My only issue with this place is that the bottles are one-size-only. No taking some home to try - you've gotta take the whole thing. That said, the selection is exquisite, the woman who's always working there is friendly and helpful, and the little taster cups are quite dangerous (who knew that a mouthful of Black Currant Balsamic would be as pleasant as drinking port?). The atmosphere is bright, clean and calm (though I'm sure it's busy on the weekends). Take your time and try 'em all! read more

I live in the neighborhood and stopped in here for the first time over the holidays. This is a great place to get a gift for someone who is hard to buy for. Or even for a little something for yourself. At first it is a little intimidating (only because I had no clue), but the staff is great, very knowledgeable and eager to help! They have a large selection and let you taste everything. I like the idea of being able to taste the vinegar and oils, but I wanted bread or something to taste it on. (I tried the Tuscan oil on an empty stomach.....) Once you've selected and filled your bottles (or in my case they did it for me) they label and seal the bottles. The customer service and staff are top notch! I am by no means an oil and vinegar expert, but the prices seemed really reasonable. I will definitely be going back. read more

Great selection of olive oils and amazing balsamic vinegars. You can try a bit of everything as well - the strawberry balsamic nearly made me weep with joy, and the pear balsamic was completely different - but also delicious. Friendly staff, too. read more

Old Town Oil is a great place for foodies and family of foodies alike. Stopped by on a lovely 70 degrees October day and got half my Christmas shopping done! The staff is very helpful and the free samples delicious thought make sure you are not sampling on an empty stomach or you may feel a little nauseous after ingesting a pint of vinegar! I purchased the Cherry and Blueberry Balsamic and the walnut oil, all fabulous! Though with 10-12 variates of both I suggest you tasted test them all and choose your own! read more

3 words: Garlic. Olive. Oil. I was especially impressed with the sales guy told us that the garlic was actually pressed with the olives. Not just infused by soaking, like you see most places, but actually a well thought out product. And it is really good, even with nothing more than a home made loaf of bread or in an oil salad dressing. My out-of-town friend was really enamored with the balsamic collection and got some strawberry balsamic to make some jam, which she said was the best she's ever made thanks to the balsamic. My aunt only ever gave me one piece of cooking advice: Always buy the best balsamic vinegar and the most expensive olive oil you can afford. read more

Great oil shop. They know their stuff and have a pretty nice selection of oils, infused oils and balsamic vinegars.. Be prepared for a wait on weekends, but the staff is attentive and hard working. read more

Having paid a visit down the street to the spice house, friends of mine told me that I needed to go here as well. Granted, it wasn't like it was gonna take much as I do loves me some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So, I just needed to find out for myself. Its pretty bare in old town oil to an extent. But, what's cool is that they have a whole bunch of olive oil tanks in the middle of the store. You can taste a small bit from these to figure out what you want. The range of olive oils was awesome and I was having a hard time figuring out what exactly I wanted. The balsamic area is towards the back of the store and is just like the olive oils. What was great was that the guy who was there was showing me the different combos that you can do with the oils and vinegars. Old town oil isn't cheap. You aren't coming in here to get any old olive oil, you are coming in here to get really good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The prices aren't excessive at all for what you are getting, but be prepared to spend around $18ish on a bottle of olive oil or vinegar. So, be sure to only use it when it counts. All I can say is count me as a customer that will come in whenever I need some more olive oil or vinegar. read more

6 bottles in one month. Not counting the gift sets we've sent. The 18 yrs. aged is a permanent in my kitchen, and we've got several different types of fruit flavored oils and vinegars. Their inventory change periodically, found the cherry balsamic which was not there last time. Bring the bottles back for re-fill, and get a couple of bucks off. The gift set bottles make great gifts for that hard to please foodie. read more

