Camp Washington Chili
| Address: | 3005 Colerain Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45225, USA |
| Phone: | +1 513-541-0061 |
| Site: | globeater.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 5:15AM–4AM 5:15AM–4AM 5:15AM–4AM 5:15AM–4AM 5:15AM–4AM 5:15AM–4AM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
J.
J. Adams
Prepare yourself for the worst and most insulting service ever. The place starts shutting down in random stages at seemingly random intervals on Saturday nights; expect this to translate into various portions of the menu being suddenly unavailable and randomly being shunted to carry-out only service, whenever the staff feels like it. We had eaten there previously. The food was good enough to come back, although the service was questionable (long wait-times, half the menu unavailable because, reasons) our first time. We went again, having planned ahead, two of us showed up to a quarter after two verify that the place was open (the stated closing time is 4 a.m.) with another carload coming behind us. Note, wed planned ahead for flaky nonsense, but alas, it wasnt enough. Despite being hurried by our server (she prattled on endlessly about the computers and the various stages of closing at different arbitrary times), she took a solid 15 minutes to get our drinks, from the time we stepped in. As we confirmed with our friends that the place was indeed open, she started insisting that they order by phone or be relegated to CARRY-OUT ONLY status. Did I mention that when we showed up, not only was the grill closed, but everything except hot dogs and chili was unavailable (never mind a cold sandwich), because, computers n stuff. Now back to the 15 minute wait, that put us up to 30 minutes until 3, which meant wed crossed another closing line (wait, I thought they closed at 4, wtf?). At this point I stated that "this is getting ridiculous" to which the server started prattling on endlessly about policies and such to my companion, getting louder, ruder and taking it more personally. Of course, despite being loud enough for the entire place to hear, no manager ever stepped-up to address this, but seemed busy trying to hurry people out the door after taking their money and conning them into limited carry-out service. We left before a shouting match ensued with the indignant server. Wed driven in from Indianapolis to go to an event and again, despite the service wed received the last time, were looking forward to Camp Washington Chili. Screw these clowns. Theyre assholes and theres no shortage of better diners with better service (and my expectations are low). It wasnt enough to dick us around as they did, but they wasted a lot of time and were absolute asses about it. Its pretty sad that this landmark place is so horribly mismanaged. Dont waste your time.
DA
Dave S
3.5 stars: good, not great. Taste-wise its a solid performer among the various local Cincinnati-style chili purveyors but the chili itself was watery, more so than Skyline or Gold Star. I wasnt impressed with the presentation at all, however. When I arrived shortly before noon on a weekday, the small parking lot was full and I saw no obvious street parking in the slightly sketchy neighborhood. So I ordered a 3-way and a coney at the drive thru and found a nearby parking lot. The coney was sloppy, as is to be expected, but tasted pretty good. The chili was ridiculous, however. First, it was in two containers--one styrofoam cup for the chili and spaghetti, and one for the cheese. Separating them made sense, to keep the cheese from melting, but it was impossible to eat the runny chili-spaghetti mixture out of the cup. The cup was completely full, with a generous portion of unappetizing liquid on top. So there was no way to add the cheese and attempt to eat from the container. Skyline has a perfectly good tray container that holds the chili and spaghetti, and is easy to eat from. Im not writing this place off, but definitely cant recommend getting it to go unless you happen to have a plate or a bowl of your own handy.
A
A Baughan
PLEASE save yourself the disgust and disappointment. I read online that this place has been open since 1940 and "perfected" the Cincinnati chili recipe..youll see all sorts of of writeups hanging on the wall in their restaurant about it. I went there saturday night...canned dog food would taste better... I took a friend there, we were in cincinnati from out of town, I was such a terrible taste, we took two bites, TRYING to make it edible...it was NOT edible. super soggy, severely overcooked spaghetti, and the chili tasted like dirty hot water with a few beans... SO watery. its practically broth. My friend ordered just the chili, and hers was just as watered down and disgusting. One bowl of inedible chili + one serving of inedible concinnati chili, and two soft drinks came out to over $15...we paid the bill in full, didnt even ask for a discount just to get out of there, and that nasty slop out of our SIGHT! So disgusting, I wouldnt serve it to a dog.
NI
Nikki Shelton
My husband and I been here twice and the first time was worst than second time. The lady that took our order snatched the money from my husband and when we got are food my husband onion rings so oily and soft. Cause we check the food before left I got a double decker the bread was hard and the Bacon that I got on my sandwich saw super hard. No customer service at all. Then lady was arguing with my husband about onions rings saying because they was box that why they wasnt hard. But will not go back if I was you I turn around or down street and get some food.
JO
Joshua Riedy
This place is legit. Aside from the slight awkward moment when I decided to sit at the bar to not be welcomed for 2 minutes, service was absolutely amazing. I was served quickly and was given space to eat, shown respect, and all around decency. As per the food, its cincy style chili so its a lot like skyline with the addition of other foods like burgers and even breakfast. While, skyline is a classic, my food and service was a step up from my average skyline visit. 5 stars!
JA
jason reynolds
My wife has never had cincinnati style chilli before. Heading back through cincinnati on our way home she was interested in trying it. We searched and found camp washington would be the only one open. After reading reviews we were unsure......thank goodness we tried it. IT WAS AMAZING! It was fast and our service was very good. I had the 4 way. She had the 3 way. We also had the cheese fries. Everything was very tasty and just what we were craving. A new favorite has been found!
TO
Tony Barbieri
Very good food. I love their Chili and Double Decker Sandwiches. Their staff needs a lot of work though. They almost always mess up every order. A friend and I just went there to get takeout. He ordered a gyro and I ordered a 4-way with onions. When we got home, my friend ended up with a salad and I was missing my onions. Most of their staff looks like drug addicts, so I dont know what more you can expect from them though.
KY
Kyle Wilson
Camp Washington Chili is a staple of the neighborhood and a perfect small town option to try Cincinnati style chili. Camp Washington Chili is also perfect to go to with friends who arent a fan of the chili because they offer great affordable sandwiches and very good burgers as well in an old-timey diner style restaurant. If you are in a rush sit at the bar to be in and out in less than 15 minutes.
SC
Scott Ledyard
Like most iconic, greasy spoon places, this can be a frustrating experience. Whats with the crazy parking lot with its maze like traffic flow? Lots of tables waiting to be cleaned. But wait: the food is worth it all. Cincinnati-style chili (tell your server if youve never had it on ordering advice) and dont forget to order onion rings for the table first thing. Now accept plastic. Addictive.
