Milwaukee’s Top Chili Joint does not Disappoint. Real Chili, with several locations in Milwaukee, was the destination last Friday after spending a day with my daughter at Summerfest. (If you don’t know about Summerfest, a 9-day music and arts festival on Milwaukee’s lakefront, I highly recommend checking it out!)
Chili Review – Real Chili, Milwaukee WI
I was surprised when I first visited their website. The difference between the hot chili and the “regular” chili is that they just added more meat to make it hot. This is a throwback to the early 1900’s, when “chili” was often just seasoned ground beef, ladled onto heaps of spaghetti noodles and pinto beans. Real Chili states on their website (HTTPS://www.realchili.com – recently redesigned and looks great!) they were founded in 1931 – in business for 95 years now – which is amazing for any restaurant, truly epic for a chili parlor!
To be honest, I didn’t know if I’d like it or not. Having had Skyline and other chili served on top of pasta, with varying degrees of enjoyment, I’ve often referred to this type of chili as “meat sauce”. Plus, as a self-proclaimed “chili-head”, I didn’t understand how just adding more meat makes it “hot”. TBH, it didn’t make it that hot, I definitely added my own hot sauce after the first few bites, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
They actually charge a dollar or so extra for take-out, versus just eating there. I did see people eating there on plates, so I can only assume that the extra dollar was for all of the packaging they used to create our order. It turns out, also if you eat there that you can get a second helping for half price.
Since we got the chili to go, I didn’t get seconds. I ordered the “hot” chili, with spaghetti and cooked pinto beans, and an extra helping of the chili meat on top. My daughter ordered the Vegetarian Chili, also on top of spaghetti and beans.
I can’t forget about the shredded cheddar and oyster crackers! Personally, although I find oyster crackers bland and tasteless, had to try the chili in it’s intended state. My daughter kept hers in the plastic container it was served in, while I grabbed a bowl so I could mix it up better.
Now to the taste. A little smoky, medium heat, but not what I would consider hot. Definitely thick, with no sort of liquid present other than some grease. The spaghetti soaks up most of the liquid. I didn’t add cheese because of Lactose issues, but it seems like the flavor of the cheese would be overshadowed by the meat. The oyster crackers were bland but added a nice crunch. I also didn’t add hot sauce, but I feel like something with the consistency and heat of a original Tabasco would go well with it, which I don’t even own (I do have a Scorpion Tabasco bottle, which would also work.)
I recommend any chili lover or chili-head visiting Milwaukee to stop by and grab a bowl. This is especially true late at night after Summerfest or a Bucks or Brewers game!
