Poor Phil’s Shell Bar

It has been a long time since we were in here. This time we came in with the twins in tow and were able to score a booth in the back during the busy dinner rush. Our server was fantastic — he was super busy and kept apologizing for the delay, but once we ordered, there really was no major wait. I was able to have a Totally Roasted Cider, which I was thrilled about since Binny’s sold out of it when I last went there to pick it up. We had fried oysters and some more fried fish and the girls ate little bits of the meat. While the quality of the food is just average, it is the service that makes the experience worth the $ 75 price tag.

We were in the suburbs for a vet appointment for my dog and wanted to grab lunch at Marion Street. We parked only to find out that they were renovating the place so we walked down the street to the closest food joint open, which was Poor Phil’s. The place itself is sorta cool, with a bunch of beer taps hanging from the ceiling. There seemed to be a decent amount of people, so after sitting there for 5 minutes without service my boyfriend tried to grab some menus from the bar and was scorned by the bartender to wait for a waiter. Our waiter was pretty friendly. I had a difficult time looking at the menu. It was large and had a bunch of different fonts. I ordered a BLT, since I don’t eat seafood, and my bf got the fish and chips. I have nothing to say about my BLT. As for the fish and chips, the fish was actually just one big lump of fish. It was mostly breading that was greasy and soggy, not crispy at all. My bf ate maybe half, only because he was super hungry but the rest was unedible.

Good burgers, alot of seafood/​fish choices, plenty of beers to chose from. I had a chance to hang out with some buddies during the christmas break, sat at the bar and never felt rushed. Get the oysters. I wish it was closer to home.

I’d been there a number of times over the last 13 years. The seating inside is a little tight for me, but when it’s nice out there’s seating outside, so plus a star for that. It’s one of those places I’d go to meet friends and catch up. The ambiance is okay. Drink prices are okay. I thought the food on the expensive side.
I’m not a fan of seafood per se, so I can’t really speak to that. Yesterday I had ‘Da Bomb’ burger and it was okay. Over all I’d just that I’d have to say that my experience, was ‘just okay.’ Server was fine, not too loud and you could hear someone you were trying to talk to.
I’m sure I’ll be back when some friends drag me there again. I guess the ambiance is the highlight for me. Otherwise the food seemed unremarkable. Maybe I’m just ordering the wrong things.

Over priced for mediocre, at best, seafood. $ 24 for a lobster roll is outrageous. I really want to like this place bc there are not too many seafood based places around here.

Nice, super casual place with good food at reasonable prices. The menu is so large it’s kind of intimidating, but everything is good and I love that you can get breakfast all day long. Drinks are good (the strawberry sangria goes down so easily!). Service is super friendly. The ladies’ room is super cramped. Overall, it’s a good place to grab an affordabe meal.

Nice place with great beer choices. Sit outside or inside. Locals love this place. Great food all the way around whether you want an appetizer or a meal. We will always return as long as nothing changes! Whoever manages this place knows what they are doing.

I’ve been here a handful of times, and my overall experience has been «A-​OK”– no more, no less.
Food/​drink: Food is pretty average here. I ordered the veggie burger with guacamole, which was decent, but not my favorite. I did appreciate the fact that there were burgers available for vegetarians in general, though. Lots of places don’t accommodate a veg option, so I loved that. I have also ordered a dark and stormy drink, which was very good (definitely my favorite item I’ve eaten here)
Service: This is probably my biggest complaint. The waitress we had most recently was so friendly and welcoming, but she did not stop by our table very often. I had to work pretty hard to flag her down for the check. I put in my card immediately, but she was already gone and I ended up having to wait 25 minutes to come back to process. This frustrated me because combined with flagging her down to get the check, I had been trying to leave for almost 45 minutes. Not attentive at all. My guess is that because we were a large group on a weeknight that there weren’t enough people working. In any case, it was disappointing.
Décor/​atmosphere: I like this. It’s laid back and when the weather is nice you can dine/​hang out outdoors. There’s no pressure to turn tables, so you can slowly eat, drink, and hang out with friends without feeling like you need to order more or that they really want to give your table away to waiting people. The beauty of the suburbs! There’s also free popcorn for tables, which I really like.
Will I be back here? I’m sure I will. It’s a place some of my friends like meeting up. Would I highly recommend it? No. It’s A-​OK.

