The Untold Truth Of Skyline Chili

Cincinnati is a city of contradictions and cultural clashes, managing to combine a small-town sensibility with urban amenities and Southern flair with Midwestern practicality.

That's also a pretty solid description of the city's most famous regional food. Cincinnati chili, the dish spooned up at the wildly popular regional franchise Skyline Chili, is alternately beloved and hated. Sought after by rabid fans and passionately hated by at least one Deadspin reporter, the meat-based chili is sweet, strange, and often served atop a bed of spaghetti.

Despite its fame, Skyline Chili remains something of a mystery. Cincinnati locals fight about its secret ingredient (Bay leaf powder? Cinnamon? Chocolate?), while the rest of the country wonders if it's even chili at all. Let's take a look behind the curtain at one of the country's most notorious regional foods, from its origins as a highly guarded family secret to its unholy rebirth as a craft cocktail.

Unlike its Texas cousin, chili con carne, Skyline Chili doesn't come with beans or onions unless you ask for them. Instead, the basic recipe includes only water, meat, and spices. Tourists who try Skyline Chili for the first time are often shocked by its unique blend of seasonings, which has been said to include cumin, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, vinegar, cloves... and something distinctly sweet.

Some think the ingredient that gives Skyline Chili its characteristic sweetness is cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, or even chocolate or cocoa. But the founders' lips—and those of their successors'—are firmly sealed.

And when Skyline founders said the recipe was a secret, they weren't being coy or cute. A reporter at the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the last remaining Skyline founder, William Nicholas "Bill" Lambrinides, as saying, "It's a secret. We cannot mention any names," with a definitive air of gravity.

Up until Lambrinides died in 2015 at 87, the recipe had been locked away. Even franchise owners weren't allowed to know what's really in the chili — though one did let it slip that, thanks to allergies, we now know there's no chocolate in the mix.

Eating Skyline Chili is an experience. Put more frankly, it's a mess. A fantastic, cheesy, ooey-gooey mess, but a mess nonetheless.

And as a bonafide regional cuisine, Skyline Chili has rules of consumption. The locally-approved condiments and toppings for Skyline Chili include oyster crackers and, if you're feeling adventurous, a thick layer of Tabasco sauce. You might even pour hot sauce into the individual oyster crackers for a spicy surprise.

What's more, diners are expected to eat the chili with a fork only — that is, no hands and no knives. (A mess indeed!) Upon twirling his chili-topped noodles like a newbie, one unfortunate Washington Post reporter, Ben Chapman, was chastened by Skyline owner Tom Yunger: "You'll never see anyone eating it like that."

The concoction is meant to be eaten as-is, without any frills or flourishes. You can chop it with a fork and scoop it up like stew, but that's about it. Twirl your meaty noodles around your utensil, and you're likely to get a quizzical (or downright disapproving) look from a local or two.

Skyline Chili was quite literally named by, and for, Cincinnati. The first Skyline location on Gateway Avenue overlooked the city's stunning riverfront views, and Lambrinides and his sons named their restaurant accordingly.

But although the brand name "Skyline Chili" is now virtually synonymous with Cincinnati chili itself—that sweet-and-savory blend of meat and spices that has become a local food icon—it's not the original version.

John and Tom Kiradjieff, Cincinnati-based Greek immigrants who opened a restaurant in 1922, tweaked a Greek recipe to make it more appealing to American tastes. The recipe became Cincinnati chili, the signature dish at the Empress Chili Parlor, where Nicholas Lambrinides worked before opening the first Skyline location.

Skyline Chili is the most famous hotspot for Cincinnati chili, but its competitors include Dixie Chili and Gold Star, among many other local restaurants. Locals argue passionately over which parlor serves the most authentic and best version of Cincinnati chili, but Skyline wins in terms of national popularity and reputation every time.

A celebrity isn't truly famous until they've been parodied on SNL, and no nostalgic sitcom can be deemed a classic without the requisite spinoff or reboot. Perhaps no food has truly made its mark until it's inspired spinoffs of its own, like a craft cocktail.

At Downtown Cincinnati's cocktail bar Metropole, nestled in the 21c Hotel (also a working art gallery), Skyline Chili was reimagined as an adult drink during 2018's Restaurant Week. Mixologist Travis Salee came up with the comfort food-inspired cocktail, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer, "It's just a comforting Cincinnati favorite."

Whiskey and sweet vermouth formed the drink's base, while house-made bitters, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, cloves, and even dark chocolate rounded out the very Cincinnatian cocktail. Dubbed the Manhattan Skyline, the drink was an homage to the complex blend of seasonings in the Queen City's famous chili. As Cincinnati's local food scene expands, more Skyline-infused mashups are sure to hit the breweries and hotspots.