School House of Chili

Amazing chili and very friendly owner. I don’t know why this place is only rated as 3 stars

They’ve got little except chili on non-​game days. Nathan’s hot dogs are tagged as «Chicago style» but all Chicagoans know it’s authentic only if they use Vienna red hots. Quality hot dogs need to be served in poppy seed buns that can withstand steaming, nothing like these plain ones that quickly fell apart.
One good thing is the Triple XXX root beer along with beverages for adult consumption. On weekends it’s all about the barbeque here which I didn’t sample. The interior is pretty run down, basic campus style. Nonetheless students seem to have made this a popular place to gather.

Well, sorry, but there’s better chili in town at places that don’t have «chili» in the name. Triple X for one. Steak n Shake’s, and Wendy’s chilis are better than Schoolhouse. Disappointing.

The chili itself is ok, it’s everything else that was wrong. I got the Mac n cheese base but never tasted much Mac n cheese. The chili watered down my bowl. They were out of every beer except 2, every pop except 2, and out of sour cream! I won’t waste my money there again.

Beer! Customizable chili! What more do you need to know? Taste of the food is okay. Mostly clean dining area. Friendly, knowledgable guy at the counter taking our orders.

School House of Chili is my new favorite lunch spot in Greater Lafayette– and it has made me into a chili lover. I’ll tell you why:
1. The chili is delicious, hearty, and there are a variety of types to suite your particular chili preferences. I like to get half California (a chicken chili with chunky veggies) and half Spicy Chili (which is tasty but a bit too spicy on its own for me). You choose the toppings– chopped onions and generous sour cream for me. They have a variety of hot sauces so you can add your own extra heat.
2. Why have I never tried chili with mac and cheese? It’s seriously amazing. In fact, I don’t think I“ll ever be able to eat chili again without Mac and Cheese. You can get a good sized bowl of mac & cheese topped with chili here for about $ 7.
3. Comes with a side of cornbread, which is always moist and tasty, albeit a bit sweeter than I’m used to. It almost serves as a dessert and is good dipped in the chili. They also have a nice selection of beers available.
4. Service — I have had nothing but cheerful, patient service here. They encourage you to sample different chili varieties. The owner often comes out to make sure you’re satisfied with your meal. Much better than you get from most fast casual places.
5. Ambiance– casual, clean, ample seating, nice deep booths for groups, and never too crowded.
6. A little something extra– When I went in yesterday craving my mac & cheese chili bowl, I didn’t realize until I went to pay that I didn’t have my wallet with me. I apologized profusely, but the owner insisted I eat my meal and come back whenever I could (later in the week or even after break if necessary) to pay for it. It was a very generous gesture. When I found my wallet and came back to pay, I paid for the next person’s meal as well to pay it forward.
We need more friendly local establishments like this! I hope they enjoy continued success.

Food is ok. Ordered delivery and they did not provide utensils… how do I eat chili without a spoon or fork at work?

Well.
First time. I agree with previous reviews. Yes. their sides are ridiculous bad. Although overall their chilis are good and the price is super cheap.
Chili pizza’s crust, corn breads are all bad.
But you definitely should try their 1.59 chili dog (super cheap and taste great). Their draft special is also a great reason of visiting here. Man, you cannot reject 69 cents draft right?

I love Dawson’s. My favorite is the chicken chili! Really great on a cold day or any day!

Old Schoolhouse Chili. Or the ‘dogs. Only way to go! Haha
They do free bowls for selected names each day of the week. Always a good tip to keep updating on their Facebook page. Free meals are always good!

Restaurant chili can be hit or miss and this place is a hit.
I had the bread bowl with a mix of the spicy and the tailgate with cheese, onion and sour cream. The mix was perfect and I’m glad the server suggested it. The bread was warm and plentiful. Overall really good.
My wife had a regular tailgate on top of Mac and cheese. She wasn’t able to finish it.
The children had plain hotdogs which is where my only complaint is. We had to order 2 large dogs because they were out of small dogs. They did offer to cut a large dog in half to accommodate us.
Overall, a good family experience with excellent food and a good atmosphere.

Its a chilly fall day, what better thing to have for lunch than chili! Well I use to think that until I had the most bland and boring chili ever; I’d rather eat chili out of a can.
I had the spicy chili so I was expecting it to be full of bold flavors with a heck of a punch (spice). To my disappointment, I only got a weak punch and no flavor. I’m a chili fan and like it with rice and cornbread. Can’t really go wrong with plain white rice and the cornbread was amazing!
My friend tasted the California and didn’t like it so he stuck with the Old School. He too was disappointed: «it doesn’t taste like anything.»
Needless to say I have no intent on coming back. I won’t give it a 1 simply because the cornbread was just that good!

Great addition to the Chauncey area! It’s good to have options, especially when you end up eating out for most lunches. The School House of chili is a tasty, locally owned alternative to a burger or taco.
I’ve been many times, and I mostly gravitate towards the tailgate chili with a bottom of mac n cheese, although I have given the Cincinnati chili a go and liked it as well.
The School house is definitely a part of my regular dining routine.

