Phil's Pizza — Restaurant in Chicago

"Pizza Fire Drill – Bring Your Own Napkins!"

Aight, so me and the homies pulled up to this spot ‘cause the streets been talkin’ and by “streets,” I mean our friends who swore up and down this was the pizza joint. Walked in and instantly felt like I stepped into a college dorm’s hangout spot, small, packed, and buzzing like finals week. About ten tables deep, four to a table, and a line that moved like the DMV in ‘96 aka, painfully slow.

Now, the menu? Simple. But simple don’t mean you know what you’re getting into. The spot was busy, pies were flying out, but the customer service? Man, that was colder than a Chicago winter. No smiles, no “How can I help you?”, just straight attitude. Like, sis, do you wanna be here? ‘Cause we questioning our choices right now.

But we stayed ‘cause loyalty to good pizza rumors runs deep. Ordered up a "Jumbo" with sausage, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Then noticed there was no fountain machine. Cool, no biggie. But instead of a proper drink selection in cans, they got a random stash of two-liters like a bootleg house party.

Now, let’s talk about the counter lady. Whew. She was hollering names, barking orders, and serving up side-eyes like they was on the menu. You ever been to Wiener Circle? Yeah, imagine that, but PG-13 and way less funny. The attitude came free with every request. Asked for napkins? You’d think I requested her social security number. Had to clean our own table ‘cause it looked like the last crew had a food fight. Again, requested more napkins, same death stare. At this point, we was scared to ask for anything else.

Fast forward, 30 minutes in, still no pizza. Went up to check, and before I even got the words out, Shorty hit me with the 100-yard glare and hit me with the “I WILL CALL YOUR NAME WHEN IT’S READY” like I was disrupting national security. So back to the table I go. Vibes? Loud, rushed, chaotic, like the lunchroom in a high school where the lunch lady been fed up for years.

An hour deep, our name finally gets called. We grab our pizza, piping hot, wrapped up, and… you guessed it, no napkins. Asked again, only to get the same struggle napkins that disintegrate on contact. At this point, it’s a game.

Now, the pizza itself? Decent. Toppings were stacked, flavor was solid, but the structure? Sauce was a lil’ too wet, making each slice a fight to pull apart without looking like a rookie. They ain’t got cups, ice, utensils, nothing. Just pizza, bad paper plates, and a whole lotta attitude.

But real talk, it fed four big dudes, we crushed it with a couple cans of soda, and we laughed through the nonsense. Would I come back to sit inside? Probably not, at least not a Friday night, LOL. But order ahead, take that pizza home, and enjoy it in peace? Maybe. Just don’t forget your own napkins. ‘Cause you will get roasted for asking.

Final Verdict: Pizza—7/10. Experience—2/10. Entertainment—10/10 if you enjoy watching people get verbally dunked on by the...

I am a tavern pizza enthusiast and I look for a place with pizza that has a thin crust with a good sauce, good tasting sausage and good crust! I love extra extra extra crispy, if it’s a little burnt I’m all for it.

I’ve had Phil’s before, a couple of years ago and I thought it was just okay. Perhaps because I had a go-to that was my favorite at the time, but it’s no longer my favorite on the south side. It got bought by a new owner and the quality is 👎🏼 but back to Phil’s. I saw that they’ve been getting a lot of love on social media. So I decided to give them another go. Gotta support the south side spots as a southsider.

I ordered the medium Special that consists of sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper. Yup you guessed it I ordered it extra extra extra crispy. I spent $21 and some change. I picked it up.

Let’s start with the crust. For tavern style it is pretty thick, it’s not a bad thing though because I do like variety but I do prefer thin. I attached some pictures and you’ll see that the thickness is about 3 saltines thick. It was extra crispy (I would’ve loved it one more level of crisp lol) and very tasty! I enjoyed it very much. The sauce was flavorful and the sausage tasted fresh and well seasoned. The onion was sliced wide and thin and I loved that! I also love that they stack their ingredients well on the pizza. They don’t hold back and I think that’s great. Was the pizza near perfect for a neighborhood joint? Yea it was.

Do I recommend Phil’s? Yes I do! Don’t expect a thin cracker crust though, it is thicker than your normal tavern style. Next time I’ll order it “almost burnt” hahahaha

Phil’s if you read this… please offer a...

I was drawn to this place in trying to expand my horizons of pizza options, and I heard this was some of the best in the city. It definitely was one of those places if you didn't know about it, you probably wouldn't notice because of the modest traffic in and around the place. So upon entering, I was met with what had to be the longest day for the cashier, as there was no greeting, and the facial expression was definitely beyond tired. While I didn't hold that against the pizza itself, a simple gesture of a greeting or "can I help you" goes a long way in the experience. Upon saying my order, I was given my food, and still with an unwelcoming demeanor was given my total and was rung out. Now upon leaving, I immediately smelled my jalapeño peppers I ordered, which had me interested as to what it looked and tasted like. After opening I was definitely excited, as the toppings were generously piled on the ends of the crust. The first bite had the right kind of singe from the freshness of the pizza. I immediately noticed that while the sausage was healthy in size, it didn't give the flavor I was hoping for. The pepperoni was almost forgotten, but the jalapeños definitely gave the heat I wanted. The crust was like I wanted, able to hold itself together, but would snap as if biting into a cracker, which is expected of thin crust pizza. I would get more sauce next time, as it was a little lost in the toppings. It wasn't the best for me, but I'll give it another try if I'm...