Even More Coney Quest Locations

The Coney Quest is growing once again. Thanks partly to some research and reader recommendations, we are adding three more stops to the Cincinnati Coney Quest:

Gourmet Chili in Newport
Sam's Chili in Price Hill
J and J Restaurant in Western Hills

That brings the total of chili parlors to 19! As always, if there are any that we missed please let us know and they will be added.

Have a Happy New Years!

Camp Washington Chili Review

Camp Washington Chili is one of the iconic chili parlors in Cincinnati. When people come to Cincinnati, many make it a point to visit this parlor. Coney Quest Stop #5 is Camp Washington Chili, does it live up to its reputation and belong on the Mount Rushmore of Cincinnati Chili?

Aesthetically speaking, Camp Washington sticks out the most. As soon as we crossed over the Hopple Street Viaduct the giant CHILI sign was lit up as if it were a food Mecca calling our names. The interior is similar to other Cincinnati chili parlors in that it goes for a diner like feel. So far Camp Washington pulls this off the best as it has soft lighting, the dining area is large and spread out well, and it was very clean. However, Camp Washington is open 24 hours, so I imagine the atmosphere could be completely different in the overnight hours.

As mentioned above, Camp Washington is one of the iconic parlors in town and they definitely want you to know that. The walls are filled with various newspaper and magazine articles about the restaurant. Some may find that a bit boastful, but in a town where chili is King I say go ahead and show off all the praise you have received.


We didn’t look at the menu long, as we were both hungry and knew what exactly what we wanted, but it appeared similar to other chili parlors in town and was reasonably priced. Chili is obviously the featured item, but you can get sandwiches and burgers as well. One touch which we both liked was oyster crackers. Before the quest started we frequented Skyline often, so we always assumed oyster crackers were standard, however, so far on the quest Camp Washington is the first to give us free oyster crackers even though we didn’t order a 3/4/5-way.


Clint’s review

Camp Washington’s chili would go into the spicy category. Even just by looking at the coney one could assume it would be a spicier one as there were noticeable red pepper flakes in the chili. Earlier we reviewed its cousin across the street, US Chili, and I can see where US got its influence. However they are a different kind of spice. You notice the heat right away, unlike US where it didn’t hit until a couple of bites. In my opinion the US Chili heat spices increased as you ate the coneys and began to overpower everything else, however the Camp Washington spices stayed consistent throughout and did a much better job of complimenting the other spices instead of overpowering. Even though it wasn’t as sweet as Cincy chili is known for, I could detect a hint of sweetness below the heat. This made for a very tasty chili. One more difference between the two sibling rivals is US Chili is a bit meatier, as Camp Washington Chili is more of the chili like sauce for hot dogs and spaghetti that Cincinnati is known for.


I also enjoyed the other aspects of the coney. I’m never exactly sure how each parlor cooks their dogs, but the hot dog had fresh grill marks on it and tasted good. The last couple of stops produced some messy coneys, but the Camp Washington coney had the perfect amount of chili and cheese. The buns were soft and held up well.


Camp Washington lived up to its hype, I give them a 4 out of 5.


Alison's review

Right off the bat I would like to say that Camp Washington has my favorite chili sauce at this point in the quest. This chili is the perfect balance between spicy and sweet, neither flavor overpowering the other. It brings together the classic Cincinnati sweetness and a little hit of chili pepper heat in what must be a very carefully crafted recipe.


The hot dog in the coney was very good, as well. I enjoy when the flavor of a high quality hot dog is apparent even under the spices of the chili.


The bun didn’t seem as fresh as some of the other parlors we’ve visited, but it wasn’t at all bad and held very nicely. The cheese was good, too, but I think the good cheddar flavor would have come through better if it weren’t served quite so cold. Maybe we got a batch that had just come out of the fridge.


Without extra condiments, the chili, the dog, the cheese, and the bun (as Clint enjoys his) would have been an excellent cheese coney. In fact the next visit I make to Camp Washington Chili, I believe I will order it without the mustard or onions. This is where the coney lost some points in my book. The onions were strong white onions and a little on the dry side. The mustard was slathered on a little too thick. It wasn’t necessarily offensive, but it left me wishing I could get a better taste of that awesome chili.


