This place is diner style, grab a table or sit at the counter type of restaurant. We opted for a table since it was our first visit. This chili isn't for everyone as we had been told by friends who live in the area. We love it!! People refer to it as Springfield Illinois Tavern chili, it's meat and beans and juice. No tomatoes, no onions, just finely ground meat, beans and spices. That is a departure from the more Texas Style chili we have ate at other places. Your bowl is put together when you order it. Your meat is kept separate containers by heat level and the beans and broth are in another. That's how you get your perfect heat level, oil or no oil, soupy or thick. I order mine, My wife ordered hers, medium with a double touch of hot, hold the oil, and light beans. I like my chili a little brothy. If you want thick, spoon stands up in the bowl chili, just order your heat level. Also important note, is that you must say hold the oil or it will be floating on top. I must say one thing the Fire Brand Chili is HOT!!!!!, the goal of finishing (5) five bowls (Fire Brand Challenge) it out of the range of possibilities, I tried but I did not make the cut but it something that has to be experienced to really appreciate it. It starts off being really creamy and delicious but the heat catches up with you quick. 1 bowl is a feat but 5 is impossible at least for me. If you are in the area, it is worth a visit, don't forget the Tums. read more

Best chili I have ever had, nice people, pleasant surroundings. Ive been going there for almost 30 years, and it has been consistently great. read more

Very delicious homemade food. Service was decent and the employees were very friendly. The ambiance was that of old school diner. Enjoyed the experience and encourage people to visit this business read more

The Chili Parlor - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

I am a fan of this chili recipe, especially medium with a touch of just add crackers and an iced tea. Always friendly service too!

Went last week with a friend and was not 100% clear about the menu when it was our turn to order. I ordered what I thought was a bowl of "chili"...this was the first time I had seen a bowl of (Grape Nuts) dry bits of flavorless hamburger meat NOT seasoned at all and a separate bowl of beans in a murky milky oily liquid. Not appetizing, my friend saw the Wonder Bread and said ...no I don't want anything ..I'll just have a glass of water. We really should have walked out the door. It wasn't the kind of chili I knew, but it IS a matter of taste. The only reason to go back is IF they change their so-called recipe. Maybe it's me ??????????? It must be. read more

My favorite place to go weekly Love their chili and staff is always super friendly. I have been a customer for over 30 years when they used to be located on N Grand ~ Thank you Chili Parlor read more

Absolutely best chili in the world! Also add a tamale and keep in mind medium is hot and hot is super hot and firebrand is deadly! Great service and atmosphere plus good value keep in mind cash only. read more

The Chili Parlor - Fun lunch best chili in the world - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

We arrived at the Chili Parlor understanding that they ensured a good bowl of chili, given it's the central dish of the restaurant. We ordered 2 bowls of chili and our first red flag was the one of the workers asking us if the chili didn't have enough flavor she would give us more "spice sauce" bring it out. What we received was 2 small styrofoam bowls of burnt ground beef and beans that was submerged in about 1cm of translucent orange grease. It was not particularly flavorful outside of the poor appearance, and the flavor that was there was kinda gross. I am not a picky eater by any means and I have very low standards for food I consider palatable. I eat everything. With this experience I was honestly shocked, and felt insane that this is what people consider to be an ideal bowl of chili. I had to douse my bowl with crackers, cheese, and onions to get myself to continue eating it. It feels like we were served the bottom of the barrel left over chili scraps. If this is their regular standard of service, it is impressive this place stays in business, let alone being prided as serving best bowl of chili in the area. Certainly the worst chili I have had. The atmosphere was charming for a classic American Diner and the staff were nice and meant well. What went wrong? read more

