The Goddess and Grocer

I have only come in during the morning, but every time I do, the staff is super friendly and accommodating for allergies. Thank you for making my usual morning full of road rage, a little more bearable on my commute to work.

Goddess and the grocer is a phenomenal spot to grab a reasonably priced sandwich, coffee, salad, gelato, actually pretty much anything. I’ve gotten a salad that was healthily filled and only cost me about $ 8 when a salad of that size would have cost me $ 12 at my go to au bon pain in the medical district. Also, they don’t charge extra for avocado – win!
Foodwise, my favorite part about goddess is their sweet potato fries which are bomb. They’re fried nice and crispy but also maintain softness so you can eat a handful at once quite easily. Also it only costs about $ 3.
As a current student, goddess is a great place to just post up and get work done. The tables are large, it’s rarely packed during the week, and the electric outlets are plentiful. The natural lighting is also excellent.
Anyway goddess is a great place to get food, to study, or to meet up with friends. As long as you don’t buy some of their packaged goods (i saw a bottled kombucha tea for like $ 8), you’re good to go!

While staying in Wicker Park, Goddess became our staple. Great for a morning chai, an afternoon snack, a gourmet souvenir, or a scoop of Black Dog gelato. All the goodness of Whole Foods (build your own salad, grab & go food, artisan snacks, fancy drinks, plenty of seating & wifi), in a charming boutique grocery store setting.
Everyone’s very nice, and the upstairs seating is great for studying or people watching from the patio on a nice day. A neighborhood essential that feels perfectly local.

I go to Goddess and the Grocer every now and then. Today was probably the 5^th time in 3 months. There are some upsides –the salad bar has good options and the people are nice– but generally speaking the place has been declining regularly. I always order a build your own sandwich as well. It always takes 10 – 15 minutes, regardless of it being slow in the store. Today they took it down about 6 more levels, though. I waited FOREVER for the sandwich and was given another excuse like I always am. Then when we opened the sandwich, there was almost no meat on it. I ordered a turkey sandwich on rye with lettuce, tomato, onion, and dijon mustard. The sandwich had about one baby piece of turkey on it. Like they ran out and instead of telling me, took a little from the salad bar, put an entire head of lettuce on it, wrapped it up and crossed their fingers I would be long gone before noticing. This place is never getting my business again. Talk about customer service fail.

I finally checked this place out since it is a neighborhood spot. The food was tasty. I ordered the chicken club which was good and tasted fresh. The bacon was nice and crispy and I liked the aioli on it. I ordered a small soup (a chili with black beans) to go with it. The soup was good and tasted like it was home cooked long and slow. The salad bar also looked really fresh and appetizing.
Service was so-​so. First, it was really slow both in the time that it took to order and also the time it took for it to be ready. They weren’t helpful in providing recommendations and only read several different items off the menu.
Was it worth the $ 15 for the soup and sandwich with mediocre service? Probably not. Would I go back? I’d probably give them another shot.

It is conveniently located close to my apartment, it is a good place for meetings, and there is free wifi. However, the food is really overpriced while quality is mediocre. They re-​sell items (pie from Bang Bang, Justin’s peanut butter cups, etc.) at an incredible mark-​up. For example, Whole Foods was selling a pack of Justin’s peanut butter cups this week for $ 0.99; the Goddess sells it for $ 2.99. This goes for every item sold in that store. Last spring, I bought a couple of scoops of gelato. They tasted terribly of freezer burn, and it made me wonder if it was a batch that had been frozen from last season.
I used to buy the oreo rice krispy square for $ 3. About 9 months ago, it turned into $ 3.50. Then, a couple of months ago, $ 4. I guess they were a popular item. The Goddess makes the squares themselves, and the squares are made of cereal. Seeing as the price of rice krispy cereal has been stable, I can only conclude that the Goddess likes to push their profit margin to the maximum whenever possible. Sensing a gold mine of profit, they have expanded this collection to Fruit Loop squares and Lucky Charms squares.
It seems to me that the Goddess prioritizes their bottom line, and because of this, I go less and less.

