Camp Washington Chili Parlor

Posted By Michael Stern on November 16, 2008 4:55 PM

Cincinnatians are mad for five-way chili, which is spiced meat atop spaghetti noodles, topped with beans, cheese, and onions. Many agree that Camp Washington makes the best. This one-of-a-kind hash house, named after its neighborhood (which had been a Civil War encampment) features all the proper ambiance, including a great gleaming neon clock on the back wall and great vats of bubbling chili visible from the long row of stools that face the kitchen. The air smells of onions and spice; and by late in the morning the dining room is packed with cheap-eats fans who fork their way into plates of five-way and heft chili-cheese Coneys and mile-high double-decker sandwiches.

The proprietor, John Johnson, began working at Camp Washington when he was a boy. “It is the only place I have ever worked,” he says with glee as he stands at a huge pot of simmering chili, stirring it like a sorcerer concocting magic potion. Mr. Johnson’s uncle, Steve Andon, along with partner Anastasios “Fred” Zarmbus, founded the Camp Washington parlor in 1940. When young John Johnson arrived from Greece in 1951, his uncle took him in and eventually imparted the secrets of his spice mix. Finally, in 1977, Mr. Johnson bought the business – along with the top-secret formula. “But you know something,” he confesses with conspiratorial glee, “I have tinkered with the recipe. Not much, and nothing big. A little here, a little there. I believe I have improved it .”

It is sensational. Made from lean beef that is finely ground on the premises and brewed in batches of sixty gallons each day, it is dark and meaty, kaleidoscopically spiced but not painfully hot, and thick enough to blend perfectly with the tender noodles onto which it is ladled. Always fresh, never frozen, it is a meal that has been savored by generations of Camp Washington customers twenty-four hours a day, every day, for the last fifty-seven years … with the exception of the hours from 4am on Sunday to 5am on Monday, when the parlor is closed. But every Monday at dawn, a line begins to form at the locked door: hungry Cincinnatians eager to fork into a morning plate of five-way chili and start the week right.

Chili isn't the only unique Cincinnati food served at Camp Washington. For those unfamiliar with Queen City diner culture, here are thumbnail definitions of some of John Johnson's other specialties:

Goetta: a slab of breakfast meat that is reminiscent of scrapple, but made with pin oats instead of cornmeal and laced with sweet bits of onion. Goetta is spicy, porky, unctuous, and rib-sticking, like sausage but even wickeder. It is sliced thin and grilled to a crisp, and its traditional role is as a companion to a plate of eggs and fried potatoes.

Double decker sandwiches are not, technically speaking, exclusively Cincinnati’s; but no place even comes close to the Queen City’s passion for mile-high sandwiches made with three slices of toast and ridiculous amounts of cold cuts, bacon and eggs, cheese and tomatoes. Most chili parlors offer double-deckers; Camp Washington’s are particularly lofty and beautiful: amazing monuments of food that are quite literally impossible to fit between one’s jaws.

Coney Islands are minuscule hot dogs: pale pink, lightly grilled, customarily served in a soft white bun on a bed of mustard and topped with chili and chopped raw onions. A fluffy mantle of shredded cheddar cheese is a popular option that makes an ideal Coney crown.

And finally, it must be understood that Cincinnati chili bears little resemblance to chili served outside the Midwest (it IS similar to Green Bay chili from Wisconsin), and is virtually a different food group from Texas-style bowls of red. To a Cincinnati cook, chili always means meat sauce piled onto a bed of soft-cooked spaghetti noodles. There are multiple variations: “Two-way” chili is simply noodles and sauce; “three-way” adds cheese; “four-way” includes either beans or onions; and “five-way” is the whole shebang with beans and onions. There is also a variation known as “chili bean,” which lacks the layer of cheese. Aside from the fascinating stratification, what makes Cincinnati chili so intriguing is the meat sauce itself. It is spicy but not fiery hot, curiously sweet, and deliriously aromatic. We have long believed Camp Washington’s chili is the very best.

On July 24, 2000, Camp Washington Chili Parlor moved to its new location ... next to the old one at Colerain & Hopple. If you need an excuse to return to Cincinnati, the obligation to check out the new location is a good one.

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Posted By A. on July 31, 2011 7:14 PM

Please save yourself the disgust and disappointment. I read online that this place has been open since 1940 and "perfected" the Cincinnati chili recipe. You'll see all sorts of writeups hanging on the wall in their restaurant about it. I went there on a Saturday night. Canned dog food would taste better.

I brought a friend; we were in Cincinnati from out of town. It had such a terrible taste; we took two bites, and it was NOT edible. Super soggy, with severely overcooked spaghetti, and the chili tasted like dirty hot water with a few beans. So watery it's practically broth. My friend ordered just the chili, and hers was just as watered down and disgusting.

One bowl of inedible chili and one serving of inedible Cincinnati chili, and two soft drinks, came to over $15. We paid the bill in full and didn't ask for a discount just to get out of there, and get that nasty slop out of our SIGHT! So disgusting, I wouldn't serve it to a dog.

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five-way chili

3-Way Chili

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Posted By Betty Ventura on July 2, 2011 10:08 AM

When I want Cincinnati chili, I don't go to Skyline, or Gold Star; I go to Camp Washington. The chili flavor beats all the others. While the coneys may be smallish, they are great. The sandwiches can't compare to Blue Ash Chili, but for the west side of town they are pretty good.

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five-way chili

3-Way Chili

coney island hot dog

Cheese Coney

Goetta

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Posted By Dave O'Ball on April 24, 2011 4:21 PM

Camp Washington ranks as one of the premiere chili parlors in the Greater Cincinnati area. You'll find all the local specialties, and the food here is fantastic.

For those who've never experienced Cinci chili, it's nothing like chili you've ever had before. The Greek style-chili has a flavor profile more like the meat sauce in moussaka or pastitsio, but thinner in consistency.

The modern, spacious, bright restaurant replaced the older, rundown original home in the Camp Washington area of Cinci about a decade ago.

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coney island hot dog

3-Way Chili

Goetta

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Posted By Mike Sheldon on July 9, 2008 3:09 PM

Camp Washington Chili, when it was in the former old building, WAS an area institution... a destination. When they moved into the new cheap copy of the former, it went down fast. It's now a cheaply built parody of its former self.

The food is poor, the service worse. Most important, the chili is watery and next to flavorless. Basically what we got was "slop on a plate." I am a near native of the Cincy area and KNOW what this should be... and the real thing, not ruined and served by children, is now hard to find. Even though it's "just" chili/spaghetti/etc. it requires some care in preparation. It should not be made with overcooked watery spagetti covered by too-thin chili, thrown at you by kids only concerned with a tip and their next break (but that's my gripe about most food service these days).

Summary: Camp Washington Chili was a destination for us years ago; real character and good food prepared by adults. Now it's not worth anyone's time or gas to get there. Just don't bother.

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