Ok, this is worth checking out. I was told to take a small sipping cup, mix a few drops of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar in it, swirl till bubbly, then swallow. Sounded disgusting. It was GREAT! I could have spent an hour in there mixing concoctions. The staff is kind and knowledgeable and encourage you to experiment. I fell in love with the sesame seed oil. I have discovered amazing new salad dressings and bread dippings because of Old Town Oil. As I was leaving, I had to smile at the sign, "Unattended children will be given candy and a free puppy." :) read more

This establishment makes me really happy and I hope it never goes out of business. You can try the olive oil and vinegar combinations in the store and the very helpful sales person will mix them for you. I felt silly drinking EVOO out of a tiny cup, but it was delicious. COMBO #1 I tried the Garlic EVOO & Old Town Oil Reserve Balsamic, which is the contents of the "Steak Lovers" tool kit which I bought for my brother-in-law's birthday. They come in really pretty bottles and I bought a little gift bag to go with it all for $41. Not bad for a gift. COMBO #2 I tried the peach white vinegar mixed with the meyer lemon EVOO. That was Delish with a capital D. I also had the brilliant idea to have them partner with Purple Pig since they serve a rather not-tasty olive oil ice cream that would be made so much more awesome with this combo. But the sales lady just kind of laughed kindly at my suggestion. Ah, well :) read more

It is truly great to be experiencing all the places in Old Town. Loved this place and tasting all the oils and vinegars. Now, typically I get to do this in Napa or Sonoma but, being in the neighborhood and tasting was great. Staff here are terribly friendly. If you're in the neighborhood, you got to check this out. read more

I completely agree with the awesome reviews of the 18 year balsamic vinegar. It's so good and a little goes a long way so although it's not cheap, you don't need to use much. I added the vinegar to a spinach salad on Christmas and everyone raved that the salad was five-star restaurant quality. I wish I could take credit , but it was all the vinegar! I had a great time walking around the store tasting different oils and vinegars until I could find exactly what I was looking for. The sales clerk was very helpful, asking after each taste whether I was looking for something lighter/fruitier so he could direct me to what I wanted. In the end, it was the Spanish oil that won. Stop in here before or after The Spice House and you'll be set to cook an incredible meal! read more

I recently took a vacay to Chicago and did the Near North food tour (reviewed separately). One of the stops on the tour was Old Town Oil. We really did enough time spent here to try the many, many varieties of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I would say they had approximately 9ish balsamic vinegars and about twice as many olive oils. I have to admit I do not know as much about either as other people, but I can say the store seemed very clean and was very cute. They had a lot of interesting flavors from blood orange to white peach to apple to toasted walnuts to fig to Meyer lemon and savory flavors like sage and garlic. I have already forgotten which were vinegar flavors and which were olive oil flavors, my head is swimming with all the amazing flavors. The 18 year aged balsamic vinegar was sweet enough to drink like a dessert (probably a bit too thick to hahaha). The apple balsamic vinegar with the toasted walnut olive oil is an especially tasty combo. read more

Open the door and you are hit with the fact that this place only sells oil and vinegar, no joke. I uneasy in a place that reeked elitist gastrological splendor. We discovered how very wrong this assumption was. The black apron clad staff were amazingly friendly - knowledgeable - and willing to pour mini nut cups packed full of flavor. After the first toss of oil into the back of my throat I was sold. The hardest part was not buying a bottle of each creation. We settled on the walnut oil, lemon oil and red apple balsamic vinegar. After it was all said and done we decided that this place would be a perfect date destination followed by the Spice house and then dinner at your place. WE WILL BE BACK. read more

Just ordered 15 gift boxes for the company I work for & needed them ASAP (I know, how considerate... eek). Was worried that they would need more time or that they wouldn't have everything in stock. They were delivered to my door less than two hours later. I'm in shock! They were also super pleasant to work with. We will be ordering again! read more

This place has a great variety of oils and balsamics. The staff is very helpful and they cork and bottle up your purchases after pouring it straight from the barrel. To me, that makes the experience that much better. I have used the balsamic on several things and it never dissappoints. Salads, apples, chicken marinade, it definitely has a zest that is hard to compare from average grocery stores. It is pricier than average bottles, but it definitely has a noticeable quality difference as well. My one suggestion is that they provide bread or something to help sample the oils and balsamics. Currently, you pour a little into a small paper thimble and take a shot of it. It just doesn't give the same effect and actually kind of grosses me out if I try too many. read more

