Groceries are like children—most of us are too busy to notice them until we're hungry. Today's Groupon stocks up your tables and fruit bowls preemptively. For $12, you get $25 worth of groceries from August Groceries, a quaint, cozy, Wicker Park grocery store whose educational flair for food will help you bust out of your ramen-riddled cooking rut.

August Grocery does more than just sell food, it loves everything about food—the variety of textures and flavors of fresh vegetables, the bizarre sense of humor of seafood, the meatiness of meat. That love is evident in more than just the vast inventory of all-natural meats; fresh, never-frozen seafood; cut-to-order whole fish; and local, organic, and seasonal produce. August's grocers will excitedly educate you with sound advice on how to use your groceries to their fullest potential. They'll tell you whether taleggio ($17.25/lb) or manchego ($16.99/lb) cheese goes best with your Berkshire pork chops ($11.99/lb), or whether you should save it for a pairing with some organic Irish salmon ($18.99/lb). They'll tell you which seafood is fresh and unfrozen (spoiler alert: all of it). They'll even tell you how to make your own pork sausage like they do and accent it with crisp Michigan apples, colorful heirloom carrots, and fresh Indiana squash. Don't be surprised if you come across an impromptu cooking demo or two while at August, unless it ambushes you with Silly String on the way to the bathroom.

August also offers daily carryout and private cooking classes for up to six people ($55–$65/person) that will teach you how to prepare three to four courses, depending on the class topic. With August's high-quality groceries and your newfound knowledge of the correct way to sear a monkfish, you'll be the star at your neighborhood's next dinner joust and dessert melee.

Reviews

Centerstage Chicago, Daily Candy, Metromix Chicago, and Not For Tourists highly recommend August Grocery:

• This mini-grocery in the sweet former Hillary's spot offers up a taste of Euro neighborhood class, reminding you that, even on a Tuesday, cooking and eating should be a full-on sensory treat. Brother-and-sister foodies George Djurovic and Angie Kongabel aim to tempt both the tastebuds and the imaginations of the culinarily-curious while keeping things easy and affordable for the everyday cook. – Julia Steinberger, Centerstage Chicago
• ...it may redefine your idea of a grocery store. August delivers fresh, seasonal produce and ingredients to encourage the simplicity of home cooking. Intimidated? Don’t be. – Daily Candy
• There's nothing else like this in the neighborhood--even all those yuppie grocery stores can't compare to August's freshness and helpful staff. – Kristen Orser, Not For Tourists

Yelpers and five Citysearchers give August Grocery four solid stars:

• The produce, seafood, and meats were first rate, along with the cheese, dried meats, and breads. The seafood was very fresh and they had a large selection. – mattlacy81, Citysearch