Rooftop review: friendly, casual spot. Only bummer = cash only. I’ve seen work groups, strollers, and some very handsome bratwurst.
What a great place to have in the neighborhood and worth traveling for.You have a great European market on the first floor, fresh sausages and meats of all sorts, cheeses, chocolates and all you need to be fed. Beer and wines on the second floor. You will find something interesting guaranteed. And then the rooftop. All fresh sausages and a few other snacks, draft beer (so fresh and clean), and a nice view of the city.Weather on your own or with a group - worth a visit.
The rooftop is a great dining area. The sausages are oh my god....I'm drooling thinking about them. When it comes to drinks just steer clear of the sangria pitcher. It's cheap sangria at a bar price. Get some beer. Maybe a radler & you'll be happily set.The grocery store is specialty & pricey but excellent selection. Great tourist spot.
Gene's Sausage Shop and Delicatessen is pretty dreamy. Aside from their awesome rooftop (which if I remember correctly is cash only), the shop itself has so much to offer. Every time I go in there I walk out with something fun. I love the pre-made pierogies, especially the sauerkraut and spinach varieties. The cheese selection is really nice, too. Big fan of Gene's.
I have been to the temple of sausage, and it's Gene's. Seriously just go here. Incredible selection of meats (raw, smoked, cured, you name it) and cheeses, beer, wine and specialty European goods. Great baked goods as well. Staff is friendly and helpful. No complaints, and the prices are very reasonable.
Went for the homemade hot & italian sausage, and had to try a Michigan cherry bratwurst, too. The store made italian sausage (links and bulk) in other markets around Evanston are horrible mass-produced batches of bland. These sausages make a difference in my homemade pizza, calzone, any Italian meal. Their fresh cut strip steaks looked amazing, as well. I also found some tasty unique varieties of potato chips, too - ketchup flavored and pepperoni flavored. Great!
How was Gene's Sausage Shop? Amazing first experience. Every sausage and cheese imaginable. Cooking up the sausage as I write.Staff was incredibly courteous. Especially the lovely lady at checkout who was very friendly while moving a fairly long line right along.If you are in the neighborhood, definitely stop in.
The store looks great and for the most part it is but, what brought me in was the smoked meats hanging in the window, especially the sausages. I bought one of every sausage all of which were very bland in terms of flavor. One had a warning for spiciness and I couldn't detect any whatsoever. Disappointed in the meats but the rest of the store was pretty good.
I pre-ordered over a dozen Paczki over the weekend to pick up on Monday. I called in to make sure there wasn’t designated pick up times and there were not. Great. I picked them up I come home they are soggy, cold,and sweating as if they’ve been frozen? I took one bite from one and it was super dense and the filling tasted like artificial jam.I have been a customer here for years so I swing back Just to ask if maybe I could exchange for fresh ones because these clearly were not. There was a young man at the checkout asked me If he could help, I explained I was just in, and showed him the Paczki. He right away became defensive, saying There’s nothing he could do, what did I want him to do?! mind you I am staring at fresh Paczki behind the bakery… So I let it go. He was clearly not emotionally equipped to handle customer service.But don’t get Paczki here- they are not baked in house and we’re not worth the price!
This place is amazing. You will find all the meats from all over the world, and all the cheeses and deli style salads and desserts as well!Get there early on the weekends, otherwise be prepared to wait a long time, as it gets busy and the service is paced in the traditional old world deli style:Don't take up the time, know what you are ordering upfront!Pull a numberWait your turnPlace your order item by item to be sliced individually to be courteous to the workers and the waiting customers.And so on and so forth.This is probably one of the freshest and most traditional butcher/deli shops in the Chicago area!AND THE MEAT/DELI PRICES ARE AMAZING!!Support small local businesses and farms by shopping here!!!!!