The World’s Best Chili is Found in Oklahoma

When it comes to the topic of chili in Oklahoma, there are a lot of differing opinions... but what if I told you the "World's Best Chili" is home here in the Sooner State?

Get our free mobile app

I know it seems like a tall tale, but it's true.

Let's get around the elephant in the room - Beans in Chili.

Can you put beans in your chili? Absolutely.

Do beans traditionally belong in chili? Absolutely not.

Texans love to bring up this topic as if they have the purest chili in the world, but Texas forgets that tomatoes don't belong in chili either, but while sporting America's lowest graduation rates, those words fall on deaf ears.

The point is you can throw absolutely anything in chili and rightfully call it chili.

That being said, Ike's Chili on Route 66 in Tulsa offers it up any way you like. Traditional no-beans chili and otherwise.

Ike's has been around longer than Oklahoma's oldest restaurant, but because they've moved locations, Cattlemans still holds the title (even though the steakhouse is actually the 3rd oldest in the state).

See Oklahoma's Oldest Restaurants Here

So what makes Ike's popular enough to call it America's best? Because people come from all over the country to eat it. Plain and simple.

@ikeschili If you’re traveling Route 66, stop in to have some of the best Chili around! #chili #route66 #tulsa #tulsaoklahoma #restaurant #roadtrip #oklahoma #foodtiktok #foodasmr #foodreview #foodlover #asmrfood #customerservice ♬ original sound - Ike's Chili

If you've been through Ohio and had Skyline Chili, they also like to claim that fame, but if you're from anywhere not in the Midwest, you know it's just not true.

Ike's reigns supreme in the world of chili.

If you get the chance, with plenty of cold days left in the season, if you find yourself in Tulsa, swing by Ike's Chili and have a meal.

You can have a bowl, a cup, add it to a burger or anything else on the classic menu. Then you can be the judge if Ike's really is the best chili in America.