6. Kramarczuk's

"I REFUSE!!!!"
Those 2 little words made me a Hackenmueller Meats customer. I moved to the cities from Chicago (lotsa Polish restaurants) in 1991 and Kramarczuk's has always been like a little taste of home with their sausages and and especially their sausage pepper dish. I bought 100% of my sausages from them until a recent experience with one of their counter people. I had picked out about $75 worth of sausages to take up North for an annual fishing trip when I asked for 3 links of the Polish Sausage (long, fat style) and requested that they each be cut in half and wrapped separately so I could freeze them. At first, the girl who was helping me said that she wasn't allowed to cut the Polish in half. When I asked why she wasn't able to answer and acted like she wanted to help me but couldn't. One of the guys behind the counter overheard us and told me I could just buy the smaller Polish Suasages. I explained to him that I was taking the Polish to my 80-year-old aunt "Up North" who likes the fat, long style Polish' but can't get good ones anywhere near her home. Cut in half they are perfect single-servings for a woman that lives alone. She could freeze them and take them out one-at-a-time to enjoy as a treat. This guy was going to help me... until another guy behind the counter (neatly trimmed black beard and scowl) inserted himself and raised his voice to say, "I REFUSE to cut those sausages!" Now, they have a right to refuse to cut the sausages I was purchasing in half whether I understand the reason or not but they won't get another dime from me thanks to this guy's confrontational attitude and sneer. I had $75 worth of sausages wrapped and stacked on his counter to buy and all he had to do was be polite (like every other person I've ever interacted with there) to make the sale, whether or not he cut the sausages for me. I REFUSED to buy anything from him (he lost $75). I REFUSE to be treated like that while spending my hard-earned money in a tough economy. The rest of his customers were spending $10-15 while I was in there.

The atmosphere is low-key and charming in its own way, but if you happen to visit when there are live musicians playing, you won't want to leave at all. The food is fantastic, both in the deli and in the market, and is the standard against which I measure all other food of this type. The combination plate is a good value and offers a variety of items in a very substantial meal.

Wonderful food and a treat for the taste buds.