The place is seriously no-frills. Utilitarian food provider that has virtually no atmosphere. Chili is solid, if you like soupy chili that's not too spicy. Hints of cinnamon make it authentically Cincy. I had the 5-way: chili, beans, onions, cheese all over spaghetti pasta. I ate about 1/3, added some hot sauce and ate another third. Can't say I love Cincy chili but I'm glad I tried it. Quite adequate and reasonably priced.
kosondera whitehead
I came in and was stared at for few minutes then my order was taken...which was cheeseburger+onion rings sm salad(i made burger a platter which comes with 2 sides) also 5 way...that took over 25mins to make meanwhile im just standing there..food was ok i never ate the burger the onion rings was full of grease salad...ok i guess...the 5way was not good...so fyi if you're a new customer you seat yourself...you pay when your food is done even as carryout as i was...ill just stick to burger joint down street from them and chilli spot?
Renee R.
Great service great food, tried some goetta onions and sour cream on our chili cheese fries everything fresh and yummy! That's again Chelsey for a great first experience you were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back!
Mikki Ashe
Was not greeted at all, when I said hello she seemed to be bothered by that. First time coming and I feel not comfortable after speaking to the waiter as she seem to only rush me to order my food,Not a welcoming atmosphere on first visit.
Robert Fecher
Our family has started trying to make it to all of the local Cincinnati chili parlors. This one is only five minutes from our house. My daughter loved their 5 way. I wasn't a huge fan of the chili on its own, but it was good in a coney. But the thing to come here for is BREAKFAST. The goetta is crispy and delicious. The meat, egg, and cheese biscuit is perfect. The hashbrowns with onion are perfectly cooked. We've already been back in the week since we tried it first. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a greasy spoon.
Pam Cooler
I had the worst experience dining in the restaurant today. I had a taste for my favorite cheese coneys and fries from your restaurant. I ordered some fries and they were horrible they tasted like the grease was very old or the potatoes were not fresh. The waitress took them off the bill but the dining room had flies and gnats flying all over and we kept squatting them away to try to finish our food. I had to rush and eat to get out of there . Very bad dining experience !
Rodney Calhoun
Always the best Gary has been rhe cook for over 35 years .
Rachel Presley
Love to eat here been going since I was a kid. But closing at 5 on the weekend and while Festival of Lights is going? You can’t be that short handed look at all that money you are losing? Just seems so crazy to me? Who is running this place? Lol ? I work in the food industry so I get being short handed but closing at 5 is completely insane. Still love this place and I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just saying
Jonas Tygrett
Gyro platter w/coleslaw and fries for me. Turkey and bacon/egg double decker w/cheese and chips for her. Glass of water and a Coke to wash it down. 28 bucks. Kinda pricey for lunch in a diner it seems. Guess we can blame it on the Covid like just about everything else! She said her double decker was great. My coleslaw was a little too sweet for my taste but the crispy crinkle cut fries were just right. The gyro on the other hand.....wouldn't recommend it. I think that they mixed tzatziki sauce with the sweet coleslaw as a filler. Sloppiest gyro ever. I guess that gyros are best left to served in gyro restaurants. I stop in about once a year. As usual, I'll mix it up next time.
Evonne Franklin
It was close to closing (we had no idea) I asked if they were still cooking since it was close to closing and they graciously took our orders. Great customer service, good food!
Another classic Cincinnati chili diner. The inside of Chili Time even looks like a diner, with a J-shaped counter, rows of booths, and a few stand-alone tables. The menu ranges well beyond the Cincy chili parlor staples of 5-ways, coneys, and double-deckers. For one thing, Chili Time is open for breakfast (get your Goetta here) and what I almost always eat. Even though one of the Big 2 chili parlors is within 500 ft of this place, I always come here. It was started in the 1940s and has only this location. There is also something nice about fresh preparation of your food when you order. It is what it is...just a great locally owned diner offering healthy portions of well known simple food. A couple of odds and ends: - This place is a 1 mile walk from my office, and I happily make it to eat here. -They have a nice sized parking lot. -Like most Chili parlors, the menus are on the table, so if you are in a hurry you can order at first contact with the waitress. My normal turnaround time from going in the front door to leaving is about 25 minutrs. Upon reflection, maybe I eat too fast. -As an added bonus, you can try to decipher the code the waitresses transcribe your order into for the cook It's like Sudoku level 10 stuff.
Jordan Deardorff
We have eaten here a few times in the past week or so doing a job in the area. The food is good, chilli has its own flavor and is very meaty. I also enjoyed their gyro. The prices are better than most places especially for cooked to order food. However the most noteworthy point is that Everytime we have been here the staff are great. Very friendly, quick to serve, you can see the cook in the kitchen working hard!
Jeff G.
Pretty cool classic chili parlor in a very cool part of St. Bernard. They have plenty of parking which is nice. I got inside and sat at the bar. It turns out it's closed because of Covid and I had to move to a booth. The service was quick and friendly. The kitchen was slinging plenty of gossip but that just added entertainment value. I ordered two coneys with mustard and onions, fries, and a Coke. Their chili is a little runnier than most of the others I've tried so the bun was pretty mushy but the flavor was good and it didnt keep me from enjoying it. I would definitely come here again if I was in the area.
Adam Cooley
It was so good and delicious ? I can't wait for more.
WilliamAllie Banks
This place has went down hill..family has been coming for over 30 years and we went for the last time this Sunday. 8/29/21. We understood the Sunday crowd but after we watched people that came in 20 minutes after us get their food while we could see or order at the serving station waiting for 20 minutes (45 total after we made our order) we decided to leave.Tables and restrooms were filthy.