After 20 years of living within easy driving distance of the Lincoln home, museum and monument in Springfield, we finally made the trip with the D's. We had an excellent visit. Upon arrival in town we headed for the address of Joe Rogers' Chili Parlor for lunch. It appeared that I had entered the wrong address into the GPS because the signs are for The Chili Parlor. It turns out that though this place being bought and sold several times by the daughter of the original owner (Joe Rogers, apparently) the name has had to change to just "The Chili Parlor". There currently is no Joe Rogers' Chili Parlor. It really doesn't matter, except to confuse visitors. Also a little confusing for first timers is the menu. The owner explained it to us and next time we will be prepared. The chili is made modularly. They cook beans separate from the chili meat. The meats carry the seasoning and are made in two heat levels; medium and hot. The medium is not hot at all, the hot is fairly hot. What you order is one or the other or a blend of both. The hottest bowls are only the hot but more of it, which kind of builds up in the mouth. You can also order extra oil and extra beans. The oil carries a little more heat with it. I ordered a small bowl medium hot, which was assembled with beans in the bottom and a scoop of medium meat and a scoop of hot meat and a splash of oil. I really enjoyed this bowl of chili. The medium blend is a good one. I could eat more heat, but I thought this was a pleasant level. I did not feel the need to prove anything that day. You stir it up to mix the meats and beans. This is simple, honest diner chili. It is not what you would find in Texas and not what you find at a chili cook-off. They have not seasoned it with much if any cumin (stars for that!) and have not used red kidney beans (more stars for that). And no tomato! Definitely not typical Midwestern tomato cumin soup with kidney beans that gets called chili. I also really enjoyed a chili dog with the medium meat. Next time I would get hotter meat on the dog. I love chili dogs and wish we had this closer to home. Ms T reported on her burger, which is served as loose meat, but is kind of formed into a cake (photo). She reported it as needing some seasoning, so I would definitely get it with some of the hot meat. We understood that the place has been in business since the early 1940's. It is a classic piece of Route 66 type Americana and is genuinely worth the visit. We drive by Springfield routinely to visit the kids in Chicago. I can see this place pulling me off I-55 in the future. For me this was the culinary high point of our trip to Springfield. It is a definitely a local food find. Update June 18, 2015 - Stopped through on the way to Chicago. Enjoyed two of the great chili dogs. They are very consistent, loaded with the chili meat. This could become a standard stop on our trips to Chicago. read more

See all

Forget all the politics and other nonsense. This is excellent chili. Truly delicious and unique. Touch is just right for hot summer days. Medium Hot is good during the winter. Outstanding flavor. I prefer mine with onions and shredded cheese. Have done Firebrand once and that was enough. Crazy hot. The tamales are good too. Good, friendly and fast service. They also ship chili anywhere via FedEx or UPS. read more

This is some of the best chili I've ever had. This stuff is the perfect combo of creamy and meaty, although it is very heavy and VERY filling. I went in trying to beat Adam Richman's five bowls (sounds easy right?) of the firebrand, but I could only get through two and a half. It was hot as hell and greasy as soul glo, but soooooo delicious, especially with a dollop of the optional cheese substance. It's cash only, so bring some loot with you to avoid ATM charges. Also, as I learned on my last trip (I was going to beat him this time, I swear), it's closed on Sunday. :( The new record is eight bowls - that is eight pounds worth of 90% beef, 5% creamy yummy not from the devil's asshole beans, and 5% grease...careful. And, be sure you have access to a toilet and bed for the next 24 hours. -pmfl read more

The Chili Parlor - the sign for the restaurant - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

See all

Pay close attention. You can have it anyway you like it. That's correct. They have this chilli business down to a science and you can pick how hot or mild, how many beans, and even how much oil. Love the chilli. I had the hot meat. Made my nose run which means I loved it. Had a hot dog too that was great. The tamale was authentic and delicious. THEY STAY OPEN EACH DAY UNTIL 4PM OR WHEN THE FOOD RUNS OUT. We stopped by at 2:39 on a rainy Monday and there was only a half a pot of meat left. Just saying. Loved it. This place is a true Route 66 treasure. The daughter of the original den runs the place great service. Lots of smiles. All is good in the world. read more

The Chili Parlor - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

I've since been able to handle the FIREBRAND chili and grown to absolutely love it! If you can handle heat, and love great flavor, this is the chili for you. I love to get it with NO oil, add onion and cheese and its just fantastic. A visit to Springfield is not complete without a stop at Joe Rogers! read more

See all

Got the medium chili and a soda. After I had to get out of line and go to the atm that is. The chili itself was ok at best. It felt like the only ingredients were meat (lots of it), beans (light), and grease. I kept tipping the spoon to get rid of grease and at the end of the cheap styrofoam bowl, there was almost a quarter inch of grease left in the bowl and it felt like I had lip balm on. Had been planning on getting a couple of chili dogs to go and try those as well, but by the time I was done, I just decided to go over to cozy dog and get a couple there instead. Wholy unimpressed with "Springfield's favorite chili." read more

The Chili Parlor - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

See all

The new owner, Roy, bought the business including the recipe. He worked with Mariann for a couple months too. It's as good as it always has been. Love it! read more

The Chili Parlor - the front of the restaurant - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

