Savor Scout › Food guides › Chili
How to find good chili
Chili is America's argument food: Texas red with no beans, Cincinnati's spiced chili on spaghetti, New Mexico's green chile stew. The common thread in good ones is dried chillies and time.
What separates a good one from a bad one
- Dried chillies, not just powder — Ancho, guajillo and chipotle toasted and ground give depth.
- Slow-cooked — Hours of simmering for tender meat and a rich sauce.
- Chunks or coarse grind — Texas chili uses cubed beef; others use ground.
- Balanced heat — Warm and smoky, not just hot.
- Regional identity — Places that say Texas, Cincinnati or New Mexico style usually do it well.
What to order
- Texas red — Beef and chillies, no beans.
- Cincinnati three-way — Spaghetti, chili and cheese.
- Green chile stew — In New Mexico.
- Chili cheese fries — Indulgent.
- Cornbread — On the side.
How Savor Scout looks for it
The search reads for homemade, Texas-style, Cincinnati and green chile, and lets you specify the style you want.
Looking in a particular city?
Each of these opens Savor Scout with the location already set, so you can say what you want and it searches from there. It covers 1,000 US cities in total — these are simply the largest.
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Dallas, TX
- San Jose, CA
- Austin, TX
- Indianapolis, IN
- Jacksonville, FL
- San Francisco, CA
- Columbus, OH
- Charlotte, NC
- Fort Worth, TX
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Memphis, TN
- Seattle, WA
- Denver, CO
- Washington, DC
- Boston, MA
- Nashville, TN
- Baltimore, MD
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Louisville, KY
- Portland, OR
- Las Vegas, NV
- Milwaukee, WI
- Albuquerque, NM
- Tucson, AZ
- Fresno, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Kansas City, MO
- Mesa, AZ
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Atlanta, GA
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Omaha, NE
- Raleigh, NC
- Miami, FL
- Oakland, CA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Tulsa, OK
- Cleveland, OH
- Wichita, KS
- Arlington, TX
- New Orleans, LA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Tampa, FL
- Honolulu, HI
- Aurora, CO
- Anaheim, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
- St. Louis, MO
- Riverside, CA
- Corpus Christi, TX
Related food guides
soup, New Mexican food, Hot dogs
When you might want this
- What to eat on a cold rainy night
- Where to eat while watching the game
- What to eat when you have a cold