Palookaville Chili

Growing up, I never liked chili. My parents, while great cooks in other departments, had this concoction that I always hated eating. As such, I thought this to be what all chili was like and so I was skeptical of trying this place, but for some reason I decided to give it a try. Palookaville Chili is now one of my favorite places. I get the spinach pannier over rice. Definitely try this out if you are in the area.

The owner (I assume) was a complete asshole to us. Came in with an expired groupon (good for the paid value), and spoke to the guy working. They were out of several items. Then we picked out what we wanted to eat, and then told him we had the groupon, he told me they weren’t accepted anymore. When I questioned him a little bit, he tore up the ticket and shouted «have a good day» and walked away.

Palookaville is a serious zone. anyone who would like to be ‘foodie’ likes some chili. My first visit and I like the place quite a bit. Located next to more visible Buckbuck gallery, this is part of Ohio City neighborhood I would like to see expand. so much potential and Palookaville is a fresh spot.
I have a good feeling on a visit when a notable song can make it through otherwise satellite radio mediocrity. In my case, the Beatles, ‘She’s so Heavy’. A song I will now listen to while eating chili as often I can. The sensory experience of spicy vegetarian loaded chili and this slightly demented, lengthy dirge of a pop song was great. also I was not stoned.
I will have to check Palookaville again. Menu has options that invite mix and match variety however they do not overdo this concept. that is the key. Place seems to have a creative approach. many startups in Ohio City, Gordon Square district should take some notes…

Right on. Chicken Verde chili with all the free fixins, baby. Wanna blow a few Cleveland steamers later in the day? Add beans for $.50. No frills interior. Fast service.

So I’ll be honest, this is my second visit to Palookaville Chili, and unfortunately, this visit has soured my opinion of a joint I really loved the first time in. The Girl, her brother and I visited on a blustery Saturday afternoon, thinking that chili would really hit the spot. We took our seats, browsed the poster-​style menus, and ordered.
I prefer to hit on the positives first, so I’ll start there. Palookaville has great chili. They use locally-​sourced ingredients, and change their menu as items come in or out of season. The Texas Beef has chunks of steak, a perfect blend of spices that gives a nice medium heat, and very tasty side dishes including apple slaw and cornbread. Additionally, the Hipster atmosphere is right at home in the Ohio City/​Gordon Square neighborhood. I saw 4 gentlemen wearing flannel shirts sitting at the bar that reminds me of a 50’s diner.
Now, the negative. The really cool tunes on the radio are turned up about 2 notches higher than allowable for comfortable conversation. As we ordered, we were told that multiple items were either no longer on the menu (which changes quarterly to adjust for seasonal produce, but new menus were not printed), or were simply out of stock. For instance, a chili joint with only one slice of cornbread left in the middle of the afternoon? Blasphemy!?$ Once our thrice revised order arrived, my Texas Beef Chili over macaroni arrived cold, with cold cornbread and a $ 1 can of Coke that is non-​refillable. Look, I’m down with making a profit on soft drinks, but $ 1 a can is a little obnoxious. My son ate his baby food warmer than my chili arrived.
Overall, I will likely return to Palookaville Chili one more time, hoping that this was simply an off day for their staff, because the first visit was worthy of 4-​stars. They make really good chili, with exceptional ingredients and flavor, and are worth checking out. I just hope that they revamp the presentation, serve what’s on the menu, and serve it hot. I can have lukewarm chili out of a can, and my cupboard is currently out of cornbread too.

Um, yeah. This is good. Like, really good. The outside is a little sketch. The boy gave me that stink eye — like he normally does when I tell him I want to «try somewhere new» and we pull up to some random hole-​in-​the-​wall strip plaza.
But, OMG. This place was delicious. I had a chili dog. Yes. You read that correctly. A chili dog… and it was amazing. I had the texas chili on it, with jalapenos, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. The bread was a melting, disgusting mess… and I stuffed my face with all of the sodium ridden glory.
This review is making me want another chili dog. Good chili + processed meat stick in a bun… Yum.

This is THE place to go for chili in Cleveland.
The menu is small, but wonderful and the options are varied enough that you get an idea of what flavors they’re really trying to showcase in each one. All of the chilis are very tasty, but the chicken verde and spinach paneer are my favorites. I’ve tried the corn bread, baked beans and apple slaw and all are absolutely delicious. The corn bread wasn’t plain and dry, but had a hint of some spices and was moist and perfect. The beans were bursting with flavor and the apple slaw was unique and crisp.
The atmosphere is great and the art on the walls is quite distracting in the best way possible. We were met with such friendliness and warmth that I knew before I’d even tried any food we were going to have a great experience. You can just tell that everything is made with pride and care.

