As temperatures begin to cool, the appeal of comfort foods reaches an all-time high. Soups, stews, and chowders top the list of soul-nourishing, body-warming meals. Texas chili, of course, qualifies as its own category of bowl-and-spoon satisfiers.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, true Texas chili never, ever, ever has beans in it because the focus should be on the meat, which around these parts typically means beef. You\u2019ll find a few outliers that use wild game or other proteins, but the basic formulation remains the same.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re seeking a bowl topped with shredded cheese, jalape\u00f1os, and fresh onions, or plain with a side of crackers, we\u2019ve got the heapin\u2019 scoop on the best places to get your five-alarm fix around DFW.<\/p>\n
Tolbert\u2019s Restaurant & Chili Parlor A hearty bowl of Texas red chili and crispy taquitos make a satisfying pairing at Tolbert\u2019s, a longtime Grapevine institution known for its no-bean chili. | Photo by Grapevine CVB <\/p>\n
As the only restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth with the word \u201cChili\u201d in its name that actually serves chili (sorry, Chili\u2019s<\/a>), this Grapevine staple on the town\u2019s historic Main Street deserves a spot at the top of this list. Frank X. Tolbert\u2019s world-famous Original Texas \u201cBowl of Red,\u201d is a great place to start. Order it by the bowl, cup, or super bowl if you\u2019re really hungry. It packs a bit of heat on its own, but upgrade to 5-alarm or 10-alarm if you like smoke coming out of your ears. Stray from the iconic version if you dare, thanks to vegetarian, chicken, and \u201cnorth of the border\u201d options with beans. 423 S. Main St., Grapevine, tolbertsrestaurant.com<\/a><\/p>\n Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse <\/p>\n For 30 years, Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse in Downtown Dallas\u2019s historic West End District has been a must-visit for out-of-towners and a regular haunt for locals who love fine-dining quality steaks and wild game without the pretense of some of the city\u2019s top dining rooms. The Chuck Wagon Chili comes from a 50-year-old recipe, a version of which<\/a> you can even make at home. Add an iceberg wedge salad, and you\u2019ve got the perfect lunch or dinner. 702 Ross Ave., Dallas, yoranchsteakhouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n All Good Caf\u00e9 <\/p>\n Terlingua, Texas, is well-known as the Chili Capital of the World, and this Deep Ellum caf\u00e9\u2019s Famous Terlingua Formula One All Good Texas Chili received the stamp of approval of Terlingua\u2019s self-proclaimed mayor, David Witts. The ghost town has no actual mayor, but it\u2019s still a worthy claim to fame for the bowl of red with cheddar and onions served with a side of saltines. Or get the Frito Pie version topped with cheddar, sour cream, and fresh pico de gallo. 2934 Main St., Dallas, allgood-cafe.com<\/a><\/p>\n Angry Dog This beloved Deep Ellum bar and grill gets its name from a massive, all-beef, Kosher hot dog loaded with chili, cheese, and grilled red onions, but it\u2019s worth trying the Commerce Street Chili in its purest form. Try a bowl with cheddar cheese, raw onions, and pickled jalape\u00f1os. For only a buck more, add Fritos to make it a belly-filling Fritos pie. 2726 Commerce St., Dallas, angrydog.com<\/a><\/p>\n Billy Can Can <\/p>\n This Dallas dining saloon in the heart of Victory Park has a reputation for elevating Texas and southern staples, such as deviled eggs, pimento cheese dip, and banana pudding, so its chili upgrade naturally follows suit. The Bowl of Red is a classic Texas beef chili, thick and rich, with a shredded longhorn cheddar and pickled jalape\u00f1o garnish. It\u2019s the crispy beef bacon added on top, however, that takes the whole dish to new heights. 2386 Victory Park Ln., Dallas, billycancan.com<\/a><\/p>\n Katy Trail Ice House <\/p>\n Grab a picnic table facing the Katy Trail for a nonstop parade of walkers, joggers, cyclists, and some of the cutest dogs you may ever encounter. Order up an icy schooner of Shiner Bock to accompany a big bowl of dark-beer venison chili. Get it fully loaded with onions, jalape\u00f1os, and cheddar. Or, if you have the appetite of a pro wrestler, dare to get the Man Vs. Food burger with a full pound of beef (four patties!), double cheese, double jalape\u00f1os, and two ladles of venison chili. 3127 Routh St., Dallas, katyicehouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n Fred\u2019s Texas Caf\u00e9 <\/p>\n Since 1978, Fred\u2019s has been a true Fort Worth, Texas original. Now with three locations, the small chain\u2019s cooks grind the beef in-house for the chili. After simmering for hours, it\u2019s served with cheddar, onions, jalape\u00f1os, and corn chips for dipping (or adding to each spoonful at a time). If you\u2019re feeling adventurous and wildly non-traditional, Fred\u2019s even has a tasty Australian lamb stew with green chili, potatoes, and carrots. It\u2019s served with tortilla chips for a hint of authenticity. Multiple locations, fredstexascafe.com<\/a><\/p>\n Queenie\u2019s Steakhouse <\/p>\n Chef Tim Love has created several concepts, mostly in Fort Worth, but this Denton homage to his mom (nicknamed Queenie) deftly balances elegance and approachability. His Texas Red Chili checks all the comfort-food boxes, plus a few chef-driven touches, such as smoked cheddar cheese, crispy tortilla strips, and cr\u00e8me fraiche. White tablecloths and chili may be the most daring move of any restaurant ever. 115 E.Hickory St., Denton, queeniessteakhouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n Haywire Venison takes the starring role in the chili at this Texas-themed restaurant in Plano and Uptown Dallas. Served in a crock with gobs of melty aged white cheddar, purple onions, and chives, it\u2019s accompanied by a buttered cornbread muffin that is so good crumbled atop. (Maybe you can sweet talk the server for two.) Try it with a Haywire Old Fashioned, and you\u2019ll be set. Multiple locations, haywirerestaurant.com<\/a><\/p>\n Mama\u2019s Daughters\u2019 Diner <\/p>\n Leave it to a down-home, classic diner to do chili right. With locations in the Dallas Design District, West Plano, South Irving, Forney, and Lewisville, you\u2019ll never be far from a homemade chili fix. Get it in its simplest form, by the bowl or cup, with crackers or homemade cornbread on the side. Or load it up with Fritos, cheese, and onions. (Pro tip: The chili\u2019s also pretty amazing poured over a baked potato with butter and sour cream.) Multiple locations, mamasdaughtersdiner.com<\/a><\/p>\n White Elephant Saloon <\/p>\n Tucked away past the bar at the White Elephant Saloon in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, you\u2019ll find a dedicated Chili Parlor. Every day, from noon to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., you can score a bowl of Texas red chili and a piece of homemade cornbread for only $6. If you opt for the evening chili service, make sure to settle in with a beer and stick around for some live music.106 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, whiteelephantsaloon.com\/chili-parlor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As temperatures begin to cool, the appeal of comfort foods reaches an all-time high. Soups, stews, and chowders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-482127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Deep Ellum favorite Angry Dog piles its signature hot dog high with hearty Texas chili, shredded cheddar, and jalape\u00f1os, served alongside a generous helping of fries. | Photo by Angry Dog <\/p>\n
Haywire\u2019s hearty venison chili comes loaded with melted aged white cheddar, red onions, and chives, with a buttery cornbread muffin on the side. | Photo by Kayla Enright <\/p>\n