Never seen a shrimp po'boy with so few shrimp in it. Plus it was soggy, so you could tell it sat for a while before being delivered. Very over-priced for the offering. Get your logistics shit together and you could get ingredients and food for lower prices, so you could charge your guests less. Especially when you provide less. And, wouldn't play volume of important game, even though everyone was either interested in game or neutral. Oysters SEVERELY overpriced. I could run a restaurant better in my sleep. read more

We used to go here semi-regularly, the food is so-so, but one thing that kind of bothered me was that the staff either turned over a lot or didn't really care to notice that you were by weekly. We discovered Barclay's on the other side of the hotel and don't go here for dinner anymore - there's a much better option 50' away! Breakfast is alright. read more

A bug is a bug is a bug... or is it basil? Bartender wanted to argue about the obvious bug in my drink. Told me it was a piece of basil after inspecting the bug in the napkin. (Even after three people confirmed it was a bug) I didn't know basil had wings and legs, but if you say so. She also verbally reminded me that the drink was $10.... I don't care how much the drink is, I'm not drinking a Jiminy Cricket Cocktail. All sarcasm aside - when a customer complains about something you served them.. it's probably not a good idea to make them feel like they are lying and stand there and complain to your co-workers. It's a small place... we could hear you. I digress. A know-it-all attitude and a rolling neck probably isn't the best customer service.. just saying. Xoxo, Gossip Girl read more

Good bar. Tons of beer selections, never a great beer on special though. It is definitely worth going for the popcorn! The food is ok, as im not into the oyster thing. read more

Not just one of the best bars in Oak Park, but one of the best in Chicago. Great atmosphere, whether you are inside or out on the patio, regardless of if you are watching a sports game, or just hanging with your friends. The drink menu (especially the beer selection) is superb, and the food is standard bar fare, but I've never been disappointed. Service is always really friendly and reliable. Great place to eat or have drinks. read more

Great seafood and great drinks. Nothing fancy just good food and drinks. Sit outside or at the bar.

This is my favorite hang out spot in Oak Park. It is the only decent beer list in the area, including Forest Park. Nice that there is a hotel next door too. I have the Pizza Pollo sandwich when I go, and have a good beer. It's a nice atmosphere and satisfies my OP nostalgia. read more

Excellent local Oak Park spot. Great selection of beer and the seafood and burgers cannot be beat! Sit for awhile prior to ordering food and enjoy the fresh popcorn. Just a yummy joint! Dave at the bar and Kimbo at your server...... read more

Poor Poor Phils!!!! Since Dennis no longer has Philanders to occupy his time, he has sought to destroy his other entity. Once a GREAT place is now a pathetic shadow of itself. For a "Shell Bar" its overpriced poor quality oysters. They once had the largest selection of oysters in the city. I became hospitalized the evening I went there and the hospital has attributed it to my consumption of their oysters. I can't warn you enough DO NOT EAT THE OYSTERS!!! Service is pathetic and staff is RUDE!!!! I once sat there for half an hour waiting for a waitress to take my order before we walked out. The Drinks are watered down....Yes they do have a good selection of beers. The fried shrimp are mercy killings!!! They once had a selction of size both of which were larger than the current...CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP....You want great shrimp go to the Shrimp house on Western!!! And $7 for a house salad that is usally wilted and keeps shrinking. The only thing consistent is the over salted popcorn. I've even seen them serve under agers recently, though not a kiddy hangout. I guess since the restraunt stroked the village to pay for Poor phils "summer expansion" in a larger outdood cafet, we surrender the public way so "Phil" can pilfer, philander and poisen the public. read more

My favorite OP bar and grill. I give it five stars as a bar and grill, not a fine dining experience. If you want good bar food, a great selection of beers, and a great atmosphere, this is the place. It's also a great place to sit and watch the game, or eat outside on a nice day. The service is usually pretty good, once or twice it's been less than stellar, but again, this is as good as it gets in OP for a chilled out bar and grill with good beer and food. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go nearby, and my visit last weekend prompted me to write a review. If you are a craft beer fan, the drink list is extensive and will give you a reason to stay a while. The food we ordered was great too. I had the mussels which were very good. Everyone else at the table loved their food as well. The atmosphere was nice and the waitress was friendly. The only reason I can't give it a '5' is because I feel *some* of the prices are a light too high, but that is just my opinion. The popcorn on the table is a nice touch, and it's never too loud so you can hear your table's conversation. read more