Sub par service but beer selection is great. They had so many varieties of beer on draft and good selection of seasonal pumpkin beers.

Some friends of mine from grad school wanted to have a reunion brunch in Oak Park, because none of us had been to Oak Park and it was a good central location since we’re spread out all over the city and suburbs. We came here because it seemed to have a good variety, decent prices, and it came recommended. I ordered some pancakes ($ 6.99), while my friends ordered things ranging from poached egg skillets to club sandwiches and crab cakes. They definitely have an impressive variety of options. I thought the pancakes were fine, but slightly overcooked and expensive for what they were. (I’ve had better for less at other places in both suburban locations and city proper).
I would come back here again if I lived in the area, but if I’m going to make a special trip to Oak Park I think I’d like to try someplace else nice time.
Also, their bathrooms have very interesting art selections. (Mostly photos of naked men, and some women, from the 1980s).

Neat little joint. Lots of friendly faces. Pleanty of TVs playing sports. Good beer on tap.
I didn’t try any of the food. Only the beer and I was I think I’ll be coming back soon. There’s an outdoor section that will be perfect when the weather is warmer and dry.
Not much to say other than a friendly neighborhood bar. Check them out. It’s a little tight, but that’s how you make friends.

Breakfast hit the spot. Cooked exactly how I wanted it. Had the all American and my coworker had the blueberry waffle. Price was about normal, and great service.
Next time I am in the area I will be back!

Very cute place, pretty large seating area and decent alcohol selection.
Went there on a Thursday evening, it was busy but not overcrowded. The waiter was attentive without being annoying, kept our glasses filled.
Definitely loud inside the place but it’s more of a bar than a restaurant so it was a normal volume level for a bar, nothing you had to scream over.
They do have an outside seating area that looked nice, probably more quiet if that’s what your looking for.
They had a few ciders, sadly none of tap but they made up for it by carrying my favorite Vandermill.
All in all its a nice bar in Oak Park, if I go back I want to try the food.
Also if you do go there and your from the suburbs, just take the train. It’s 3 blocks and parking is horrendous in that area after 6pm.

My wife and I went to Poor Phils this Friday evening at 6 PM, since we were a couple and all the two person outside tables were taken we were directed to sit inside (there are not too many two person table outside) we were told that there were plenty of seats inside. We went out this evening to sit outside and asked if we could sit at one of the vacant tables that sit four. The answer was «no» those tables are only for reserved for four people not two. The waitress did not honor my request to speak with the manager.
Called on my cell phone and asked for the manager, enter Zach on the phone. Zach tells me it is Poor Phils policy that couples must sit at a twosome table because on a Friday night they need to maximize their table spa. Tried to explain to him that my wife and I have been going to Poor Phils for many years many times with my daughters and their husbands. Policies that turn away customers is not good. Can’t see why we cannot sit a table of four, what if a parent shows up with two children will they be turned away because the tab will be less that 4 adults?
Didn’t ask the questions I was afraid of the answer.
I and my extended family will not go to Poor Phil’s again as well as Mr. Murphy’s other places of business. Mr. Murphy if this is your policy shame on you! If it is Zach’s policy then I think you need to counsel him how he should treat is long-​term customers.

Lived in Oak Park & surrounding area for over 5 years. Ohh how I miss being an Oak Parkian :(
Poor Phil’s was THE HANGOUT place & IT STILL IS. As I lived only a few blocks away came here many, many times. Loved sitting at the outdoor patio catching up with friends, meeting for drinks, a light lunch, a little seafood or salad — the vibe & ambiance of Poor Phil’s is worth 4 stars alone. You just feel comfortable here. It’s an Oak Park staple.
On a warm summer day you can sit outside and just people watch. Easy to do as it is situated on the corner of Marion & Oak Park Ave. Inside you will find friendly, happy (yes happy) people at the bar enjoying the multitude of beer offerings one would wish for. Always a mixed crowd, which I appreciate. Seafood — not as good as it used to be. Menu has changed, but so have the times. I enjoy seafood and have tried the oysters on the half shell — decent, but little pricey for Poor Phil’s (you won’t find a great assortment here). Can’t go wrong with the Shrimp cocktail and Shrimp Po’boy, but the grilled salmon caesar salad totally hits the spot. Burger’s here are always a good choice too. I continue to come back here… but they are pricy for their offerings.
I will always have a fondness for this place– the ambiance alone w/​a side of beer is well worth the experience.

