Please read there are other reviews about this store selling old food mixed with fresh food ,no Integrity at all . Please beware if you shop here , food might be contaminated .Please read this and be your best judge  I've been shopping there for the past 7 years but not as a regular customer maybe 7 -10 times a year . Main reason was that no mater how close it was to my house most of them don't speak English and each time I got my food order mixed so I've learned my lesson to ask for someone that speaks a bit English b4 I order . Last visit on March 05 2013 I purchased their already cooked "French Chicken " and bread . I ate around 7:30 PM , 2 hours later I became very ill , I went to bed right away and woke up at 2AM throwing up ... and all  of the nasy symptoms there could exist I had them . Could not move the whole time barely could make it to the bathroom at least 40 times in less than 24 hours when it got worse and ended up in the emergency room . I called the store and explained to Barbara (manager )I couldn't get a hold of the owner Stanley and she wasn't exactly a caring person if you might ask she was very rude she could care less ,gave me the run around , not once to say 'HI' 'BYE' Please ' thank you , I mean why would she ? She's used to treat her  people just like at home country  after 2-3 calls back she directed me to call their insurance  company 'Farmers Insurance 773-625-2222 which makes sense right ?The guy that answered was expecting my call - never identified himself , put me on hold supposedly to record the conversation which I wasn't told so as the law requires especially if  you are  intending to make the contents of the communication available to a third party etc .If you are you will need the consent of the person you are recording which he did not ,  "Mr careless "Only to find out that the guy from Farmers Insurance was trying a scare tactic that might work in LaLa Land ? I'm assuming he was under the impression he's talking to his lil niece or something in that order , he briefly told me that I can hire a few lawyers , you need one lawyer for this , and another one and pretty much you'll be broke ? Something similar and pretty much nothing will happen ? Well first there are to many pro bono lawyers in Chicago if you didnt't know that look them up  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fillinoisattorneygeneral.gov%2Fabout%2Fprobono.html&s=3dd5b41b17ea200268893eeb796530c77a1142f14352bb1ed1da527bca38ffcc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://illinoisattorneyg…</a> .  I myself reached out to a friend of mine he's Chief Judge to recommend me a very fine lawyer that  specializes in this . I always try to solve any problem nicely and there was no luck on my end . Yes i don't think i should pay the hospital bill when I got sick from their food yet both Barbara and Mr Careless had pretty much told me they don't care in a very rude way .  I took the approach that I was given by my lawyer , called the CDC  you can find them at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov&s=60c490b26f93b8a166683d942c131633d9af00a68da28b1baa7e1b85b9294e6a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.cdc.gov</a> mind that if you have to call them the main line is 217-782-4977 Illinois Public Health they will give you the right number which varies by county . I had filled a report/complaint and the store will be inspected very soon . I also called channel 7 news Investigations team and channel 2 which both are awaiting my report which I will get back from CDC . I also have an appointment today , first thing in the morning 7AM with a 'specialized' organization that will get involved in this , how nice of them they actually sending someone to my house to get all the info and of course the food that I had left Please don't get me wrong , I mean no harm to nobody , all I want to make sure that nobody else gets sick . It's my 3rd day with no food , can't even drink water without throwing up my stomach is almost glued to my back , the pain is  really killing my stomach . On the other hand I don't see why a customer gets such poor treatment from a store manager (not the owner). If you have a way and can get a hold of the owner Stanley pls do so , let him know that you've read my story only because I still wanna be fair and  to give him a chance as well to be nice or not  but I could not get a hold of him . They will never transfer me , keep saying he's not here . I don't want to go there in person because of the bad experience I already had with Barbara and Mr Careless.This might take a while but I will get to the bottom , I have a few more calls to make tomorrow one of them will be to ICE  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ice.gov&s=6cdcb028ca0fc286e33582b0a41d5544b87c4dc995a8fdae6c1b1118a0d895be" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.ice.gov</a> & BBB <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchicago.bbb.org&s=fa4c31b48a6ed89e6f1971206f6e117e3fc842b6cafa6b5fff160a7273151f40" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://chicago.bbb.org</a> . Remember I live near this store for a few years and to many neighbors has told me some stories but never got involved directly , I will do my best to get involved this time to help others that could and cannot speak for themselves .Feel free to comment bellow and if you'd like to talk to my lawyer I will gladly give you the info . I have 2 different type of businesses myself one I've had for over 25 years and would never talk to my clients the way they tried to talk to me .