I was at the bike shop next door and got thirsty and hungry waiting for work to get done, so I decided to walk down the street to see what I could find. I saw this cute place and got excited for a moment but then saw that it was sliders and burgers… I’m vegetarian so that wasn’t going to work. Well fortunately I still stopped to look at their menu and was delightfully surprised that they had veggie options! They were about to close I think and there wasn’t anyone in there so I was a bit skeptical. But when I opened the door, the bell dangling on the door handle jingled and a guy came out from the back. I ask about the spinach paneer, how do you make that a chili? and was offered a sample. It was good! but also kinda weird! I wasn’t sure what to make of all the flavors in my mouth, because it was certainly for flavorful. I decided to go with the spinach paneer over corn bread, plus shredded cheese and sour cream. ended being very delicious! I also wanted to try the black bean slider but I was warned that most recently made batch didn’t turn out so good bc he just made up the recipe. Funny guy, I think he was the owner? I’ll be by to try the next batch tho! Oh and they are BYOB which is always awesome!

Why am I not here more often? Like, I don’t know – everyday? It’s so damn good, pretty healthy and cheap! Oh can you beat that?! Well, I’m going to be here a-​helluva-​lot more often, now.
We decided to stop by this past Saturday for a quick lunch before a very long bike ride. It was an easy decision, especially since it’s right around the corner from our house, and it’s, well – delicious! We also had heard they started serving sliders, so we were curious.
I browsed the menu, and although there were so many new things that looked divine, I had to go with the texas beef chili on rice. I also got it loaded up with jalapeños, cheese and onions – great choice. It was beyond tasty. It was the perfect, warm brick in my tummy that I needed to fuel me. Tender hunks of beef, perfect spice and a little heat, it was bomb-​diggity. My man ordered the BBQ chicken sandwich, which came piled high with their awesome slaw. Let’s just say it didn’t last long on his plate. Although I’m not going to lie – I was pretty sad he didn’t offer me a bite.
Although I obviously ordered meaty foods to scarf, I really appreciated that there was something there for pretty much everyone! Vegan, vegetarian – there’s noms there for you!
Our check was dirt-​cheap and the vibe in this place is just awesome. It’s relaxed, but fun and the art is a great touch. I suggest grabbing a 6-​pack with some friends, pulling up a stool at the chili bar and having a delicious meal at Palookaville.

It’s come to my attention a FEW of you (and you KNOW who you are) have yet to make it to Palookaville Chili. Seriously, what the hell are you waiting for?
Look, this is the best damn chili I’ve ever had in my life and while you may not think it’s quite that good, you’re going to be very hard-​pressed to come up with reasons why not. OK, OK, if you’re a bean purist who thinks chili without beans is like a coloring book without crayons, you may not love the beanless chili as much as I do, BUT, they DO have chili with beans, but expand your horizons, open your heart and taste buds and take the leap of faith into a huge bowl of Palookaville’s Texas Beef or Hot Pork Chili and then sing its praises here at Unilocal.And if you post a negative review we’ll just assume you have no taste. Insert smiley face here.
GET SOME! Oh, yum.

Tried to go use my Groupon this weekend. Their website has been under renovation for weeks, but lets you download a menu. The menu says their hours on Saturday are 11:30am — 9:00pm, but we got there at 5:00pm and they were closed. Lame! I guess I should have checked Unilocal first. They should at least put the correct hours on their website. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get there before 4:00pm on a weekend.

FINALLY, a good chili place in Cleveland!
I was torn between the Texas Beef and the Hot Pork for a while but after a few more tries of each I’m stuck on the Hot Pork – so good! Perfect amount of spice and seasoning, won’t burn your mouth but will give you a little bit of that tingle.
Not the biggest fan of the cornbread but the chips and beans are my go to sides. Glad to see another great lunch spot near my place of employment – keep up the good work guys!

