The Meatery (TheMeatery.com) Wagyu Store — Local services in San Diego

I placed an online order in October 2021 from the Meatery's website for six Australian Wagyu Ribeyes MS 8/9 that were advertised as 10 oz. each. When they arrived, two of the steaks weighed less than 8 oz., and the remainder were between 8 and 10 ounces. I was to find out later that the advertised weight is supposed to represent an average weight. There was no indication on the website that indicated the 10 oz. specification was an average, so one would of course assume that every steak was a minimum of 10 oz. This is obviously not the case.

A few nights later, I grilled two of the steaks, using standard techniques, including bringing the steak to room temperature prior to cooking, using high heat from an infrared burner and then cooking indirectly until the internal temperature came to about 128 degrees. The steaks were then rested and finished at about 135 degrees. One of the steaks was markedly more tender than the other and one was so lacking in tenderness that it was tougher than the USDA Prime ribeyes that I buy at the local supermarket all the time.

In the end, I was more or less completely dissatisfied with my order. I had bought and enjoyed every Wagyu steak I ever bought from Crowd Cow and World of Wagyu, but wanted to give this company a try because it was located in CA and just over 100 miles to the South. The prices at the Meatery are about the same as those at World of Wagyu, but only if you get the full advertised cut, which I did not. When I raised my issues to the owner, he did offer and process a 1/3 refund on my order, but the experience was not a positive one and I do not recommend this company.

UPDATE I wasn't going to mention this, but now that the owner has immediately responded to this review with misleading statements about my order being from a year ago (clearly it was placed just three months ago) and him removing me from his company's FB page, I felt it appropriate to respond.

First of all, you can tell by his response he is obviously angry that the weight issue is being made public. Secondly, I was only trying to enlighten his friend on the concept of grass-fed beef, that is not always 100% grass-fed, but rather grass-fed and grain-finished. His friend was a self-proclaimed "beef expert" and the owner chose to defend him by trying to "educate" me on things that are clearly written about and easily available on Google. At any rate, this latest episode, only serves to confirm my opinion on this...

The second review is below... I have been looking for a store to get my meats from. I have been meaning to come down to this store for a while now, and I finally did. The store is clean and it has a good vibe. also, it has a decent selection of Japanese, Australian, and American Wagyu. I was looking for Japanese wagyu A5 and the highest BMS available (they had A5 BMS 11). They also have sausages from wild boar. I walked out of there with some American Wagyu, Japanese Wagyu A5 New York "Block Cut" and Prime Ribeye Steak. The customer service is good. The owner asked me what i was trying to eat my steaks with, and we both agreed on the prime ribeye. I believe we "meat eaters" have a special connection. My mouth was watering just by looking at all the cuts behind the glass. I can't wait to cook my cuts and try them. I will write a new review expressing my experience once I devour my steaks. The prices are very reasonable. Stand by for my next review. I guess I can't have SECOND REVIEW: I after prepping and making my steaks, I have gone back to this meatery two more times already. The steak flavors are fantastic. The quality of them is great. Every bite had that flavor I was looking for. I haven't gone back to other grocery stores to get steaks. SUGGESTION: I do, however, have a suggestion. I think I speak for every meat eater that has gone to your store. Display prices on the meats. Some of us come to your store with a budget in mind, and being able to look at the prices will give an idea of what we can purchase. I hope you take this suggestion into...

Have to say that I'm very disappointed in the quality of butchering and service after the fact. I purchased Australian Wagyu tri-tip on Thursday to make for a special night on Saturday. Due to the fat content of the tri-tip, I couldn't tell the flat had been poorly butchered. The flat was split about 2 inches in. I have bought countless pieces of meat from various butchers around town and never experienced this. The response from ownership was rather off-putting because I got the meat with a first-time customer coupon code. Whether I got this on discount from the vendor or not, it doesn't excuse the poor response from them regarding asking for service. I'm not only paying for the quality of meat but the quality of your butchering too. There are plenty of other butchers in the area and I would recommend using them before The Meatery.

Edit for my response: As stated in the original review I was unable to see the cut in the meat prior to the cook, had I found this prior I would not have cooked the meat. I'm not sure what prep the owner is talking about as this is a trimmed tri-tip, I have zero reasons to bring a knife to it. Presentation is everything when you have a party. Also, a new customer discount should not give you an excuse to deliver an inferior product to your clients. I have added a picture of the meat prior to the cook. The cut is not visible on...