“ We were on a mission to find the DRY rhubarb soda we tried at WHISK in Ukrainian Village. I found no rhubarb soda, but we found two (2) large bottle of Tymbark juice. I guess it was a good trade-off...I suppose... Anyways, we were traveling from Oak Park. With a twenty (20)-minute CTA #90 (Harlem) bus ride north to Belmont and then a fifteen (15)-minute journey east with the beloved CTA #77 (Belmont) to Long Ave., Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen, with a cow standing comfortably on top of the sign, finally showed up in front of us. It's a typical Polish deli, liquor, and grocery store like you see in the neighborhoods that are highly populated with our Polish friends. Unfortunately, there weren't many varieties on agricultural products. Yet if you're fond of Polski beer and liquor, I guess you can find plenty here. I would rather have food in my stomach than have alcohol in my brain! I found some yummy chicken soup with a 16-oz. tub for $3; mouth-watering tripe soup for $4.50; comforting cream of mushroom soup for $3. I recalled the similar deli items at Montrose Deli charged more for a smaller container size. With that being said, did Gene's have better deal on deli soup? That inquiry will soon be answered when I head back to Montrose Deli in the near future so that I can have the prices and sizes validated for your information, yellow Yelpers. Hubby and I were quite excited to discover another Polish deli/grocery store in Belmont Central/Portage Park neighborhoods. We were treated friendly without having to speak Polish. Yelpers who have a language dilemma: may I digress just a bit? I've once heard of such statement. Please let me recite this verbatim. "If you live in America, you should be expected to learn and to speak English." Please be glad that Rosa J. didn't miraculously appear to your eyesight and give you a...(fill in the blank). I'm merely angry and thinking how moronic that statement is. Any thought, anyone? You can speak whatever you want here. If I don't understand you verbally, we all have fingers, pens, and papers. I'm also gifted to communicate with you using my eyes, nose, and perhaps my toes! Anyways, we all need to calm down and consume some Polish food. I'm heading to the refrigerator now... ”

“ They have two places one in Lincoln Square and the original one on Belmont. Unique food and deli market in Chicago. Polish overtones but worth the visit when you shop there. I really like their gypsy Smoked ham that they do. They have a wide range of cured hanging sausage's to choose from as well Nice selection of beer and wine to round out your shopping experience. Buen Provecho. . ”

“ This place is an impressive and massive operation for Eastern European meats and sausages, and that's exactly what we came for. It's also a bit more of a grocery operation in comparison to the Lincoln Ave.storefront, mainly due to more floor space here I think. Jonas (may have spelling wrong) was the head butcher/manager behind the meat counter and he was very helpful with recommendations and samples to boot of the dizzying sausage assortment available. Prices were good also. It would be hard to find a better place for these meats and sausages. They also have a large assortment of East European beers - I tried a six pack of a German pilsner (Radeberger) and it was quite good. ”

“ Gene's has two unique locations. This location on Belmont is near the center of the cities Polish neighborhoods. Vegitarians need not apply. Just a terrific website. They do a great job describing all the different sausages. Do yourself a favor and do a little bit of homework because the selection can be overwhelming. It's truly unbeliveable that you can go to a store that literally has dozens of sausages that you've never tried. There's sausages for snacking, sausages that are good for the grill, good for putting on sandwiches, good for topping with horseradish, good for dunking in mustard and strait up sausage that's good in one hand when you have a pickle in the other hand. Here's an exciting list of some of the best items (that I've tried until now) - - Alpine sausage (Kielbasa Goralska) - Gypsy Ham (Szynka Cygańska) - German Ham - Kabanosy (snack sausage) - Hunters Sausage (Mysliwska) - Veal Wieners (Parowki) - Don't forget a Giant Deli Pickel! So both places totally have differnent feels. The location on Belmont has a very Polish feel and the location in Lincoln Square has a German feel (naturally since it's Lincoln Square). It doesn't hurt if you have a Polish representative as part of your party when you visit the Belmont location. My wife is Polish and was able to connect with the staff right away (mostly given her ablility to speak Polish fluently). Now that I've been here a couple times, I do just fine on my own. They have an entire section of the deli that has prepared polish food for lunch or dinner on the go. Smacznego! ”

“ My heritage is 75% Irish, 12.5% German, and 12.5% Polish, so I can by no means call myself a true Polish guy, but every Christmas my grandpa and I come here to to get food for our big Christmas dinner. We celebrate our Polish heritage on xmas. I love going here, it is such a cool shop and everything looks amazing. Everything that we get is awesome and even with a family of 30+ people, we still have leftovers which are great for the next day. Highly recommend. ”

“ Orgasmatic for meat lovers. You are transported to Krakow when you walk through the door. The smells of fresh meats and smoked sausages permeates the air. The spoken voices are mostly in Polish. The signs are bi-lingual or simply in Polish. This is where to go for meats, cans & jars of salads, soups and sauces, and Polish beers. But the fresh produce leaves something to be desired, so drive a little bit west and get your fruit and veggies at A&G Fresh Market. ”

“ Gene's Sausage Shop is my most cherished Chicago find. The first time I walked into Gene's I was greeted by a Chicago Police officer arresting a Polish man for stealing sausages in his coat pockets. Realizing this was a sign from God, I looked around for the angel Gabriel and pledged to spread the good word to all the peoples of the land. You will often find these deals: -Chicken halves for $0.49/lb -Ground beef chuck for $0.99/lb -Pork tenderloin for $2.99/lb ~ My favorites here: -Gypsy hams (Szynka Cyganska), little juicy one-pounders smoked to perfection -Royale smoked ham (Szynka Krolewska), a smoky salt-cured dry ham -Potato pancakes -Apple blintzes -Snack sausages (thick, homemade Slim Jims) They will vacuum pack any of their meats right at the deli counter for $0.25 per bag. If you don't know Polish, you may have a hard time ordering. Just point , smile and nod. It usually works out. If not, you might find your next favorite dish. ”

“ Dear Gene, Will you marry me? Love, Nat Oh damn... I have a husband and he's a Yelper. I'm so busted. Two words for you: POTATO SAUSAGE. it's heaven in an intestinal casing. Mashed potatoes... onions... BACON. We have started a new camping tradition. Whenever we go, we must make a stop at Gene's for potato sausage and those GIANT hotdogs. Perfect on the open fire. I honestly have no idea what most of the stuff behind the meat counter actually is... but it doesn't matter. Just get some of everything. Cook it. Mmmmm... meat coma. The grocery section is impressive as well. All sorts of goodies. I take the same approach as the meat counter... if it looks good, buy it. The highlight of my week: the Mr. and i were walking through Lincoln square and noticed a new storefront... with a large cow over the doorway. COULD IT BE?! We eagerly pressed our noses to the window and peered in. YES!!!! The work permit displayed on the door told us it is, indeed, a new Gene's location. Significantly more convenient for us Ravenswood residents. I can't wait!!! ”

“ In an area loaded with Polish deli's Gene's is a little different. First, it's not just a Deli, it's a mini grocery store- they've a side parking lot and inside you'll find produce area, canned goods, beer, etc. You'll know you've found it by the giant cow on the roof! And the deli counter really is something to see- the longest deli counter I've seen! I usually order something, even if as a non-Pole I don't know what it is! This place had it's 15 minutes of fame years back when the Frugal Gourmet paid a visit on his show (alright, enough with the young boy jokes)- it was good enough to put on TV and I'm sure you'll find it's good enough to pay a visit. 'I bid you peace.' ”