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24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner/Facebook

Warm Up With 11 Bowls of Chili in Austin

So meaty (and yes, most are without beans)

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24 Diner’s chili
| 24 Diner/Facebook

Chilly temperatures means it’s time to heat up with bowls of the Texas state dish: chili. It’s meaty, warming, filling, and even full of vegetables at times; what more could you want from a meal?

The map spans from old-school styles of Texas Parlour Chili to meaty, pastrami-filled bowls at Pieous to barbecue takes at Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ to goat versions at Sour Duck Market. While, yes, it’s traditional to not even think about adding beans, be warned: some of the restaurants ahead do include the forbidden ingredient (aka beans) in chili bowls.

Remember that Guy Clark even immortalized one of Austin’s premier chili spots in a song: "I wish I was in Austin at the Chili Parlor Bar, drinking Mad Dog margaritas and not caring where you are." Eater’s Dining on the Dime digital series also checked out the classic restaurant.

Form a game plan against cold weather spells by arming up with hot soup, ramen, tea, and even warm boozy cocktails. Check out chili’s upgraded cousin, the Frito pie, and scope around other iconic meaty Austin dishes.

If a favorite chili isn’t on the map, let Eater know in the comments or through the tipline.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Cover 2

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Cover 2 and Cover 3 both serve up Matt's Chili in a bowl or a cup. It's made with beef and absolutely no beans. Fun fact: Texas-based sports teams are more likely to win if you eat chili while watching them play. Ideally.

Matt’s Chili at Cover 2
Matt’s Chili at Cover 2
Cover 2/Facebook

Jim's Restaurant

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Blogger RL Reeves says: "It ain't fancy by a long shot but Jim's Restaurant puts out a respectable bowl. I like the one on Research Blvd. The staff have been there forever and it's a period time capsule with tufted banquettes and what have you."

Jim’s Restaurant’s chili
Jim’s Restaurant’s chili
Jim’s Restaurant/Facebook

Lucy's Fried Chicken

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Lucy's West Texas red chili comes with a mix of ground beef and pork, and pairs nicely with a couple of the fried chicken restaurant mini-chain’s Southern-style sides.

Lucy’s Fried Chicken’s chili
Lucy’s Fried Chicken’s chili
Lucy’s Fried Chicken/Facebook

Billy's on Burnet

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This longtime Burnet Road watering hole serves up both meaty and vegetarian chili, and the kitchen will happily turn it into Frito pie.

Sour Duck Market

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Sour Duck’s goat chili comes with an apology to Texas for the beans.

Texas Chili Parlor

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This is the place to eat chili in Austin, and not just because its name includes the word "chili." The iconic campus-area restaurant has been serving up bowls of Texas red since 1976.

24 Diner

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The all-hours 24 Diner serves up a "no-bean" chili made with brisket, chuck roast, and Lone Star beer, served with a side of cornbread.

24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner/Facebook

TLC Austin

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The coastal Texas comfort food restaurant in Zilker offers a simple beefy chili (ground beef and brisket) made with chili spices and peppers.

Black Sheep Lodge

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South Austin sports bar Black Sheep offers chili with or sans beans, so heretics and purists can eat together in harmony.

Keep an eye out for the Neapolitan pizzeria’s chili, which, of course, includes that pastrami.

Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ

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One of the Tex-Mex barbecue truck’s rotating specials is its brisket chili.

Cover 2

Cover 2 and Cover 3 both serve up Matt's Chili in a bowl or a cup. It's made with beef and absolutely no beans. Fun fact: Texas-based sports teams are more likely to win if you eat chili while watching them play. Ideally.

Matt’s Chili at Cover 2
Matt’s Chili at Cover 2
Cover 2/Facebook

Jim's Restaurant

Blogger RL Reeves says: "It ain't fancy by a long shot but Jim's Restaurant puts out a respectable bowl. I like the one on Research Blvd. The staff have been there forever and it's a period time capsule with tufted banquettes and what have you."

Jim’s Restaurant’s chili
Jim’s Restaurant’s chili
Jim’s Restaurant/Facebook

Lucy's Fried Chicken

Lucy's West Texas red chili comes with a mix of ground beef and pork, and pairs nicely with a couple of the fried chicken restaurant mini-chain’s Southern-style sides.

Lucy’s Fried Chicken’s chili
Lucy’s Fried Chicken’s chili
Lucy’s Fried Chicken/Facebook

Billy's on Burnet

This longtime Burnet Road watering hole serves up both meaty and vegetarian chili, and the kitchen will happily turn it into Frito pie.

Sour Duck Market

Sour Duck’s goat chili comes with an apology to Texas for the beans.

Texas Chili Parlor

This is the place to eat chili in Austin, and not just because its name includes the word "chili." The iconic campus-area restaurant has been serving up bowls of Texas red since 1976.

24 Diner

The all-hours 24 Diner serves up a "no-bean" chili made with brisket, chuck roast, and Lone Star beer, served with a side of cornbread.

24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner’s chili
24 Diner/Facebook

TLC Austin

The coastal Texas comfort food restaurant in Zilker offers a simple beefy chili (ground beef and brisket) made with chili spices and peppers.

Black Sheep Lodge

South Austin sports bar Black Sheep offers chili with or sans beans, so heretics and purists can eat together in harmony.

Pieous

Keep an eye out for the Neapolitan pizzeria’s chili, which, of course, includes that pastrami.

Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ

One of the Tex-Mex barbecue truck’s rotating specials is its brisket chili.

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