My family came into town for the day and my dad picked the Chili Den for lunch. It sounded like a unique dining experience and we all enjoy chili.
Overall, this was very boring chili. We all ordered our chili medium spicy. Much to our disappointment, although the chili was hot the spice gave no extra flavor. It was spicy just to be spicy, not to add anything to the taste. Apparently (We didn't find this out until after we had gotten our bowls) you can ask for light or no oil. I would definitely suggest this. my bowl of ground meat and beans was basking in a disgusting amount of oil. This only made the chili taste slimy.
Now, I understand maybe this way of making chili is just their "style" but I will not be going back.
I recently moved from San Diego, CA back to the midwest. Â Having my priorities clearly in order, I began searching for chili parlors. Â Why I didn't know about Joe Rogers' while a student at Millikin in nearby Decatur, IL 25 years ago is a mystery. Â I'm certainly thrilled to know about it now! Â The chili is in the midwestern school (beans and meat) and is available in a variety of spice levels. Â I went for the schtick and ordered a bowl of the Firebrand to have my name put on the wall. Â The Firebrand is spicey, however, it's not "too" spicey. Â The challenge in finishing stems chiefly from the Firebrand being essentially a bowl of spicey sloppy joe filling! Â Eating a bowl of finely ground, spicey, meat sauce is tough as it is so filling. Â My fiance ordered the mild/hot and his was much "spicier" in my opinion.
Overall, I love the chili and we plan to visit as often as possible. Â When we do, we will be sure to bring cash as The Den doesn't accept credit/debit cards.
My Dad took me to this place back when I was young and I have been hooked ever since,You won't find any BBQ here either but you'll get some good homemade chili there. The prices our decent however you'll pay a little more at this place but sometime you have to pay a lil more for good chow.The dining room is really nice & CLEAN and its an enjoyable place to eat.
The chili comes five ways:  mild, medium, touch of hot, medium hot, hot and J.R. Special.  Eat a bowl of J.R. Special and your name goes up on the wall.  We're talking great chili thats an original like the title says  yummy.
They have excellent chili dogs which go great with the chili . Â Different than most but good eating. I ordered my food to go. Â No ceremony with the oyster crackers. Â Just tossed a couple of handfuls into the bag on top of everything else. One important thing CASH ONLY-so make sure you have plenty of greenbacks before entering this place.
This place has been on my "to try" list for a while because of the Man vs. Food Springfield episode - and the fact that I grew up in Springfield and never knew about this place. Â I visit Springfield several times a year because my dad and family live there. Â Stopped to get takeout quarts of chilli to have for dinner at my dad's house. Â Got two quarts of mild (only needed one) and one of Fire Brand for my oldest son and me to try. Â Not sure what my dad thought of the chilli and I forgot to ask. Â My guess is he'd say "ehhh..." (old school version of "meh"). Â My youngest son (only have two - that's enough!) hated the mild - boring, no flavor - and I completely agree with him. Â This is true of the Fire Brand as well - it tastes like it was made with absolutely no salt. Â When we added salt it improved the flavor....lack of salt or not using enough is a major fail when it comes to cooking. Â My older son and I had the Fire Brand and it definitely has a spicy kick, but again, spicy is the only "flavor". Â Salt helped it as well. Â I'm convinced my son could match Adam Richman in eating four bowls of Fire Brand. Â It's really not unbearably spicy - but it is relentlessly spicy as you eat it. Â I enjoy beans in chili, but there were too many beans for my taste in the mild - a good balance in the FB though. Â The oil / grease? Â That's a uniquely-Springfield thing and it's gross. Â I don't get it. Â My son and I may go to try to get our names on the Fire Brand wall just to say we tried / did it, but that's about it. Â I've never been a fan of Springfield chilli and I'm still not. Â Give me Texas chili anytime!