My training group selected this restaurant for lunch and after reading the negative review of the white chicken chili, which I normally love, I planned to order something different. School House of Chili offers free samples of all their chilies and after that taste I was sold! Maybe that was an off day for the WCC, because it was GREAT today. I had a baked potato, the WCC, a little cheese and habaneros. It was so filling I could only eat half. Hubby finished it later and enjoyed it.
The service was attentive and efficient. I’m not local, but will be back when I’m in town.

I had seen this storefront previously when out and about in that area of Chauncey Village. One night I wanted to attend a seminar at the nearby Purdue Union building. Not having much time to eat, I opted to give this place a try. I think it was a Thursday between 6:30 — 7:00 p.m. and it seemed like a ghost down inside. There was white chicken chili on the menu. It seems difficult to find anywhere which has a decent style. They asked «What base do you want? Maybe some macaroni?» I thought «What? a base? no thanks!» In my chili world, there is not a base (unless it is a coney dog with chili sauce on top). I sat down with some high expectations of having a delicious bowl of chili with time to spare before the event started. Then the first spoonful… I nearly spit it back out, oh how disappointing. I can’t describe it other than it tasted like nothing. I ate it only because I was extremely hungry after just having gone to the gym and just didn’t feel like taking it back to the counter. If I could, I’d give this place ¹⁄₁₀ of a star.
Now, a coworker had gone there maybe 2 months after I did. He didn’t know of my previous experience, and claimed it was decent. He did have one of the tomato based typical chili recipes. I told him about my experience with the chicken chili. Apparently, his wife ordered it and he tasted it. His comment… he liked it. This really shocked me as we share experiences of food around the area and often have similar thoughts on quality/​flavor. So, was I wrong? Was it a bad day for the establishment?
I’ll may try this place one more time and go for a tomato based beef chili. I admit, it will be very difficult to drag my body across the threshold and step foot inside again.

I saw this place the last time I was the area and made a mental note to try it out. Having spent most of my younger years in the Southwest and living the past 10 years in Texas, I have a opinionated idea of what chilies should be (when I first arrived in West Lafayette in 1988 I was told that I HAD to try Skyline Chili. What a disappointment). School House of Chili has seven different types of chili (note to SHoC management — add a Texas Red, but please no beans), plus a «bottom» and toppers. It was a pretty nice assortment, but they all have the consistency of marinara. Also on the menu are Vienna Beef hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches, just waiting to be smothered in chili.
I settled on the Tailgate Chili, a beef concoction with chunks of tomato, celery and brisket. It was thick and hearty but needed more heat (as in peppers). A hint to chili lovers — lay off the bottoms — you end up paying less and getting more chili as the bottom takes up room in the bowl. The staff is friendly and will let you sample the various chilies. As it was the night before a holiday where they would be closed for a couple of days, they offered me seconds. Nice touch!
Give the place a try. I’m going after a couple of chili dogs the next time I’m in Lafayette.

Just to update my previous review, they do have vegetarian chili every day now. I had the spicy chili again (it was still spicy) over a baked potato with corn bread. My husband had the original chili and enjoyed it, too.
They also sell bottles of beer which might cool down that spicy chili a bit.

tried this place when i came down to purdue for Ryan’s graduation. for my bottom layer i chose mac and cheese then the tailgate chili with the usual cheese sour cream and jalapenos for toppings. Ryan made the mistake of getting both jalapenos and the other pepper they offer (i cant think of the name) long story short, he drank about 3 cups of water and did not finish his chili. We also got a piece of corn bread. For 7 bucks i think the portion was big enough.
I wish i would have tried chili nachos because that sounds delicious!

I will admit that it’s actually been some time since I’ve visited this restaurant, and I am just now getting around to posting a review, so my memory might be a bit fuzzy and they may have evolved since then. That was my disclaimer.
Overall, I thought my meal was enjoyable. I had been following them on Facebook, so I held off on visiting until I confirmed they had a vegetarian option. They were kind of test-​driving their option when I went there and looking for feedback on the recipe. I thought it was okay, but I’m not a chil expert. I picked macaroni and cheese as my «bottom» and found that to be pretty tasty. Probably my biggest complaint was their side options. I didn’t really like any of the choices. I ended up going with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. but overall, I found the sides to be rather odd.
I have not been back yet, but I would if the opportunity arose. I just never have a craving for chili, but at least I know there’s a great option in town if I get one!

School House Chili is a very new and unique addition to the Chauncy Hill dining scene. It has it’s pros and cons.
Pros:
Relatively cheap: $ 6 buys a bowl of chili with a bottom (something the chili is served over like macaroni and cheese or a bread bowl), and a side.
Beers are $ 1 on Saturday and Sunday.
There are 5 different types of chili with distinctly different flavors that you can mix and match. The chili are all pretty good and extremely meaty.
Employees are very friendly and helpful. (they will give you lots of samples)
There are plenty of toppings to choose from for your chili.
Cons:
The sides aren’t too great. I ordered a ham and cheese to go along with my chili. I wish I had taken a picture. The sandwich came in a plastic Ziploc bag. I was expecting a grilled sandwich to dip in my chili. Instead, the sandwich was just two pieces of untoasted bread, two thin slices of ham, and a Kraft single.
Bottom line:
Although the chili was pretty good, I’m not in a hurry to go back.