve tasted. Deli meat is exceptional as well… EVERYTHING is home made & just outstanding quality meat… I told Linda, I’d definitely be seeing her again in the near future & thanked her profusely for all her help and kindness… Had there been a stream of customer’s in this store, I would have never occupied her time — my timing couldn’t have been more perfect…
Linda, if your reading this, I’d like to share a German beer with you sometime… you made my shopping experience here memorable, in more ways than one — I consider you my Amici! Till we meet again…(maybe I’ll see Gerry A. here one day too… who knows?).
THIS PLACE IS A GEM!!!

This place is amazing! The meats are delicious as well as there fresh bread. The people that work there are so very nice everytime I go in. I love going there

The sausages and sandwiches we got were great. I highly recommend they remove all the empty shelves and consolidate their merch on the shelves. It would look so much better. They also desperately need better lighting. Their sandwiches were okay, not enough to make me want to go back

Wow! This place is awesome! Let me start by saying: they make all there own sausage.
I stopped in at lunch time. There was a steady flow of customers going in and out but never a bottle neck.
I decided to try a $ 6 sandwich. I’m estimating they have about 20 different meats to chose from for your sandwich. They offer everything from turkey, ham, and roast beef, to less common offerings such as braunschweiger, corned beef, and headcheese. I chose Laberkase (German Veal Loaf), with Munster cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, and German mustard, on a fresh baked roll. The sandwich was delicious, and had a mountain of top notch meat. The roll was baked to perfection — A light, crisp crust with wonderfully soft bread inside. The sandwich crushes anything you would get at Jimmy John’s or Subway.
I also picked up a lb. of German Potato salad ($ 3.29), and 4 hotdogs (natural casing).
I highly recommend this deli. Whether you are looking for a great sandwich, or authentic German food to prepare at home; either way you can’t go wrong.
I’ve lived in Lake County for over 20 years and I never knew about this place. I only discovered it thanks to Unilocal

I would have never found Koenemann’s on my own but I was up in Volo at Hoffman’s Garden Center and asked if they had a lunch place they recommended. Volo is largely franchise city, burger and hot dogs.
Koenemann’s is that REALLY real deal German deli and sausage company. In busyness SEVENTY SIX, 76, years. Step back into a time when you can ask the butcher a real question about their meats, rather than look at some prepackaged National Chain brand from some anonymous warehouse.
Handmade $ 6 sandwiches customized as you request on breads/​rolls and many condiment choices. The sandwiches are huge and delicious, shareable if you have a side imo. Huge glass display cases full of sausages, smoked meats. This is the place to stop at on your way to that big lake picnic or in preparation for that really important BBQ. Here is a list of some of the online menu. Gift shop items also.
Frankfurter, Knackwurst, etc.
Liver Sausages
Bratwurst, Fresh Sausages
Smoked Hams, Kassler, etc.
Hickory Smoked Sausages
Blood Sausages, etc.
Lunch Meats
I can’t give it 4 stars unfortunately because I purchased some of their frozen homemade (it’s all homemade) blood sausage and I realized and I didn’t know if it was pre-​cooked. I expected it wasn’t when I bought it but called and the first person on the phone said it was not cooked, but then checked with the butcher who said it was. Then next time I was in I asked the same question and got the same not cooked answer… until they checked with the butcher. So be careful here, there is limited packaging detail and some in store translation required, so maybe more or less cooking than you expected. You know what to do if in doubt
(update: the blood sausage was FANTASTIC, best I’ve ever had).
Turn East off Rand Road onto Village Volo Road just before you get near, or pass, the larger 120 intersection. Also just two lights north of Hoffman’s Garden Center.
Highly recommended. Very friendly staff, family run and proud of their shop. Immaculate.
Private parking lot is steeply angled in front of the shop, you may want to opt away from that depending on what you are driving.
Do it.

This is a solid little deli out on the prairie. The outlets for this stuff, in this area, are few and far between, it seems, as the denizens seem to prefer the food of the fast n’ fat variety, a.k.a. McDonald’s. Yet, there are the esthetes, the gastronomes, who will not compromise on their salami. .. their Thuringer. .. their KNACKWURST.
The meat case is lovely. So much delicious. AND they make sandwiches, so it’s a lunch option as well! And homemade. And SPOTLESS.
They’ve got a small, but choosy selection of various Euro delicacies, brown mustard, cole slaw, cabbage salad.
This is where you want to go if you’re on the prairie, and find yourself craving a juicy, delicious sandwich, or some GERMAN GOODNESS.

Great sandwiches. We got the turkey and roast beef, both were sliced and made fresh. Their sub rolls could be a little softer, but for those who love the hard crunchy crust these are for you. The only issue I had was the inside was really empty and they sold a lot of random stuff that had nothing to do with food. Overall a great spot for lunch, 6 dollars for a very good size meal.

Best corn beef around unless you can get to Mannys in Chicago. Also great fresh sausage and bacon.

This is by far the best deli we’ve ever been to! So clean and fresh everything made in house. We love their $ 5 sandwiches the roast beef and ham is to die for! My husband works close by and goes at least twice a week! We love their beef sticks and their deli meat and cheese! Def worth giving a try!

What a wonderful place… nice and knowledgeable people to help… let you try a sample… delicious smoked and cured meats… a MUST visit for fresh sausage and tradition. LOVE IT!!!

I have spent my entire life stopping in at Koenemann’s on my way up to Delavan and Lake Geneva. Summer trips were not complete without jerky and some beef sticks.
Now as an adult, weekend trips to Koenemann’s are a regular occurrence. Although I still stop in for a few beef sticks, it’s the rest of the selection I come for now. The ham is to die for. It’s salty and smoky and delicious and sliced paper thin. Get it on a sandwich for only $ 5, and you have a lunch made in heaven! Their meats are out of this world and worth the drive. Yes, you will pay a bit more than at the store, but this is homemade goodness and great quality too!
The ladies behind the counter are kind and knowledgeable and will help you to pick out exactly what you have a taste for. This place has withstood the big conglomerates and rising food costs by offering the same quality meat for years. Supporting a local small business is just an added bonus. You won’t be disappointed with this joint.

I really love this place and wish that they had a distributor for their multitude of awesome products in Chicago. The Veal Brats are simply the best I have ever had. I also highly reccomend the dried sausages and bacon. The employees can be a little surly at times, but this place is like a little a little piece of Germany in Lake County and is well worth the visit.

This place is right on my route to the Volo Bog. It always helps to have a place appear out of nowhere with a big bacon sign when you are, in fact, out of bacon. That’s what got me in here. They only have one kind, and they slice it to order. I also picked up some sliced salami, and a loaf of fabulous rye bread which actually came from a bakery in Bensenville. As other have pointed out, a great selection of everything you’d expect from a German deli: sausages and condiments out the wazoo, mustards and jams, and rye and pumpernickel breads, cheeses, pickles, and many kinds of chocolate. There are also a few good-​looking pastries, too. Whoever is in charge of keeping this place clean is major AR, ’cause I have never seen such a squeaky clean and organized deli. There is no trace of schmutz anywhere. You could eat off any surface in there.