Palookaville I love you! I just had a bowl and I already want another fix of chili! I usually go for either the spinach paneer or the chicken verde. Spinach Paneer satisfies my taste for Indian food and I get it over rice. Spice, flavor, texture… the paneer is perfect for the discerning vegitarian and the Chicken Verde is so hearty and scrumptious, I’m usually not hungry for the rest of the day!
I always request the cornbread as a side as it is sooo good with little flecks of jalepeno, slightly crispy on outside, warm and moist on the inside… Yum! The food is made with fresh ingredients and with love… I can tell as the staff is always happy and smiling as they prepare it, not to mention the art and atmosphere in the spot is so fresh and an awesome spot for that lunch meeting, easy dinner date, or the perfect backdrop for a mastermind session that needs a little inspiration.
Owner Ian is a forward-​thinker and deserves some props for his vision and his sense of humor with the namesake. Go to Palookaville… it is worth the drive, walk, bus, bike, or plane ride :))

I finally got over my annoyance that Palookaville was once not open on Sunday when I first wanted to try them and I had lunch there today. The man who took our order explained all the options and I ordered the Texas Chili in a bowl with a side of cornbread. It looked like a small serving, but it turned out to be just the right size for lunch. The chili had a great combination of spices that was flavorful but not as strong as to make me sweat. The cornbread was fresh, but could have used a side of butter; they may offer butter, but I got caught up in conversation and forgot to ask.
The staff was friendly and efficient and I enjoyed the music.
I wish I had stopped in sooner and will be back.

More people need to know about this place… I want it to be open more often!

I trusted other Unilocalers opinions on this place to try it. It was my first time in Cleveland and I’m so glad I found this place. You start with 4 different types of chili to try from, then choose how you want to eat it. I had the spicy pork over a hot dog and my boyfriend had his over rice. Choose your sides if you can fit it all in. My hotdog was an entire meal on it’s own! The owner, Ian is very friendly and a self taught cook. You can’t go wrong here for some good home cooking!

Just had the chicken chili last night, topped with fresh chopped jalepenos and cheese. The best so far. I could eat 12 bowls of it.
And the bacon beans, somewhat unimpressive the first time I had them, were EPIC the second time.
He’s soon to release two more regular chilis, and will be adding more menu stuff. Aside from O.C.B., my favorite eatery in the ‘hood.
Ian is the shiz.

Very, very, very cool ambiance. Right on busy ass Lorain by Fulton, cool artwork all over the place, hip workers, and not a Starbucks or Target in sight. I had the hoagie (chili on a bun, no dog). Flavorful, great texture (not just mush like most chili), and only five bucks to fill my gas tank. Parking is iffy around late afternoon (try to make sense of Cleveland parking laws, I dare you). Menu is simple. Nothing fancy, nothing trendy. Just chili and about a half dozen ways to eat it. Choosing between here and Skyline in that horrible Lyndhurst strip mall? No brainer.

I went with their straight forward Texas Beef chili with sides of cornbread and the apple slaw.
The chili had a good amount of heat to it, so don’t be dismayed by the fact that they list it as their medium. It had a nice velvety consistance with meat that was very tender.
The cornbread was very good, too, and is not your typical Jiffy Mix variety. It had good texture, and the taste complimented chili quite well.
I was really impressed with the apple slaw. It wasn’t swimming in slaw dressing, so the flavors of the apple mixed with the cabbage had a great snap to it. It was great for snapping the tastebuds out of the heat from the chili.
The owner was very open about listening to suggestions as he has already taken consideration into keeping sriracha sauce available, and even elbow maccaroni for those who wish to go «Cincy-​style».
There’s definitely a clear passion being put into the food being prepared at Palookaville Chili.
PS — they don’t serve beer, but will allow you to BYOB. So, that’s kinda nice.

I said I would write this review drunk, and I’m still not feeling drunk enough after a whole bottle of wine. Blah.
I got the Spicy Veggie, a vegan chili. No, I am not a vegan. I hate vegans — damn hippies. I’m starting to sound like Eric Cartman, but I digress.
The Spicy Veggie was supposed to be the hottest flavor, but it didn’t taste hot to me at all. That’s not saying it wasn’t good; it was excellent. The combination of beans, peppers, corn, and mushrooms went surprisingly well together. There was almost a distinct taste from it that cannot be replicated elsewhere. It tasted dense and meaty, although what you were having was quite the opposite. The owners are trying to do as much as they can to improve the recipes (e.g., make the Spicy Veggie hot enough to please Satan himself), so I don’t want to rule this place out just yet. Oh, and for those of you who love Sriracha Sauce, guess who has it? Cha-​ching.
There are two food items that have already been mastered and are excellent: their Apple Slaw and their Cornbread. The Apple Slaw is un-​vinegary cole slaw with fresh apples, and tastes marvelous. Their Cornbread, on the other hand, is in-​your-​bleeping-​face cornbread with a hint of cinnamon. Both are amazing, and highly recommended.
If you’ve ever wondered what chili is like with liquor poured in it, you can find out here. No, they do not have an alcohol license, but they are BYOB. So you can get some Patron, pour it in your Texas Beef chili, and you will have the most ghetto chili ever. On second thought, Patron is nasty. Stick to bourbon.