Covington Chili Review

Despite being one of the most established parlors in town (opened in 1936), Covington Chili does not get brought up often when Cincinnati chili parlors are discussed. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever heard anyone mention Covington Chili before going on the quest. It was time for us to find out if there was good reason Covington Chili is never mentioned or if we may have found a diamond in the rough.

Covington Chili is located on Madison across from the Madison Theater which is a prime location for anyone wanting to catch meal before or after attending a show. It doesn't appear much has changed in the restaurant since it opened in 1936. It's another hole in the wall diner, paintings of food and pictures of chili products hang on the walls. There are jukeboxes in some of the booths like you would see in an old fashioned diner and a large jukebox by the front door, not sure if any are operational though. Our waitress was extremely friendly, probably the nicest we have encountered thus far. Nothing really stands out on their menu, its your typical greasy spoon diner menu, breakfast is served all day. The prices are in line with most of the parlors we have visited.

Clint's Review

After my unpleasant experience at our previous stop on the quest, I was really looking forward to some good coneys and for the most part Covington came through. The chili has a good blend of savory spices and sweet spices. I would take one bite and notice how savory it was and then the next bite the sweetness would come through. It's not the best chili I've had on the quest but I enjoyed the flavor.

The cheese was fresh and the hot dog was freshly made on the griddle. To continue with this fresh theme, I thought the buns could have been softer, but they weren't so bad that it detracted from the coney. These coneys were also very filling, although that did not stop me from taking on a giant cream puff at Maifest afterward.

Nothing stood out in the coneys as great but nothing was terrible about the coneys either, overall its a good product. I give Covington Chili a 3.25 out of 5.

Alison's Review

I'm always thrilled to find good food in the little hole-in-the-wall diners I've unknowingly driven past numerous times. It's like finding a hidden gem in Cincinnati's culinary jungle. Though Covington Chili may not have the best cheese coney in Cincinnati, it still offers a quality product that I'm surprised I haven't heard about before the quest.

The dog and bun were decent. No complaints here. The really solid components of this cheese coney were the chili, cheese, and onions. The chili was both very familiar and very different from any other parlor's chili. The classic savoy spices were all there, but there was just a little undertone of smokiness. The cheese was soft, fresh and piled on high. The onions were also fresh and flavorful, complementing the chili nicely. Overall, it was a pretty solid product.  I'm giving Covington Chili a 3.75 out of 5 stars.