I was expecting this place to be good. Food had no flavor except the sweet potato fries where alright. Costumer service was not good. No good customer service eather. I will probably not come back.

A very typical Oak Park atmosphere. It is small, cramped, but comfortable as it can be with the limited space afforded. Its loud, but you can hear each other. Free popcorn at your table, fast service. I don’t usually eat seafood — and thats ok because they have really good hamburgers.
Go for broke with the crab legs which offer a huge portion.
The only downside is that the appetizers were small, expensive, and bland compared to their main courses.

Whoa, don’t get the 4 and 5 star reviews I see. I wasn’t getting a good impression, from my lone visit here during Chicago Craft Beer Week 2014. Service just wasn’t good at all, the cleanliness felt like it wasn’t the best here (part of the bar counter felt sticky, ewww), and the prices were just higher than I prefer to see. I dunno if it’s because of Oak Park having more restrictive alcohol laws than nearby ‘burbs (i.e. Forest Park), but have to note the prices felt higher for beer vs. other restaurants and bars in this area. Thought about ordering food that night, but then I said ‘f it’ after the service was too darned slow for me.
OTOH, I did like the free popcorn though, but the issues I noticed sadly have to make me give this place 2 stars, instead of 3. Next time if I must get a drink in Oak Park (and not Forest Park, though FP feels very tempting to try next time), I might give Kinderhook or Avenue Ale House a try instead. May not return here for a good while, in case I give this place one more shot someday.

My husband and I came here on a Friday night for dinner. I read that its a very busy place but we happened to stumble upon this place and it wasn’t busy! I’ve been wanting to come here, and last Friday we didnt know where we want to go for dinner so we just walked around and came here. Theres plenty of room, so we were happy! We sat inside since there wasnt any wait. Outdoors would’ve been 10 minutes wait.
Instead of bread, they served popcorn for the table. Cute idea! I ordered the lobster roll and a side of tator tots. My lobster roll was yum. along with the tator tots. I would suggest less mayo since it felt like it was a bit overwhelming with mayo but overall tasty! My husband ordered a bowl of their clam chowder soup. I thought the soup was good but he said it was too thick for his liking. For his entrée he ordered the shrimp creole. I thought his dish was okay, and he thought it was okay too. he’s had better. like at Pappadeaux. The bill came out to be $ 60ish — pretty expensive for the amount of food we ate, but seafood isn’t cheap. Our waitress was nice and checked up on us few times.
Overall, I had a good time with good food. Will come back again. The next couple days I was craving the lobster roll!!!

Sometimes a Unilocaler can be a little judgemental. We know how good places run, and we demand the best. I went into this restaurant with my judgey hat on for one reason– the menu grammar. I had looked up the menu beforehand, so that I didn’t take forever to order when I got there, and literally, almost every item ended with a (!). Salads! Burgers! Crab legs! Appetizers! Why the need for all the excitement? What are you trying to compensate for?
When I arrived here, I noted the wrap around patio outside. Tons of tables! It was nice out so we wanted to sit there and enjoy the weather. To start, I didn’t quite get the awkward stand outside to request a seat. It seemed accidentally placed there, and with no one manning the site, I breezed right past it initially. Once my friend showed me what to do, we were seated shortly after at a nice table.
Our waiter was efficient and attentive. We ordered wings as an appetizers, and they were seriously good. Crispy on the outside and slathered in BBQ sauce. Not super sexy food, but I wasn’t on a date, so I didn’t care!
For dinner, I got Da Bomb burger with tater tots on the side. The tots were bland, and a little under done in my opinion, but the burger was really good– thin pickle slices (I swear no one puts pickles on burgers anymore, its just the spear on the side!), mushrooms, cheese, ketchup and bacon on a burger. MMmmmmm… a little less ketchup and crunch to the bacon would’ve put this over the top!
Drink prices were reasonable, but I was once again faced with my usual problem of them not having the one drink I wanted to try. I ordered the whiskey ginger, which was on special, and it worked with the food, so I was still happy. I would definitely come back again!