Where to Eat in Cincinnati: Chili and the Local Classics

To eat in Cincinnati like a local, start with a three-way or five-way chili parlor such as Camp Washington Chili or Price Hill Chili, add a goetta breakfast at Findlay Market, and finish with Graeter's ice cream in Hyde Park. Then branch out to barbecue in the East End, Belgian waffles, Italian at Sotto and a steak at The Precinct. Every place below is inside the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was confirmed open on its own site.

What is Cincinnati known for eating?

Cincinnati is known for four things: Cincinnati chili, the cheese coney, goetta and Graeter's French Pot ice cream. Each one is worth ordering at least once, and each has a few places that do it properly.

Cincinnati chili

Visit Cincy describes Cincinnati chili as closer to a Greek or Mediterranean stew, with hints of cinnamon, cloves or allspice. It is poured over spaghetti and sold by the number of toppings. Visit Cincy says Cincinnatians eat more than 2 million pounds of chili a year, topped with about 850,000 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese. A three-way is chili, spaghetti and shredded cheddar. A four-way adds onions or beans, and a five-way adds both.

The style traces to Empress Chili, which says brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff started it in 1922 in a shop beside the Empress Theatre downtown. Skyline Chili says Nicholas Lambrinides opened Skyline in 1949. Both are now sold in many places, so the picks below are the independent parlors.

The cheese coney

A cheese coney is a small hot dog in a soft bun, topped with chili, mustard, onion if you ask, and a mound of shredded cheddar. It is the quick, cheap order, and most parlors sell it by the piece. Order two or three.

Goetta

Goetta (say it GET-uh) is a breakfast sausage-style loaf of ground meat, steel-cut oats and spices, sliced and fried until crisp. It comes from German immigrant cooking. Glier's Goetta, based in Covington, Kentucky (just across the river, so not a Cincinnati pick), says it has made goetta since 1946. You do not need to leave Cincinnati to eat it: the places below serve it fried, in hash and piled on chili.

Graeter's French Pot ice cream

Graeter's says its French Pot process dates to 1870 and that its first permanent shop opened in 1900 on East McMillan Street in Walnut Hills. Its history page says a second shop followed in Hyde Park in 1922.

Where to eat chili and coneys in Cincinnati

The best chili in Cincinnati is a matter of loyalty, but these three independent parlors are the ones to try first.

Camp Washington Chili, Camp Washington

Camp Washington Chili sits at the corner of Hopple Street and Colerain Avenue in the Camp Washington neighborhood. It says it has served chili since 1940 from a secret recipe, and it has won a James Beard American Regional Classic award. Order a five-way and a cheese coney. The parlor is typically open from Monday morning to Saturday afternoon and closed Sunday, so check the official site before you go. Its dine-in menu also lists a 513-way that swaps in goetta with the chili, onion, beans and cheese, plus a 513-Melt of chili melt and goetta.

Price Hill Chili, Price Hill

Price Hill Chili at 4920 Glenway Avenue has operated since 1962 and says its chili recipe has not changed. In Price Hill, order the five-way or cheese coneys, or come for the all-day breakfast with goetta. Hours are typically from 8 a.m. daily (to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday); confirm on the official site.

Pleasant Ridge Chili, Pleasant Ridge

Pleasant Ridge Chili at 6032 Montgomery Road lists hours from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and says cash only. Its page has no menu, so ask at the counter and keep it simple: a three-way and a coney. It is a neighborhood counter in Pleasant Ridge rather than a destination, which is the point. See the official page.

Where to eat goetta in Cincinnati

For goetta, go to Findlay Market for the source and to Maplewood Kitchen and Bar for a sit-down breakfast.

Findlay Market and Eckerlin Meats, Over-the-Rhine

Findlay Market at 1801 Race Street calls itself Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market. Eckerlin Meats, at 116 W. Elder Street, makes goetta daily from a family recipe the market says is over a century old. Buy a loaf to take home. The market is typically open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Monday; the market and stall list their own hours on Findlay Market's site. It sits in Over-the-Rhine.

Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, Downtown

Maplewood Kitchen and Bar at 525 Race Street, at Fountain Square, serves a Maplewood Hash with goetta, hash browns, onion, bell pepper, local mushrooms, jalapeño, corn and two sunny-side-up eggs. You can also choose goetta in its eggs dishes or as a side. The restaurant site did not list hours, so check the official site or call before you go. This is the easiest goetta breakfast in Downtown.

