Epic Spices

Amazing collection of spices, good prices, and excellent service. I was looking for a variety of spices to explore making bitters and Epic had everything I needed. Definitely coming back!

Throw away your spices from 2010 or if you are my friends from 2004 and come visit Epic Spices!
The owner Steven is always there and has a very impressive knowledge base. Best way to put it, he is a spice scientist. He creates these awesome blends that are so well balanced and flavorful at the same time. Very impressed with his knowledge, brand and service. This place rocks and I always find myself stopping by to see what’s his latest creation is, like he is some sort of movie theater with latest releases. Lol

Couldn’t find any sumac at Mariano’s and I’d heard such great things about this place so I decided to walk down Chicago Ave. and check it out. The owners were wonderful and very helpful when I told them about some restrictions I had with certain spices; they offered to make some personalized mixes without cumin if I wanted so the customer service was incredible in my opinion. The great prices and the owner’s knowledge definitely make a trip to Epic Spices well worth it! It’s a little hidden so don’t give up if you walk past it twice, like I did, before finally finding the entrance.

I love this place for a number of reasons. The products are very reasonably priced, and yet some of the best spices I’ve ever bought.
What really takes the cake, however, is the customer service. Steven clearly loves what he does. He’s always happy to explain the different spices and give suggestions for how to use them. He loves to let you sample his products, but not in a pushy salesman kind of way. I never feel guilty if I don’t want to buy what he’s given me to sample.
I always leave this place happier than when I went in. I highly recommend it for stocking your spice cabinet, and their products make GREAT gifts, too. You must try the hot chocolate and black garlic.

Affordable, incredible spices. The owners are wonderful people and always willing to have a conversation about how to use the spices. Throw out all of the broke down spices you have in your cabinet and go there right now. I’m particularly partial to the blends they have in jars — roast chicken seasoning, the jerk, smokey steak, and berbere.

Amazing, better and less expensive than grocery stores. Makes all the difference in cooking!

The best — terrific product and service!

This place is lovely! Steven is awesome! Apparently there is even more in the back. I asked Steven for some spices to pickle vegetables and he went into the back and came back with a bag for me. It tasted delicious! I will definitely be back.

This is the best spice shop I have ever visited. Skip The Spice Shop and Penzey’s — go to Epic Spices for better customer service, cheaper prices, and incredibly fresh spices.

This place is awesome. It has high quality, interesting spices at AMAZING prices. Good variety, fresh blends (he even made one for me on the spot by request), and great prices. Customer service is perfect — friendly, knowledgeable, genuine, invested in offering super prices, and not at all foodie-​pretentious. Did I mention fantastic prices? I’m talking WAY better prices than big grocery stores for a million-​times fresher, purer products and hand-​crafted blends. Support this guy so he can keep doing what he’s doing!

Why have I been wasting my money on grocery store spices!!! Bah! After finally venturing into this place and almost passing out from shock at the low prices, I recovered and left with wonderfully cheap, fresh spices. They have all the spices you could think of and if they don’t have it, they will get it for you. Extremely knowledgeable and will help you out if you have any questions. Their hours can be a little strange, but I think that’s a perk of being a small local business. Love this place and will never get my spices from a grocery store again.
Go here! I dare you.

What a great addition to West Town! This tiny gem of a spot is a new go-​to, whether I:
1) Have run out of something basic, like cumin or dill
2) Need something unique like star of anise
3) Need a gift for one of the many cooks in my life (there is a nice selection of spice-​blend boxes)
4) Need guidance of any sort from Stephen, the affable and knowledgable owner who is super-​willing to whip up something special if you tell him what you’re looking to cook
Did I mention the prices are unbeatable? Why buy McCormick spices from the grocery store when these are fresher, less expensive, and you are supporting an independent business?! That question is rhetorical.
Shopping here is an enjoyable experience all-​around. I will never have to trek over to the Spice House again. :-)

Steven knows his stuff. This place rules!