This is a local place. I love gourmet food and seek the best restaurants whenever possible. However, there are times when I just simply enjoy the local favorites. This is a place I go when I want the local favorite chilli (note the local spelling). On average, we go here for lunch about once a month during the fall/winter months. I make chili completely differently at home but their recipe dates back decades to a place which is no longer in business (family issues?) called "The Den." There are plenty of restaurant choices which offer finer dining experiences...if that is what you desire than look at some of my other reviews for ideas. I always order the same: "bowl of medium with a touch of hot (HOLD the oil) and a tamale." Note that my order includes the words "hold the oil" because I do not like it greasy. This puts me in the minority among their customers but I am comfortable with that designation. If you don't like greasy chilli then you need to tell them to hold the oil and still expect to do a little skimming. Take a chance on this place - not because some celebrity stomach featured the joint on a show but because it is a piece of Americana. read more

I really wanted to love this place because it is a local favorite, its been on several TV shows and the line was nearly out the door when I arrived at lunch, but I just didnt. Ive had a ton of chili and I just dont prefer this style. As others have said the meat is very fine and loose and it is traditionally served with a large amount of chili oil (or "grease"). You can order it with none or light oil as well. I ordered a chilidog and they didnt put beans on it (I didnt know I was supposed to ask for that). The chilidog was just sort of lackluster and small. Average hot dog, grocery store white bun, and then the chili. For me this chili is just flavorless and bland. I ordered mine hot (one step below 'firebrand') and I didnt find it terribly spicy. All I tasted in the chili was the heat (courtesy of whole chili flakes) and some gritty meat. The service was nonchalant, not friendly or unfriendly. For what you get I didnt find the prices to be very good. I believe it was around $4.65 for my sad, little chilidog (without a side). Unfortunately, this is the type of place I think of when people say that just because food is 'old-style', 'traditional' or 'original recipe' doesnt mean its good. read more

Worst chili Ive ever had in my life. It will make you puke. Friendly service though so I feel bad saying it. All in all, food in Springfield Illinois is awful and I will never, ever go back there again. Also see Cozy Dog drive in review. Frank Campeglia (The Food Club) read more

Blame the Man vs Food guy - we never would have come here had I not happened to be watching the show where he is in Springfield, trying out local places. Normally, we stick to a few other spots. Anyway, so I watched that Man vs Food show and saw that there was a challenge with the Firebrand chili - finish a bowl and get your name on the wall, with an additional star for each additional bowl you can finish. No time limit, just finish your bowl. I like me some spicy food so I wanted to give it a try. The woman at the counter who took my order thought I was crazy - not sure why but she was all smirky and I figured it would be worthwhile to take my empty bowl up to her. I don't think she thought I was going to finish it! I'm not sure why but I guess I thought the Firebrand would be hotter. It is entirely possible that the fact that I had a cold at the time caused me to miss out on some of the hotness of the chili but aside from some mildly numb lips and a slight tingle to the tongue, I didn't feel like I was going to shoot out of my seat with my jeans on fire, hence 4 starts instead of 5. It is very tasty, though, I will give that. Now, the texture is very meaty, light on beans and extremely, for lack of a better word, juicy. I read that this is the suet that the meat, etc are cooked in - be prepared for a lot of this and also you will probably want some (and by some I mean a lot of) oyster crackers to soak up the liquid - your bowl will be hard to get to the state of empty otherwise. You can order your chili to your own specifications, though, to have more or less of each item, which is nice. Other folks I was with had the hot dog and they also have a loose meat "burger" which, according to the husband person, was pretty tasty. The menu is not huge overall, but it's a chili place, so there's, you know, stuff to go along with chili. It works. It's cash only, and a bit of a dive, but it's worth visiting for lunch - they are only open a few hours each day and closed on Sunday. read more

Very few American places follow traditional recipes for more then ten years or so, before a new chef/owner/generation believes that their improvement will make the already great recipe better. I have read the reviews of my fellow yelpers and for the most part I was let down. Some folks are saying the chili is served with grease, and that the Firebrand chili was not spicy, I will remain neutral and simply encourage readers to look at sentence errors to indicate accuracy. I only ate the chili which was a very old style of a long cook, specialized blend of recipes and unlike traditional Tennessee chilis (or any real southern style) the meat is very fine. The meat is poured on top of a bed of beans but then topped with 100% chili oil. That unique method makes this a specialty chili that may not be to everyone's taste. Chili is a food that everyone has eaten more than once and probably has their own preference. This chili is one of the best and their spiciest level is very spicy and not for the faint of heart. read more

