Butcher Shop Near Me in Burbank: Handy Market's Tri-Tip Counter on Magnolia

Handy Market sits at 2514 West Magnolia Boulevard at Buena Vista Street in Burbank, open every day from 7:30 am to 8 pm, and its own website calls it The Tri-Tip store. For a butcher shop near me search in the San Fernando Valley, this family grocery hides an old-fashioned full-service meat counter behind its classic sign, and on Saturdays three big grills smoke tri-tip and baby back ribs in the parking lot.

The market's About Us page tells the founding story: in 1970 Harry Arzoian opened the doors of his small family market, and neighbors kept calling it handy, so the name stuck. A 2025 Burbank Leader profile puts the opening in 1969, with the family moving over from Glendale in 1970, and quotes his son Alan saying the family has been in Burbank since 1970. Alan runs the store today, and his youngest son Mark works there too.

Alan also built a second business out of the store. In 1980 he started a craft-services arm, later named Sunrise to Sunset Catering, that feeds crews on the film and television lots around Burbank. Writer Michael Daugherity, who covers the city on his Substack The Burbank Beat, visited in May 2026 and summed it up simply: fifty-six years later, Harry's son still runs the market, and the fact that it is still around in 2026 speaks for itself.

First-timers get confused, so here is the system. The deli and the butcher counter share a single line that forms down aisle three, and a regular will usually point you to it if you stand by the door looking lost. Daugherity describes a barrage of signage along the line, and reading them is the best way to plan your order while you wait. A life-sized butcher statue outside the entrance holds a sign welcoming shoppers in for fresh meats and produce.

Once you reach the glass, the butchers handle the rest. The store's butcher page describes USDA Choice aged steaks, all-natural chicken and ready-to-cook Handy Made items, and promises a special cut at your request with a satisfaction guarantee. Regulars get asked whether they want the same cut as last time. If you need a thick roast tied or a rack frenched, say so at the front of the line rather than after the counterman starts wrapping.

Tri-tip is the order. Alan told the Burbank Leader that the store goes through close to a couple thousand pounds of it a week, along with about 300 slabs of baby back ribs. The Saturday barbecue he started roughly 30 years ago runs on three large grills in the parking lot, and some of the meat gets an hour or two in a smoker first. You pay at a separate small building across from the main store, and the barbecue is pickup only.

On the store's Postmates delivery menu, a half tri-tip roast lists at $18.99 and a full roast at $34.99, with half and full slabs of baby back ribs at the same two prices; a tri-tip sandwich on a roll is $14.99. Those are delivery prices, and the store's own website notes that online pricing may differ from in-store. The official BBQ page says the grills serve from 9 am to 6:30 pm and the counter keeps selling barbecue meats until 8:30 pm.

The deli side is reason enough to come early. Daugherity found five kinds of breakfast burrito, veggie, chorizo, bacon, sausage and a bacon-and-sausage combo, and paid $8.99 for the last one in May 2026. When they are gone, they are gone, so a mid-morning arrival can mean missing out. Sandwiches are built with thick piles of fresh-sliced meat on the bread of your choice, and a turkey on sourdough with provolone is his standard test.

Behind the counter the staff also cooks hot meals every day, from steak to stuffed pork chops with steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes and green beans, and tri-tip plates on Saturdays. Rotisserie chickens and soups round out the case; a half oven-roasted chicken is $7.99 on the delivery menu. That makes Handy Market the rare butcher counter where you can buy a raw roast for Sunday and a cooked dinner for tonight in one stop.

Weekday mornings are the calm window. Doors open at 7:30 am, and Daugherity's routine is a Tuesday or Thursday stop after school drop-off, when the staff is still stocking shelves. Saturday is the busiest day by far, with the grills running and the aisle three line stretching back. If you only want a steak cut to order, come any weekday instead and leave Saturday to the barbecue crowd.

Skip delivery for anything you want cut a particular way, since the butchers can only trim to your request at the counter, and the website warns that online prices differ. The store has its own small parking lot off Magnolia, which turns into barbecue territory on Saturdays. If the ribs sell out before you arrive, buy a raw tri-tip at the butcher counter and grill it at home; that cut is what the store built its name on.

South on Buena Vista Street, Abraham Lincoln Park at 300 North Buena Vista Street has lawns, shade trees and a playground, a fine place to eat a sandwich before the meat goes in the refrigerator. Buy raw cuts last and bring an insulated bag if you plan to linger. Daugherity found the market through parents at a John Burroughs High School volleyball tournament, which tells you who the regulars are: Burbank families who send each other here.

Head west on Magnolia Boulevard and the Magnolia Park district fills several blocks with vintage and boutique shops, including Unique Vintage. Porto's Bakery and Cafe, the Cuban bakery that draws lines of its own, is at 3614 West Magnolia Boulevard, about a mile from the market. Pairing a pastry box from Porto's with a tri-tip roast from Handy Market covers a whole Valley weekend gathering.

Handy Market, 2514 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91505, at Buena Vista Street. Open daily 7:30 am to 8 pm. Saturday barbecue in the parking lot, pickup only, ordered at the separate building across from the store. Deli and butcher line forms in aisle three. On-site parking lot. Catering through the family's Sunrise to Sunset Catering. Delivery through Postmates, with online prices that may differ from the store.