Olivia’s Market

What a cute grocery with quality fresh items! Yeah. You are definitely going to pay more, but very close to my house and never disappoints.

Olivia’s is a cute little market and it’s always clean and organized. Free street parking is sometimes hard to find. They have a small deli in the back that carries Boar’s Head, which is hard to find. The store is a bit pricey, but I’ve always been satisfied with everything I’ve bought from there. They also have a small selection of produce. They carry a lot of gluten free and organic options. They also have flowers for sale, which are always beautiful.

I probably stop in here once a week to grab some last minute basic groceries or treats. The deli meat and soups are fantastic. Their cheese & flower selection is also wonderful!
I am writing this because I think after three+ years of frequent visits I can honestly say the food & service here is always consistent and their staff is friendly & patient. Its so great to have such a lovely neighborhood market!

All I can say is I visited twice in two days. I HAD to return for the Homer’s Pecan ice cream. LOVED IT. Will be back soon.

Are you the typical Bucktowner? Trolling around in your Lulu Lemon spandex pants, head raised high and mighty cause you only purchase pre-​made, fancy fair to impress your attorney husband when he returns from his late night at the firm i.e. affair with the administrator? Do you long to cover up your affair with the trainer and the nanny doesn’t cook for you? Well, luck is on your side. Since your wallet can sustain it…
Olivia’s is located in the Wicker Park/​Bucktown neighborhoods. Many will argue whether it is actually Wicker Park or Bucktown. The former being the artsy, hipster area, the latter being the hip, modern and chic area. Regardless of the true boundaries (which are very disputable over Chicago history) the location is prime. Nestled just off of Damen, the major connection between WP/​Bucktown, and only a block from the Damen blue line, Olivia’s has the corner on real estate; not literally. The building appears to be an older one constructed prior to the sea-​level raising of the streets and sidewalks in the 1890s. You step down a few steps to enter the micro-​grocer with its aged wood floors and ultra clean coolers and then you realize the fancy equipment is why everything is so expensive.
The grocer has produce, deli, packaged goods and some fun beverages. I assume they compete with the nearby Goddess and the Grocer and refuse to compare them. The staff here is rather friendly and the quality of products is really great. The narrative of this review is more making fun of the yuppies who have taken over the ‘hood rather than the market itself.

This place is a great neighborhood grocery store. Their selection is deceptively large. I always go here with a list thinking I won’t be able to find something on the list but I always leave with everything I needed. Only drawback is that some items can be a bit pricey.

Olivia’s market is pretty special — from the music they play to the staff who are alert, knowledgeable, and helpful. The deli has some great offerings-I’ve found a few new favorite cheeses and specialty meats from Italy and Spain. They make 2 or 3 soups daily — excellent.-and at least one is vegan. Lots of wine and beer selections, flowers, and superior produce. I love that I can buy one or two of something instead of a large pre-​portioned size) You can buy a cup of coffee to go or just coffee beans to take home. They carry all the little extras that are hard to find in larger grocery chain stores (hard not just because they may not carry them, but hard to find among the 10 zillion products sold by such stores.). I’m happy Olivia’s is part of my neighborhood —

I love this place! Whenever I stay at the IHSP hostel on Damen, this is where I shop for food when I’m not eating out. The staff is always so friendly, and they have great organic and veggie options.

I have loved Olivia’s for years. Great, friendly neighborhood market that is great for quick produce or specialties. However, they recently did something that I thought was exceptional. I had about 2 lbs of jamon, unsliced. And my knife skills sure were not doing it much justice. I called them up and they happily said bring it in. They sliced the entire thing and would not charge me for it. It was wonderful and they are what make great neighborhood places special. Thanks Olivia’s!

Really great grocery in the neighborhood!!! High quality products and produce. Prices are still reasonable even though it is a local biz! Lots of natural/​organic/​local products as well. I love all of the in-​bulk type items they carry as well — candies, nuts, breads, cheeses, sandwiches, etc. Super great place for cheese and ice cream especially– you can also get freshly made sandwiches! Wine and beer, juice, liquor, baking specialties, seriously robust selection. Friendly, clean, well organized. I really enjoy grocery-​ing here!

Stopped by Olivia’s on my way home to St. Louis because they are one of the only retailers of Bittermilk cocktail mixers in the city. The store was lovely! So much good stuff packed into a tiny footprint. Staff was in-​the-​know and FRIENDLY (no gourmet grocery store snobbery)! The 15 minute parking out front is a definite boon if you need to run in quickly and grab something. Wishing I lived in Chicago so I could patronize regularly!

Cannot believe that it has been 6 years since my original review. Someone is really getting old. Olivia’s is becoming an anchor in a rapidly changing neighborhood. Silver Dollar on the corner has closed, Goddess has moved, Caffe Deluca has closed, and quite a few of the local boutiques have closed as rents keep getting higher.
Great place. Nice selection of products, always friendly and helpful staff. Not a substitute for Jewel or Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but the kind of place every neighborhood deserves to have.

Olivia’s is a great neighborhood market. I love the friendly atmosphere and how fresh all of the produce is. I can do 99% of my grocery shopping here. I also like their meat and cheese counter and they have great pre-​made sandwiches. Perfect for grabbing stuff to prepare a quick meal or putting together a picnic basket for Ravinia.

Good selection, friendly staff, clean environment. If you don’t mind paying $ 1 to $ 2.50/lb extra for produce, and in general paying more for just about anything here, this is your spot.
If I lived next door and needed an extra leek or two for a recipe I’d stop in, but I’d never load up on groceries here. With the new Mariano’s around the way hopefully it will bring some prices down.

