Main Street Diner Review

Even though Cincinnati style chili was first concocted in Downtown Cincinnati, there aren't as many options Downtown to satisfy your coney craving as there once was. There are three Skyline's (4th and Sycamore, 7th and Vine, Court and Vine) and a Gold Star (Tower Place food court). However, we found out that there is one more restaurant in the Downtown area that serves Cincinnati chili, Main Street Diner.

Main Street Diner (also known as B/G Restuarant) is located next to the Courthouse on 9th and Main. Decor wise there really isn't much to talk about. Its a hole in the wall diner that probably hasn't changed since the day it opened. However with its location there is definitely some character to be found here. During our visit we overheard one conversation about someone getting ripped off with fake money orders on craigslist and another where a woman was talking about how she dated a "CERTIFIED crack head". I would describe Main Street Diner as a Waffle House that also serves Cincinnati chili.

Also not much to discuss about their menu. Very similar to other greasy spoon diners we have visited. A variety of breakfast and lunch options. Everything was reasonably priced.

Alison's Review

The Main Street Diner chili fell into the sweet category for me. I was noticing a lot of cinnamon and some more earthy spices, like cumin. I wasn't picking up any heat level. It was dryer than a lot of other chili we've tried. Overall, I liked it.

The bun was soft and fresh. The onions were also really fresh, as if they'd be chopped as the coneys were being made. The mustard was run-of-the-mill. The hot dog had a little bit of flavor, but it was definitely not as good as some we've had. The cheese was subpar because it was a little on the dry side.

This coney fell into the average category for me. The best traits were not outstanding, but the worst traits were not all that terrible. I enjoyed my lunch but doubt that I will go back. I'm giving Main Street Diner 3 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

As we leave the parlors we visit, me and Alison always discuss our opinions on our experiences. Thus far we usually have similar opinions, there are some differences but typically our thoughts are in the same ball park. As we discussed Main Street Diner it was as if we went to completely different restaurants.

While Alison felt the chili was sweet, I thought it was spicy and did not pick up much sweet flavor. It was not extremely spicy like a Tex-Mex chili but something in their recipe tasted hot to me. Whatever it was, I did not enjoy it. It wasn't because I thought it was too hot (Camp Washington is on the spicier side and is one of my favorites) I just did not enjoy the flavor. It was a struggle for me to even finish the coneys, luckily I only ordered 2 coneys instead of my usual 3.

Me and Alison do agree on other features of the coney. The cheese was not very enjoyable and did not appear to be fresh. The hot dog and bun were fine but not good enough to save the coney for me.

It had been a couple of weeks since we had coneys so I was really looking forward to Main Street Diner. Living and working Downtown it was nice to discover another place that serves Cincinnati style chili. Unfortunately the coneys missed the mark for me. I give Main Street Diner a 1 out of 5.