Poor Phil's Shell Bar

Daily Specials

Today's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Skate Wing (Thursdays). Coastal New England saltwater skate wing, sauted, browned butter/caper sauce, rice pilaf & sauted fresh veggies, garlic bread & lemon. $9.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Friday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Fitz' Porter Perch (Fridays). Farm raised, fresh water, litely fried great lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porter-battered fries, slaw & tartar sauce, garlic bread & lemon. $12.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Saturday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Scottish Salmon (Saturdays). Farm raised, saltwater, grilled scottish salmon. Garlic mashed potatoes & sauteed fresh veggies, wasabi tartar sauce, garlic bread & lemon. $14.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Sunday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Scallops Pilaf (Sundays). Coastal New England/Prince Edward Island saltwater scallops, garlic butter saute, rice pilaf & sauted fresh veggies, garlic bread & lemon. $14.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Monday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  White Fish (Monday). Upper Peninsula Michigan, fresh water white fish. Sauted, lemon dill butter, garlic mashed potatoes & sauted fresh veggies. Garlic bread & lemon. $9.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Tuesday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Stuffed Trout (Tuesdays). Farm raised, fresh water, whole rainbow trout. Spinach/onion stuffed & sauted. Mashed sweet potatoes & sauted fresh veggies. Tartar sauce, garlic bread & lemon. $9.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

Wednesday's Specials

• Philz' Fintastic Flip-Flop Fishy Favorites!

  Blackened Catfish (Wednesdays). Farm raised, fresh water catfish. Sauted, side'a spicy jardiniere, mashed sweet potatoes & creamed spinach, garlic bread & lemon. $9.99!!!
  

• Philz' Phabulous Coctail Sauce Hour!

  'Shell out less for more! House Oysters & Shell-on-Shrimp, 50 cents!!! 2:30-6:30pm Daily
  

The pub with the biggest beer menu in Oak Park — boutique brews by the bottle and on draft, snakebites galore, black and tans — is also one of the kid-friendliest spots in town, like pubs in the old country.

That’s all thanks to Dennis Murphy, known by many as the dean of Oak Park restaurateurs. Murphy, who opened his first place here in 1975, calls himself instead the father of a flock of kids. And rather than talking about how diners at Poor Phil’s differ, he turns conversation to what they share: Every table has a centerpiece anchored with an American flag.

Poor Phil’s Shell Bar is Murphy’s second restaurant at the Carleton Hotel, and his third dining establishment in Oak Park. The original owner of Philander’s, Murphy also had an earlier place: a sandwich shop just north of Lake Street on Marion. It was called Murphy’s Off the Mall, and Dear Old Oak Parkers still rave about its burgers, grilled cheese, and hot chocolate. A flashback to the sandwich shop surfaces on Poor Phil’s lunch and dinner menus. Amid all the seafood choices, there’s this beefy celebration: Ya’ Gotta Luv’ a Murphyburger — a third-pound cheeseburger topped with grilled onions and an American flag.

Signatures at Poor Phil’s come in multiples: late-night hours — one of a few Oak Park restaurant kitchens open after 10 p.m. six nights a week; early-morning hours — a full breakfast menu, including an egg dish with snow crab; popcorn — baskets of it, everywhere, and all free; the outdoor cafe — its mid-April opening defines spring in Oak Park. And Murphy himself — hopping atop the bar for a photo session, only after changing into his barkeep uniform: a red cocktail shirt.

On your birthday: