Philz Coffee — Restaurant in Chicago

I really don’t enjoy giving a 2-star review because I genuinely like this place, but I’m beginning to encounter the same issues here as I did in Wicker Park.

Philz seems to struggle with training their staff consistently on how to make their specialty coffees. Every time I visit, the featured drinks (and I’ve tried them all) vary depending on the barista. It’s a toss-up—sometimes they’re absolutely fantastic, and other times they taste absolutely terrible - overly bitter or watered down.

Coffee is an experience for most people; it’s something we enjoy to boost our mood, whether it’s before or after a challenging day or to make a good day even better. It’s incredibly frustrating to want to support a great company like Philz but end up with disappointing coffee half the time. Yes, we’ve asked them to remake our drinks in the moment, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Here’s my feedback for Philz, and this applies to all locations: develop a more effective protocol for training baristas on drink preparation. Most coffee shops in the city—like Starbucks, Dark Matter, and Colectivo—have mastered this. While I understand that drinks might not be identical every time, the consistency should be closer to 90%, not hovering around 50% or less. And if there is a protocol in place, it’s clearly not being followed.

This isn’t just my opinion; it’s a common complaint I hear from others who visit Philz.

Please, no responses like “We’re sorry for your experience”. Simply focus on training your staff and establishing a clear protocol for drink-making. It’s a straightforward approach that would significantly enhance your reputation. Customers are frustrated with paying for quality from a great company only to experience such...

The Kouign-Amann was excellent. The coffee was very good. It was exceedingly expensive, but I knew it would be when I went there. Very cramped, but I knew it would be when I went there. So what's the problem? Herein lies the problem: This company hails from San Francisco, the epicenter of liberalism and the climatology-ecology-environment movement. So when I asked for a "for here" cup so as not to have to use a throw-away cup, which I always decline to use, they didn't have any. (I hadn't planned on going there, so I didn't have my thermos cup with me.) All they had were paper cups. Now, since the worker assured me these were recyclable, I reluctantly relented, but when I looked for a recycling bin, I didn't see one, so I actually held the cup in my hand all way home on the L train to throw it in my building's recycling bin. I commented about this to the company upon receiving their e-mail receipt and the "How did you enjoy it" survey that comes along with it, but I haven't heard back from them yet. Maybe they should invest in ceramic cups (and the inevitable inconvenience of having to wash them) or, if all the parts of the paper cups are truly recyclable (which I somehow doubt), make sure there's a recycling bin in plain sight for those of us that really care about the tons of garbage coming from coffee shops in the form of one-time usable cups and other...

Tried Philz for the first time today. I never leave reviews, but this experience left such a sour taste that I felt like I had to.

I was starving, so this was going to be both my breakfast and coffee. The woman at the register (with braids) noticed it was my first time and gave me a moment to look over the menu, which I appreciated. I decided to go with my usual—a basic vanilla latte. When I asked about it, she flat-out told me, “If you’re looking for something like that, I’d go to a different coffee shop. We don’t have flavorings. The only ‘flavor’ we have is the hazelnut in the Philtered Soul.” The way it was said came off super dismissive, and it just threw me off.

I also ordered a ham & cheese croissant. Surprisingly, it was ready before my coffee. It looked delicious and was a good size, so I was excited to try it—until I took a bite and realized it was completely cold. I figured maybe it just wasn’t heated all the way, so I took another bite, but nope—the entire thing was cold.

I went back inside to let them know, and the same woman asked, “Did you take a bite?” I said yes, and she told me, “Well, we can’t warm it back up for you.” I understand health policies and all, but offering no solution for something that was clearly not served as intended really sucks—especially when I was already hungry and trying to give this...