Update 8/11/20: In 2020, I conducted an even more comprehensive Cincinnati Chili Challenge, so you can find the results of that here.
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You might not love it right now, but one day you’ll just be sitting there and you’ll think to yourself, “I could really do with some Skyline Chili right now”.
The first time we visited our friends in Cincinnati back in 2009, they took us to dinner at Skyline Chili, a Cincinnati institution. It’s not just any chili though – it contains chocolate and cinnamon, so it has a unique taste.
When we ate there that first time, neither Shae nor I were that impressed. Needless to say, it tasted unlike any chili we’d had before. That’s when our friend Will shared his wisdom above – that it’d somehow work its way into our hearts and minds.
And you know what? He was right.
We’ve visited our friends about half a dozen times since 2009 and have eaten at Skyline on every occasion. Each time, we’ve enjoyed it a little more and now always look forward to eating there again.
But were we missing out? Skyline’s not the only place you can get Cincinnati chili, so was there something better out there? Seeing as we were going to be spending 10 days with our friends, we decided to find out once and for all which was the best by going on a tour de chili.
Five restaurants. Five sets of chili dogs. One winner. Here’s how our Cincinnati chili taste test went.
Skyline Chili
The first restaurant we visited – on our first night in Cincinnati – was Skyline Chili. I got two chili coneys and chili fries, while Shae went for two chili cheese coneys and a small bowl of chili.
It might not look overly appetizing, but it’s delicious. Their chili has a very distinctive flavor and has enough spice in the chili to give it a bit of a kick. Most people get it with a ton of cheese on top, but I don’t care for cheese hence mine looking more bland than normal.
The coneys have small, steamed buns which I enjoy as it means they’re not too bread-y.
I forgot to take a photo of Shae’s meal, but here’s what their Chili Deluxe Burrito looks like (it’s what Will ordered).
Gold Star Chili
A couple of days later, we picked up Gold Star Chili for lunch having spent the morning at a nearby trampoline park with our friends’ kids.
To try and have the most accurate comparison between restaurants, both Shae and I ordered the same meals as before – two chili coneys and chili fries for me…
… and two chili cheese coneys and a bowl of chili for Shae.
Gold Star Chili was similar to Skyline, although there were a few differences. The chili at Gold Star has a bit more meat than Skyline. I thought it was less spicy than Skyline’s, but Shae thought it was more spicy.
The chili fries were also a little different as Gold Star serves crinkle fries (which I prefer for having with chili fries), whereas Skyline serves straight fries.
Camp Washington Chili
The third stop on our Cincinnati chili tour was Camp Washington Chili. Having opened in 1940, it’s the oldest chili restaurant in Cincinnati and so had to be visited.
Once again, we ordered the same things:
As you can see, Camp Washington doesn’t hold back on the cheese! Their offering was different from Skyline and Gold Star in a number of ways.
Their chili was more meaty than the first two, although it didn’t have as much of a distinctive flavor. Their fries were very good and much more golden and crispy than the previous two restaurants. The buns were bigger which I didn’t enjoy as much and they didn’t seem quite as steamed as the ones at Skyline.
The Root Beer Stand
We had our fourth type of Cincinnati chili at The Root Beer Stand which opened in 1957. A cash-only establishment, the line was out the door and it took almost half an hour to get our food from when we first arrived.
The Root Beer Stand isn’t a restaurant dedicated to chili – as the name suggests, they’re most known for their root beer – so it’s probably not fair to include them in the comparison.
However, we both got footlong chili dogs so they officially became part of the chili tour.
The chili dogs at The Root Beer Stand were OK, but nothing spectacular. The chili tasted more like the standard kind that you get on any chili dog rather than it tasting like “Cincinnati chili”.
Price Hill Chili
By this point, Shae couldn’t handle the thought of any more chili dogs. It was therefore left to me to round out the tour at Price Hill Chili.
Will and I went to watch A Quiet Place at the movie theater, then stopped at Price Hill for lunch afterwards. As before, I got my standard – two chili coneys and chili fries.