The place is seriously no-frills. Utilitarian food provider that has virtually no atmosphere. Chili is solid, if you like soupy chili that's not too spicy. Hints of cinnamon make it authentically Cincy. I had the 5-way: chili, beans, onions, cheese all over spaghetti pasta. I ate about 1/3, added some hot sauce and ate another third. Can't say I love Cincy chili but I'm glad I tried it. Quite adequate and reasonably priced.
I came in and was stared at for few minutes then my order was taken...which was cheeseburger+onion rings sm salad(i made burger a platter which comes with 2 sides) also 5 way...that took over 25mins to make meanwhile im just standing there..food was ok i never ate the burger the onion rings was full of grease salad...ok i guess...the 5way was not good...so fyi if you're a new customer you seat yourself...you pay when your food is done even as carryout as i was...ill just stick to burger joint down street from them and chilli spot?
Great service great food, tried some goetta onions and sour cream on our chili cheese fries everything fresh and yummy! That's again Chelsey for a great first experience you were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back!
Was not greeted at all, when I said hello she seemed to be bothered by that. First time coming and I feel not comfortable after speaking to the waiter as she seem to only rush me to order my food,Not a welcoming atmosphere on first visit.
Our family has started trying to make it to all of the local Cincinnati chili parlors. This one is only five minutes from our house. My daughter loved their 5 way. I wasn't a huge fan of the chili on its own, but it was good in a coney. But the thing to come here for is BREAKFAST. The goetta is crispy and delicious. The meat, egg, and cheese biscuit is perfect. The hashbrowns with onion are perfectly cooked. We've already been back in the week since we tried it first. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a greasy spoon.
I had the worst experience dining in the restaurant today. I had a taste for my favorite cheese coneys and fries from your restaurant. I ordered some fries and they were horrible they tasted like the grease was very old or the potatoes were not fresh. The waitress took them off the bill but the dining room had flies and gnats flying all over and we kept squatting them away to try to finish our food. I had to rush and eat to get out of there . Very bad dining experience !
Always the best Gary has been rhe cook for over 35 years .
Love to eat here been going since I was a kid. But closing at 5 on the weekend and while Festival of Lights is going? You can’t be that short handed look at all that money you are losing? Just seems so crazy to me? Who is running this place? Lol ? I work in the food industry so I get being short handed but closing at 5 is completely insane. Still love this place and I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just saying
Gyro platter w/coleslaw and fries for me. Turkey and bacon/egg double decker w/cheese and chips for her. Glass of water and a Coke to wash it down. 28 bucks. Kinda pricey for lunch in a diner it seems. Guess we can blame it on the Covid like just about everything else! She said her double decker was great. My coleslaw was a little too sweet for my taste but the crispy crinkle cut fries were just right. The gyro on the other hand.....wouldn't recommend it. I think that they mixed tzatziki sauce with the sweet coleslaw as a filler. Sloppiest gyro ever. I guess that gyros are best left to served in gyro restaurants. I stop in about once a year. As usual, I'll mix it up next time.
It was close to closing (we had no idea) I asked if they were still cooking since it was close to closing and they graciously took our orders. Great customer service, good food!
Restaurantji Recommends
Another classic Cincinnati chili diner. The inside of Chili Time even looks like a diner, with a J-shaped counter, rows of booths, and a few stand-alone tables. The menu ranges well beyond the Cincy chili parlor staples of 5-ways, coneys, and double-deckers. For one thing, Chili Time is open for breakfast (get your Goetta here) and what I almost always eat. Even though one of the Big 2 chili parlors is within 500 ft of this place, I always come here. It was started in the 1940s and has only this location. There is also something nice about fresh preparation of your food when you order. It is what it is...just a great locally owned diner offering healthy portions of well known simple food. A couple of odds and ends: - This place is a 1 mile walk from my office, and I happily make it to eat here. -They have a nice sized parking lot. -Like most Chili parlors, the menus are on the table, so if you are in a hurry you can order at first contact with the waitress. My normal turnaround time from going in the front door to leaving is about 25 minutrs. Upon reflection, maybe I eat too fast. -As an added bonus, you can try to decipher the code the waitresses transcribe your order into for the cook It's like Sudoku level 10 stuff.
We have eaten here a few times in the past week or so doing a job in the area. The food is good, chilli has its own flavor and is very meaty. I also enjoyed their gyro. The prices are better than most places especially for cooked to order food. However the most noteworthy point is that Everytime we have been here the staff are great. Very friendly, quick to serve, you can see the cook in the kitchen working hard!
Pretty cool classic chili parlor in a very cool part of St. Bernard. They have plenty of parking which is nice. I got inside and sat at the bar. It turns out it's closed because of Covid and I had to move to a booth. The service was quick and friendly. The kitchen was slinging plenty of gossip but that just added entertainment value. I ordered two coneys with mustard and onions, fries, and a Coke. Their chili is a little runnier than most of the others I've tried so the bun was pretty mushy but the flavor was good and it didnt keep me from enjoying it. I would definitely come here again if I was in the area.
It was so good and delicious ? I can't wait for more.
This place has went down hill..family has been coming for over 30 years and we went for the last time this Sunday. 8/29/21. We understood the Sunday crowd but after we watched people that came in 20 minutes after us get their food while we could see or order at the serving station waiting for 20 minutes (45 total after we made our order) we decided to leave.Tables and restrooms were filthy.