It’s cold outside, but some of Charlotte restaurants’ best chili can help warm you up
When it’s cold outside, cozy comfort foods such as chili beckon to help warm you up from the inside — and there are several places in Charlotte where you’ll want to consider making a stop.
In my hometown, chili is such a staple food that there’s a specific grocery store section just for chili ingredients. I also tell everyone who will listen that I once won our neighborhood chili cookoff — complete with the award of an apron and spoon — so I feel like this is a food I can speak to with some authority.
Beans or no beans, meat-based or vegetarian, it’s all good to me. What matters is that the chili is hearty and warm, full of flavor and made with a little love.
Let’s also take note that National Chili Day is recognized on the fourth Thursday in February — right when it’s usually chilly outside and you’ll want a bowl of something hot.
When temperatures drop and you need to eat, here are some of the best places in Charlotte to slurp up a bowl of chili:
Brooks’ Sandwich House
Location: 2710 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28205
Brooks’ Sandwich House is a Charlotte Classic Eats spot that offers chili as a standout menu staple, cooked up in enormous batches cooked up fresh daily.
Chili is served by the pound, if that’s the way you want to go. But it’s also pretty tempting to load it up on top of burgers and hot dogs, cheese fries and nachos.
If you’re a big fan, you can also get its chili seasoning to take home and keep the vibes going as the winter weather hits. As they say at Brooks’ — “Too blessed to be stressed.”
Chubz Famous Chiliburgers
Location: 200 A W Woodlawn Rd, Charlotte NC, 28217
Just as the name explains, Chubz Famous Chiliburgers has a chili-focused menu. The restaurant serves chili on burgers — which come in single, double and triple patty options, each with tomatoes, pickles, onions and mustard.
Chili cheese on fries is another solid selection, as are the jumbo chili dogs and chili cheese dogs.
But the real winner here for those of us who are flavor seekers is an order of the Extreme Chili Cheese Fries, piled high with Chubz sauce (a house-made Thousand Island dressing), barbecue sauce, jalapeños, chopped cheesesteak, grilled peppers and onions, chilli, cheddar cheese sauce, fresh chopped onions and tomatoes.
City Barbeque
Location: 8948 J M Keynes Dr, Charlotte, NC 28262
Location: 1514 Galleria Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28270
Location: 11212 Providence Rd W, Charlotte, NC 28277
In honor of National Chili Day, City Barbeque is offering a limited-time special Feb. 20-27 for $2 off a bowl of its $6.99 brisket chili, which is on the menu until March 4.
The chili comes with sour cream, cheese and jalapenos, and you can add barbecue sauce on to jazz it up if you’d like at no extra charge.
JJ’s Red Hots
Location: 1514 East Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28203
Hot dog haven JJ’s Red Hots has chili on lock, of course, because you can’t make a Chili Cheese Coney or a Carolina-style Char Heel hot dog without it.
But that’s not all, folks! At JJ’s, you can also order up loaded chili cheese fries (or tots), or you can “chili cheese” any other sides, including the Borracho Beans with onions, garlic, Arbol chiles, roasted tomatoes and dark lager That screams winter warm-up time to me.
Lupie’s Cafe
Location: 2718 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205
Lupie’s Cafe — another one of our Charlotte’s Classic Eats stalwarts — is well known for its Cincinnati-style chili. If you’ve never had it before, Cincinnati chili includes cinnamon and is usually served over spaghetti, topped with cheese and raw onions. Try it with an open mind, I say as someone from a place that regularly pairs a bowl of chili with sweet cinnamon rolls.
If you can’t bring yourself to be that adventurous, Lupie’s may still be the spot to beat for a cup or a bowl. The restaurant also offers “very spicy” Texas chili, a traditional Southern style chili and vegetarian chili. Chili mac with spaghetti or chili mac with mac n cheese are options, and each choice includes pinto beans, cheese and onions as toppings and a piece of cornbread.
Mac’s Speed Shop
Location: 2511 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 2414 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273
Location: 142 E John St, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 8021 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027
Location: 19601 Liverpool Pkwy, Cornelius, NC 28031
Barbecue normally comes to mind when you think of Mac’s Speed Shop, and that’s not a bad thing. But when chili is what hits the spot, Mac’s has that covered, too.
The restaurant’s version is a beef and black bean chili, with options to choose a cup or a bowl. It’s served with tortilla chips — or you can go for “the whole shebang,” for a little more and load it up with cheese, sour cream, pickled onions and jalapenos.
Pro tip: If you really want to kick it up another notch, add a few drizzles of Mac’s Western North Carolina barbecue sauce on top, too. Chef’s kiss!
Pinky’s Westside Grill
Location: 1600 W. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28208
Location: 9818 Gilead Road, Suite 101 B, Huntersville, NC 28078
Pinky’s Westside Grill carries the kind of energy that brings about visits from Food Network’s Guy Fieri for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and “Triple D Nation,” so you know the food is packed with flavor.
Its homemade chili and veggie chili comes with cheddar and onions. Just as tempting as spooning it up solo, though, is adding it to a small or large order of Frito Bandito. Picture it: Fritos corn chips, topped with housemade pimento cheese and chili. A vegan version of the pimento cheese is available instead, as is bacon if you want to take that in an entirely different direction.
Another option to fill your belly with warmth: a Pinky Burger topped with that housemade pimento cheese and beef chili.
Did we miss your favorite? Let us know at charlottefive@charlottefive.com.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
