Driving through Alexandria on US 27, I spotted Empress Chili and pulled in for a 3 way and a Coke. The restaurant is kind of like Dixie Chili Newport, an old chili parlor name housed in modern construction, and it too offers an order counter and tray for taking food to a table. The service was friendly, the dining area spotless, the regular-size portion larger than most places and the flavor not as spicy as I much prefer at Gold Star. A bit of salt and a lot of pepper sauce helped bring it up to speed.
There were several other chili parlors on my wish list ahead of Empress, but we needed to get gas, and the gas station we stopped at was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to an Empress. So, I took that as a sign. I did want to try it at some point anyway because Empress is very important in the history of Cincinnati chili.
For one thing, Empress is often credited with being the first Cincinnati-style chili. Two brothers created it and began serving it at their hot dog stand in 1922 before they established their first parlor in downtown Cincinnati (unfortunately this location is no longer open). In addition, the people who started both Dixie Chili and Skyline were employees at Empress first.
So, as we pulled into the parking lot and found it almost completely full, I took that as a good sign. Certainly this place seems to have its devotees. I ordered a plain chili again.
I enjoyed the savory flavor if the beef base contrasted with the expected cinnamon flavor. It it seemed less sweet on my palette than Skyline. I thought Dixie was a bit more deeply flavored. But I enjoyed this chili too.
For this trip, my opinions were:
Food: 3
Service: NA
Atmosphere: 2
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Explanation of rating scale:
1: Does Not Meet Expectations
2: Meets Expectations
3: Exceeds Expectations
4: Far Exceeds Expectations
So, on this scale, a 2 is a respectable score. 4s will be very rare. (And hopefully so will 1s).
This is my favorite restaurant in the world. I come here every year on my birthday. Their Chili Pizza is my favorite item, but you can order anything… and it’ll be good. What I’m also impressed with… is the staff. Always polite, always friendly, and more than anything… they make the experience truly terrific! ❤️ 5/5
Empress has the best ham and beef double deckers. The meats are piled so high I cannot get my mouth around the sandwich. Glad to see they are open for dine-in service again. Hoping they will soon be able to extend their service to include dinner hours again.
My husband and I ate at Empress Chili in Alexandria last night and loved it!!!
A new lady waited on us and her manager was right there helping her!
Our 4ways and cheese coneys were delicious! We were both pleasantly surprised by the amount of spaghetti & chili was in our 4 ways. It was a very generous serving 😍
It's different from other Cincinnati-style chilis. My first impression was that the flavors were muted, but as I ate I realized that the spice balance was different. It reminds me more of what I expect out of how you'd season moussaka. I really enjoyed it.
I don't eat chilli but wanted to join my friends for lunch here. So I ordered a Chicken Salad sandwich and I really liked it a lot, for both the texture and the taste. It seems they make the chicken salad every morning fresh. This is my first time there and I will definitely go back again. My friends ordered the chilli and they all liked it. This place is a hidden gem and the staff is very friendly.
Prompt, friendly service. Tasty food ready in minutes. Dining area is kept clean.
Food was good, service was friendly and fast. The spaghetti was a bit overcooked and the chili was lacking any pronounced flavor - it was good but just seemed to miss something.
The coneys were good and the Spagony was different as well.The interior of the location needs a update. The inside reminds me of a early/mid nineties Taco Bell. I would not go out of my way to eat here again, but if i was nearby I would easily stop for a quick bite!
The food and service are always fantastic. The staff is always friendly. I love the coneys and their chicken salad plate. Our whole family loves it there!
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