3rd stop on the food tour, we sampled many of the olive oils. Pricy but much better than expected for an oil based place.

let's start with my wife and i love to cook. Let's toss in there I am not a salad eater. Now let's state that this place has a great selection of balsamics and oils that are some of the best I have had. Viscus and tasty is how I describe their oils. Most are 17 years and they delivery a wallop of taste that I have not found with any other place. The oils are tasty and ecelectic, you can try before you buy and the staff is helpful. They generally have oils from Greece, Spain, Italy, and the US. Some flavors some straight. Balsamic is just sick... flavors gallor and they are just so good. Love using the stuff and can't say enough. Try the white balsamics with lemon or the dark with fig. I generally am not a salad eater but you put this on it and I eat it. Favorite is arugula, frisee, with mandarin orange, goat cheese, candied walnuts, red onion, tomato and toss in some grilled chicken. Between this balsamic and the white truffle salt i recently purchased salads have suddenly become interesting. read more

Listen: Lonely 18 year balsamic seeks virgin olive oil for freshly prepared vinaigrette menaige et trois! Search no further, this is your hot spot! Knowledgable staff, top notch oils and fabulously aged balsamics to add some serous artisan flourish at your next dinner party! Pinch of basil and et voila! If only they had travel size! read more

Old Town Oil - Store front - Olive Oil Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had such an amazing experience with Old Town Oil this morning! I tried ordering and shipping across country and it didn't work for whatever reason. I called and Mike went out of his way to help me and even called me back a couple of times. Absolutely great customer service!! Thanks Mike read more

high quality oils and vinegars. If you love to cook and try new flavors this is it for you. these vinegars can go on so much more than just salad. I have tried a few of them on the suggestion of staff on ice cream or coffee cake and although skeptical at first I was amazed and how good it was! The staff is friendly and helpful and will show you what mixes work, as well as what they are good on. my favs for vinegars are pomegranate, blueberry. strawberry, blackberry ginger, and cinnamon pear. my fav oils are the blood orange, roasted walnut, and basil. mixing blood orange with most of my fav oils is like a flavor explosion. I also love to mix the basil oil and strawberry vinegar - great on salads. including with bruschetta or a drizzle over a caprese. read more

They have free samples of their oil. And they will combine flavors for you to sample, as well. So I pretty much leave the store with a full belly each time. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they will recommend which oils to pair with certain dishes if you ask. I love cooking, and the oils I've purchased here are an excellent addition. Lots of flavor. I haven't tried their other products, like the salsa. So I'd like to possibly see some samples of that being offered. Other than that, it's a fun little shop. read more

This place has the most incredible quality, selection, and customer service. Even after moving from Chicago to Denver, we still ship all of our oil and vinegar from Old Town Oil. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and the owners are always willing to go above and beyond. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

I was just here on Friday (on a "pilgrimage" with a foodie visitor) and today, Sunday, I got a desperate e-mail from my sister in New Orleans: "I have only DROPS of my balsamic vinegar left! Please forward ASAP, on your next trip to Old Town, one bottle of pomegranate balsamic and one bottle of the 18-year aged balsamic..." I can't recommend this place enough. The staff are enthusiastic and hospitable, offering delectable samples and sharing the fun of our discovery of the flavors. Any time I have an out-of-town visitor, this place (and the Spice House doors down) is on our "must do" list. read more