This is only the beggining ,I will blast this to every media ,TV channel (not just local) as soon as I get the results :)
Update for the new year!
The rickety chain link fence that looked like it was going to topple over if a couple more people bumped into it has been replaced with a nice solid black metal fence. Makes it look a lot nicer.
That aside, over the past 8 months I've stopped in here quite a bit more, typically during emergencies for mayo and stuff like that, but I've also purchased some sausages, and they were all good. If you don't speak Polish it's sorta hard to order anything though.
It's still fun to watch people being either way too cautious and back up six times before getting out of the way of the guy waiting for their spot, and still surprising how often there's a bunchouv little bumps, but I have more fun now watching the panhandler.
During the summer there's three or four regular panhandlers, but now during the winter months there's just the one diehard who still sticks around, who I've tenderly nicknamed Gary Busey. He's really got me considering a career change. I'd say 1 in 3 people give him some change, and he'll get a dollar or two from every ten or so people who give him change. After a few hours he's gotta rake in some pretty good bank.
Great Deli, VERY fresh meats and vegetables and fruits! Â They have a ton of pre-packaged polish foods including fresh vegetable salad and pierogi. Â This deli is ALWAYS busy so grab a number and go get the rest of the things you need from the rest of the store till they call your number over the PA system in the store. Â Also, DELICIOUS bakery items, fresh whenever I go in!
Review Source:This place been usually ok, (now employes speak to you in english and polish) but today I purchased 2 kremowki and what a disappointment ,one of them was old. Really ,tasted like a sour cream . Â Do they mix new products with old ones just to make a buck and get rid off the stinky foods ? I mean ,what about sausage ? Ham ? How old is it ? What a waste of money ! I know this was my last time here
Review Source:I just moved to Portage Park a few months ago and I am happy to adopt Montrose Deli as my neighborhood store.
The selection isn't huge, but it almost always meets my needs for the usual staple fruits and vegetables, milk, canned goods and the guilty pleasures like ice cream and polish pastries that regular people jones for on some random night. The prices are excellent. Case in point, I remember making tiramisu one night and I was short on marscapone. A half pound tub at Montrose Deli was $3. At a large chain grocery store the same brand would have cost me $5.
Another great thing about this place is it's open at 7:00 AM. Forget an ingredient for breakfast? No problem! Need some milk at 9pm? No problem! They close at 10PM. This isn't a place you would drive five miles to visit, but if you live in the Portage Park area, give Montrose Deli a whirl.
I'm used to Western markets, even small ones. This one is tightly packed into its spacing. It's usually very busy- people everywhere around you and no personal space at all. Has a huge fresh meat case at the back. Go later in the evening unless you want to fight the crowds.
I LOVE their to-go area. As a Masters student with almost zero time to cook (although I CAN cook, quite well) their to go area is amazing and cheaper than dirt. A pint of mushroom soup or lazanki (cabbage with pasta and bacon and heaven?) are each less than $2 (as of 9/8/2011.) They have an astounding array of butters and a really awesome cake/torte area. The clerks and most people in the store only speak Polish unless they hear you speak English and then they flip to English for you. I don't speak Polish, but that store is open till 10, and so I can go when I direly need study fuel.
You cannot beat the prices here--especially not on the deli meats and cheeses. There's typically a long line at the counter but the number tag system works well and the the microphones are linked throughout the store so you can finish your shopping while you wait for your number to be called. There's also many people manning the counter and so it goes really fast. The veggies and fruit selection are good and you can't beat the desserts and fresh breads. I'd also recommend the soups at lunchtime--and they're homemade.
Whenever I come to visit my mom, this is my go-to place for most of my groceries. You won't be disappointed, and, you'll save a lot of money too!
The quantity and variety of smoked sausages, hams, and pork is incredible and very fresh due to a robust Polish customer base that's make this place it's daily shopping destination. Â That's not to say that the turkey isn't great too (many types to choose from) or other deli meats/cheeses. Â This is a meat/poultry shop with about 10 deli ladies actively slicing, packaging the customer requests. Â The deli counter is swamped (some jostling to see the selections) but take a number and you will receive SERVICE. Â What a concept. Â It's worth some patience. Â FYI, just order some cheese slices and be amazed at how it is packaged with care as it should be to retain freshness. Â OH, did I mention prices....CHEAP! Â I will never by deli at Jewel/Dominicks ever again.
Here's some of my other favorites:
Breads of all grain types and even some baked on site
Homemade soups...so good and in containers for home reheating
Polish pastries...fresh daily
Produce is beautiful if not "shiny". Â
Last bit of advice. Â Don't over buy and you will be tempted to given the price and selection. Â Just come back week to week. Â Enjoy Yelpers!
My BF and I try to make it here every weekend to pick up fresh deli foods for the week. Â They go through their deli meats so fast, so you know it's pretty fresh. Â I love their assortment of sausages that hang from the back wall of their deli area. Â If you have great timing, they have fresh bread right from the oven that smells spectacular. Â You don't have to speak Polish, but it helps to have someone with you that can if you don't. Â Their Hunter Stew is great too and cheap!
Review Source:This is a good Polish shop. Â You wouldn't know it by the sign though. Â The produce is stunning and really clean. Â The store is neat. Â NO ONE speaks any English, which is ok, but they don't even know the English names of their own products, so be prepared for a lot of pointing.
The only draw back is that I didn't like their periogis- potato and cheese or mushroom and cabbage. Â Which was really disappointing, and I couldn't really tell you why, the dough is a bit mushy and the fillings are lack luster. Â Also the "smoked Polish sausage" was a bit dry. Â But I'm really a critic having grown up with home made peirogis and great sausages for the holidays.
I'm a little mixed about this place. Â I was a little put off by the SECURITY standing in front of the registers when you walk in. Â The purpose of my visit today was Oranges. Â I walk straight to their mini produce section. Â I was immediately turned off by the lighting. Â I felt like a blind person picking oranges. Â The price was great, but I couldn't SEE what I was getting. Â AnyHOW, I Â walked by the CROWDED deli counter and heard all the comotion (in Polish) so, I didn't bother really checking it out. Â I waited in a long line (I had 3 items and the person in front of me had a shopping-cart full) Â so I expected a little courtesy, "go ahead" NOT. Â I figured waiting wouldn't kill me ... here comes a girl and announces something in POLISH ... I step over (relief) and pay for my 3 items. Â
I'd give this place another chance, as the person in front of me and the people in line around me had great items ... anyhow, if you don't speak Polish your in a disadvantage... if you have the patience, check it out.
I'd go back.
The northwest side has a ton of options in small, independent Polish grocery stores. Â Most tend to emphasize one part of the grocery experience more than the others (at Gorsky's or Ideal it's the bakery, at Gene's it's all about the deli counter, etc). Â Montrose is the best, all-around, balanced, all-purpose neighborhood grocer of them all. Â
So with a nice selection of just about everything, a person who lived near by could do all of their food shopping here and not miss out on much of anything, and never need to take a separate trip for their fruit juice or whatever. Â That's saying a lot for such a small store. Â
As others have said, the place is always busy, and they have a parking lot across the street. Â I really do love the place, but they get knocked off one star for the snotty communist way they treated me when I wanted to order a couple of trays of kanapki for a party and they were too busy to do it because of Easter. Â I get it that everyone there speaks Polish as a first language, and I probably should have known that Easter's a big deal for Poles, but that's no reason to treat me like some kind of troublemaker for asking in English. Â Oh well, I still shop here sometimes on my way home... it's a good place.
Authentic polish deli and grocery store!
I love this place the deli counter is amazing if you can get past all the old polish women without getting pushed, shoved or slapped! Just Kidding!
The prices are amazing, the produce fresh. The fresh baked rolls are delicious. I love the variety of polish sausages and deli meats.
English is optional here. Few of the labels and none of the conversation is in English. Even when they call out the numbers @ the deli counter, you don't hear any English. Â The parking lot is always packed, and frequently clogs traffic on Montrose. Not being terribly grocery store literate, I guess the prices & value & freshness are ok. This place is a fine example of how someone can survive perfectly well in America without being able to speak English. I think that's a good thing, although my French ancestors may not agree.
Review Source:Name sounds generic, but the clientele and much of the food is thoruighly Polish. Â Great Polish ham and sausage, nice salads and pierogi, and very good reasonable meet. Â Aisles have lots of Polish and European pantry items and there is also a small but decent produce section. Â Prices are extremely reasonable.
One draaback is that they are so successful they need to expand -- tiny aisles are claustrophobic when it's busy.
This place is amazing, becuase the business is so great (a strong polish community) the meat is always fresh and the place is always buzzing (especially around the time of big polish/catholic holidays). Even stopping in here for some great pastries (their sweet poppy seed buns are great) and fresh bread with real butter (not the tub o' margerine stuff) will leave you pleased.
Review Source:
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