Love this place! Had a big group get together here for a birthday party on a Saturday night. Total dive in the best sense of the term. Basketball hoop outside was amazing, with two basketballs (key for playing one thousand games of knock-out). Great patio. Cheap drinks. Not too busy. Clem, the manager, was great to all of us. Love him. Bartender was awesome too, wish I could remember his name but that means he did a really great job right? I want to go back right now but I'm hurting...basketball, shots, beers, cigarettes, friends, and crazy strangers. GO. read more

My pal, and partner in drunken crime, and I, plus a few others ended up here when they ran out of beer at our Polaroid art show. Wow, we are sad sad little drunks, but does this surprise anyone? (See reviews for Bobbie's and Edgewater for more proof of our failure at living without beer) They have some cheap beer specials, a nice back patio area, and live music that isn't too oppressive unlike some other places I've been. We only made it through one drink before we were whisked away to some other bizarre locale, but I'd probably come back if I were in the area. read more

Rock cover bands. Cheap drinks. Good Service. Friendly patrons. Always enjoy this place.

After enduring the frat-like party that was going on at Boundary, we escaped to the glorious Phyllis'. I like this joint...kitschy decor, friendly bartender, non-pretentious people. They were out of Jamison which might normally have me raising my eyebrow but not to worry, they had a substitute. Granted, this house whiskey was not good, but they were enthusiastic about it and flexible and made me happy about it. Maybe I was drunk but I found this all totally satisfactory. If it Bucktown, I'll be back. It's a welcome escape from the douchebaggery that abounds in this neighborhood. read more

Ahh, PMI, what more do I need to say! Great place, good people, always a good time there, too good a time at times.

I've been hit in the head with a basketball here; I've played ping pong on the back patio while listening to the Violent Femmes perform 30 feet away, and I've watched a Frenchman heckle an open mic host until he gave up the mic...the Frenchman, a poet, gave a hearty death stare to the crowd (all six of us) and bellowed "Allow Silence"; that was it. That was the entire poem. He returned to his seat and gesticulated madly for the rest of the night. That same night, a man flung open the door and hurriedly asked everyone in the bar if they would be interested in purchasing two leather jackets. Nelson Algren used to go here even though his mom whose name wasn't Phyllis didn't own the bar. Needless to say (but said anyway), I love this bar! read more

It is pretty divey and folky feeling here, but if you walk in and head to the left there is a lovely backyard! Nice and relaxing out there-until someone starts playing basketball and all you can think about is how painful and humiliating it will be once you get hit in the head. read more

It's ok and has given lots of local bands their start, but from an objective standpoint I can't give it more than two stars. It's a dive bar that happens to have a not-very-good PA. It ain't all that cheap either. I'd say how good a time it is depends entirely on who is playing there that night. read more

AHH the dive. You get it or you don't. The place is roomy. The patio is huge. The vibe is soo good in the summer. Drinks are cheap and strong. This is not an old school dive though. Once upon a nightmare I'm sure it was lousy with sweaty blind drunk working stiffs now the crowd consists of grimey hipsters and a solid crew of friendly regulars. They have a variety of live entertainment. It's aneighborhood corner bar that's on a corner (go figure). They have two tv screens with sports, watched the olympics and baseball this summer. can catch football and basketball when it's cold. read more

One of my favorite bars. The is a very cool old school bar that is left over from when Division street had Polish Polka Bars up and down the street decades ago. Hang in a bar that Nelson Algren would want to drink at. If you are tired of Division street D-bag bro bars with tons of TV's that make you feel like you are drinking in the TV section of Best Buy, check this place out. Clem the Owner is a great guy and the patrons are very friendly and will make you feel welcome. read more

Beers, bands, and grey-haired dudes in golf clothes checking your ID at the door.