Review Source:Blame the Man vs Food guy - we never would have come here had I not happened to be watching the show where he is in Springfield, trying out local places. Â Normally, we stick to a few other spots. Â
Anyway, so I watched that Man vs Food show and saw that there was a challenge with the Firebrand chili - finish a bowl and get your name on the wall, with an additional star for each additional bowl you can finish. Â No time limit, just finish your bowl. Â I like me some spicy food so I wanted to give it a try. Â
The woman at the counter who took my order thought I was crazy - not sure why but she was all smirky and I figured it would be worthwhile to take my empty bowl up to her. Â I don't think she thought I was going to finish it!
I'm not sure why but I guess I thought the Firebrand would be hotter. Â It is entirely possible that the fact that I had a cold at the time caused me to miss out on some of the hotness of the chili but aside from some mildly numb lips and a slight tingle to the tongue, I didn't feel like I was going to shoot out of my seat with my jeans on fire, hence 4 starts instead of 5. Â It is very tasty, though, I will give that. Â
Now, the texture is very meaty, light on beans and extremely, for lack of a better word, juicy. Â I read that this is the suet that the meat, etc are cooked in - be prepared for a lot of this and also you will probably want some (and by some I mean a lot of) oyster crackers to soak up the liquid - your bowl will be hard to get to the state of empty otherwise. Â You can order your chili to your own specifications, though, to have more or less of each item, which is nice.
Other folks I was with had the hot dog and they also have a loose meat "burger" which, according to the husband person, was pretty tasty. Â The menu is not huge overall, but it's a chili place, so there's, you know, stuff to go along with chili. Â It works.
It's cash only, and a bit of a dive, but it's worth visiting for lunch - they are only open a few hours each day and closed on Sunday.
This is the stuff the fuels dreams and fire. For years I have fed ex'ed this chili over the USA. Maryann is missed but Chris and Rick are doing a great job. Wish I had a bowl right now! Plus of course the name on the wall thing. If the oil bothers you just ask for light or no oil. Bring on the fire brand.
Review Source:This is some of the best chili I've ever had. Â This stuff is the perfect combo of creamy and meaty, although it is very heavy and VERY filling. Â I went in trying to beat Adam Richman's five bowls (sounds easy right?) of the firebrand, but I could only get through two and a half. It was hot as hell and greasy as soul glo, but soooooo delicious, especially with a dollop of the optional cheese substance. It's cash only, so bring some loot with you to avoid ATM charges. Â Also, as I learned on my last trip (I was going to beat him this time, I swear), it's closed on Sunday. :( Â
The new record is eight bowls - that is eight pounds worth of 90% beef, 5% creamy yummy not from the devil's asshole beans, and 5% grease...careful. And, be sure you have access to a toilet and bed for the next 24 hours.
-pmfl
This is a local place. Â I love gourmet food and seek the best restaurants whenever possible. Â However, there are times when I just simply enjoy the local favorites.
This is a place I go when I want the local favorite chilli (note the local spelling). Â On average, we go here for lunch about once a month during the fall/winter months.
I make chili completely differently at home but their recipe dates back decades to a place which is no longer in business (family issues?) called "The Den." Â There are plenty of restaurant choices which offer finer dining experiences...if that is what you desire than look at some of my other reviews for ideas.
I always order the same: "bowl of medium with a touch of hot (HOLD the oil) and a tamale."
Note that my order includes the words "hold the oil" because I do not like it greasy. Â This puts me in the minority among their customers but I am comfortable with that designation. Â If you don't like greasy chilli then you need to tell them to hold the oil and still expect to do a little skimming.
Take a chance on this place - not because some celebrity stomach featured the joint on a show but because it is a piece of Americana.
