On paper, Milwaukee and Cincinnati have a lot in common. Both cities are 19th century industrial hubs situated along major water bodies. Each has a heavily Germanic population, respected breweries, and two professional teams in the core four sports leagues. And yes, both are home to historic dining establishments that serve up a polarizing style of chili.
Cincinnati, of course, is both the home and epicenter of Cincinnati-style Chili. Beyond the spaghetti noodle base, Cincy Chili is known for its runny, cinnamon-forward meat topping that some people love and some people love to hate. From there, this regional dish that took root in the 1920s can be modified with the addition of diced raw onions, a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese, and red beans. The sauce and some of those other add-ons can also be applied to a hot dog to take the from of a “Coney Dog.”
We recently spent a few days in Cincinnati and knew we needed to carve out some time to partake in some of the city’s famous/infamous chili and a dog. Instead of hitting up the city’s oldest chili parlor (Empress Chili) or its most recognizable and widespread chili purveyor (Skyline Chili), we visited Camp Washington Chili, which is one of Cincy’s most iconic and celebrated chili parlors. It won a James Beard Award as an “American Regional Classic” in 2000. Plus it’s right by the American Sign Museum, so it made sense for a nice one-two punch.
Upon returning to Milwaukee this week, we still had chili on the brain, so we wanted to return to our city’s own longstanding establishment that’s known for a chili varietal that’s strikingly similar to Cincinnati’s that locals either swear by or have sworn off. Yes, we’re going to see how Real Chili compares to Camp Washington Chili.
Camp Washington Chili
Camp Washington Chili was founded in 1940. Though it’s no longer in its original location, its award-winning chili hasn’t changed a bit in the past 85-plus years. Adding to its timeless chili—that’s served in 3-Way, 4-Way, and 5-Way variations—and Coneys is a vast and varied menu that includes crowd-pleasing burgers, gyros, melts, wraps, salads, deep fried sides, and fresh deli sandwiches on the lunch and dinner end of the spectrum.
The “24/6” restaurant, which is open all day and every day except Sunday, also serves up desserts and breakfast items. There’s also local craft and popular domestic beer available. For the sake of this article, we just focused on Camp Washington’s two most famous offerings.
We split an order Camp Washington’s famed 5-Way with our dining companion. The massive platter (which runs a scant $8.95) consists of a bed of thick and slurp-y spaghetti noodles topped with a scattering of red beans and raw diced white onion, a deluge of Cincy-spiced beef chili, and a laughably large pile of fresh-shredded cheddar cheese.
The rich, meaty chili in all its cinnamon-laden glory along with the rapidly-melting cheddar easily enveloped every other ingredient, which made for a well-balanced dish that was easy to eat. Don’t be fooled by the admittedly unappealing image you see above…it was divine. The one minor criticism was a slight shortage of onion, as they got lost in the mix.
The Cheese Coney ($3.00) was a small and simple pleasure. Featuring the same winning ingredients as the aforementioned item (chili, onions, a pile of cheddar) and a squirt of mustard all heaped on a hot dog that’s packed into a white bun, it was a nice complement to the 5-Way, but the frankfurter itself seemed replacement level and on the smaller side, as did the simple bun. That being said, it’s a $3 loaded chili dog and I had to fight the urge to risk derailing the rest of my day by ordering a second one.
Real Chili
Founded in 1931, Real Chili has remained a part of the city’s dining tradition for 95 years. Its chili has been a hit with downtown workers in need of a quick lunch, Marquette students looking for an affordable bite, and generations upon generations of bar patrons looking for sustenance after a night of drinking. There are currently two Real Chili locations, and while items like sandwiches, tacos, and nachos have been added to the menu over the years, its spaghetti-centric chili and its hot dog varietals are still the main draws. Fewer than 24 hours after getting back to town from Cincinnati, we paid a visit to the downtown Real Chili location for that timeless combo.
Wanting to level the playing field with similar formats, we built our own chili with the ingredients on hand—spaghetti noodles, red beans, shredded cheddar, diced raw onion, and, of course, a scoop of the crumbly and opinion-eliciting chili. The bowl runs $9 (second bowls can be had for an additional $4.50, dine-in only). We opted for medium heat. It’s also worth noting vegetarian chili is available.
Though we still enjoyed the iconic Milwaukee chili we’ve had maybe a dozen times in our years of Milwaukee residence, we had just returned from the promise land and it’s changed our chili expectations. There was a watery (and perhaps greasy?) base at the bottom of the bowl, which made assembling the perfect bite featuring all ingredients a tougher task than we experienced a few days earlier in Ohio. Perhaps we should’ve specified “dry” when ordering, which is an ordering option.
The beef itself was a nice, smokey blend that elevated the quartet of classic ingredients, but we ultimately leaned on add-ons (available for an extra charge) like sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and oyster crackers to both improve our Real Chili and, honestly, to add volume to an otherwise small serving compared to the price.
Where the chili left us wanting more, the Chili Cheese Dog ($5.50) absolutely came through for us. Here, an all-beef Chicago Red Hot frank is placed in a steamed poppy seed bun then is smattered with spoonfuls of chili, raw onion, and cheddar. It’s sizable, the meat in snappy, the quality bun is pillow-y soft, and the other ingredients tie it all together. Sure, you’ll make a mess, but you can pour whatever falls back onto your tray into your bowl of chili.
The Verdict
The namesake chili from Camp Washington Chili was noticeably better, larger, and less expensive than Real Chili. However, the Chili Cheese Dog at Real Chili soared well above Camp Washington’s touted Cheese Coney. At the end of the day, both Milwaukee and Cincinnati are lucky to have historic chili parlors that are still serving up classic eats that some people swear by and others understandably struggle to get behind. If we ever return to Cincinnati, a visit to Camp Washington will absolutely be on the itinerary, and yeah, we’re going to be back at Real Chili, too. Probably before the year is through.