Cool old dive bar which has concerts. has a beer garden. Small venue, lots of cool bands, but the PA sucks and the stage is tiny. Modest cover charge, or none at all. read more

Love it. Went there this evening, nice and quiet. I'm not a smoker but there outdoor patio is quite nice. This evening a jazz sextet played nice easy monday music. Nothing spectacular- Beer selection, bottles only but pretty fair, nothing too exotic. Nice dive, terrible sound system but that just goes with the atmosphere. Chuck Norris in "Man Left Behind" was on the widescreen tube so it was a nice distraction- read more

Cheap beer, good crowd, great patio area. It is indeed a dive bar, don't expect to be blown away by cleanliness & perfect service. If what you are looking for is meat heads & plastic girls I would suggest heading towards Wrigleyville, not Phyllis'. read more

This is a good place to see a band if you don't mind a bit of a crowd. They have a patio that is smoker-friendly, which in itself is enough to get me to return, along with the fact that it isn't crawling with hipsters. read more

4 stars for having a live big band play every other Monday. Otherwise a 2 star dive bar with nothing special going on. Call it three stars.

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for this place. Very interesting things have happened there to me and my friends. So interesting, in fact, I had to take a breather. Clem, the owner, has always been very friendly and I love how he's set on keeping the place just as it is. it has a ton of character. If you can't handle a little dirty, get outta the inn. there's also a pretty cool beer garden, and Clem used to let my dog go back there, which was cool. Even though I can't hear myself think when the live music comes on, I love that Phyllis's is so into promoting Chicago bands. Spoken word, on the other hand, I can do without. If you're into authentic dives with authentic patrons, check it out. read more

Yeah, totally doable. Nothing I really yearn for, but nothing I am opposed to. I will say I have never seen a GGGGGRRRREAT band here, and a friend of mine was bombarded with fly basketballs one summer evening while we were sitting out back. I have nothing against Phyllis' and will find myself there again sometime, I just don't know when. read more

A dive bar with a couple of things going for it. First, there's a stage for bands to play and although the band cancelled the night we were there, it is a big enough bar to accommodate loud music. Most interestingly, there is a surprising beer garden that actually has a basketball hoop attached to the wall. Very unusual to play basketball at a a bar but we had plenty of fun playing PIG. The only downside to that is when it was apparently time to stop playing ball, the bartender (Owner?) came out and just took the ball out of my hands without saying anything. A bit rude but she's probably used to dealing with a lot of drunk patrons. If you're looking for a dive bar, this is a good one...but i can only give so many stars to a bar that doesn't have anything on tap. read more

This is the kinda hole-in-the-wall place that is truly a hidden gem. The staff is super-friendly and there's a great beer garden in the back. Head to Phyllis' for some good local music without the typical Wicker Park crowd. It definitely looks a bit dive-y on the inside, but the tin ceiling, vintage refrigerators and relaxed vibe will mean a nice evening. They don't have a lot of beer on tap(i think only 1), but have at least 20 types in their bottle selection. read more

This place was a cool dive. I wish they had more german brews. I will come back when the patio opens. It has a good crowd of like minded souls. read more

A three-star rating because they bring in great musical acts. Everything else about this place screams mediocre. Decent choice of liquor, no taps, cramped space; it has it all. If you want a cheap place to drink on Division, you got either this or Gold Star, which are conveniently located across the street from each other. You live in Chicago, or you're visiting the city, either way there are other places to go and drink. read more

This is a great dive bar. Also, the Old Town School of Folk Music has a lot of its students perform here. The patio is a lot of fun. The drinks are pretty cheap. Fun on a summer weekend. read more

Cheap drinks and great live music! Beer garden is probably also amazing, but didn't check it out since it was too rainy.

