I’ve been a loyal customer of Cliff’s Meat Market since 2010, regularly buying their pre-marinated meats and supporting a local business I believed in. One of the highlights—something my family and guests always looked forward to—was their Al Pastor. That’s no longer the case.
On Saturday, I purchased the Al Pastor along with my usual items, only to find out from staff that several of their staple marinades have been quietly changed. When I questioned the noticeable difference in the beef, onion, and cilantro mix, I was told they removed cilantro because a “few” people didn’t like it. That alone made little sense—why remove a signature ingredient to cater to a minority opinion, especially when it’s been a staple for over a decade?
Still, I bought the Al Pastor as usual, expecting it to be the same. It wasn’t. The flavor was flat, the meat was noticeably tough and chewy, and the signature pineapple chunks were gone—something we’ve always considered part of the flavor and texture that made it special. Guests at our gathering even asked what happened, assuming we got it somewhere else.
I called today (Tuesday, July 15th) to express my concern, and instead of any kind of understanding, the woman on the phone became defensive. She doubled down, saying they changed the recipe again because “a few” customers complained about the pineapple chunks. Now, apparently, they’re “blending the pineapple into the marinade”—yet there’s no real trace of it, and the result is meat that’s tougher than ever. If they’re using juice directly, it explains the breakdown failure and the texture issues.
Bottom line: this wasn’t a small tweak. This was a full dismantling of what made Cliff’s Al Pastor special. Changing recipes that have worked for over a decade to cater to a handful of complaints is baffling. As a long-time supporter of this business, I’m incredibly disappointed.
John Dinyari
Excellent butcher shop. Breakfast sausage, shirt ribs, goat. All excellent
Austin Kaylor
These folks are awesome! Very old school, great quality, highly attentive. Could not recommend more. A must for any person who cares about the quality of their meat.
Scott McConnell
Legit old school butcher. Quality is 2x that of supermarkets for way less. Independently owned too!
Jeff Franklin
Fresh meat right across from Wendy’s in Carrboro. Check em out!
Angela Carson
A lot of cross contamination. No one wears gloves. When you enter the market, the lady at the register looks at you and turns her head. She doesn't greet you.
Cm Wiford
Service is phenomenal, The meat is outstanding and Cliff's prices are the best in the Triangle. Try their chicken. It has to be the cleanest and best tasting chicken I have had. We need to support this business to keep it alive.
Alan Finn
Great meats at fair prices. Friendly, helpful staff. They also have a good selection of dried peppers. Molé Poblano!
Best place to start when preparing the tailgate menu for game day.
Brandon Srinath
It’s people like Cliff, who make this town what it is. This is the place to go for meats there’s no reason to look any further. Cliff’s business has been in operation for ✨51✨ years and thriving. Speaking with Cliff this morning, I grew to understand our town’s history even more and it just reminded me of the reason I moved here, and the reason I started my business here: because this community has a lot of Love and Passion for what we do. Cliff is a Master in his trade, he can procure whichever meat you can think of. As a veghead, I know this because every local restaurant owner I speak with from Northside to Mama Dips to Linda’s and beyond, always list Cliff as THE meat market. There really is nowhere else you can go that’s better than THIS… and that’s why we love Carrboro, because we can say the same about our rapidly growing town and community. Let’s never lose that part in our town.
Thank you, Cliff for all you’ve done and I look forward to returning to your establishment! It was clean, it was organized, it was everything you’d expect a true 5 star ⭐️ operation to be.
-B. Srinath
Adam
I struggled with writing this review as I really wanted to like this place and never want to damage the reputation of a small, local operation. They have a very friendly staff and put in a special order for wagyu for us. We were purchasing about 8lbs of steak for large special event. After shopping around the Triangle for local butchers, Cliff's seemed like good folks doing good business and they were very competitively priced - so we opted to purchase from them.However, once we got the steaks to their final destination (on ice the entire way and immediately transitioned to a refrigerator and stored for 48 hours) we unwrapped the steaks and were very disappointed. The dry aged ribeye steaks we purchased had begun to rot - we noticed the color seemed off in store but chalked it up to dry aging not being our typical cut. Further, the filet mignon was cut so poorly. There was an immense amount of silver skin/fat around the steak; we trimmed at least 10% off of each steak. Totally disappointing to have to trim such a lean cut but it's compounded by this being a quite expensive cut of meat and a notable portion of it be inedible.We optimistically thought as we were unwrapping it that things like this happen and since they were so nice in-store, we will just give them a call after our trip (only another two days) and they'd just give us our money back. Sadly, we were mistaken. When we we called we were met with apathy. They said we did not call within 24 hours and did not bring the meat back to them - they did not care that we had photos of the rot and the silver skin. I don't know who would expect someone to keep rotten meat handy for a few days or if they would have accepted it anyways since we did not have the suspicion necessary to check their handiwork immediately.Ultimately, the wagyu was great and the filets came out nicely after being re-butchered. I don't believe I'd be writing a review at all if we weren't treated so poorly upon return. This is a business that wants you to take them at their word, but won't take yours in return. It dampened our event and ultimately was a large waste of money.Attaching photos of the trimmed fat from filets and rotting ribeye below.
David Perry
Service here is exceptional. I make a lot of chili and the guys here cut the meat to my specs. Especially when I am making chili for a crowd, this is a great savings of time and effort for me.
Nathalie
Cliff's has the best low price on slab bacon, thin stir fry beef, thick cut steaks the way you want it cut, friendly staff,. Depending on how much you want to buy, you may get a better price on the freshly cut meat. Large boxes of chicken wings especially when cooking for a party. I have been going to Cliff's for many years. Please go because you won't be disappointed.