Got my "hot, hold the oil" just like normal, only the order was taken at carside and delivered, promptly during the IL Corona shutdown. Go get some! read more

The Chili Parlor - Hot...hold the oil! - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

I e been eating chilli here for 50 years. It has changed hands several times in the last decade but still maintains the essence of the best Springfield chilli. A friend said it is an acquired taste and she still hadn't acquired it yet. Takes all kinds. I could eat it for breakfast. read more

The best Chili in town, hands down! The staff is friendly and you can order your chili the way you like it. read more

The Chili Parlor - Love the Chili!! - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Why did no-one tell me about this place earlier?? It's kinda soup natzi-ish Know what you want - how hot - mild, medium, medium hot, hot and fire brand. I got medium hot and wow it was hot. Know - it's covered in "grease" and it's delicious. You can also get it with less "oil" Also get a side - tamale, cheese dog etc to help cool the fire in your belly! Staff knows its business and will help you as best they can. Go early - the parking lot fills quickly read more

This place is quite mediocre. I arrived with a friend slightly after lunch hour on our work break and it seemed as if the staff was purposely avoiding us. The place was empty, yet they saw us walk in. Finally someone approached us and said, " cash only " only confirming my suspicion that they really didn't want us there. Terrible service. However, we did leave a tip. My guess is that we weren't old and republican looking enough, so they didn't think we'd have enough money for their food, let alone a tip. Great work everyone. In addition, I've had better chili at Wendy's. Avoid this place unless you're old enough for a senior discount. read more

1st in Illinois, wife loves this place. Naturally another 2 quarts to go. $44.09 hot going in and coming out.

The chili parlor has been sold. So goodbye and happy retirement to Maryann. I have ate the chilli since the. 1970s om south grand. The new owner Roy is a nice man and the food the same and the old crew is still there is great. So good luck Roy and keep the FIRE BRAND cooking um good chilli. read more

the best chili place, ever!! roy is a great host and its always wonderful to go there!! read more

Greasy, bland, no flavor Chili (I even tried to firebrand to bring some life into it.) The people of central Illinois rave about this place because there standard of food comes from the buffet line at Golden Corral. Try Norb Andys or any other place for real chilli...I went a couple years ago and I was just reminded of how terrible this place was after some coworkers were talking about. read more

I would go back for sure. I can't believe more people haven't yelped this place! I am a wimp and had the mild but I enjoyed the "old style" chili. I tried some of the medium hot and I thought it was too hot for my style. It is the truest form of dive eating you can have, the prices are cheap, you clean up after yourself and the staff isn't the friendliest. But hey, its all part of the experience. Overall i'm glad I took the chance. read more

Really good but not as good as the Dew Chilli Parlor here in Springfield. This by the way is Joe Rogers chili in case you've heard of Joe Rogers chili but can't find it. Marianne Rogers is the daughter of founder Joe Rogers who started the chili shop in 1945. She sold the shop twice but took it back for failure-to-fulfill contractual agreements by buyers. It's now called the Chili Parlor. How do I know this? She told me! On my first visit I got to talk to her. She cooks the beans and meat separately so you can get your chili with or without beans. You can also get more or less oil, more or less heat. As others have said be sure and ask about all these options when you order. Cash only! I tried to hand the employee my credit card and it was as though I handed her a dirty diaper (ha ha). She pointed to the on-site ATM so I could get cash. I gave it four stars because the meat is very fine in size and I'd like it chunkier. I've since had the Dew Chilli here in town and the meat is chunkier and I just like it better. read more

The 5 star rating is all relative. This place delivers as promosied. Simple straight forward food. and surroundings. Order at the counter, served on paper / styrofoam,. The chili was really good! Self serve fountain drinks. Daily special is a good deal. Very popular with the locals. Be sure to read about the Chili House history on the wall. Just tables and chairs. Menu consists of Chili, maid rites (loose meat slider) hot dogs and tamales plus a few other items. I believe Andrew Zimmern was here eating the hottest of the Chili for the Food Network. read more

My family came into town for the day and my dad picked the Chili Den for lunch. It sounded like a unique dining experience and we all enjoy chili. Overall, this was very boring chili. We all ordered our chili medium spicy. Much to our disappointment, although the chili was hot the spice gave no extra flavor. It was spicy just to be spicy, not to add anything to the taste. Apparently (We didn't find this out until after we had gotten our bowls) you can ask for light or no oil. I would definitely suggest this. my bowl of ground meat and beans was basking in a disgusting amount of oil. This only made the chili taste slimy. Now, I understand maybe this way of making chili is just their "style" but I will not be going back. read more

