Looking for the best chili in Kalamazoo County? There are plenty of fantastic choices available!

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KALAMAZOO, MI -- What’s not to love about chili?

Delicious and satisfying, chili offers a delightful combination of savory and spicy flavors. For those dining out on a budget, it’s typically one of the most economical choices available on the menu.

This Tex-Mex favorite dates to the 19th century, when cowboys on the cattle trail — many of them Mexican — mixed up a hearty stew of meat and chili peppers.

By the 20th century, the introduction of chili at a San Antonio chili stand during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair sparked a wave of chili parlors throughout the Midwest, each offering unique regional variations. For instance, in Cincinnati, chili is typically served atop spaghetti, whereas Detroit is often regarded as the home of the chili dog.

Did you know? According to the International Chili Society, authentic chili con carne is made exclusively with meat, red chili peppers, and a blend of spices and vegetables like onions — and it does not include beans.

In the Southwest region of Michigan, the traditional chili recipe features ground beef, beans, an abundance of garlic and onions, all simmered in a zesty tomato sauce. It is commonly garnished with cheese, sour cream, and sometimes additional onions.

What defines a great chili? It should possess a stew-like thickness rather than being soupy. Chili is inherently a spicy meal and should be boldly flavored. Essentially, you should be able to distinctly recognize that you are enjoying chili, rather than merely a beef and bean soup.

But the variations are endless: Different meats, different beans or no beans at all, vegan options relying on beans and vegetables, white chilis with chicken or turkey; different levels of heat and spiciness — a range of recipes that will be on display during downtown Kalamazoo’s annual Chili Cookoff, scheduled this year for Saturday, Jan. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

However, there's no need to wait for the Chili Cookoff to enjoy chili; it's a regular feature on the menus of numerous local eateries.

We explored the chili options at 12 locations in Kalamazoo County, featuring a variety of unique recipes such as white chicken chili, cactus chili, a meaty blend with three different meats, a hearty mix of three beans, a spicy version with chipotle peppers instead of the typical green chili, and a vegan chili that appeals even to those who typically prefer meat.

The restaurants are arranged in alphabetical sequence.

Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, 355 E. Michigan, Kalamazoo. Bell’s is known for its beer, not its chili. But the cafe kitchen serves up a hearty chili made with ground beef and beans and a lot of chipotle peppers that delivers enough of a kick that beer is a perfect accompaniment. A cup — the size of a bowl in most restaurants — is $6. A bowl is $10.

Blue Kitchella, 8211 Portage Road, Portage. This restaurant bills itself as serving high-quality gourmet fast food, and offers cactus chili made with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, onion, cactus and spinach. The chili is assertively spiced with notes of sweetener; the cactus and spinach are so finely diced they’re largely undetectable. A serving is $4.95 and, it should be noted, was the smallest serving of those we sampled.

Bomba’s BBQ, 2814 Portage St., Kalamazoo. Bomba’s opened in 2022 in the former Wendy’s near the intersection of Portage Road and Lover’s Lane. One of the hottest chilis that we sampled; chef Matt Trevino says he uses three kinds of chili peppers, “lots