Bonetti Meats

Italo and Jackie Bonetti opened the shop in 1973. Their son Carlo owns and runs it now, and the family photo on their website lines up three generations in aprons: Italo, Carlo, Carlo’s brother Dino and Carlo’s sons Michael and Lorenzo. Carlo’s own description of the place is an old-fashioned butcher shop, and that’s a fair summary of how it works. You walk up to a counter, say what you’re cooking, and someone cuts it.

What they sell

The case covers Alberta beef, BC pork, lamb and chicken, along with deli meats and cheese. The service that sets them apart, by their own account, is the big-job stuff: breaking down primals and cutting and wrapping for the freezer, which matters if you buy a side of beef or want a month of dinners sorted in one trip.

The smokehouse is the other half of the shop. Everything on that list is made in-house: garlic coil, kolbassa, farmer and Hungarian farmer sausage, smoked bratwurst, smokies, three kinds of pepperoni, bacon, back bacon and bone-in and boneless ham. The shop says the smoked line is gluten free with no MSG, which is handy to know if someone at your table has to check labels.

Then there’s the Italian side: sauces, pantry goods and a house lasagna that has its own following. It needs to be ordered ahead; our review has the sizes and lead time.

Part of the place

The family lists a long run of local causes they back, including 4-H, the Aldergrove Rotary Club, the Langley School District Foundation and Langley Lodge, plus a string of sports clubs. They’re members of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce.

Before you go

The hours are the thing that catches people: closed Sunday and Monday, and 5 pm on the days it’s open. If you need something cut a particular way, or something that isn’t in the case, phone ahead; the shop says it can often help with items it doesn’t list. There’s parking right out front.

Heading further east? Our Aldergrove guide has the rest of the town, and Otter Co-op is a few blocks south on the same street.