The biggest pro is that they stay open later than say 10 pm on a weekend, which can't be said for practically any other establishment in Oak Park. They also have a great beer selection even if it's far more expensive than what you'd pay elsewhere. Food is mostly bland (and definitely not fresh) so not sure why the menu prices are so high. Mediocre bar food would best describe what you'll be getting. My biggest issue is that they add a 20% gratuity onto checks with 5 or more people. I've never seen a 20% grat. added in all my years of both working in restaurants and visiting them. The service, in most cases, doesn't warrant a 20% tip especially considering they will not split checks. This always causes much frustration when going out with a large group of friends after a couple of drinks. Split the check if you're having me pay a 20% tip, it can't be too hard with a computer to do it for you. It's also odd that they don't have the computer generate the gratuity instead hand-writing it below the total before presenting the check to the table. I'll deal with the crap service because it's open late and close to my house, but I wouldn't recommend it as a top place to visit in Oak Park. read more

We stopped in for a beer and split a sandwich after a movie. The server, Caspar, was awesome. Very friendly and helpful; he brought us an extra plate without us even asking. The beer list was impressive, everything from Chimay to Laugunitas, Tyranena, Left Hand, and even Motor Row. I had the Out of the Loop IPL, and my friend tried some Lagunitas Cappucino Milk Stout. We asked about the 18% ABV Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre...maybe next visit. We weren't quite ready to get loaded on a Sunday evening. The catfish sandwich was seasoned perfectly, and came hot on a nice soft roll. Great food,classy beers, and great service. read more

Poor Phil's always has a decent rotating tap list and they update their beer menus. Some of the beers can be a little pricey. The place is usually pretty crowded but has a good buzz/atmosphere and somehow I always seem to snag the last table. The server most recently was friendly and attentive. The photos in the woman's restroom are pretty graphic- cover your children's eyes! Being a vegetarian, I can't attest to the crab but their black bean burger sandwich is pretty delicious. Plus, who doesn't like free popcorn? (FYI if you sit outside on the patio you don't get free popcorn. Bummer.) read more

This place is on a serious downward spiral. The service, always slow, is getting to the point of intolerable. My wife and I went here last night, waited an hour for our sandwiches, the place was not packed - moderately busy. An hour later, our sandwiches arrive - my fish sandwich was one small step above McDonald's. The manager offered a free desert, and I told him we didn't want desert. He refused to do anything else. The level of disrespect is pretty bad here. The food has always been mediocre, but I like seafood . . . at this point the level of incompetency is too much. I also noticed a distinct lack of cleanliness, which is not surprising, given the way the place is run. The place really is notorious for bad service. I will never go back. Oak Parkers tolerate mediocre restaurants, unfortunately, but this is beyond the pale. read more

Fantastic bar atmosphere and the beer selection is unparalleled. The manager Zack knows how to take care of the customers and makes great beer suggestions. He took time to personally talk with us and made sure everything exceeded our expectations. Our server was Caitlin and she was great too. She checked in to make sure we always had what we needed and she brought the food out really quickly even though they were pretty busy. I can easily go there any day of the week and try 3-5 new beers I haven't had before which makes every visit as enjoyable as the last. This is a great place to go and catch a game on the TVs inside or enjoy the outside patio on a good weather day. Keep up the great work Poor Phils! We will be back. read more

Four stars for ambiance, service, casual, neighborhood like atmosphere, popcorn, beer selection, reasonable drinks, and seafood. That said, do not order anything 'regular' from the menu. I had a club sandwich was a processed turkey slice - not even close to meat, wonder bread, and thin, barely there bacon. I had the good sense to order the wasabi mayo with it -- but stick to the seafood -- the oyster shooters are particularly fun and the lobster roll always good. read more

Quick friendly service. Pleasant outside seating and ambiance. Lots of choice on food and drink menus, daily specials. We had the crab bisque, a cheeseburger with tater tots, wine, cider, and ice cream sundae. Pet friendly. Will go back soon. read more

Two days of either horrible service or cold food. Day one Chili came out cold took five mins to get bartender to switch out. Day two they have TVs on in bar all the servers are coming and going its football Saturday head server comes up and say we can't and will not serve you here. I explained i was just looking for breakfast and to watch the pre game shows on espn.she said they could not help. read more

Seat yourself beer and seafood place. 100 beers and a lot of seafood that I have not tried yet. Tried the chicken sandwich ( since I wasn't looking for bar or seafood when I came here)and it was good enough. read more

I sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive. I came in specifically to try their lobster roll and I was not impressed. The meal is pricey for the quality. Lobster salad on the roll is very saucy and overpowers lobster all together. Good beer selection but there are plenty of other choices if you're looking for a bar with good selection. read more

