Skyline Chili is the largest chain of Cincinnati “chili parlors.” This branch is on Route 50, east of downtown Cincinnati. The Smithsonian calls Cincinnati chili one of the “20 most iconic foods in America.”
If you plan to stop, save some room in your tummy:
This is a “five-way,” as served at Skyline Chili. A five-way includes chili, spaghetti, beans, onions, and cheese. Note that this is a “regular” serving, which means that there is a larger portion available for those of you who are really hungry.
The “chili” part is not really chili as it is known in the rest of the country, but instead a Mediterranean-style meat sauce that contains a hint of cinnamon.
Do Cincinnatians really like this dish? Apparently so, since every year they consume over two million pounds of the meat sauce and one million pounds of the cheese that tops it.
It’s interesting that the dominant chili parlor chains do not serve alcoholic beverages such as beer, which could be an ideal accompaniment for this dish. As a result, the glass you see in the picture contains iced tea.
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Photos by the author.