Results are in for The Foodletter's Chili Taste-Off
In honor of Super Bowl week, we blind tasted 14 restaurant chilis. The winner surprised us.
Results are in for The Foodletter’s Chili Taste-Off
By Erin Edwards
The genesis of chili con carne, the official state dish of Texas, is murky—did it arrive in Texas via Mexico? Or via the Canary Islanders who emigrated to San Antonio? Once it arrived, many credit the Chili Queens of San Antonio, a group of Mexican women who served the food in open-air plazas around the city, for popularizing the dish between the 1870s-1930s.
Whatever its origin, chili has become a favorite for tailgates and that all-American tradition: the Super Bowl party. No doubt, herds of Americans are hitting the stores this week, grabbing up canned beans, diced tomatoes, ground beef, chili powder and cumin—all with the aim of making a comforting, crowd-pleasing pot of chili.
And so in honor of the Super Bowl this week, we wanted to find out which Columbus restaurants had the best chili. To do so, we organized a blind taste test of 14 local restaurant chilis that were selected based on word-of mouth recommendations and online reviews.
The 14 Contenders (in no particular order)
Northstar Cafe
Fitzy’s Diner
Over the Counter
Smoked on High
India Oak Grill
Rusty Bucket
Leon’s Garage
Ted’s Montana Grill
3 Brother’s Diner
Hofbrauhaus Columbus
Starliner Diner
Iron Grill BBQ & Diner
Barely’s Brewing Co.
Wendy’s