Why has it taken me so long to give Stephen 5 stars? I really love this place!
The last time I went there, I brought like 4 spice bags to the counter for check out and he nailed exactly what I was going to do! Then proceeded to offer me some freeze dried avocado, which he stated he was rehydrating with tequila, hey not bad for a Friday night!
He is very smart and knows his stuff. Go to him with something you want to cook, and he will suggest the spices to use. Go there on a Friday or Saturday, especially during the art walk or other West Town events and he will share samples of things he has made. All wonderful.
Next time you need something to spice up your food or your life, just go in and say hi to this guy. Support small business! Do not get your spices at large grocery stores. Seriously! These are better.
We are lucky to have this store and Stephen in West Town. (You Northsiders, suck it, and suck it up and come down here!)

Not much to add to what’s already been written here, but I just wanted to add my voice to the many praising this place. Once you’ve been here, you’ll realize that there is no reason to EVER buy your spices anywhere else. Huge variety, great blends and an incredibly knowledgeable owner who can guide you to things you didn’t know you needed. And the prices are low enough that exploring new things is easy. Continuously surprised that this little shop hasn’t gotten more attention — it deserves to be at the top of the list for any cook (or, like me, wannabe cook) in Chicago.

I have made the trek to Lincoln Square to go to Savory Spice with high hopes only to be left with an «eh» feeling.
When I heard Epic had opened in my own ‘hood I was excited to check it out. Admittedly it took me longer than I wanted to venture in, and now I’m mad at myself for taking so long.
Yes, it’s small, but the selection is NOT lacking. The owner is so knowledgable, patient, and truly takes time and listens to his customers. This type of customer service has been gone for longer than I’ve been alive.
I came in with a very random request to try to create my own taco seasoning. I had one I used to buy from Target and they stopped making it. The owner went out of his way to try to find the product online for ingredient information (which I had attempted myself with no luck). After not finding anything he offered to make one for me. It was exactly what I wanted!
On top of that I scored some other really interesting spices and the last of the aztec hot chocolate (which I’m currently drinking, it’s delicious)!
Oh and yes, the rest of the reviews are correct, prices are phenomenal.
Bypass Mariano’s and continue on down Chicago Ave and check them out, you won’t regret it!

I never review things on Unilocal because I’m a freeloader that likes to reap all the benefits of using it without doing any of the work. I was so blown away by this place that I actually decided to take the time to write this. That’s how good this place was.
This place is great for a lot of reasons. First of all, the quality of its product is excellent and what it sells is extremely fresh. Secondly, everything there is super affordable, and significantly cheaper than the grocery store. Third, they have a lot of unique/​rare stuff that you can’t find anywhere else. Need Kaffir lime leaves? How about curry leaves? How about powdered habanero pepper? They have a ton of stuff. The selection is really amazing. Fourth, you can taste everything you buy it to make sure you like it. And finally, the best part of it all, is that the owner is awesome. Super knowledgeable and super into it. He’s excellent.
This place is great.

I’m so happy this place opened up down the street. It puts the spice house to shame and I’m so glad. Love the spices they offer and they’re all so fresh and extremely affordable.
I’ll frequently be visiting here…
And Steven is super awesome

I had my first opportunity to visit Epic Spices over the weekend. The store currently has a nice selection and additional spices available in the back. The owner, Steven, is very passionate about his business and it shows through his knowledge and customer service. Personally, I am excited to have fresh spices in the neighborhood and look forward to not having to shop at the local grocery stores or driving to Old Town for our spices!
Give Epic Spices a visit, speak with the owner, maybe learn something and get cooking!

Great place. Owner is super friendly and knowledgeable. In addition to the regulars he’s got a bunch of interesting mixes. I’m digging the Tandori Masala mix.
Ended up here originally looking for ingredients to make bitters. They have all of them, like Gentian Root and Cassia Chips. They didn’t have these at Penzeys.