Rainbow cake was dry. They wouldn’t give us a new slice since there were ones in the fridge case… we thought this was rude. The lady also told us they had the Oreo fudge cake in the fridge case when we asked for a slice of that (they didn’t). Apparently it’s an inconvenience to cut a slice of cake. The fudge cake was better than the rainbow slice. The chocolate chip cookie was hard and not that flavorful.

I really hope the matzo ball soup wasn’t just a fluke because it’s Passover — it was delicious and tasted completely homemade! I am fighting a nasty cold right now, and it was completely perfect!
The sandwiches are also so delicious, and they have a lot of unique pantry type-​items. Think sauces, coffees, etc. I will DEFINITELY be back… and very often. However, despite the convenience and location, I think it’s still a little overpriced.

Fantastic food, outside rooftop spot to sot, relax and drink wine or do work with friends or dates

Great people great food. Been a vegetarian for 5 years and I’m pretty sure the Wicker Park sandwich is best veggie sandwich I’ve ever had.

I am so excited to have finally checked this place out. My girlfriend comes here all the time to get work done, and talks about it all the time.
You walk in and you feel like you are in a local market, so cute. Fresh food (whole foods status) and gelato station in the front. The workers are so friendly, I felt like I was talking to a friend.
I got their seasonal coconut chai latte!!! Amaze balls– get it! I hope it stays on the menu forever and ever.

The pleasant «whiff» you get from just walking into the placeeven if it were accidental, it would be a beautiful mistake.
Just Beautiful! Can’t wait to dig in!

I come to this place like three times a week but beware… everything is not good. I come for very specific items.
/​/​salad bar — 9 dollars per pound [i think] — they have an amazing salad bar, it is a bit pricey but I like the kale salad they have there. They have lots of veggie and good meat options.
/​/​Coconut chicken tenders — 6.75 per half pound — I LOVE THIS dish. It is my go to. Have them toast/​warm it up for you. It’s delicious and paleo friendly? anyway, either way it’s delicious.
/​/​Rainbow cake — I love this cake, it’s so beautiful. I love buying their small cakes and bringing it to a party. Then when your friends cut it open. BOOM rainbow surprise. priceless but actually its like 15 bucks for a small cake.
Do not get the turkey wrapped bacon, yuck. Do not get the brussel sprouts, yuck. Be skeptical, some things look delicious and are not. There is upstair seating and the staff is EXTREMELY friendly. So ask them a lot of question. Good for vegan and gluten free options.

Amazing food. Amazing space (free wifi & 2^nd floor outdoor seating.) Amazing service. Loved my Turkey Twist Sandwich & Butternut Squash Soup.

3 stars is being really generous. This place has never wow-​ed me and we use it often for lunch meetings. I think they are incredibly expensive for the quality of the product. I just placed an order for delivery at 11:45. It showed up just now — at 10:45. I’m OK with a few minutes, plus or minus, but an hour?! That doesn’t make any sort of sense.
Please get it together. You’re opening up another location in my neighborhood of Andersonville and I’m not the least bit excited about it.

If you’re looking for late brunch items or a breakfast sandwich and you don’t want to wait 45 min to get into the Bongo Room (although you definitely should, ate last once), you should come here.
Their breakfast sandwiches are great and customizable. Their salad bar is delish and the coffee and gelato is super good too.
They also have some nice items like wine and cheese if you’re in a pinch and need some nice dinner apps. I love their local items too like Tupelo honey and lake Champlain chocolate.
Check it out, a bit pricy but won’t disappoint.

So many things to choose from here!
I wish they weren’t so pricey otherwise I would find myself in here far more often. The few times I have been here I have gotten a piece of chicken breast, and have tried their mango salsa salmon. So far I have not been disappointed with anything I purchase here. Have I mentioned they have the best cupcakes?! seriously, try one.
The staff are delightful.

