Celebrate Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day with delicious, creative, and affordable options at two of Chicago’s best curated eateries: Farm Bar and The Goddess and Grocer. I reluctantly release my gate-keeping of these established, consistent favorites, both of which offer several locations for shopping, eating in, and taking out.
Also remember to check out Chicago's Black Restaurant Week offerings running through February 22nd.
The Goddess and Grocer
In 2005, the first The Goddess and Grocer opened on Damen in Bucktown, inspired by the markets in owner Debbie Sharpe’s hometown, Melbourne, Australia, as well as her globetrotting catering experiences, reflected in the fusion of flavors in many dishes. She has worked with some of the biggest rock stars around, such as Pink, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, and Bad Bunny.
Now, there are additional The Goddess and Grocer locations on Randolph in Fulton Market, in the Gold Coast on State Street, and in O’Hare Terminal 5, each offering flavorful sandwiches and wraps, soups and salads (both assembled and boxed, with complementary house-made dressings), high-end organic drinks and coffee, ice cream, alcoholic beverages, and cheese. Seasonal sips on State Street include black currant mocha, turmeric ginger elixir, cherry blossom chai, and the Goddess hot chocolate.
The in-store dining tables are laptop-free zones, and each shop also has clever accompanying products, ranging from greeting cards and frames, ceramics and glassware, to books, cookbooks, and more, so you can stock up on gifts while ordering marvelous munchies to eat now, and packed items to devour tomorrow. (Honestly, Goddess is the best “I’m running around but need to eat so I’ll treat myself to amazing food and browse interesting doo-dads while I’m waiting for my order, but I should also get snacks and merch for my loved ones for an upcoming birthday or holiday, plus stock up some meals for myself later in the week”-type of shopping experience.)
Goddess’s pastry game is spot on, offering sweet morsels of all flavors and sizes, including gluten-free options and the gorgeous rainbow cake (also available online for those out of the area—get your Pride orders in now!). All locations offer catering too.
For this holiday weekend, while you’re ordering lunch and considering tchotchkes, Goddess locations can assemble specialized boxes of attractive, sweet treats like various cupcakes, including lush red velvet and strawberry options (with an excellent frosting to cake ratio); cake pops; a buttery, balanced cinnamon roll with peanut butter and jelly swirled on top; a decadent dark chocolate mint parfait; various moist cookie options; and an elevated strawberry Rice Krispie treat.
When Stephen Colbert asks me about my favorite sandwich in his “Colbert Questionert,” I will be compelled to respond that it’s my go-to Goddess order: sliced turkey, Granny Smith apple slices, brie, arugula, fig jam, and Dijon on a well-salted pretzel bun. This near-perfect hockey puck-sized sandwich can be eaten with one hand, providing generous piles of protein, tempered with the tang of the greens and mustard, along with the creamy sweetness of cheese and jam. For the latter half of 2025, I attended twice-weekly physical therapy appointments down the street from The Goddess Bucktown. I ate this sandwich once a week and it never lost its appeal. Also, pair those delectable sammies with charming, woman-owned Local Style potato chips, offering eerily accurate flavors like Deep Dish Pizza, Italian Beef, Classic Salted, Hot Giard, and ketchup-less Hog Dog.
Farm Bar
Farm Bar’s Lakeview location on Wellington actually looks like a sweet little white farmhouse in the heart of Lakeview, just down the street from diverse shopping like the Army Navy Surplus store on Lincoln and the historic Athenaeum Center venue (dinner and a show, anyone?). The interior also evokes gathering inside a friendly communal barn for this Midwestern comfort food, featuring a long, narrow path between the bar and banquette tables (that are etched with tiny drawings of farm animals), filled with enthusiastic diners and a rocking 80s and 90s soundtrack. There’s an intimate, covered outside patio for warmer months, similar to the newer sister location in Ravenswood on Montrose and Damen, which offers a rooftop area. Farm Bar also passes the important hospitality test of refilling the carafe of still water throughout the meal.
Both Farm Bar locations recently returned to paper menus to get folks off their phones and into more human conversations with dining companions, as well as to accommodate older eyes (like mine). “This is not for nostalgia,” they announced, “but to encourage something increasingly rare at the table: presence. The philosophy is simple: a good meal deserves your attention. And dinner is better that way.”
Farm Bar doesn’t have a huge menu, an excellent indicator of quality over quantity. The dishes and preparations are clean and robust, sustainable and local, with most items supplied by Brown Dog Farm in Sugar Creek, Wisconsin. Owners TJ Callahan and Molly McCombe dedicate 40 acres of the 140-acre property to a restored prairie, supporting pollinators like Monarch butterflies with around 40 beehives supplying the honey in many Farm Bar dishes and drinks. Currently, Brown Dog grows 200 fruit trees and berry varieties (seen in many apple and cherry menu offerings) as well as garlic and horseradish, which diners notice and appreciate.
For the February 14th weekend, Farm Bar’s chef Roberto Borja is offering an affordable $80 per couple prix fixe menu featuring shrimp bisque, a 14-oz ribeye with peppercorns, and a creamy chocolate budino (Italian custard) with strawberries and whipped cream. Drinks are separate, but I recommend a few seasonal offerings like The Bleeting Orchard, a beet puree with Libelula Tequila, sour apple cordial, lime, Brown Dog apple butter, and rose water. Don’t let the beets scare you, as they provide a lovely red velvet color and texture, foamy but substantial, with a viscosity like watermelon, sporting a beautiful and edible pansy on top. The Lucy & the Butterflies cocktail is equally light but meaningful, mixing Banhez Mezcal, basil, peach, lemon, cucumber, and black pepper, offering smokiness and spiciness. Of course, cider is offered in this apple-friendly establishment, as well as draft beers, wines, and zero-proof options like the Lychee Bomb.
Farm Bar is famous for Slagel beef burgers, and the delicious “Michigan Harvest” option puts those cherries on top, along with goat cheese and arugula. Maple-cured salmon and fish and chips are also on the entrée menu, as is a half chicken and a trottole al pepe with black truffle. Another tummy-warming Italianesque appetizer is the baked brie, a warm mélange of cheese in a sea of roasted garlic-tomato sauce, sprinkled with bright green herbs and served with house-made focaccia chunks. Most appetizers are served in cute, petite iron frying pans, and many could serve as meals themselves (while not being overbearing), or excellent table-shares.
Three fresh, seasonal salads are on offer, and the appetizers also include beets, plus a flatbread option, mac and cheese. The earthy and crispy Brussels sprouts are tossed in gochujang honey, with fried shallots, bacon bits, and fresh apple, and are also excellent leftovers that store for several days. The Maitake Mushroom entrée is meaty by itself, and other proteins can also be added, like chicken breast, salmon, and steak, to complement the silky potato puree, glossy sherry glaze, sauteed kale, toasted pine nuts, and that amazing, freshly grated horseradish.
As we strive for more matriarchal moments during this dark period of punishing patriarchy, practice self-care for the belly brain and seek out goddesses and the bounty of Mother Earth at Chicago’s freshest, coziest, and community-connected eateries.
The Goddess and Grocer is located at 845 N. State in Gold Coast, 1649 N. Damen in Bucktown, and 911 W. Randolph in Fulton Market. Farm Bar is located at 1300 W. Wellington in Lakeview and 1970 W. Montrose in Ravenswood.
And if you feel like spreading some love food yourself, We Are Lasagna Love recruits home cooks to make the quintessential Italian comfort food for neighbors in need! Sign up to donate or cook.
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