I drove down from chicago with my friend so she could try to see how hot the firebrand chili was being that she loves super spicey food. I decided to get a burger since I'm not into chili. I was extremely disappointed in the burger. I wasn't aware that it was a loose meat sandwich. All it is is ground beef with no added flavor or seasoning with pickles, onions and mustard on a jewel bun. Not impressed and I thought there was no way to ever screw up a burger but they did it. Now onto the chili my friend was so disappointed in how not spicey the firebrand was. She wasn't impressed at all with it not to mention she couldn't even finish the whole thing because of the amount of grease it was swimming in. All and all I'd give this place two thumbs down if I could. I will never go back there are so many better places
Review Source:My fiancé and I drove to Springfield thanksgiving weekend to check out the Abraham Lincoln Musuem and Historic Site. Being big fan of man v food I figured we check Joe rogers chili parlor since I love chili. I would go into detail about the 5 levels of chili and doing the challenge of eating a bowl of their spicest chili. I ate the medium level spiced chili and i was disappointed with the taste. It was spicey but it was smothered in oil. The top of my chili was a pool of oil and so the taste of the chili itself was not great at all. My fiance makes better tasting chili and she cant cook. Only reason i gave it two stars and not one is that it was spicey and the place has kept its original decor and style of service.
Review Source:A buddy and I decided to road trip down to Springfield from Chicago after he saw this place featured on Man vs. Food. Â We both enjoy spicy food as well as chili, and the opportunity to have our names immortalized on their wall was incentive enough for us to make the drive. Â The place is very unassuming, and the vibe I got was that it was a decent, local place to grab a bite to eat and get some really spicy chili. Â We really didn't know what to expect, but we each downed a bowl of the Firebrand. Â In my opinion, it was spicy but not unbearably so. Â I think the toughest part for me was the oil -- it was very heavy and really what slowed me down as I polished a bowl off. Â I'm assuming this is where the heat comes from as each component of the chili is cooked separately and added together when you order. Â There's a picture up on the wall of someone who finished eight bowls of Firebrand in one sitting. Â After eating one, I have no idea how he was able to do that -- he must have a stomach of steel. Â Anyhow, if you're looking for a challenge and enjoy spicy chili, this place is definitely worth a visit.
Review Source:we walked up to the counter ordered 2 chili cheeseburgers, 1 med med chili, and two drinks.
i like food that is spicy but not necessarily hot. so i got the med sized med flavored chili. i was expecting the med chili to be spicy but not hot. the med chili is not spicy at all. the med touch of heat is hot for me. so, if i go back i will ask for the med Chili with just a bit of the touch of heat med.
it can be greasy but come on it is a chili parlor not sweet tomatoes.
the chili cheeseburger is ground beef, not a patty but crumbled ground beef, with cheese sauce on it. you can get mustard, onion, and pickles.
no real chili just plain chili meat. it was still very good.
it was OK and i may go back if i think about it.
I really wanted to love this place because it is a local favorite, its been on several TV shows and the line was nearly out the door when I arrived at lunch, but I just didnt.
Ive had a ton of chili and I just dont prefer this style. As others have said the meat is very fine and loose and it is traditionally served with a large amount of chili oil (or "grease"). You can order it with none or light oil as well. I ordered a chilidog and they didnt put beans on it (I didnt know I was supposed to ask for that). The chilidog was just sort of lackluster and small. Average hot dog, grocery store white bun, and then the chili. For me this chili is just flavorless and bland. I ordered mine hot (one step below 'firebrand') and I didnt find it terribly spicy. All I tasted in the chili was the heat (courtesy of whole chili flakes) and some gritty meat.
The service was nonchalant, not friendly or unfriendly. For what you get I didnt find the prices to be very good. I believe it was around $4.65 for my sad, little chilidog (without a side).
Unfortunately, this is the type of place I think of when people say that just because food is 'old-style', 'traditional' or 'original recipe' doesnt mean its good.
I would go back for sure. Â I can't believe more people haven't yelped this place!
I am a wimp and had the mild but I enjoyed the "old style" chili. Â I tried some of the medium hot and I thought it was too hot for my style. Â
It is the truest form of dive eating you can have, the prices are cheap, you clean up after yourself and the staff isn't the friendliest. Â But hey, its all part of the experience. Â
Overall i'm glad I took the chance.