Typically, I try to stay away from places that lean towards «farm to table.» Immediately I think of an overpriced venue, offering small portions food for the money you dish out. I really respect what Debbie Sharpe has been able to accomplish in her lifetime. All I had to see in my research was that she had 2 things we share in common: music and journalism. I went to the website, expecting to understand more about the food. Along with the amazing food I have had at this location; my biggest takeaway from the website was everything this woman has accomplished in her lifetime. One word comes to mind: Driven. Nothing more. You go girl!
First I heard about the Oreo rice krispies treats, tried them, and thought they were delicious. Now I go for the salad bar. Everything is fresh and the selections you have for toppers to do not stop at your average bell pepper and broccoli. Quinoa and what looks like couscous, and tofu, are true indicators of how the website will describe their food options as all across the board, yet what they serve will not leave out any attention to detail. Simply, I see it as fresh food. I don’t feel like I am eating anything synthetic when I dine here. That’s right Debbie! Whip us into shape, screaming, «Who’s the Goddess!» Thank you, Ma’am, I’ll definitely have another!

This place is awesome!
+ Amazing salad bar
+ Fantastic sandwiches — the breakfast ones look ridiculous, I haven’t tried (yet)
+ Excellent selection of local packaged foods — booz to treats
Definitely a great stop after the 606 if you don’t want to throw all of your exercise benefits out the window :)

We stopped in at this market on a recent visit to Chicago. I was happy to find a small, gourmet, hipster market in the area.
We noticed they had a great selection of local products, including granola from Milk & Honey, Frontera Salsas, Intelligencea Coffee, and more. The salad bar looked fresh and tasty, and I saw a couple patrons order sandwiches.
We bought some snacks and dined on the upstairs patio. The ambiance was perfect for a cool summer day in Chicago. There was plenty of seating, and I watched as a customer enjoyed his sandwich from downstairs. I wish I had left room to try their selections!

One of my New Years resolutions was to explore a bit more of the city in 2015. So, one afternoon in January I was wandering around Wicker Park and stumbled upon the Goddess and Grocer. I had heard about this place on a ²⁴⁄₇ City Secrets and decided to give it a shot.
The good:
When you walk in you’ll notice a long counter to the right and groceries lining the wall to the left. The groceries are varied beginning with dry groceries near the door all the way to prepared foods, dairy/​beverages, wine and beer, and desserts near the back of the store, The long counter is just as varied featuring an amazing looking salad bar, a dessert case featuring cup cakes, cakes, pies, etc. and then a large variety of prepared foods such as pastas, veggies, bratwursts, etc. There’s also a coffee bar and a gelato case. On top of all these delicious options there is also a menu where you can order a variety of different sandwiches, etc. That’s what I did… the chicken club.
I decided to eat at their window counter facing Damen. There’s also an upstairs sitting area too but as I was just popping in for a quick bite I didn’t bother checking it out. My chicken club arrived quickly and it looked pretty good. It had on it thinly sliced chicken breasts, bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado, and colby jack cheese on a Ciabatta bun. I don’t generally order a chicken club sandwich anywhere BUT this one was fantastic! All the ingredients were fresh and were well proportioned on the sandwich. The bun was also the perfect size as I hate getting more bread than ingredients on a sandwich. All in all, a great sandwich! I also grabbed a brownie to go and it was moist and delicious when I ate it later that day.
The bad:
When I walked in the door I spent a few minutes checking out the groceries, the items behind the counter, and the sandwich menu. Having never been here before I didn’t know how the ordering process worked. There was nobody at the register so I stood by the counter looking at the 4 people behind it wondering why they were more interested in chatting than they were in taking my order. Finally someone came to the register and I placed my order. Customer service could be a little better here…
Other than the customer service, the price of items here is a little ridiculous. My chicken club, the brownie, and the water came to about $ 15. While the food was good, it was not $ 15 good. On the grocery side of the store they have prepared salads to go. A tiny Chicken Caesar salad to go was $ 9. They also had some 6 packs of beer which were priced at over $ 10, many of which you could buy in Jewell for a few bucks less. And some of their pints of gelato at the back of the store were priced at $ 9 too. A pint of gelato is not worth $ 9 unless it’s flying first class from Rome to Chicago each day and hand delivered to my apartment by a guy named Guiseppe.
Overall, the food is good and there is a lot of variety. I would definitely go back there but I don’t believe you necessarily get what you pay for. The service could be better too. I’d give this play 3.5 stars but because Unilocal won’t allow that…4 stars. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt because that sandwich was good.