At first blush, the idea of a place that sells only oil and vinegar seems like over simplifying. But, walk in to Old Town Oil and mix your Blood Orange Olive Oil with some Peach Balsamic vinegar. And then you'll want to try the Meyer Lemon with the 18 year Balsamic. And then you'll want to try the Basil oil and the Fig Balsamic. And then you'll want to try Walnut Oil with the Apple Balsamic. And eventually, you'll embarass whoever you came with and they'll be dragging you out the door and you'll be like "Wait, I didn't get to mix the straight ahead Greek with the Blueberry." And they'll be all, "Come on, you're making us uncomfortable." And you'll be all, "But guys..." And they'll be all, "Seriously, these nice people have had enough of you. Let's go before they call the cops." And you'll finally give in and go because you remember what happened when you wouldn't leave the Fudge Pot. You might have a problem. I'm only saying that because I care. read more

I adore this store. Their 18-year balsamic is perfection. I'm not even exaggerating. Buy that stuff, mix it with olive oil, throw it on a green salad, and people will beg you for your recipe for salad dressing. You might not think that it is fun and/or delicious to sip olive oils and vinegars in little paper cups, but they are so marvelously flavored that it is constantly enjoyable. This isn't like drinking cheap store brand oil, this is the stuff that was meant to grace fresh salad leaves, or be drizzled over hot artisan bread, or tossed in fragrant pasta. Use it wisely - it isn't cheap - but it's worth every penny if you're a serious cook read more

A friend brought me here and I was amazed! Wonderful selection and the employees are actually happy to help you. They even held the door open for us on the way out. I read a review that this place is a little expensive for what you get. I just want to know who is going to drive 50 miles to save $20 bucks. After all is said and done. You saved nothing. You will waste 3 hours of your day, gas and frustration. read more

The products they sell here are fantastic, pure and simple. BUT.... Old Town Oil is pretty much the same store as The Olive Tap (in Downer's Grove and Long Grove). If you're looking to save $20 on a gift and have some time to go to the 'burbs, I'd suggest going there for: - Lower prices (by $15 for prepacked basket gifts) - Reasonable sales tax The Olive Tap gets the exact same flavors of oil and balsamics as Old Town Oil, and they're bottled identically and distributed from the same place in California. I mentioned this to the sales woman at Old Town Oil and she said the stores are "like cousins" but different. As far as I could see, the difference was only in cost and attitude. read more

This place is a tranquil little gem in Old Town. The quality of oils and balsamic vinegars is wonderful, and they let you have a taste before buying. I've always had a great experience with everyone who works there. They're always happy to recommend oil & balsamic combinations and food pairings, but not pushy to make a sale. I keep returning not only for my own supply, but to buy gifts for people as well. I love being able to customize which oils to put in a gift sampler. read more

Stumbled in here on my way to The Spice House up the street. Am still both amazed and appalled that I let this gem escape my attention for so freaking long! After just a few weeks, Old Town Oil is quickly climbing the charts as one of my favorite chicago shops. Sample barrel after barrel of irresistibly delectable extra virgin olive oils, infused with everything from Tuscan Herbs and Garlic to the more exotic blood orange. Find an oil (or many) to suit your taste, and pair it with an equally amazing bottle of vinegar. The customer service is wonderful; very knowledgeable and more than willing to help you find the perfect olive oil for that certain dish, or to just regale you with endless facts about the amazing properties of olive oil. The prices are reasonable, considering the quality of the product. If you're ever in need of a place to find the perfect gift for that foodie friend or family member, Old Town Oil cannot be beat. read more

I want to highlight to everyone the impeccable customer service at Old Town Oil. Brian is not only passionate and knowledgeable, but stands by his product and service 100%. I had one very minor shipping issue and he completely blew me away with how he handled the situation. Brian is willing to go out of his way in insure customer satisfaction. I've been ordering from Old Town Oil for 2 years after visiting the shop in person. This product is unbeatable at the price and truly fantastic for anyone who enjoys cooking, making their own salad dressings, marinade's, or just completely carbing-out on an entire baguette dunked in amazing oil & vinegar combos. Long live Old Town Oil. read more

Wonderful experience. Taste a variety of oils and vinegars and then buy a few or put together a tasting pack as a gift. The employees are very helpful without being pushy. read more

