I'm not a Cincinnati native, and so this is very different from the more "southern" style chili I grew up with (and still enjoy). But as something totally different, Skyline chili is pretty tasty! I particularly enjoy the cheese chili hotdogs (hard to go wrong there!). If you're not from Cincinnati, it's certainly worth a try to get a taste of the hometown favorite!
Review Source:I'm not native to Cincinnati-- that's an important point when reviewing Skyline. Â And to clarify, this isn't "chili" in the traditional non-Cincinnati sense. Â But damn if I'm not addicted to it anyway. Â I dunno, maybe they put crack in it, but I don't care. Â I always want more. Â And I like this location because they generally let my baby daughter throw crackers on the floor and don't get mad at us.
Review Source:Taste good but too much calories i dont think it was healthy for me to eat at all i feelin sick of eating it too dont wanna go there any time soon..its better to feel healthy and eat healthier..plus i feel like all these fast restaurants are really unhealthy to eat i can see if it was chicken with rice and a side of broccoli but no gold star chili has chips mustard chili ketchup all type of nasty unhealthy food i think we Americans should have healthier type of food around
Review Source:I LOVE Skyline Chili and this is one of the 3 Skyline restaurants I love - even on a packed Christmas Eve, the servers were smiling and happy to be serving us. The owner was also walking around, extremely friendly, ensuring everyone was happy.
Recently (I'm told, though not sure how recent), this location underwent a renovation and opened up the store immensely. I'm not sure if there are actually more tables in but it certainly feels that way if there aren't.
Food was excellent, as to be expected from Skyline. Piping hot chili with cool, heaping cheese. Mmmm. My stomach is growling just thinking about it.
One negative about this location is the parking lot - it's a bit small and when there's a line at the drive through, it's slow moving to get out. But there is plenty of nearby street parking. Don't let this deter you! :)
Sorry, Cincy, but I'm one of the transplants who tried skyline (multiple times) but can't learn to love it.
It's just so....watery....and thin....
Along with the fact that an entire bowl of chili at skyline contains less than an ounce of meat and no beans, this restaurant chain singlehandedly tries to keep America's cheddar cheese farmers in business. Seriously, if you have to put that much cheese on chili to make it palatable, you should reconsider if the chili is any good to start with.
Not as bad as yum brands fast food chains, but not for me.
I will preface this review by stating that I highly dislike chili, and if I eat chilli, I am incredibly picky. That, and that I grew up in Cincinnati, so I have been toted around to Skyline Chili restaurants my entire life. I still have some bitter tastes about how everyone in every high school thought Skyline was the perfect place to go for everything.
When I lived in Oakley, we came here every now and then just for kicks. My husband is okay with it, but mostly it was just close by and why not. They were always nice, quick, and got our order right. For someone who orders spaghetti and cheese, I guess that doesn't mean much, but it gets messed up now and then. They also give you lots of crackers.
In terms of food - it's fine. I can't tell you much because I absolutely detest Skyline chili, but everyone else seems to love it, so trust them, not me.
This is one of the better Skyline locations I have ever visited. The service is really fast and the food was top notch. Our server even offered to get something for us for our baby to nibble on while we had our lunch. I didn't notice it when we walked in but the sign at the door said to wait to be seated. I don't know if this always the policy, but it is probably a good idea for a busy location such as this.
Review Source:I used to live in Ohio and I used to think my state was superior to the other 49.
9 presidents. Cheese to die for. Montgomery Inn ribs and Skyline Chili.
Ohio has a lot to offer including a bizarre shaped state flag, and even more bizarre chili.
I have learned a few things about Cincinnati. There are 2 camps. Those who eat at Skyline, and those who do not. The other faction eats at Gold Star, the lesser of the 2 chilis in my not so humble opinion. Pete Rose is among the Gold Star crowd.
First, Cincinnati chili, like Ohio is unique. Its not the thick variety you find in Texas, nor the beanless stuff you find on top of a Detroit coney. This is watery somewhat, and served with spaghetti, something no self respecting Detroiter or Texan would ever serve.
You can have a 3 way and never have sex. The 3 way is how most people eat Cincinnati chili. The 3 way is cheese, onions and beans. There are additional toppings. One thing it is, is good.
If you see a Skyline go in and get a plate for yourself. You wont be sorry.
Skyline never made it in Toledo. They tried, but it was probably too close to Michigan to work. The closest Skyline is in Lima. Why would there be a Skyline in a dinky town like Lima? Answer. Tide.
P&G makes Tide and other things in Lima. Sometimes the P&G types visit the plant and have to have something to eat while in Lima, hence the lone outpost of Skyline in NW Ohio.
And thats the way the flag, or burgee wayes.
This is the fastest serviced Skyline I have ever been too!!! I swear I no longer put my order in then she had it back before I had time to take a sip of my drink!
The parking lot is a bit of a pain in the butt, but they cater to groups here which is nice. There are also some 4-6 top round tables that have a sign that says please reserve for groups, which is nice that a couple isn't taking up huge tables when needed. Definately on the list of top 3 locations.
And for the love of Pete, DON"T GIVE A LOCATION ONE STAR BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HACK CINCINNATI CHILI!!! Especially if you tell nothing of the service/location.
If you are from Porkopolis, you already know the magic of Skyline. If you are not, Skyline is the right Cincinnati chili. (don't settle for Gold Star) It's called chili, but don't expect the consistency of Texas style chili, this is more like a sauce. And if you are like me, you will crave it daily. Try the 5 way if you're adventurous, and don't forget to have an oyster bomb (oyster cracker with a drop of hot sauce)
Review Source:Not a bad place I never thought I would be getting chili from a fast food restaurant, But my brother said I had to try the three way, Spaghetti noodles cheese and chili. it was interesting to say the least.
