The Village Butcher Shoppe

The Village Butcher Shoppe is the kind of specialty shop that makes a small town’s food scene punch above its weight — a proper old-school butcher and market where the counter people actually know their craft and are happy to walk you through it. Locals come for the meat (fantastic fresh cuts and salmon) but the real cult items are the house-made sausages: Polish kielbasa — including the smoked ‘Holiday Kielbasa’ people plan their holidays around — plus andouille and little snack sausages in flavors from mild to Cajun to jalapeño. There are house-made soups, a case of unique market goods, and made-to-order sandwiches that reviewers swear are among the best they’ve ever had. It’s the sort of place you duck into for lunch and leave with dinner (and a bag of stuff you didn’t plan to buy). Bonus Milford trivia: this is the butcher behind Red Dog Saloon’s famous burgers. On our list as a genuine Milford gem — come for a sandwich, leave a regular.