Chili became the state dish of Texas in 1977, a year after the Texas Chili Parlor opened in the Capitol's shadow. Half a dozen versions run that menu at three heat grades, and the house plate buries two cheese enchiladas under a ladle of whichever one you pick. Elsewhere in this city chili arrives at the bottom of a Frito bag on a barbecue tray: LeRoy and Lewis runs a Texas red version, and Sí Baby-Q builds its Dan Dan Frito Pie on brisket trim and ground wild boar.
Texas chili.
The rooms, best first
- LeRoy and Lewis Barbecueverified
Texas Monthly's Daniel Vaughn names a Texas red chili Frito pie on the board of the joint he ranked second in the state in the 2025 Top 50.
- Texas Chili Parlorverified
The room opened in 1976, a year before chili became the official state dish of Texas, and about half a dozen versions run the menu at three heat grades with a taster of mini portions to work across them. The house plate is the Freidas Enchiladas, two cheese enchiladas under a ladle of whichever chili you pick, and The Infatuation scored the room 9.0.
- Sí Baby-Qverified
The Dan Dan Frito Pie is built on the kitchen's own dan dan chili of brisket trim and ground wild boar under house queso, and Texas Monthly's barbecue editor makes it one of the two things to order here.