Bende

Bende is AWESOME!!! We were able to order delicious Hungarian salami and pickles and had them shipped to our location. It was super yummy and arrived in perfect condition. Will definitely be ordering from them again.

This review is for their mail-​order products as I have not been to any of the actual stores.
I recently returned from an expat assignment in Europe and one of the things I miss from there is all the access to the great meats. One of my favorites has always been the Teli and Csabai salami. I discovered Bende online and I was excited about being able to order 2 of my favorite treats. I quickly ordered the bigger versions of both.
I waited for them to arrive with great anticipation. I was a bit surprised that they were being sent via UPS and it took over 5 days, which normally would not work for these salamis as they need to be refrigerated. I quickly discovered why when I opened the package. Their products are very poorly made copies of the originals you can get in Hungary. My first bite of the Csabai salami reminded me more of a 50c slim-​jim then the awesome flavor you get from the real thing in Europe. I then tried the Teli salami, hoping for better, but I was sorely disappointed. It lacked any flavor and was far short of the real thing.
I then took a look at the ingredients and saw that they add Sodium Nitrate. This is not something you would every find in the products made in Hungary. I guess it also explains why they weren’t worried about keeping it off ice for five days. I also noticed that they spray the Teli salami with Potassium Sorbate to inhibit mold growth. Maybe someone should have told them that one of the things that adds flavor to great salamis, both Italian and Hungarian, is mold. It’s actually encouraged in the process. If they knew how to properly cure these meats, they wouldn’t need all these chemicals.
I was truly disappointed with this product. I will not order it again and will resume my search to hopefully find someone that actually imports the real thing into the US.

I have been to both this store, and the outlet in Glenn Ellyn. I prefer this store as it’s bigger — and is quite clean. The meat counter is stock full of plenty of smoked meats that will tickle your taste buds for weeks to come.
First off — I think my favorite is the smoked pork loin. I used to drive the 2 ½ hours to get up there, but now that they have delivery that will show up on your doorstep in two days — why bother with the drive — tolls — and whatnot. The ONLY thing you’ll have to deal with is the vacuumed sealed stuff and to let it air out and dry any condensation. I have several meats hanging out right now drying out and getting acclimated to the B/​N air. I should also mention that it is quite common that Hungarians keep the meat in a cool area (no refrigeration) to the point that mold might grow on the outside casing of the sausage. This, my friends, is when the sausage is at it’s best. Just scrape off and slice. .. .
I have been to Hungary several times, and I have to say that their sausage and other meats are as close as you’re going to get in the states without flying to Hungary! Someone else commented that Bende (the outlet) is a little on the German side. I’d have to disagree with that. While it’s true you can get German and Swiss favorites here — I’d say it’s primarily Hungarian with a few western European offers here and there. Some other eastern european delights from poland and russia really round this store out as a European deli!
Liquor and juices can be found in abundance here. They carry the «good» Tokai wine from the Tokai region — there are some «knock offs» of Tokai wine as well. Just bite the bullet and get the 5 puttonyos (stars) version of it. Unlike anything you’ve had for a desert wine. All the liquor and wine there you WILL find in hungarian stores in the country.
Try the Csabai or Teli salamis. But don’t forget to get the smoked bacon slab. How I was taught to eat it is a slice of the smoked bacon, a slice of onion, and a slice of garlic on a bread of some sort. To — die — for!

Who knew? There’s a really awesome European market and deli hiding in a giant office park just a couple miles from my office? Yep, Bende is apparently a huge distributor of all sorts of Eastern European goods and I just struck the motherlode! Walk inside their office and saunter straight ahead into a rather large multi-​aisled emporium of dry goods, sauces, fresh and smoked meats, liquor and more! Prices might be 20−25% lower than I’d expect at the local German market and that means 20−25% more smoked meat for me! I picked up a couple slabs of smoked bacon and had all sorts of fun turning it into wonderful savory treats over the next couple weeks. There’s a full deli serving all sorts of interesting meats and cheeses as well. It’s all just a little spooky seeing that I was the only patron in the store during my lunch-​hour visit, but everyone I spoke to was friendly and I’ll be returning to satiate my next smoked meat fix!

Small store but great wit European items