Still the best chili in Springfield. But, I feel like it's lost a step compared to what it used to be. My bowl of medium - hot was bland. read more

I recently moved from San Diego, CA back to the midwest. Having my priorities clearly in order, I began searching for chili parlors. Why I didn't know about Joe Rogers' while a student at Millikin in nearby Decatur, IL 25 years ago is a mystery. I'm certainly thrilled to know about it now! The chili is in the midwestern school (beans and meat) and is available in a variety of spice levels. I went for the schtick and ordered a bowl of the Firebrand to have my name put on the wall. The Firebrand is spicey, however, it's not "too" spicey. The challenge in finishing stems chiefly from the Firebrand being essentially a bowl of spicey sloppy joe filling! Eating a bowl of finely ground, spicey, meat sauce is tough as it is so filling. My fiance ordered the mild/hot and his was much "spicier" in my opinion. Overall, I love the chili and we plan to visit as often as possible. When we do, we will be sure to bring cash as The Den doesn't accept credit/debit cards. read more

My Dad took me to this place back when I was young and I have been hooked ever since,You won't find any BBQ here either but you'll get some good homemade chili there. The prices our decent however you'll pay a little more at this place but sometime you have to pay a lil more for good chow.The dining room is really nice & CLEAN and its an enjoyable place to eat. The chili comes five ways: mild, medium, touch of hot, medium hot, hot and J.R. Special. Eat a bowl of J.R. Special and your name goes up on the wall. We're talking great chili thats an original like the title says yummy. They have excellent chili dogs which go great with the chili . Different than most but good eating. I ordered my food to go. No ceremony with the oyster crackers. Just tossed a couple of handfuls into the bag on top of everything else. One important thing CASH ONLY-so make sure you have plenty of greenbacks before entering this place. read more

See all

I was finally able to stop in for a bowl of chili after having first seen firebrand mentioned on a Man vs Food episode years ago. The chili consists of ground beef cooked with spices along with a smaller amount of separately added beans. I found the firebrand to be less spicy than standard hot Buffalo wing sauce at bw3. This results in a very large number of names of individuals on the wall of firebrand finishers. The chili was somewhat oily and the meat texture was a bit too finely ground and cooked to the point where I felt it didn't have much texture. Overall I'd say the chili would be better served as a topping for a tamale, hot dog, or pasta. Perhaps I'll give it another go with some accompaniment, but as a bowl of chili alone, I'd pass. read more

The Chili Parlor - Bowl of firebrand - Comfort Food Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

I went with the hot - or whatever one notch below the hottest was, figuring that the hottest would be the sort of masculinity challenge that keeps you from tasting your food. And it was plenty hot - not crazy, but definitely hot (and I think I eat reasonably hot food). The flavor was good, but it's really oily. I mean, really oily, and that keeps me from anything higher than a three - it really needs to sit after it's served to you and then be skimmed. I managed to get oil with chile pepper all over my lips, which resulted in a lot of burning that I couldn't wash off. If they could figure out how to make this chili without that much grease, I think this would be really pretty good. I love the bulk oyster crackers - definitely not skimping on those, and I love a lot of those in soup. I also tried a tamale, which defied the typical enormous "loaf of massa" tamale by being compact and not over doughy, not dry, but without a ton of flavor in the dough. I did like the chili meat as filling though. I would do this again, a small chili with a tamale and then spoon the chili over the tamale. I agree with a couple comments - you kinda need to know what you're doing here when you order. The menu is a little complex with the heat choices and other options, and I think you have near endless customization options if you so choose. Or you can just order the chili "normally" by specifying your heat level, which is what I did, that much is easy. There are definitely regulars - the gentleman in front of us did not have to give the clerk his order. I'm not going to make any pilgrimages for this, but if I was in the area, I would certainly eat here again. Just exercise caution if oily food upsets your stomach. read more

Loved it !!!! Amazing tasting chili and make sure to get a hot dog smothered in chili. I ate this on my way back to St.Louis and It did not disappoint. Will be back for sure. read more

This chili parlor is a great find! My parents visit Springfield about once a year and ALWAYS eat here. This year, they wanted to make sure that we were able to eat here as well. We really enjoyed this quaint place! read more