Very few American places follow traditional recipes for more then ten years or so, before a new chef/owner/generation believes that their improvement will make the already great recipe better. I have read the reviews of my fellow yelpers and for the most part I was let down. Some folks are saying the chili is served with grease, and that the Firebrand chili was not spicy, I will remain neutral and simply encourage readers to look at sentence errors to indicate accuracy.
I only ate the chili which was a very old style of a long cook, specialized blend of recipes and unlike traditional Tennessee chilis (or any real southern style) the meat is very fine. The meat is poured on top of a bed of beans but then topped with 100% chili oil. That unique method makes this  a specialty chili that may not be to everyone's taste. Chili is a food that everyone has eaten more than once and probably has their own preference. This chili is one of the best and their spiciest level is very spicy and not for the faint of heart.
I am going to have to say Guy Fieri had it all wrong when he hosted this spot on Diners, Dine-ins, and Dives.  The only thing good about this place was the price.  The chili is somewhat made to order.  By that I mean your beans, meat, hot sauce and grease are all mixed together after you order.  Yes, thats right I said grease.  I had no idea, but I guess you can ask for lite grease.  Seems odd to me that would even be an option, but I wish I would have know before I ordered.  The chili had so much grease I couldn't even mix it together and it just sat on top of the chili.  The only thing that helped was when I mixed in the oyster  crackers, which absorbed the grease.   I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone with a light stomach.
Review Source:We drove two hours from St. Louis to check out this place. A friend had seen it on the Man Vs. Food show and had wanted to try the spiciest chili they had. We were a party of six and ALL OF US finished at least one bowl of firebrand chili to get our names on the wall. Granted all of us enjoy spicy food every once in a while, but if the claim to fame was spicy chili, they could have made it more spicy to be impressive. The real problem was the chili itself. It was just....not good! I like my chili chunky, flavorful, and with tomatoe pieces. But their chili basically consisted of loose ground beef swimming, and I mean swimming because there were so much of it, in hot oil. It just wasn't tasty. To make it worse they only accept cash, which is ridiculous. Obviously the restaurant has been around forever and has made a name for itself, especially after being favored by a variety of food network shows, it could afford a credit card machine (and the 3% charge!)!
During the time we were there, they had nonstop traffic, mostly locals who ordered regular food items. I don't quite understand it. The food wasn't that good and it was greasy and not cheap. If you ask me, the place is spoiled by food shows. If I was a local, I would not have gone back after getting my name on the wall.
The chili is okay. Â I'm from Texas and I've tasted a ton of chili in my day...and I'm just not a fan of this taste of chili....or chilli...with two L's as the locals spell it. Â I went there because of the recent Man v. Food challenge to eat the Firebrand Chili that supposedly is extremely hot because it's spiced with habanero and other spices. Â It was hot but certainly wasn't the hottest chili I've ever had. Â I honestly didn't even break a sweat....and this is evidenced by so many of us who have our names on the board there. Â It's worth a try though.
Review Source:Despite the recent write up in Bon Appetit magazine, and the fond childhood memories of the editor that apparently produced it, this is the worst chili I have ever had. By a lot. The mostly flavorless, finely ground meat sits in an inch thick pool of oil that is truly disgusting. The only accompaniment is oyster crackers. The medium hot chili I ordered had only the vaguest hint of heat. Unless you are an "adventurer" who needs to see his name on the wall for eating the super hot version, or you grew up eating this, you probably will be very disappointed.
Review Source:The chili here separates the men from the boys. Â If you want good chili that will burn the hairs off the bottom of your feet, Joe Rogers is the place. Â Finish a bowl of their Firebrand chili and you get to have your name imortalized on their wall of fame. Â Mine was listed, twice. The place is simple but good chili is the reason to be there. Â The Firebrand chili is not the hottest chili that would dampen your ability to taste the spices with hints of roasted pepper and cocoa. Â What makes the chili hot is the oil that floats on the top. Â Be sure to mix it in thoroughly to enjoy the chili at its best. Â Before you think of going for the second bowl and earn a star next to your name on the wall, think of the bodily consequences awaiting you when the meal is over later.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