Poor value! Portions are tiny and food is mediocre, not fresh and overpriced. I would never come back here. The lobster roll tasted like lobster coleslaw, the garlic shrimp I got was only 6 pieces, and costed a fortune. We paid $44 dollars for a dozen of tiny oysters. read more

To start off the atmosphere in the next room across the bar is very comfortable due to the jazz playing. The pictures in the bath room are filled with people posing nude which is soft porn. I ordered a vanilla milkshake and crab cakes put into a sandwich. The milkshake was not the greatest non the least and it cost $6.00 which was a waste of money. The crab cake was fried to hard and very crunchy, I should stayed home and made my own crab cake. To sum it up the service was great but the food was not all that good. I would not ever go back. - read more

Great food! Decent prices... The wait staff can sometimes make you feel a bit neglected, but they are busy quite often. Even with the minor issues, I still think the place is great. Free popcorn, the burgers are fantastic, the seafood is great, I haven't had a bad meal yet! read more

This place is a classic Oak Park nieghorhood joint. Great selection of beers and good bar food. The staff is always friendly and attentive. I enjoy sitting outside when I can on their lovely patio. Unfortunately the inside smells of stale beer often. read more

Consistent food and service (great) Great oysters Great beer on tap Always a favorite go to place for a meal or a snack read more

Great joint and a hidden gem. Enjoyed the mussels and snow crab claws. Garlic, garlic and more garlic, can't get enough. They poured nice drinks and a lot of locals here. read more

Worst service ever. Prices a astronomical for the garbage they serve. Seafood smelled very old.

Had a truly poor excuse for fish and chips last night. For an establishment known for seafood and the first Friday of Lent-such a disappointment. The fish was over fried, tasteless and almost inedible. The fries meh. I told the waitress and she said she'd pass it on. I won't be back. Sad when the best part of dinner was the free popcorn! read more

2.5 Stars. The idea of this place is a good one; New Orleans style Cajun with a casual flare. The execution... Not so much. My parents live very close to this location and they have a nice outdoor seating area that is never too crowded. We come here all the time mainly to sit outside. They have a great beer selection and a pretty large menu. No kids menu. My most recent visit was pretty bad. First off, the patio area needs a serious power wash. Or in the very least a good hose off. It was crusty and stained with food and the flies were swarming. Gross. It put a bad taste in my mouth from the beginning of the meal. Our sever was too cool for school and slow as can be. The food was just ok. I had a po'boy with mac n cheese. The sandwich was good, the mac n cheese was lame. The salads at the table looked pretty good. No kids menu is usually not a problem. We ordered 2 orders of mac n cheese for the 2 little girls with us and they came in a ramekin, or what salad dressing would come in. We immediately had 2 whiney little girls who knew they would still be hungry. We ordered chicken fingers right then, and those didn't come out until we were all finished eating. At this point, the long wait for the check was on. This place has tremendous potential to be a fun place to go with good food. It's the little things that add up to make it a less than pleasant place to dine. Please Poor Phil, get it together! Oh, and one last thing. The bathrooms are covered in posters of naked people, which made for a little laugh when my little cousin screams "Why's everyone naked in here?" read more

I have been going to Poor Phil's since the early 90's. I have seen the evolution of this restaurant into it's current state, and it is sad. If you want to go for drinks and free popcorn, this is your place. The food is ridiculously over priced $14 for a cobb salad that comes in a soup bowl, $13 for a hummus appetizer plate, $22 for a lobster roll in glorified white bread. Outside of a burger, the food prices are silly. The atmosphere of Poor Phils has not changed in 3 decades, which is OK some of the time, but this place needs a face lift. The wall paper is something you see in your grandma's dining room. Finally, Poor Phil's is dirty, it is gross. The women's bathroom looked like it hadn't been picked up all day, and I could only imagine what the guy's bathroom was like. The floors are disgusting, food and junk all over, who knows that last time that has been cleaned. I used to enjoy eating at Poor Phil's, but now, like I said, it's only good for beer and popcorn. read more

Poor Phil's is a great place to stop for beers, so many choices! The menu is limited and some items are hit or miss, but the burgers are always good. Outdoor seating is great in the summertime. read more