If we were ranking chili recipes alone, Camp Washington’s would be at the top of my list, but since our mission is to find the best cheese coney (a product that I want to see done well with mustard and onions included), I’m giving this parlor a 3.75 stars out of 5.










Urbanspoon Rocks!

Poll Results: ...How do you get your fix?

Our latest poll had the smallest amount of votes, but the highest amount of feedback in the comments section. This poll asked people who no longer live in Cincinnati how they got their Cincy chili fix. Here are the results from the 9 votes:

2 get cans shipped to them
1 has relatives bring them cans
3 make their own
3 suffer without it until they visit Cincinnati

If I were to ever leave Cincinnati, I would likely have cans shipped to me. It might not be cheap, but it would definitely be worth it. I may make my own from time to time as well. Speaking of which, if you have any recipes please send them our way, we are going to try various recipes once we are done visiting every parlor. One thing I know for sure, suffering without Cincy chili would not be an option for me.

Camp Washington Chili History

It isn't hard to find a Skyline restaurant that has a rival Gold Star just blocks away. But when you find two non-chain chili parlors sitting literally across the street from one another, you know you are in a neighborhood of serious chili lovers. Camp Washington's two chili parlors are US Chili, which was our third stop in the quest, and Camp Washington Chili, which will be our next review.

Camp Washington Chili was established in 1940 by Steve Andon and Fred Zannbus. The current owner, John Johnson, began working there for his uncle in 1951. Camp Washington Chili is basically home for John as it has been the only place John has worked at since moving to America. He is also the keeper of the secret family recipe.

Camp Washington Chili is lucky to be in its current location. 24 years of battle with the city continually threatened to demolish the original parlor. In 2000 the bulldozers won and the parlor was flattened for the sake road widening projects. Fortunately for the family business, they were able to acquire an adjacent lot and maintain their patronage in a brand new parlor.

Camp Washington has received numerous praise and recognition for their brand of chili. Their chili recipe received an American Regional Classic award from the James Beard Foundation. In 1985 the CBS Morning News set out to find "the best chili in the nation" and crowned Camp Washington Chili as its winner. Camp Washington is not only a Cincinnati institution, but also a nationally recognized restaurant.

Coney Quest Stop #5 Roadblock

Originally we had planned on making Park Chili in Northside our 5th stop on the quest. From the research we did it appeared they were open til 7PM during the week. We arrived at 6:10 PM and doors were locked. There was someone at the counter and two other people, not sure if they were customers or workers, hanging around as well. We shook the door, tried to get their attention and they saw us, but decided to just give us a blank stare instead of notifying us they were closed. So as we walked back to the car I decided to call to see what the hours were, after 7 rings someone finally answered and the convo went like this:

PC: Hello, Park Chili *in a not very pleasant voice*
Me: Hi, I was wondering what your hours were?
PC: Sorry we are closed for the night.
Me: Oh ok, tha *PC hangs up phone* nk youuuuu.

This put us in a slight bind since we did not have a back up plan, silly us thinking a restaurant would honor its hours. Then we remembered Camp Washington Chili was nearby, open 24 hours, and on our list. We will return to Park Chili another day, most likely for lunch and will definitely call ahead. Park Chili might have gotten off to a bad start, but we are forgiving people and will still to go Park with an open mind (and belly).

This week stay tuned for the Camp Washington history post and our review.

Coney Quest Stop #5

Last night we held our weekly drawing for the next stop on the Cincinnati Coney Quest. The next location will be...

Park Chili in Northside.

Admittedly, neither one of us had heard of Park Chili until a week into the quest when we came across a cincinnati.com best chili parlor poll. After doing a little more research we are definitely looking forward to trying it! With this weekend being Christmas weekend, I don't know when we will make it there, I'm guessing sometime next week. Stay tuned.

Out of Towners: How do you get your fix?

The latest poll is for those Cincy chili lovers who have moved away from Cincinnati, or those who aren't from Cincy and don't live here, but love our style of chili. How do you get your Cincinnati chili fix?

Do you have cans shipped to you?
Do you have relatives or friends bring you cans of it when they visit you?
Do you make your own? (If you do, we would love to know your recipe!)
Or do you just suffer until you make a visit back to Cincinnati?

If you are not an out of towner, you can leave a comment describing what you would do if you left Cincinnati.