Their chili was pretty good and was more meaty than Skyline’s or Gold Star’s. I also liked that, similar to Gold Star, they served crinkle fries. The buns were much bigger than Skyline’s and Gold Star’s though which I didn’t enjoy as much.
Cincinnati Chili Taste Test: The Results
So… five restaurants (well, four in Shae’s case), but which has the best chili? Here are the results, with 1 being our favorite:
Stephen’s Ranking
- Skyline Chili
- Gold Star Chili
- Camp Washington Chili
- Price Hill Chili
- The Root Beer Stand
Shae’s Ranking
- Skyline Chili
- Camp Washington Chili
- Gold Star Chili
- The Root Beer Stand
As you can see, both Shae and I think Skyline Chili has the best Cincinnati chili out there. To be completely honest, there might be some bias there seeing as not only was it the first one we tried back in 2009, but we’ve eaten there several times since.
Having said that, Skyline really does seem to have the most distinctive flavor of all the different types of chili we tried.
Shae and I had different restaurants for our second and third rankings, although it was a very close run thing. For me, Camp Washington Chili only just missed out to Gold Star Chili, but there was very little between them.
Question
Have you ever eaten at some of these Cincinnati chili restaurants? If so, which one’s your favorite and why? Let us know in the comments below
I used to go to Cinci a lot on business and ate at Skyline almost every time. Gold Star is good too. Sometimes I got chili dogs and sometimes a bowl of 5 way chili. Serving chili over spaghetti noodles seemed weird the first time, but I liked it.
I still haven’t tried it over spaghetti, so I might give that a go the next time we visit.
Of the top 2 I agree with Shae’s picks, I cannot stand Gold Star. I have been to Mom and Pop’s that have better Chili then Gold Star. Try Empress.
Thanks for the tip – we’ll give Empress a try next time we’re in Cincinnati.
I grew up in Cincy, and have tried all mentioned but the Washington place and Price hill but have had Empress. For my money, Gold Star is the one I crave. The inlaws still live in town and send us a box of packets with the directions and seasoning so we can make it at home. Do try it with spaghetti there is nothing like it. Sorry, you don’t care for the cheese it adds that special something.. but it has got to be finely shredded otherwise it’s not the same.
I’ll definitely have to try it with spaghetti. I had BBQ with spaghetti recently and it was surprisingly delicious.
Skyline takes the crown for Cincinnati chili and I think most people will agree with that. However, Blue Ash Chili is a very very close second for me – has very good coneys as well as chili. It even got Guy to come in for an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. If you do end up going, let me know what you think!
We have friends in Cincinnati, so I’m sure we’ll be back there at some point in the future – we’ll definitely have to try Blue Ash Chili.
Lived in Montgomery 66-69 worked at Hagen Signs and had Blue Ash food 3 times a week including 5 ways and short chili dogs and their double decker sandwiches. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be able to eat there. Loved it. I was single.
Empress is still the original and best, IMO – much spicer than the competition. Skyline was always my second choice and Gold Star – never could understand why anyone went there. I sure know which one we always drove the six hundred fifty miles back to KC in a couple coolers filled with ice as a kid. Problem is, there are almost no Empress chili parlors left – Alexandria, KY on US 27 is the only one, with some mom and pop places saying they serve it as well and I doubt any represent the product like it deserves (al dente spaghetti is an unknown concept, among other reasons). Also used to be able to buy it at both Kroger and Remke supermarkets, but since Remke has folded many locations and I don’t go that far in to KY most of the time, I don’t know if they still carry it frozen.
Having been to Blue Ash chili, Chili Time, Price Hill, Dixie and Camp Washington, I’m going to say none hold a candle to the product they copied, though I often stop at Camp Washington on the way back to the East Side after a night at work and have a four-way for breakfast. Not bad, but it reminds me of eating Empress Chili when I had a cold – some of the notes are there, but not very strong.