Where to get Graeter's in Cincinnati

Graeter's Ice Cream, Hyde Park

Graeter's at 2704 Erie Avenue sits on Hyde Park Square in Hyde Park. Order a scoop of the French Pot-made flavor of your choice, typically served until 10 p.m. most nights and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday per the shop's page on the official site. Graeter's also has a shop at Fountain Square downtown.

Where else to eat in Cincinnati?

Beyond the classics, these five places show off what the city cooks: barbecue, waffles, Italian, a historic steakhouse and a tavern burger.

Eli's BBQ, East End

Eli's BBQ at 3313 Riverside Drive in the East End began with hickory-smoked pork sandwiches with homemade sauce and coleslaw. Eli's says it started in 2010 as a street stand before moving into the East End shop. Order the pulled pork sandwich. A second location is at 133 W. Elder Street at Findlay Market. The site does not list hours, so call or check elisbarbeque.com before you go.

Taste of Belgium, Findlay Market

Taste of Belgium lists a location at Findlay Market, 1801 Race Street, in Over-the-Rhine, along with one at The Banks, 16 W. Freedom Way. Its Liège waffles are made from dough, not batter, and baked with pearl sugar for a caramelized crunch. Order one plain. Locations and hours are on tasteofbelgium.com. The older Vine Street cafe is not listed on the site, so go to Findlay Market or The Banks.

Sotto, Downtown

Sotto at 118 East Sixth Street is a rustic Italian restaurant in Downtown. Its menu lists cacio e pepe, wood-fired branzino and ricotta doughnuts. Order the cacio e pepe and the doughnuts. It serves lunch on weekdays and dinner nightly; hours are on sottocincinnati.com.

The Precinct, Columbia Tusculum

The Precinct at 311 Delta Avenue opened in 1981 in a former police patrol house as Jeff Ruby's first steakhouse. It serves dry-aged USDA Prime steaks and Wagyu, and its mac and cheese was named one of Food Network's Most Magnificent Sides. It is the splurge, in Columbia Tusculum. Dinner only, typically; check jeffruby.com/precinct.

Zip's Cafe, Mt. Lookout

Zip's Cafe at 1036 Delta Avenue is a tavern burger spot in Mt. Lookout. Its Zip Burger is a third-pound patty, and the Train Wreck adds shaved ham, grilled mettwurst and three cheeses. It is open daily, typically 11 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Order ahead through zipscafe.com.

How we chose

We started from the foods Cincinnati is known for, then looked for places known for that exact dish. Every pick was checked against its own official site and found open in November 2026, with a Cincinnati street address inside the city of Cincinnati. We left out the big chains (Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili are everywhere and easy to find), and we left out spots we could not confirm. Glier's is in Covington, Kentucky, so it is not a pick. Hours change, so always check the official site.

Save this: a chili-and-classics checklist

• Order a five-way and a cheese coney at Camp Washington Chili.
• Compare it with a three-way at Price Hill Chili.
• Buy a loaf of goetta from Eckerlin Meats at Findlay Market.
• Eat a goetta hash at Maplewood Kitchen and Bar.
• Take a Liège waffle from Taste of Belgium for the walk.
• Get pulled pork at Eli's BBQ.
• Finish with a scoop of Graeter's on Hyde Park Square.

For more, browse the Cincinnati food and dining listings.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cincinnati chili?

Cincinnati chili is a spiced, stew-like chili served over spaghetti or hot dogs and topped with shredded cheddar. A three-way is chili, spaghetti and cheese, and a five-way adds onions and beans.

What is a cheese coney?

A cheese coney is a small hot dog in a soft bun topped with Cincinnati chili and a pile of shredded cheddar. Most chili parlors in Cincinnati sell them by the piece.

What is goetta?

Goetta is a Cincinnati breakfast food made from ground meat, steel-cut oats, onions and spices, sliced and fried. It is rooted in German heritage and sold at Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine.

Where should I eat chili in Cincinnati first?

Camp Washington Chili in Camp Washington is a good first stop, and it has served chili since 1940. Price Hill Chili on Glenway Avenue is another independent parlor worth trying.

What is Graeter's French Pot ice cream?

Graeter's French Pot ice cream is the Cincinnati company's small-batch style, and Graeter's says the process dates to 1870. You can try it at the Hyde Park shop at 2704 Erie Avenue.