Cincinnati Chili appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Cincinnati chili · Cincinnati
Cincinnati chili is a thin Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce poured over spaghetti as a 3-way, or with beans (4-way) and onions (5-way). Cinnamon, allspice and cocoa season the meat.
Invented in 1922 by Macedonian immigrant brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff at the Empress chili parlor on Vine Street, next to the Empress burlesque theater. The Kiradjieffs adapted a Mediterranean meat stew to American spaghetti as a way to stretch budgets. Camp Washington Chili (1940), Skyline Chili (1949) and Gold Star Chili (1965) made it a regional staple. Camp Washington won the James Beard America's Classic award in 2000.
Where to eat in Cincinnati:
- Camp Washington Chili
- Skyline Chili Clifton
- Gold Star Chili