Not bad but not sure I would try it again. Although I have tried to experement with my own three ways at home (chilli cheese and spaghetti) keep it clean people. :)
My wife and I are among a select group: Â Transplants to Cincinnati who genuinely like Cincinnati chili, especially Skyline chili.
Outsiders belly-aching about how Cincinnati chili is "inauthentic" or how it doesn't compare to the spicy-meat-and-beans fare back home are missing the point or, at the very least, comparing apples to oranges. Â (Having grown up in Georgia, I have no idea what David G. below is talking about: Â Georgia has no chili tradition to speak of.) Â
Forget about the name "chili": Â It is just a semantic construct depriving the narrow-minded of enjoying rib-sticking diner fare that is actually a unique regional culinary tradition. Â (And not every area in the U.S. can actually claim such thing....) Â
Cincinnati chili is essentially a Greek-diner item re-calibrated for the rather heavily Teutonic population of this area.  It's not gourmet, it's not healthy, and it's not sophisticated.  And on paper, it sure doesn't  sound like anything I'd be interested in.  But on a cold, dreary Cincinnati day, not much around here is more satisfying or affordable than Skyline.  To jack up the flavor, order a five-way with onions & beans and douse with hot sauce. Â
Skyline chili itself gets five stars from me. Â The rest of Skyline's menu, especially the soggy, pitiful little coney hot dogs, is pretty depressing and forces me to dock the score a notch. Â
The Oakley location is closest to us. Â Staff is almost always pleasant and competent, and the quality, such as it is at Skyline, is consistent.
Quite possibly the most revolting thing I have ever had the displeasure of consuming. Chocolate covered crickets in China and alligator on a stick at a local state fair or flea market are tastier fare than this revolting slop. It isn't even worthy of being qualified as food.
Texans, Tennesseans, Georgians and a half dozen other states and cities make better chili than this. Runny likes wet, driveling nose Skyline is the newborn baby's dirty diaper of chili. I loathe fast food, but you could feed me McDonalds, even Krystal or White Castle, more readily than will I ever return to the Hell that is Skyline.
I used to live in Cincinnati and probably ate at the Skyline in Newtown about once a week. Â The chili is definitely regional.....a very distinct flavor compared to most of the chili you've eaten. Â I usually ordered the 3 way......chilli, spaghetti and cheese. Â Its a heartburn attack waiting to happen but its soooo good.
Review Source:Skyline Chili has been around since 1949 for a reason, it is amazing!
Whether you get a three way or cheese coneys you are in for a real Cincinnati experience.
People from Cincinnati tend to love Skyline and the people who are not fond of Skyline tend to be visiting from other parts of the world.
I hope the natives don't crucify me for this, but I'm giving this place three stars. Â People in the Cincinnati area have a debate about which place has the best chilli- Goldstar or Skyline. Â I've eaten at both, and I can say I'm a Skyline kind of guy.
People will tell you no trip to Cincinnati is complete without a visit to skyline. Â I compare Skyline to Coney Islands of MI. Â It has diner fare, with an emphasis on their chilli (which is done up on hot dogs or on spaghetti). Â The spaghetti you get done either 3 way, 4 way, or 5 way, which denotes what else you want on the spaghetti (I forget the actual constitutes each one). Â
For me though, the star of this place has to be the chilli dogs. Â While the hot dogs arent' the biggest, they make up for it by slathering on the chilli and the cheese.... especially the cheese. Â I kid you not, one chilli dog could have close to a 1/4 pound of cheese on it... and it's GOOD.
Much like most regional fast food, people that grew up with it LOVE IT, but as an outsider/visitor you probably won't be overwhelmed by this place. Â Still it's a pretty cheap meal, and if you love cheese, you'll like this place.
3.5 stars.
I heard this is an institution. I rolled in here (not sure if it was this particular location) at 2.30am after a few beers in nearby Newport. 200 of us were at a work conference, but only 9 of us broke free from the hotel area to explore.
The guys laughed at me for coming to a chili spot when I don't eat beef, but I'm a team-player ;). So I order one of the specials with spaghetti, but exchange the beef for beans instead. Everything comes topped with a yellow grated cheese which one of the waitresses sprinkles liberally with her naked hands (whilst the other kitchen staff have gloves on). But it all adds to the flavor and experience of Skyline ;)
The guys had the spaghetti but also something that resembled a chili dog too - white bread roll smothered in chili and cheese! This is great drunk stomach munchie food, but I would say grown-ups should know better than to eat here too often. It's like student dorm food. But may be that's why it's so popular?
Okay, I was not raised on this stuff.
That said, when I return to Cincinnati to visit family and friends, I refuse to leave without eating some of the best Cincinnati chili there is. Â Forget about GoldStar Chili. Â Bunch of wannabes, in my opinion. Â Skyline is the only place to head for the real deal. Â I always get a four-way and a cheese coney (or two).
Although it's not exactly "chili" in the fashion traditionally understood, it is super damn good. Â It's kind of, well, thin for chili and tastes a LOT like cinnamon, and it's served over spaghetti. Â It's the uniqueness of Cincinnati chili that adds to the appeal. Â Give it a try while you're in the 'Nati. Â You can thank me later.
I love trying to explain Skyline Chili to people outside Cincinnati. Â It seems that loading chili on top of spaghetti covering it in cheese and onions, is not considered normal in other regions of this great nation. Their loss. Â Truly this is the food I want in heaven. Â Coneys and salads and burritos and everything... oh what's not to love. Â Oakley location was the only one I could hit last time I was home, but it sure scratched my itch for the stuff.
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