San Antonio, TXChili

The San Antonio Express-News led its 2025 survey of the city's bowls of chili with this ice house, and credits the San Antonio Chili here to Levi Goode, a fifth generation Texan and a James Beard Award nominee. Paul Stephen describes deep beefy flavor, a heady note of cumin, long simmered aromatics and measured seasoning, with little tins of diced white onion and sliced pickled jalapenos for customizing. Order the bowl with the spiced Firecracker Ritz the kitchen sends out in place of saltines, and a cold Shiner.

The San Antonio Express-News calls this the bowl most people have in mind when they think of chili, and the spiciest one on its 2025 city survey. Paul Stephen writes that Bombay forgot the fire extinguisher when stirring this pot up, and that the burn is the kind that gets the endorphins flowing and a craving going for one more bite. The chili runs extra meaty, much of the ground beef left in toothsome chunks. Order it on its own, or doused over a burger.

The San Antonio Express-News writes that more places should treat chili as standard bar food, and that this Southtown watering hole gets it right with a cheffed up rendition made from venison. Paul Stephen found it seasoned with salt and spice and reined in with shredded cheese, crema and sliced green onions. The room is a cocktail establishment rather than a beer joint, so the paper pairs the bowl with a bitter Negroni or a classic old fashioned. Order the venison chili with one.

The San Antonio Express-News writes that this sprawling outdoor playground for children and grownups bills itself as a neighborhood pizza joint, and that the chili is no slouch. Paul Stephen found a hint of sweetness in the bowl, a condemnable offense in some puritanical chili circles, countering a well developed depth of flavor that hit every point on the palate. The chili turns up across the menu on fries, hot dogs and Frito pies. Order a bowl on its own first.

The San Antonio Express-News says this is the point on its 2025 chili survey where the chile burn starts to show up. Armadillos is known first as a burger joint, and its chili most frequently tops a gloriously sloppy chili cheeseburger, but Paul Stephen reports the kitchen will make a solo bowl of red happen. He found it thinner and soupy, holding nothing back on spice or seasoning, with the crunch of raw onions adding texture. Order the bowl, then the chili cheeseburger.