Real Chili - Milwaukee, WI

Real Chili serves bowls of chili mild, medium, or hot, with spaghetti or beans, or spaghetti AND beans, the full and complete arrangement known as the Marquette Special. The degree of heat is determined by the amount of meat; i.e. more meat = more heat.

96% Approval Rating (27 votes)

Overall: Worth planning a day around

Must Eats

Chili ($6.00)

Marquette Special ($5.00)

Written Reviews

Michael Stern

"Real Chili serves bowls of chili mild, medium, or hot, with spaghetti or beans, or spaghetti AND beans. The full and complete arrangement is known as the Marquette Special. (The original Real Chili parlor has long been a favorite of Marquette University students.) ..." [Read More].

muktownmomma

October 17, 2005

"Real Chili: probably the best late night place to get real chili, Cincinnati style. After Bastille days in Milwaukee, it's the only place to go and satisfy that craving-hot-spicy-chili-with-noodles-cheese-sour-cream-and-no-beans moment. My question? When can we ..." [Read More].

kjburns

April 09, 2005

"Excellant Chili, Served on Spagetti or without. I suggest adding cheese that melts right in. They do not serve alcohol as stated in the front webpage. Most regulars drink water but they do serve coke products. The location is storefront with stool (15) service. There ..." [Read More].

Logbooks

4/6/2002 - Michael Stern, $6

Map & Directions

419 E. Wells St., Milwaukee, WI
414-271-4042

Hours & Policies

Seasons:	Open Year Round
Meals Served:	Lunch
Operational Hours:	Always Call Ahead!
Credit Cards Accepted:	No
Alcohol Served:	Yes
Outdoor Seating:	No
Reservations Accepted:	No
Delivery Available:	No
Takeout Counters:	Yes

"From the side, you can see how Real Chili chili is layered: spaghetti noodles topped with beans, topped with chili meat, topped with cheese. It is up to the customer to add raw onions and/or sour cream; and in the background, you can see cruets of sweet and hot vinegar, which connoisseurs use to adjust the flavor to taste."
Michael Stern

"Midwestern-style urban chili parlors are now scarce in cities where they once thrived. In that light, Milwaukee's Real Chili is rare Americana."
Michael Stern

"A red-hot sign for red-hot chili"
Michael Stern

"Surrounding the bowl of extra-hot are oyster crackers, sour cream, and chopped raw onions. This is a lunch that will stay with you all afternoon. "
Michael Stern

"Dan Helfer owns Real Chili and knows the secrets of the spice mix."
Michael Stern