Poor Phil's Shell Bar

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.

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