Family Owned Since 1946

The Beginning

In 1946 Ray Reagan started Reagan Meats in its first location on Depot St in downtown Glenview.  Ray provided high quality meat for more than 25 years before he and his wife transitioned the shop to the shop manager, Leo. Leo eventually moved Reagan to its current location on Waukegan Rd, where he started the next chapter of Reagan Meats and its dedication to quality. 

In 1988 Jack Barnhisel purchased the shop from Leo with a hunger to improve on Reagan Meats reputation as the best butcher shop in the Chicagoland area. With his 20 years of skills and experience, Jack took Leos dedication to quality to a whole new level.  

The Present

At Reagan Meats we carry the highest grade of prime beef, lamb, and veal. We go out of out way to ensure our pork and poultry is always sourced from all natural free range farms. In addition to sourcing the highest quality meat, Reagan makes all our own sausage, and burgers by hand.  We are so serious about quality, that at Reagan we still break down sides of beef. Making us one of the few butcher shops remaining to continue this time tested method. 

Reagan Meats dedication to quality and improvement allows the Barnhisel’s to continue to provide the the highest quality meat in Chicago. The Father-Son team ensures that Reagan Meats will continue to be family owned, and obsessed with quality for decades to come.

The Future

For the last 15 years, Keil Barnhisel has been learning under Jack and perfecting the skills of becoming a Master Butcher. However, the Barnhisel’s knew that in order to ensure the quality of Reagan Meats was second to none, Keil would need to bring new skills to Reagan Meats.

Keil took an educational sabbatical that led him to work for the historic Allen Brothers. It was there, that Keil learned new ways of purchasing whole muscle meats of Beef, Lamb, Veal, Bison, Venison, and even Duck! Keil also cultivated relationships with some of the largest ranches in the US, such as The Niman Ranch, IBP, Cargill, and Swift. These ranches served some of the best Steak Houses in the country: Rpm, Bavettes, Maestros, and Morton’s to name a few. It is these relationships today, that ensures Reagan Meats continues to deliver the best meat available in Chicago.

With Keil back at Reagan Meats, his newly acquired skills are essential in helping achieve the Barnheisel family goal: To run the highest quality butcher shop in America.