You’re making me want to return to Cincinnati to have loads more chili!
omg why would you eat cincinnati chili without the spaghetti and the mountain of cheese???????????? That’s like eating a bowl of marinara sauce and calling it soup! I mean if you really have tried a 3/4/5way and actually prefer it by itself I’m not gonna judge, but this is why so many out of towners think our “chili” is awful. In my opinion it is not really chili at all, but a delicious alternative pasta sauce.
I agree. You must try it with spaghetti. I was in Greece in 2017 and ordered Greek Spaghetti. I was shocked. It tasted very similar to Cindy Chili. You know that Cindy Chili has a Greek and/or Mediterranean origin.
I live in Danville, Ky. and drive to Lexington to Gold Star. To me it is more robust. I originally was an Empress fan (it is the original) but only one or two left and far from home.
Mort Hoagland
I’ve been to them all and Skyline is the best. You have to eat over spaghetti with a little hot sauce.
I prefer Gold Star, now we have to fight!
I spent a couple years working in Cincy, and Skyline was an at-least-once-a-week spot for lunch.
Question: There are dozens of “authentic” recipes for Skyline Chili online, and I’ve tried a few – but it hasn’t been the same. Has anyone found the real McCoy?
I’d like to know that too as it would be fun to make myself.
I have done this Challenge multiple times in my life, and every time Gold Star comes out on Top. My family are from all over the Us. So when different family members come in town for the first time, it’s interesting to show them Coneys. That is the true Test, taking people who have never heard of a Coney and let them decide. My favorite has always been Gold Star period, and do to that fact I always take them to Gold Star last. Reason being the first Chili establishment you visit with family or friends tends to slant you’re opinion. No offense but unless you have both tried every Major Chili establishment, and have lived in Cinci for multiple years, you’re decision on our Coney Culture is like me telling New Orleans how to do Mardi Gras ha. We ventured to Gold Star Chili, Skyline Chile, Dixie Chili, Empress Chili, and Camp Washington Chili. The order (1 being the absolute best tasting) was and has always been as follows…
1.Gold Star Chili
2.Empress Chili
3.Skyline Chili
4.Camp Washington Chili
5.Dixie Chili
The fact that Skyline was the first Cincinnati chili place we ate at probably did affect how fondly I think of it now.
If you get the chance, Pleasant Ridge Chili is worth the stop. It’s cash only. The gravy cheese fries are the best thing on Earth!
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out.
Pro tip- order the 5 way inverted.. thats when they put the cheese on the bottom. By far the most helpful thing my grandpa ever said to me, he was a dick!
Camp Washington! Best, simply the best.
I think Skyline has better coneys but I like Camp Washingtons Ways a little better, the oyster crackers at Skyline are really good. Gold Stars ok I like their Goritos but the flavor of the chili to me seems a little off. Blue Jay’s Diner is also really good and so is Pleasant Ridge Chili.
Skyline’s chili is a little more sweet and more soupy than Gold Star, but I like them both. Having grown up in Cincinnati my favorite was Empress Chili.
I am from Arizona but went to school there and got addicted to Skyline. Every business trip was at least 8 visits to Skyline in a week. Not as fond of Gold Star but it is the only one in their airport. Lately, I have actually eaten at Dixie Chili and cut a bit into my Skyline allotment. That area, where it is, has a lot of things to do/eat, including a pretty good German restaurant within walking distance. Skyline is still my number one and I think it is the only one that you can find all over the Ohio/KY/IND region. I am now curious to try all of the others that the commentators mentioned.
Also agree with the others that you have to have the noodles to get the real experience plus don’t forget the Oyster Crackers and hot sauce.
We returned to Cincinnati a few months ago and I tried it with spaghetti then. It was good, but I still prefer the chili fries/coneys combo 🙂
As a Cincinnatian I recommend crossing the River and trying Dixie Chili in Kentucky to be more comprehensive.
In any case I’m a Gold Star fan, Skyline can be aptly described as slop on a bun. It’s always watery and the spices are never even throughout a batch.
1. Gold Star
2. Camp Wash
3. Dixie
4. Price Hill
5. Skyline