Ever wanted a pizza with Skyline Chili on it? The brand’s new flagship location launched Friday at Fountain Square, with all the classic favorites you know and love alongside plenty of new additions exclusive to the new location.
The nearly 9,000-square-foot restaurant is Skyline Chili’s largest location to date, and will be open every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The newest Skyline sports 200 seats, including a 20-person bar and a dedicated carryout station on 6th Street. Yesterday, Skyline hosted a soft opening at the location featuring Mayor Aftab Pureval and Skyline Chili CEO Dick Williams.
“For generations, Fountain Square has been the gathering place for our city,” Williams said. “I remember writing a book report in third grade, cutting out little pictures of the fountain, and researching all the little different aspects of the fountain. It’s been a part of our lives forever.”
While speaking with press, Williams stressed the cultural importance of Skyline’s food to people all across the region.
“First dates have led to marriages, those parents bring their kids in, and then they bring their grandkids in, and then that great grandkid, and feed them their first cheese coney … we’re very proud that we’re not just a restaurant, and we’re part of what makes Cincinnati unique,” he said.
Speaking of unique, this Skyline location has plenty of interesting dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
Of particular interest was the chili con queso, which is exactly what you’d think (Skyline Chili mixed with queso, tomatoes and jalapeños, served with tortilla chips); the deep-fried crispy mac-and-cheese bites, served with a dipping sauce of chili; the breakfast options, like the “scrambler bowl” of sausage, eggs, bacon, cheese and chili; and the various pizzas that all have chili-related toppings in some form or fashion.
Of the four pizzas available, I tried the Buffalo Chicken and the Skyline Dip pizza. Both were good, but the Skyline pizza—which looks kinda like a normal cheese pizza but features cream cheese and chili underneath the cheese—had me going back for seconds and thirds.
In addition to the new menu items, this Skyline boasts a gigantic gift shop full of everything from sweatshirts to mugs to pool floaties. It’s complete with a photo-op area featuring a giant chili kettle that was once in use for chili production but is now available for guests to sit and take a photo in. (Williams estimated that the kettle had likely produced over 6 million pounds of chili in its lifetime.)
For Williams, placing the brand’s flagship location at Fountain Square signifies an investment in the citizens of Cincinnati.
“People come to Fountain Square to celebrate victories, or before and after music festivals, or come here after shows at the Aronoff, or for live music, or even just to create memories,” he said. “Opening this store makes a statement that we believe in downtown Cincinnati. We believe in the businesses, the workers, the residents, the students, the tourists that come to town, all the people that bring energy into this city every day, and we believe that great cities are built when organizations like ours continue to invest.”
