Have you gone to a restaurant near Dayton, OH, and opened a menu to see skyline chili as one of your options? If you’ve never had this unique take on chili, you’re missing out. Cincinnati is the original birthplace of this obscure take on chili, and it is a great source of price for people in the area. Intrigued yet? Here’s what all the fuss is about.
What Exactly is Skyline Chili?
It might surprise you to learn that Skyline Chili comes from Greek family recipes. Yes, it is the brainchild of Greek immigrant who came up with it in the early 1900’s. It has a unique blend of spices that combine some of the traditional flavors you’d find in chili con carne, such as chili powder and cumin, but it also has cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
Skyline Chili is thinner than other more traditional chilis, and the beef is ground very fine, making it almost see like more of a meat sauce. We don’t know everything that goes into the chili because it is a secret family recipe, so the specifics are not available.
Four Ways to Order Skyline Chili
When you order Skyline chili it’s important to know what you’ll be getting. It’s all based on a “way” system that started as a shorthand slang for the servers working in at Skyline Chili restaurants, and now it’s used by everyone.
If you order one-way chili, you’ll get a bowl of just chili. Order two-way chili and you’ll get the chili on top of a bowl of spaghetti. Yes, I said spaghetti, but we are just getting started. Three-way chili gets you the spaghetti and chili topped with a huge pile of shredded cheddar cheese. Four-way adds either onions or beans, and if you want to go big, get five-way chili. All bets are off here You’ll get both onions and beans.
Skyline Chili on a Bun?
While many of us are used to getting our chili served in a bowl. Skyline chili breaks this barrier, too. The Coney is a chili dog on a bun with onions. If you don’t want onions, you have to specifically ask for no onion. Order a cheese coney and you’ll get your chili dog topped with cheese. You can also get your chili in a sandwich, with or without cheese and onions.
Strong Feelings about Skyline Chili
There are some people who just don’t get this chili. The combination of chili and pasta just doesn’t seem to make sense. But people who are fans of Skyline Chili love it and will defend its existence to anyone who tries to give it a bad rap. If you grew up in the Cincinati area, this type of chili just tastes like home.
There are several Skyline Chili restaurants in and around Dayton, Ohio. If you haven’t tried it yet, it just might be time to go check it out and see what side you’re on.
