The Chili Parlor

The chili parlor has been sold. So goodbye and happy retirement to Maryann. I have ate the chilli since the. 1970s om south grand. The new owner Roy is a nice man and the food the same and the old crew is still there is great. So good luck Roy and keep the FIRE BRAND cooking um good chilli.

This chili is awesome. They have 6 levels of heat from mild to firebrand. I ordered number 4 and it made me sit u and take notice. oyster crackers with the chili reminds me of my childhood… Dad was a Midwesterner and maybe that’s the way it’s served here. Anyhow, mmm good!

I was finally able to stop in for a bowl of chili after having first seen firebrand mentioned on a Man vs Food episode years ago. The chili consists of ground beef cooked with spices along with a smaller amount of separately added beans. I found the firebrand to be less spicy than standard hot Buffalo wing sauce at bw3. This results in a very large number of names of individuals on the wall of firebrand finishers. The chili was somewhat oily and the meat texture was a bit too finely ground and cooked to the point where I felt it didn’t have much texture. Overall I’d say the chili would be better served as a topping for a tamale, hot dog, or pasta. Perhaps I’ll give it another go with some accompaniment, but as a bowl of chili alone, I’d pass.

The gold standard for chili! Renamed The Chili Bowl. Tomales are excellent too. Five levels of heat with Firebrand as the hottest.

The best Chili in town, hands down! The staff is friendly and you can order your chili the way you like it.

Love this place ! Best chili around. Great service, good price and Great Chili !

Nice place to eat, very inexpensive. Chili was ok I guess but served cold no guess I came when it was about to close.

Love their chilli. My wife is allergic to tomatoes and this chilli does not have tomatoes in their chilli.

For good greasy bowl of chili on a rainy cold day you couldn’t beat this place, now if only their counterparts Rays Chile was not bought and ruined by a place out of Oklahoma I would truly be happy. I only gave this one a 4 star not because of the food or the service but because their chili is so good they sometimes run out before close.

After 20 years of living within easy driving distance of the Lincoln home, museum and monument in Springfield, we finally made the trip with the D’s. We had an excellent visit. Upon arrival in town we headed for the address of Joe Rogers’ Chili Parlor for lunch. It appeared that I had entered the wrong address into the GPS because the signs are for The Chili Parlor. It turns out that though this place being bought and sold several times by the daughter of the original owner (Joe Rogers, apparently) the name has had to change to just «The Chili Parlor». There currently is no Joe Rogers’ Chili Parlor. It really doesn’t matter, except to confuse visitors.
Also a little confusing for first timers is the menu. The owner explained it to us and next time we will be prepared. The chili is made modularly. They cook beans separate from the chili meat. The meats carry the seasoning and are made in two heat levels; medium and hot. The medium is not hot at all, the hot is fairly hot. What you order is one or the other or a blend of both. The hottest bowls are only the hot but more of it, which kind of builds up in the mouth. You can also order extra oil and extra beans. The oil carries a little more heat with it.
I ordered a small bowl medium hot, which was assembled with beans in the bottom and a scoop of medium meat and a scoop of hot meat and a splash of oil. I really enjoyed this bowl of chili. The medium blend is a good one. I could eat more heat, but I thought this was a pleasant level. I did not feel the need to prove anything that day. You stir it up to mix the meats and beans. This is simple, honest diner chili. It is not what you would find in Texas and not what you find at a chili cook-​off. They have not seasoned it with much if any cumin (stars for that!) and have not used red kidney beans (more stars for that). And no tomato! Definitely not typical Midwestern tomato cumin soup with kidney beans that gets called chili.
I also really enjoyed a chili dog with the medium meat. Next time I would get hotter meat on the dog. I love chili dogs and wish we had this closer to home. Ms T reported on her burger, which is served as loose meat, but is kind of formed into a cake (photo). She reported it as needing some seasoning, so I would definitely get it with some of the hot meat.
We understood that the place has been in business since the early 1940’s. It is a classic piece of Route 66 type Americana and is genuinely worth the visit. We drive by Springfield routinely to visit the kids in Chicago. I can see this place pulling me off I-​55 in the future. For me this was the culinary high point of our trip to Springfield. It is a definitely a local food find.
Update June 18, 2015 — Stopped through on the way to Chicago. Enjoyed two of the great chili dogs. They are very consistent, loaded with the chili meat. This could become a standard stop on our trips to Chicago.

Firebrand chili is over hyped. Not that hot for spice heads. Also, the oil is gross and the meat seems really poor since it’s so fine. Not impressed.

The chili is not too bad if you add some extra flavors to it… The tamale is just terrible though… Not worth trying again!

This place is really kind of gross, the meat is swimming in grease and the beans in a slimy liquid. The tamales are not bad. It is what it is and the locals love this place. I didn’t like it.

It reminded me of the lunchbox from off the tv show Roseanne. Meat beans and lots of grease. Practically a heart attack waiting to happen.

My stomach wasn’t up for the chili this particular day but I got the burger which was a crumbly loose meat burger with melted cheese. YUM ! My sister in law raved about her tamale being the best she had ever eaten. My nephews had the hot dogs which just looked like hot dogs. Fun, quick order at the counter place. Clean and efficient. I would go back. Next time I will get some chili!

This is the best chili in central illinois. You can order chili to fit your taste. I highly suggest you ask about the option. You can get it with or without beans, As well as, from mild to very hot and everything in between. This is currently owned by the daughter (Marianne Rogers) of the founder of Joe Rogers (The Den).

Really good but not as good as the Dew Chilli Parlor here in Springfield.
This by the way is Joe Rogers chili in case you’ve heard of Joe Rogers chili but can’t find it.
Marianne Rogers is the daughter of founder Joe Rogers who started the chili shop in 1945. She sold the shop twice but took it back for failure-​to-​fulfill contractual agreements by buyers. It’s now called the Chili Parlor. How do I know this? She told me! On my first visit I got to talk to her.
She cooks the beans and meat separately so you can get your chili with or without beans. You can also get more or less oil, more or less heat. As others have said be sure and ask about all these options when you order.
Cash only! I tried to hand the employee my credit card and it was as though I handed her a dirty diaper (ha ha). She pointed to the on-​site ATM so I could get cash.
I gave it four stars because the meat is very fine in size and I’d like it chunkier. I’ve since had the Dew Chilli here in town and the meat is chunkier and I just like it better.

One of my favorite stops in Springfield, IL for lunch! If you are a novice, make sure to ask about the variations of chili they offer before ordering. I am extremely happy that Marianne, the daughter of Joe Rogers, came back to revive «The Chili Parlor».

Still the best chili in Springfield.
But, I feel like it’s lost a step compared to what it used to be. My bowl of medium — hot was bland.

This place is quite mediocre. I arrived with a friend slightly after lunch hour on our work break and it seemed as if the staff was purposely avoiding us. The place was empty, yet they saw us walk in. Finally someone approached us and said, «cash only «only confirming my suspicion that they really didn’t want us there. Terrible service. However, we did leave a tip. My guess is that we weren’t old and republican looking enough, so they didn’t think we’d have enough money for their food, let alone a tip. Great work everyone.
In addition, I’ve had better chili at Wendy’s.
Avoid this place unless you’re old enough for a senior discount.