Austin, TXChili

Time Out Austin calls this Lavaca Street room an old guard favorite, with gruff service, a dive bar ethos and a seventies feel that pulls in students, tourists and the legislature. The standard bowl of red comes in three heat levels, while the chili with beans range runs to venison, white pork and hatch chile, plus a five bean vegetarian version. Order the standard bowl at whichever heat you can handle, and keep the drink simple with a Negra Modelo or a Shiner.

Time Out Austin writes that Andrew Curren is serious about chili, and that his version at this North Lamar diner goes on the menu as the No Bean Chili, a late night favorite at the bar counter. Brisket and chuck roast cook down with poblano peppers, Lone Star beer, red onions and jalapenos into a meaty, savory bowl of red, finished with shredded cheddar and a slice of cornbread. Order it late, with something from the wine list the magazine credits to Craig Collins.

Time Out Austin says chef-owner James Holmes had seventies Austin in mind when he wrote this old school chile con carne, building the Texas-style bowl of red on older recipes from the Terlingua chili cook-off with bacon fat, onion, garlic and ground meat at the front. Holmes told the magazine his own blend of chili powders and purees is there to give the bowl a slow afterburn. Order it with the saltines it arrives with, plus the onions, cheese and jalapenos.

Time Out Austin describes a South Lamar room that fills up on loud conversation, big burgers and draft beer, and calls the chili the dark horse of its city roundup. The pot starts with angus chuck beef and some bacon, then takes on onion, jalapenos, garlic and a house blend of chili spices. Beans, Fritos and sour cream go on afterwards as add-ins rather than into the simmer. Order a bowl with Fritos, and one of those burgers if you are staying a while.