Skyline Chili

It's a home town favorite for sure! You either love it or hate it and I Love Skyline chili. I live in San Diego and have for the past 20+ years, but coming back home to Cincinnati, Skyline is always one of my first stops!! This experience was shared with my sister and my niece and nephew and it was my niece and nephews fort indoor dining experience at a local skyline. They live in Cincinnati, but being Covid kids, they had never dined inside an actual skyline. Glad they lived their skyline and experienced it dining in with there uncle Adam!

Was kind of disappointed in this location. It is so true that while this is a chain and or franchise, not all locations are created equal. Infact I have had a different experience ordering the same exact thing at every single location.

I utilized the drive thru and ordered a large 5 way with habanero cheese as well as a large sweet tea. I like that they offer a large size of tea, as many locations only have 1 small size. Sadly my spaghetti was quite mushy. The chili and onions were fine. The biggest problem was they only gave me one tiny bag of cheese for a large size way. At other locations there would've been 3 bags. Bleh, this did not fulfill my usual skyline craving.

Where's the cheese ?? Look, I get the pandemic is impacting everyone , but when my family and I pay $30 on a order , we expect what we order .

We ordered 2 of the 4 way bean , one 3 way , and 3 cheese Coneys .

We got no cheese at all . Wasn't in a busy time so poor execution of the order . This isn't a first time either . It's happened multiple times - are we needing to put that in our order now ? Below the typical experience for a skyline .

TL;DR: I went back to Skyline Chili today for the first time in twenty years while on Thanksgiving break. When I first had Skyline as a kid, I didn't really like it, but I've come to really respect Cincinnati's signature chili dish! I ordered the four-way spaghetti with onions, and it's definitely something I'd end up craving when I'm away from home... This place gets five stars for its uniqueness, taste, and homey atmosphere.

THE LONG REVIEW:
Cincinnati chili sauce was never trying to compete with or be Texas-style chili con carne. I want to put that out there up front. It is simply a different kind of chili sauce, containing spices like cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, allspice, chili, etc., according to Wikipedia. My palate is not refined enough to taste these spices in the sauce as I'm eating the four-way, but you can definitely smell the spices that set Cincinnati chili apart from other kinds of chili as soon as you enter the restaurant. Don't let the list of spices scare you, though. These spices are really not as in-your-face as you'd think, and it's overall quite a palatable, flavorful chili sauce. The ground meat is also evenly dispersed throughout the sauce and not too chunky, which I appreciated.

Upon seating ourselves, we were each given a small pre-packaged bag of oyster crackers, which were mild in flavor, crunchy, and not too salty. I noticed other customers in the restaurant enjoying these crackers as is or mixed into the spaghetti. I ate the crackers by themselves, and really enjoyed them as a little appetizer! Next time, I'll have to add a few to my four-way.

My four-way came out in no time. By the way, for any out-of-towners trying Skyline for the first time, the "four-way" is the name for the chili dish that comes with spaghetti noodles, chili, cheese, and your choice of either raw onion or beans. I opted for the onions and highly recommend you have them added to your order too. The dish comes piled high with thin, stringy shreds of a bright yellow-orange cheese on diner-style tableware. Personally, the amount of cheese was a little overbearing for me, so I took a few forkfuls of it off. I wish I had taken more off, though. Once the cheese melts into the chili, it kind of congeals with the sauce. For me, the taste of the cheese got tiring, so I wish I had gone even lighter on the cheese from the get-go so I could taste more of the chili sauce. That's just my personal preference, however. I was really glad I got the onions, though, as they really elevate the four-way--in fact, I think they are almost a necessary addition. They come raw, but add fresh flavor and a necessary crunch to the dish.

We also ordered funnel fries, which is just funnel cake fried into French fry shapes and topped with powdered sugar. I've definitely had softer, more pillowy funnel cakes before, but give me an order of these any day, and I'd be more than happy.

And lastly, for those of you who love to try regional cuisines and local fare across the U.S., you may also really enjoy the sentimental atmosphere of Skyline Chili restaurants. During my dine-in visit, I saw high schoolers hanging out; older couples enjoying a meal; multiple generations of families getting a quick Saturday lunch... It's a Cincinnati classic that is definitely worth a visit!

I really wanted a Skyline I could sit down and eat in. This location was great. Lots of tables and booths, screens to watch a game. There was a large church group at one of the long tables, so big enough for a group. The food tasted like Skyline with plenty of cheese. They accidentally gave my husband a 5-way instead of a 3-way - he hates onions. But my kids were being pretty distracting and fired up for Skyline!

This location is a definite step up from the prior one that was across the street. If you are going for Skyline come here. Open and airy, plenty of room, quite a step up fro the small strip mall location of yore. Service is friendly and prompt, easy to stop in for lunch and relax.

As to the chili...classic Cincinnati. Skyline Chili is local fast food and the way they make it is a bucket list item. Spaghetti noodle topped with chili and a mountain of cheese. Add beans/onions to increase the "way".

Came down from Cleveland to buy up some bulk chili! Why? Because cleveland doesn't know about skyline time! So obviously, a++++ on the food. Better than that, had the most delightful service with a wonderful young lady named jennifer. What a gem! And in case you forgot- TIP BIG people!!!! It's the only way we keep great servers! Love love love!

I needed to break a 20 so I went through the drive-thru and got one cheese Coney.I asked the gentleman if they could put heavy cheese on it he told me no they can't do that. He told me he could charge me for extra cheese I said no I want heavy cheese ...very disappointing.

I used to frequent this particular skyline all the time! That all changed after my last visit. I came to pick up my takeout and as I waited for it, I watched the manager (who always seems to rub me the wrong way) pour a large pitcher of water into each of vat of chili. I didnt think much of it until I tasted my 3-way. Instead of feeling weighed down by this unhealthy meal, I felt quite hydrated from the liter of water in my chili. To put a cherry on top of this sundae, after asking for extra crackers, the manager scolded me as if i were an ignorant fool! Luckily, after this angry man walked away, the kind employee working the register gave me a few more packs of crackers and some kind words. Although a talkative one, she was the only positive part about my experience here. She should be elevated to a management position. Jackie whoever you are, wherever you are, thank you.

Everything is so nice in the new location! Servers are super attentive, and are a great help! Place is very clean, service was very quick, and food was really good. I would highly recommend for after games and hanging out with friends.