This is the mecca of cool dive bars in Wicker Park. From the mural on the wall of Phyllis herself playing her squeezebox to the originaltin ceiling and Apothecaries backlight bar from the 30s....just cool. Phyllis' son Chet still runs the place and and can be found amongst the colorful locals who make it an experience. great local bands play almost every night and the drinks are cheap! A Place to lay back & chill with friends with an outdoor smoking patio. read more

Definitely one of my favorite bars to go to in Chicago. I was there Labor Day weekend and had a blast. The music was great, prices were great, and the crowd was fun. I plan on returning there once I'm back in the city read more

Hard to believe based on the feedback here that MY MORNING JACKET PLAYED ITS FIRST CHICAGO SHOW HERE. I haven't been in ages, if ever, and these reviews don't exactly have me clamoring to visit ... read more

Great family owned dive bar in a cool area since the 40's I believe. I get loaded here every time i visit chicago. Every now and then a great band will pass through, if the band sucks you can go out into the courtyard and shoot some hoops. Suzy is my favorite bartender...i think. I like it when the dude comes in with the cooler full of tamales. Good times. read more

I've been here many times. Each time i go i hear a good jazz or blues band! Every time i leave i still have cash in my pocket cause they don't rip u off on drink prices. Not to mention if you need food its a short walk to some good stuff read more

Yes, this is a dive bar. Yes, they will give you cheap whiskey in a dirty glass. They have a surly bartender who called me 'text machine.' Hey, I was trying to see where my friends were at, and reluctantly invite them over. To an empty bar. That's right, empty, except for the lone DJ who seemed way into it with no audience. Eventually an old man would join us towards the end of the bar, but man... Dive bars are creepy when they're big and empty, they should be small and sweaty and loud. But the bartender was a nice guy and warmed up to us and pretty much chatted us up the rest of the night. And it turned out to be a fun place to close down with only three people. Anyway, next time I'm in Chicago, I'll have to pop in on a weekend and see what it's about. And maybe even try and see if there is a Phyllis (I was drunk at this point, so I forgot to ask) So, I really give Phyllis' 3.5 stars. A quarter star for giving it the benefit of the doubt and another quarter star for being a decent place to close down before getting up at 4 a.m. for a flight home. read more

This is the best bar in Chicago. I read a bad review so I was skeptical but when I came here I felt at home.

Total dive bar which is fine because I like dive bars. Good crowd. However, the sound at this place blows. It's bad to listen to and even worse to play--I had so much electric current going through my body from their microphone I could have powered a small country. Minus that big downer it's cool. read more

The DJs make this bar ten times better than it is. The crowd tends to change depending on the night. The last time I was here I was surrounded by the smell of BO. The beer is cheap and its cold, enough said. read more

HORRIBLE!!!!! For people behind the bar and couldn't get one to help us. They were to busy drinking there own productto serve any one

this is a TRUE chicago bar. but come in early on an off night. see and meet the REAL people who once dominated this neighborhood before the yuppie and hipster flocks swarmed in. i am proud to say i am a part of this place! read more

Eh, I might be expecting too much of my dive bars to want a decent beer selection, which is to say a handful of local microbrews or something at least somewhat interesting. Not here. And the atmosphere I'd god awful and music oftentimes worse. read more

went to see a friend's band. yes, bad sound. yes, expensive drinks. it reminds me of the L & L inside, something about the largeness and the tables. it was crowded with a mixed mix that i was able to survey as i waited for the bathroom right by the stage. they're quite hard to get to during a show. friendly staff, but this place has nothing to offer me besides the music. i won't visit again without reason. and it seems to me somewhere. somewhere in there should be a photobooth, non? read more

I went there a few weeks ago with 5 other friends. I went to the bar to buy a round and stood there... and stood there.... and stood there. While standing there, a man with gray hair stood and washed glasses. Finally I asked if I could get some service. He proceeded to scowl at me and tell me it's been a long night (it was 11 pm at this point). I asked who I should talk to about getting drinks. He told me I had an attitude and didn't want my business. Well he surely won't ever again. Not a cool enough place to be treated so poorly. read more

friday night closed after midnight. strange nelson algren strange. maybe heading to oblivion

I know the guy that owns the place. A lot of reviews are right. Cheap, but good booze and authentic Chicago-style blues. It's a great place to go with family or friends and just "get away". read more