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Eckerlin Meats
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Order on the Findlay Market app
Thanksgiving pre-orders on the Findlay Market app through Thu, Nov. 19Pre-order

Serving fresh meat daily
since 1852

A family-run butcher shop and sandwich counter at Cincinnati’s Findlay Market. Home of Eckerlin’s Best Goetta.

Tue–Fri 8–5 · Sat 6–5 · Sun 10–4116 W. Elder St., Cincinnati
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The Eckerlin Meats crew in red aprons, black shirts and caps on the street at Findlay Market, gathered around a statue of the Reds mascot on a bench, with the market house and its cupola behind them

Made in the shop

Eckerlin’s Best Goetta

People ask us, “What the heck is goetta?” You may love it. You may hate it. But you definitely won’t forget it!

It’s ground pork and beef with onion, steel-cut pinhead oats and a great blend of spices, slow-cooked for hours.

Voted “Best Goetta” twice by Cincinnati Magazine

Two crisp-fried slices of goetta beside a sunny-side-up egg on a white plate with a navy rim

  1. Mix

    Our family recipe: lean pork and beef, steel-cut pinhead oats, onion and fresh-ground spices.

  2. Slow-cook

    Cooked slowly for hours, one small batch at a time.

  3. Block

    Chilled and formed into blocks, ready for your next breakfast.

  4. Fry

    At home, slice it and fry it golden brown and crispy on each side.

How to get it

It’s fully cooked. Serve it with maple syrup or grape jelly. We’ve even seen a gentleman eat it with horseradish.

Call to ship goettaTry the goetta sandwich

In the case

Cut to order,
the old-fashioned way

Tell us what you’re cooking. We’ll custom cut any piece of meat, and trim, tie or grind it too.

  • Beef

    USDA Prime and Choice, always fresh and never frozen.

    Beef Favorites
    • Ribeye
    • New York strip
    • Filet mignon
    • Prime rib roast
    • Short ribs
    • Brisket

  • Pork

    Chops cut fresh every day, some stuffed with Grandma’s homemade stuffing.

    Pork Favorites
    • Stuffed chops
    • Thick chops
    • City chicken
    • Crown roast
    • Baby back ribs
    • Schnitzel

  • Sausage

    Fresh sausage made with an old hand-crank stuffer in 10 lb batches, in natural casings.

    Sausage Favorites
    • Who Dey Sausage
    • Bratwurst
    • Fresh mett
    • Homemade Italian
    • Breakfast links
    • Hot metts

  • Bacon

    Hand cut to order. Let’s face it, bacon makes any meal better.

    Bacon Favorites
    • Hickory smoked (best seller)
    • Applewood
    • Peppered
    • Beef bacon

  • Stuffed chicken

    Stuffed and tied in the shop. Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes.

    Stuffed chicken Favorites
    • Spinach artichoke
    • Broccoli & cheese
    • Saltimbocca
    • Cordon bleu
    • Rollatini

Need something unusual, like beef heart, tongue or cheeks? Give us about a week’s notice.

At the counter

Grab a sandwich while you’re here

Fresh sandwiches from the shop’s own kitchen, starring the goetta, egg & cheese.

  • A hoagie piled with shredded beef, banana peppers and melted white cheese on red-and-white checkered paper, in front of the shop’s red script Eckerlin sign
  • A sub roll overflowing with grilled chicken, green and red peppers, onions and a creamy sauce, on a metal tray in front of the red script Eckerlin sign
  • A sandwich cut in half to show a thick breaded cutlet with shredded lettuce, pickles and melted cheese on a soft bun, on red-and-white checkered paper
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Catering & party trays

Sandwich, vegetable and fruit trays, even a super-sized three-foot party sub. Call to plan.

Call to plan

Breakfast, all day

Goetta, egg & cheese

Crispy goetta, egg and cheese on a bun.

Egg & cheese, your way

With sausage, bacon, ham, beef bacon or smoked mett.

Lunch, after 10 a.m.

  • Roast Beef ’n Cheddar

    Wagyu roast beef, beer cheese and au jus.

  • Sandwiches

    Signature Steak Burger, Reuben, Turkey Club and Fried Chicken Sammich.

  • Butcher Shop Deli Sammich

    Build your own.

  • Brats & metts

    Hot dogs and kielbasa, too.

  • House-cut fries

    Regular or Cajun.

Our story

At Findlay Market
since it opened

The Eckerlin Meats team in black shirts and aprons, lined up in front of the meat case inside the shop under red oval Eckerlin Meats signs

Ernie Eckerlin came from Baden, Germany, and opened a Cincinnati slaughterhouse. When Findlay Market opened for business in 1855, Eckerlin Meats was there. His daughter Frieda worked the market stand and married Al Lillis, and their family still runs the shop.

In April 2025 the shop moved back into its rebuilt home on Elder Street, with an open cutting room, a sandwich kitchen and all the goetta made on site. Josh Lillis, son of owner Bob Lillis Jr., designed it and is taking over.

“We feel like it’s our duty to keep this place what it is, because so many people need to experience it.”

Josh Lillis, General manager · Edible Ohio Valley, Winter 2025
Family owned since
1852
At Findlay Market since
1855
Rebuilt and reopened
2025

Reviews & press

Don’t take
our word for it

4.8 out of 5 stars

226 Google reviews

  • Food & Wine

    “Order a freshly made breakfast sandwich stuffed with the house goetta—some of the best in a city that can’t get enough of the stuff…”

  • CityBeat

    “Findlay Market’s oldest and one of its most popular merchants”

  • 24/7 Tempo

    Named our goetta sandwich Ohio’s must-try sandwich

  • Cincinnati Magazine

    Voted our goetta “Best Goetta” twice

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    “No one does it like Eckerlin’s – egg, cheese, crispy goetta on NCH bakery bun. SO good! My husband ordered the Reuben and it was also excellent!”

    Leslie T. · Google
  • Rated 5 out of 5

    “I had the goetta sandwich and it was amazing … Wonderfully crispy on the outside and a wonderful different texture on the inside. Highly recommend.”

    Jason F. · Google
  • Rated 5 out of 5

    “I tried the goetta egg and cheese sandwich and I must say it was one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had!”

    Randy B. · Google

Questions

Good to know

513-721-5743
Can you ship goetta?

Yes. We airtight-seal it and ship it across the U.S. Call 513-721-5743 to set it up.

Can I order online?

Yes, on the Findlay Market Shopping App: pick up at the market Tuesday to Friday, or get delivery around Cincinnati. Or just give us a call.

Order on the Findlay Market app
Can you cut something special?

Yes. We’ll custom cut any piece of meat to your specifications. Uncommon cuts like beef heart, tongue or cheeks need about a week’s notice.

Do you cater?

Yes: sandwich, vegetable and fruit trays, even a super-sized three-foot party sub. Call 513-721-5743 to plan it.

Do you take EBT?

Yes, EBT is accepted. SNAP benefits work on the Findlay Market app too, holiday pre-orders included.

Order on the Findlay Market app

Hours & directions

Find us
on Elder Street

Tue–Fri 8–5 · Sat 6–5 · Sun 10–4
Tuesday–Friday8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday6 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday10 a.m.–4 p.m.
MondayClosed
116 W. Elder St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
  • A storefront across Elder Street from the Findlay Market house
  • Saturdays we open at 6 a.m., two hours before the market house
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • EBT accepted
  • Holiday hours can differ, so call ahead
Get directionsCall 513-721-5743