I wasn't that in to olive oil until I studied in Spain a couple years ago. However, I have been a vinegar freak my whole life. I remember getting excited to pour the vinegar over the little easter egg dye dots when I was little because the smell was so good. (yes, I realize that's different vinegar, just trying to make a point) SO, when I found a place where I could TASTE test everything, how amazed was I?!! VERY amazed. Though I went there specifically to get the pomegranate balsamic, which someone told me they bought there, they sadly were out of it. This was a big downer. But I got the raspberry vinegar instead. Very very tasty. And the garlic olive oil. I don't cook with them, because I feel like I'm not getting the full flavor blast that way. Instead, I mix the two together and dip bread in it. This moment in my day is one of the best. I literally sit there in silence devouring a little bowl of vinegar and oil. The price seems steep, yes. But when you think about it, the higher end stuff at the grocery store is 12 or 13 bucks. And so 17 or 18 at Old town Oils is not that bad! I swear it's worth it! read more

Amazing 18 yr aged balsamic...really, it's amazing. Great place to get some high quality oils and balsamic. Sample anything here too. Friendly staff and cute store in the heart of Old Town. Great place to get a gift for a house warming party or for someone that has just about everything. This place is often very packed on the wknds. read more

I happened upon this gem by way of the Chicago food planet tour of Old Town and Gold Coast. I was absolutely floored by the variety and taste sensations I consumed while visiting this small shop. There are about a dozen and a half oils from around the world of every kind and flavor. Also balsamic vinegars of every flavor to mix. They have sample cups to mix and match to your hearts desire. Some of my favorites included the Meyer Lemon olive oil with the Lime vinigrette. The taste of each really compliment each other and I was hit with unexpected flavors after another. We of course came back and got more than enough for us and more to gift to family. Absolute must go place if you're in Old Town. read more

seemed like nice products but would't return as sales associate/front desk guy, apparently the only one manning the store at around noon on 1/29/23 so couldn't even find someone else working at store who was actually civil appearing, wasn't at all friendly and i def got weird vibes, i.e., he actually mustered up the energy to chirp Hello! and Good morning! to the Caucasian folks entering, offering advice about products etc. (so if you're White, prob an okay place for you to frequent), but my friend and i are AsianAmerican and were the only ones in store when we entered and he totally ignored us (BTW in contrast, we were treated super kindly at The Spice House just down the road, which I would highly recommend, the workers there were very helpful and knowledgable, the store smelled Awesome, and all of the products looked and are fantastic). my friend didn't receive a receipt for her purchase from the OldTownOil employee (same guy previously described, sigh) either- again just sloppy/nonexistent service if you're of a more ethnic demographic apparently, pretty sad and not a smart move on their part in today's climate. i won't be returning to OldTownOil, thumbsdown. read more

Take time to sample and combine all of the different options. A great place to pick up a gift.

Beware - you might get a stomach ache from tasting every oil and vinegar in the shop. You will not be able to resist trying each one, and then trying each one again. You are doing your salad an injustice by putting general dressing on it, if it is good, you'll treat it with Old Town Oil's 18 year aged Balsamic Vinegar. It has an unbelievable taste, that you just need to try for yourself. They will recommend tasty combinations of oil & vinegar, and do not be surprised if you walk out with a couple of bottles. You will not be sorry. Then go visit the Spice House next door to continue your culinary adventures... read more

Very friendly, helpful service. Unique selection of oils and balsamics you can sample. Makes a great gift!

Old Town Oil, I love you. I have been purchasing similar oil out of state and finally thought there's gotta be something like this in Chicago. A week ago, I visited the store and was thrilled with the selection, quality and customer service. I had a bit of a hiccup with one item and Matt went ABOVE and BEYOND to fix it. (No need to share details, other than off the charts service.) I'm totally hooked. I have lived in Chicago for 12 years and never knew about this place. See you soon OTO. (New favoirte. Walnut EEOV with Strawbery Balsamic. Outrageously fabulous!) read more