Skyline Chili on W. 86th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Our trip was winding down and we needed one more hotel before making our way back to Mid-Michigan. We initially planned on driving the whole way back to Lansing because I was supposed to work on Friday. That got cancelled so we decided to break the nine-hour trip into two parts with a stop over in Indianapolis.
I really didn’t want to spend a lot on a hotel, so I did Priceline. I said I wanted a hotel for $30 and someone took the offer. It wasn’t a four star in downtown, but all we really needed was a place to sleep.
As we were driving to our hotel, we passed a Skyline Chili. Neither of us had ever eaten at one and the only reason I had ever heard of it is because of the Big ‘n Rich song Coming To Your City which has the lyric…
Well we blew through Cincinatti
And we all got really happy
Grabbed a bowl of that Skyline Chili along the way
Since our trip was essentially a country music/BBQ experience, it makes sense that we headed back for some chili.
Skyline Chili has six locations in the Greater Indianapolis area. The one we chose was the location on West 86th Street on the northwest side of town. It’s in a little strip mall just off Michigan Road with a number of other fast food and chain restaurants.
Skyline Chili on 86th and Michigan Road in Indianapolis, IN
It was about 7:30 on a Wednesday night when we pulled in and the place was empty. The two employees were standing out front smoking and had to follow us back into the building.
In the back of the space is the order counter which is kind of set up cafeteria style. You grab a tray, silverware, and napkins then place your order. We both ordered the 3-Way Chili which is something I’ve always wanted to try. I’ve always been fascinated with the Cincinnati Chili concept and since Skyline got it’s start in Cincy, I figured this would be a good place to try it out.
3-Way Chili starts with a bed of spaghetti. It’s then topped with the chili and cheddar cheese….and there was a lot of cheddar cheese. You can also get your chili 4-Way which includes diced onions or red beans. There’s also a 5-Way which would be both onions and beans.
We both ordered regulars. J tried to order a small, but the girl working talked her out of it saying the small was pretty much a kids size. We also got garlic bread with our order which was toasted and buttered after we ordered.
3-Way Chili from Skyline Chili
Since the chili and spaghetti is pre-made, the only thing we had to wait for was for the girl to make it. We had out meals in just a few minutes. Besides the chili we were each given a bowl of goldfish like crackers which neither of us used.
The portion size was huge. J easily could have been satisfied with a small plate instead of the larger one. There was so much cheese which made it very tasty. We both actually really liked the chili and eating it with spaghetti made it even better. The garlic toast was very good even though it wasn’t much more than white bread with a butter/garlic mixture put on after the toasting.
Our bill was a little under $20 and we were able to get dinner, eat it, and make it back to the hotel before NBC’s Thursday night lineup started. The only wierd thing is that we didn’t know what to do with our dirty dishes when we got down. There were no trash recepticals, so we left them on the table. I always feel wierd doing that. It makes me feel like an ass, but neither of could see trash cans.
Skyline Chili was good. It’s another one of those chains we don’t have access to here in Mid-Michigan, so when you’re in an area that has them, you have to stop. I would go back if we were ever near one again.
Mid-Michigan Dining 
I tried the Skyline Chili place in Dayton, OH a number of years back and remember not liking it much at all. The idea is good, but I’m picky when it comes to chili. As I recall, Skyline’s was on the sweet side.
This could just be me as I generally don’t like coney dogs either. Mostly due to how the “chili” is made from the nasty bits n ‘ pieces that normally couldn’t be sold elsewhere. Funny thing is, I actually like Hot Dogs (Koegel’s rock!).
I thought Skyline Chili was a lot like Coney Sauce which is why I like it. There are no beans or fillers…it’s pretty much just a meat sauce. I think that’s why I liked it so much.
There was a Skyline Chili in downtown Lansing until about 2 years ago, located in the building that now houses Downtown Dog House…
damn…just missed it.
Izzo’s pizza is back (now called Geno’s) !!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems like not as much cheese and sauce as in the past, but still very good! Now downtown Lansing.