Great prices and friendly service.
Always nice selection of meet!
I’ve been a loyal customer of Cliff’s Meat Market since 2010, regularly buying their pre-marinated meats and supporting a local business I believed in. One of the highlights—something my family and guests always looked forward to—was their Al Pastor. That’s no longer the case.
On Saturday, I purchased the Al Pastor along with my usual items, only to find out from staff that several of their staple marinades have been quietly changed. When I questioned the noticeable difference in the beef, onion, and cilantro mix, I was told they removed cilantro because a “few” people didn’t like it. That alone made little sense—why remove a signature ingredient to cater to a minority opinion, especially when it’s been a staple for over a decade?
Still, I bought the Al Pastor as usual, expecting it to be the same. It wasn’t. The flavor was flat, the meat was noticeably tough and chewy, and the signature pineapple chunks were gone—something we’ve always considered part of the flavor and texture that made it special. Guests at our gathering even asked what happened, assuming we got it somewhere else.
I called today (Tuesday, July 15th) to express my concern, and instead of any kind of understanding, the woman on the phone became defensive. She doubled down, saying they changed the recipe again because “a few” customers complained about the pineapple chunks. Now, apparently, they’re “blending the pineapple into the marinade”—yet there’s no real trace of it, and the result is meat that’s tougher than ever. If they’re using juice directly, it explains the breakdown failure and the texture issues.
Bottom line: this wasn’t a small tweak. This was a full dismantling of what made Cliff’s Al Pastor special. Changing recipes that have worked for over a decade to cater to a handful of complaints is baffling. As a long-time supporter of this business, I’m incredibly disappointed.
Excellent butcher shop.
Breakfast sausage, shirt ribs, goat. All excellent
These folks are awesome! Very old school, great quality, highly attentive. Could not recommend more. A must for any person who cares about the quality of their meat.
Legit old school butcher. Quality is 2x that of supermarkets for way less. Independently owned too!
Fresh meat right across from Wendy’s in Carrboro. Check em out!
A lot of cross contamination. No one wears gloves.
When you enter the market, the lady at the register looks at you and turns her head. She doesn't greet you.
Service is phenomenal, The meat is outstanding and Cliff's prices are the best in the Triangle. Try their chicken. It has to be the cleanest and best tasting chicken I have had. We need to support this business to keep it alive.
Great meats at fair prices. Friendly, helpful staff. They also have a good selection of dried peppers. Molé Poblano!
Restaurantji Recommends
Best place to start when preparing the tailgate menu for game day.
It’s people like Cliff, who make this town what it is. This is the place to go for meats there’s no reason to look any further. Cliff’s business has been in operation for ✨51✨ years and thriving. Speaking with Cliff this morning, I grew to understand our town’s history even more and it just reminded me of the reason I moved here, and the reason I started my business here: because this community has a lot of Love and Passion for what we do. Cliff is a Master in his trade, he can procure whichever meat you can think of. As a veghead, I know this because every local restaurant owner I speak with from Northside to Mama Dips to Linda’s and beyond, always list Cliff as THE meat market. There really is nowhere else you can go that’s better than THIS… and that’s why we love Carrboro, because we can say the same about our rapidly growing town and community. Let’s never lose that part in our town.
Thank you, Cliff for all you’ve done and I look forward to returning to your establishment! It was clean, it was organized, it was everything you’d expect a true 5 star ⭐️ operation to be.
-B. Srinath
I struggled with writing this review as I really wanted to like this place and never want to damage the reputation of a small, local operation. They have a very friendly staff and put in a special order for wagyu for us. We were purchasing about 8lbs of steak for large special event. After shopping around the Triangle for local butchers, Cliff's seemed like good folks doing good business and they were very competitively priced - so we opted to purchase from them.However, once we got the steaks to their final destination (on ice the entire way and immediately transitioned to a refrigerator and stored for 48 hours) we unwrapped the steaks and were very disappointed. The dry aged ribeye steaks we purchased had begun to rot - we noticed the color seemed off in store but chalked it up to dry aging not being our typical cut. Further, the filet mignon was cut so poorly. There was an immense amount of silver skin/fat around the steak; we trimmed at least 10% off of each steak. Totally disappointing to have to trim such a lean cut but it's compounded by this being a quite expensive cut of meat and a notable portion of it be inedible.We optimistically thought as we were unwrapping it that things like this happen and since they were so nice in-store, we will just give them a call after our trip (only another two days) and they'd just give us our money back. Sadly, we were mistaken. When we we called we were met with apathy. They said we did not call within 24 hours and did not bring the meat back to them - they did not care that we had photos of the rot and the silver skin. I don't know who would expect someone to keep rotten meat handy for a few days or if they would have accepted it anyways since we did not have the suspicion necessary to check their handiwork immediately.Ultimately, the wagyu was great and the filets came out nicely after being re-butchered. I don't believe I'd be writing a review at all if we weren't treated so poorly upon return. This is a business that wants you to take them at their word, but won't take yours in return. It dampened our event and ultimately was a large waste of money.Attaching photos of the trimmed fat from filets and rotting ribeye below.
Service here is exceptional. I make a lot of chili and the guys here cut the meat to my specs. Especially when I am making chili for a crowd, this is a great savings of time and effort for me.
Cliff's has the best low price on slab bacon, thin stir fry beef, thick cut steaks the way you want it cut, friendly staff,. Depending on how much you want to buy, you may get a better price on the freshly cut meat. Large boxes of chicken wings especially when cooking for a party. I have been going to Cliff's for many years. Please go because you won't be disappointed.
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