If you like to eat and drink at a place where management is drunk and rude and fighting with their staff in front of ALL the customers, then this is the place to go. Food is mediocre, definitely not something I'll pay for again. read more

its lobster fest (love a lobster)time again , Feb,2020. This year it also includes snow crab legs. My friend,who happens to be African-American, loves snow crab so we went last night and I thought I'd have snow crab for a change. This was a mistake. Very salty and little taste. I took half of them home and thought they would have some flavor when cold. I opened the container when I got home and the smell was terrible. Immediately threw them in the trash outside. Although I have washed my hands at least 10 times since I arrived home last evening my left hand still has a weird smell. The service was subparr and the floor in the aisle between the booths was dirty with shells and popcorn. wasn't cleaned until we were about ready to leave.Service issues include failing to bring water after telling me he would: never asking if we needed anything including more drinks.Not giving us plates for the shells(like everyone else had). When plates were requested only brought one. Placing shell crackers on the menus sitting on the table rather than handing them to us and they should have been in a napkins to keep them sanitary. Such fun having to clean them. Being the last to get our check, took care of others who came in after us first( at least 3 tables) several got their checks and left while we were waiting for ours. In fact didn't bring it until after my friend got up and put on her coat. Guess that got them moving. read more

Love the lobster roll here... Also has decent selection of draft beer and fresh oysters. They give you free popcorn when you dine in. The wings are really good, too. read more

Went this past Tuesday for a few drinks and a burger. Beer selection is excellent, especially for a s-hole like Oak Park. Zombie Dust on tap = awesome. I am a self-admitted beer snob, so when I saw one of Sixpoint's Slice of Life IPAs on the menu, I had to try it. Coming from a company that puts out gems like Righteous Ale, Bengali Tiger, Resin, Apollo, etc, I knew it would be good. The beer I was given was chalky and like chemicals. It tasted like a bad draft line. I passed it around and everyone agreed it was terrible. I told the waitress this, and she shrugged. I said, verbatim, "I think your draft lines may be bad, because this tastes really dirty." She basically said, ok, I'll bring you another sample. She brought me a small glass, and lo and behold, it also was terrible. She then told me, "I think that's the hops." No, my friend, that is certainly not the hops. She then left it on the table, after I told her I didn't want it, and it showed up on my bill. Tip - when the customer says, "This tastes bad," take it away and don't charge them. If I got a burger with a hair in it, would I be charged? No. Other than that, the burger and fries were quite good, above average pub grub. The outside seating was also nice. While I think 2 stars is kinda harsh, 3 stars is "A-OK," and I definitely don't feel that way about this place. 2.5 stars is what I would give it. All because of shitty service. Shame. read more

This is what the quintessential corner bar should be, nothing beats snacking on free popcorn and drinking excellent beer in a window seat watching a Chicago blizzard blow by outside. This place has by far the best beer selection in Oak Park, the prices are fair and the staff is always super friendly. The food is standard bar fair food, always a good stop for a late burger or some fries. What really stood out to me was the depth and variety of their beer menu (both on tap and bottled) and the friendly wait staff. The staff never complained when we would push tables together and have groups of 15 people hanging out drinking beer and they had no problem splitting up checks (which is unusual for Chicago most places act like that's impossible). Right by the train station its great to just wander in here at any point and grab a few beers. Whenever friends wanted to meet up at a bar this was always my first choice. read more

We waited to be seated while the hostess busied herself doing what the bus boy should have been doing. Finally, seated, waiting for service. Finally, a server arrived, took our orders and disappeared. Ten minutes or so later, she appeared, looked surprised that our drinks hadn't arrived and said she'd take care of it. Ten minutes later she appeared and again, said she'd get the drinks to us. Ten minutes later, she arrived once again after I waved her down. She denied being our server, acted like she'd never seen us before, and said she'd get our server. By this time, we felt like we'd been transported to an alternate universe. If the weather hadn't been nice and since we had nothing do, we'd have left long ago. Finally, just as I was going for a manager, another server arrived, and unapologetically said he didn't know he was our server. He took our orders and then service got closer to normal, but we felt like he thought he was doing us big favor by bothering to serve us. I give this place two stars because the food was nothing spectular, but acceptable. It's too bad we're not going to return because it's attached to our hotel and the outside seating has good people watching, but why subject ourselves to more abuse. read more

Good food, huge beer selection but with the exception of one waiter who has been there for the 2 years I've been going, the service is lackluster at best. I do like the outdoor seating at breakfast though! read more

Came for brunch. Coffee served in dirty cup. Sat for 1 hour before getting our food despite the fact that the restaurant was more than half empty. The kids menu comes with milk, but not chocolate milk so you have to pay for that. The whipped cream for the waffle came when we were done with the waffle. Our check came out wrong. The food was ok but nothing special. I used to wait tables so I tend to be forgiving of servers but I swear this was the dumbest waitress I've ever had. read more