This started out as a convenience stop for us on our way home from work and now has become a weekly stable– prices are higher than a regular grocery store, sure, but so is quality and service. Some of our best made at home meals come from all ingredients from Olivia’s. Some of my favorite items listed below:
Meat– the aged beef is the best I’ve found in the city. We usually get the skirt steak which is lean and flavorful and not too pricey. Better than any of the local butchers. Great just pan fried– a simple perfect meal.
Frozen Pasta– these are great– give them a try. They have one stuffed with veal we particularly like
Jennie’s ice cream sandwiches– these are a must. We like the one covered in smoked salty nuts the best.
Flowers– great selection here, always fresh.
Deli– one of the few local places to get high quality boars head deli meat. It makes a difference. The cheese is always great and well thought out selection.
Beer– it’s an odd selection, hit or miss, no la fin du monde or triple carlmeliet which are our go to’s– seems like they are trying too hard to be different.
Normal grocery items– this is where you pay. We avoid. Also they don’t have Nola brands so if you are looking for normal deodorant or tampons or something you may be out of luck.

Susan from the plant department does a great job by stocking a great assortment of flowers. She’s happy to take a request and actually follows through.
The entire staff always helpful and courteous.
BTW, they stock fresh vanilla cake doughnuts with milk chocolate frosting. Great sugar buzz!

Sooooo glad I found this gem! I’m in Chicago a bunch for work, and Olivia’s is just down the street from where I stay. No longer will I have to make runs to Jewel! This lovely grocery has everything I need! Helpful staff and a wonderful assortment of international and foodie focused items. Yay!

Olivia’s is the perfect neighborhood market. Not too big so as to replace the need to go to a larger supermarket for the basics, but the perfect size to have amazing ingredients, everything you need and then some. It’s the place to run to to get the butter you need, but the perfect ingredients for a nice, home cooked meal, as well as a few surprises to grab along the way.
They have a great deli and even the pre-​made sandwiches are good. Caprese with pesto, greens on ciabiatta made ma almost go to heaven. My own drizzle of balsamic and a grill plan made it perfect.
Close to my sister’s house with a good selection and a friendly staff– all definite pluses.

***This is probably a nice little neighborhood grocery store for locals; they have nice looking produce as well as a variety of cheeses (mostly European selections but some cheeses from the Midwest too); the store is very clean and well organized; a lot of their product here is nice, but many of their offerings can be found in upscale grocery stores in almost any metro; a few local or Midwestern items though like Jeni’s ice cream from Cleveland***
This grocery store is located in a residential area so you should be able to find free or metered street parking.

Ahhhh Olivia’s, you are the perfect stop for produce and other good products when I forget to get everything from the grocery store.
While that doesn’t really sound like the biggest endorsement, it’s why I love Olivia’s. The prices are a bit higher, but the quality of their produce and dried foods is also very good. They are also the perfect place for me to pick up some fruit when I’m walking around and in the mood for an apple.
What I also really like is that they have plenty of veggie based choices too. I am generally a meat eater, but I try to eat my share of vegetarian as well. Their selections work and you don’t feel like you’re trying to force faux-​chicken on yourself.
They also have a smart wine selection. I generally take care of myself in that department at other places, but, it has also been worthwhile to grab the odd wine at the last second when needed.
Olivia’s serves a lot of purposes for me. Yes, they usually are a last minute option, but I’m very glad that the option is here and completely suits me in a variety of ways.

Nice neighborhood market featuring kombucha tea, knick knacks and other patty whacks I need to eat to keep from having an attack.
Need to hit it up more often as it it right next door and has a ton of delicious things like at whole paycheck. But this is not a corporation, you can tell, these guys have a nice neighborhoody safe calm comfortable store here.
Worth a stop in for groceries you can’t get in some cases; anywhere.

Are you into eating chocolates made by small batch gourmet chocolatiers all over the county? If so, come to Olivia’s because their chocolate end cap will knock your socks off! They don’t have your run of the mill chocolates (Hershey’s, etc.) here. This chocolate is top notch.
So, I stared at the display for a good 10 minutes. I touched the chocolates, read the stories on the back of them and cringed at some the prices. $ 10 for 7oz of chocolate?! What?! I’ve got to be out of my mind.
However, I reminded myself that 1) these are good quality and you are paying for the excellent quality, 2) I can buy a bar and savor it since you can eat a large enough piece of dark chocolate and be good to go and 3) that I’m supporting small batch chocolatiers with my purchase.
So, slowly yet surely, two bars (see pictures) made their way into my hands. I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory holding on to my precious goodies.
I also picked up a cherry raspberry foster rum fruit topping that I eat along with some bread and brie. It is made by Esch Foods, a company based out of Michigan. I highly recommend that topping.
The store is small, but very homey. They carry a lot of great specialty food. They have a great selection of wine, craft beers and small batch bourbon. Definitely worth visiting (for the chocolate alone, IMO) if you are in the area. The prices can be high which is why I would stick to buying products you can’t find elsewhere. I can’t wait until I can come back and buy more chocolate!

What a nice little grocery store/​market to have in the neighborhood. I wish more neighborhoods had places like this. Yes, the prices are higher than the big box competitors. But the tradeoff is that you get good quality food, pleasant employees, and shopping trips that take 5 minutes to complete.
There is almost always a spot outside to double park as well.