I recently tried Real Chili near Marquette for the first time, and while the experience started off on a positive note, it quickly went downhill. The person who helped me was incredibly kind and helpful when I mentioned it was my first time there. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.
The food itself was very disappointing. The to-go container was so greasy that it leaked through the paper bag, leaving a mess on the seat and floor of my car. When I opened the container, I was greeted by a pool of grease sitting on top of the chili—not at all appetizing. The meat tasted burnt, which only added to the overall unpleasantness.
To make matters worse, the meal cost $17, which felt wildly overpriced for the quality. I called to speak with the manager about a refund, but I was told he wouldn’t be available until the next day. I’ll be following up, but as of now, I can’t recommend this place.
As a college student, this meal was not worth the money, hassle, or time it took to clean up the mess before class. Hopefully, others have better experiences, but for me, this was a one-and-done visit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Terry Wilson Jr
nice chill place not to far from the FISERV FORUM we're the Bucks play
Wheelchair accessibility: ramp
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chili
Myiaa Vales
It saddens me to leave this review because I am a frequent customer of this place and always love the food and staff upon every visit which is usually around 2 or 3 times a month. Unfortunately last night I went in and had a bad experience due to the the lady serving us being very unsanitary. When we first sat down she was in her phone for a while until she acknowledged us then she proceeded to start handling our utensils and bowls without even washing her hands after being on her phone . On top of that she was visibly sick as we noticed her coughing (barely covering her mouth or covering with her hand ) wiping her nose with her hands and sniffling a lot. I understand this happens and it is the season for colds but In the food industry it is imperative to be mindful of sanitation ESPECIALLY if under the weather . She had no mask no consideration of guests seeing her cough all around in the food area and my BIGGEST concern was I had to ASK her to put on gloves while handling my food. She didn’t even think to put them on and after serving our food she continued to serve other guests their food with no gloves . This needs to be addressed it turned my whole experience upside down and made me want to just leave . I was going to order more food but changed my mind after seeing her spread her germs around . I went around 4-5 last night on November 26th. I didn’t get the lady’s name but she was Caucasian with blonde hair and brown roots . Please take care of this issue as I would like to continue to be a loyal customer but cannot if sanitation is not a main concern for this business !!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chili
Matt C
chili is very good but very pricey.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
GemmaSam Sherman
My husband and I come here for our anniversary every year! We come other times too but it's our special place for our anniversary. We love the chilli soo much!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Medium with Beans and Noodles, Mild
Maggie Jaques
Best place ever. If you ask for that music up they turn it. The go to is definitely a since 1931 chili. It’s absolutely crazy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Medium with Beans and Noodles
Dawn Luko
Love seeing they always have customers. Hot spaghetti with beans hits the spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot
Monica Thomas
Love it all. Especially the Marquette special.
Vegetarian options: Mushroom based veg chili is very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegetarian
Dawn Lovely
The place was ok no one was there, the server was nice. Now the food was not good to me my auntie raved about it like so many others so I tried it and I was disappointed because the chili was extremely GREASY I will never understand how people consume undrained ground beef or any drain able meat for that matter. But hey if you don’t mind grease and lots of salt cause by the way it was salty but I should have known when I seen it sitting up in the warmer vs being cooked fresh I will not be returning here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Lisa R
Saw fruit flies last 2 times I was there. 1 server looked like they hadn't showered and could be dripping in the food. It may be they were hot from kitchen.
Hire more staff 4 cleaning, turn up ac, or set simple fruit fly traps. Cider vinegar in a bowl, cover w saran wrap and rubber band, poke a few small holes in the top.
LOVE THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IF YOU HAVENT STOPPED IN TO TRY THIS GOLD IN A BOWL, YA FOOLIN YO SELF, IM TALKING THE BEST CHILLI IN THE MIDWEST YA HERE ME... AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN WISCONSIN AND YOU HAVEN'T HAD, SHAME ON YOU NBS... NOW GO GET SOME OF THIS GOLD IN A BOWL BET YOU 100 YOU BE BACK FOR MORE....
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nacho Supreme, 1 ½ - Mild, Second Serving - Hot, Second Serving - Mild, Double - Mild, Hot Giardiniera, Chili Cheese Dog, Chicago Dog, Chili Dog, Hot Dog, Mild, Hot, Nachos, Frito Pie
Karen Zieman
This was my first time at the Marquette location and it was just as good as the other. Excellent service and fantastic chili. One thing to note is that there are no tables at this location, just the service counter with stools.
Vegetarian options: They have a vegetarian version of the chili made with fresh vegetables.
Dietary restrictions: The vegetarian version has no gluten, dairy, or soy.
Wheelchair accessibility: There is only counter service with no space for wheelchairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles, Chili Cheese Dog, Chili Dog, Mild
aubrey kline
The atmosphere and service are both top notch, I really wanted to like this place, the amount of salt they put in the chili made it practically inedible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles
Sess Hamilton
Me and my wife decided to try this place the person who took our order was great but the food was horrible the meat on the chili and Nachos tasted burnt and a bad after taste we threw it away I called back and was told to see the manager but he wasn't in we bought food for us and my sister inlaw and father inlaw I'm wanting a refund on our purchase we spent $51 dollars and couldn't eat it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
MeMe DaVinci
The recipe doesn't change. The interior hasn't either, for decades. It's the best. A must when in Milwaukee.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles, Second Helping
I recently tried Real Chili near Marquette for the first time, and while the experience started off on a positive note, it quickly went downhill. The person who helped me was incredibly kind and helpful when I mentioned it was my first time there. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.
The food itself was very disappointing. The to-go container was so greasy that it leaked through the paper bag, leaving a mess on the seat and floor of my car. When I opened the container, I was greeted by a pool of grease sitting on top of the chili—not at all appetizing. The meat tasted burnt, which only added to the overall unpleasantness.
To make matters worse, the meal cost $17, which felt wildly overpriced for the quality. I called to speak with the manager about a refund, but I was told he wouldn’t be available until the next day. I’ll be following up, but as of now, I can’t recommend this place.
As a college student, this meal was not worth the money, hassle, or time it took to clean up the mess before class. Hopefully, others have better experiences, but for me, this was a one-and-done visit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
nice chill place not to far from the FISERV FORUM we're the Bucks play
Wheelchair accessibility: ramp
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chili
It saddens me to leave this review because I am a frequent customer of this place and always love the food and staff upon every visit which is usually around 2 or 3 times a month. Unfortunately last night I went in and had a bad experience due to the the lady serving us being very unsanitary. When we first sat down she was in her phone for a while until she acknowledged us then she proceeded to start handling our utensils and bowls without even washing her hands after being on her phone . On top of that she was visibly sick as we noticed her coughing (barely covering her mouth or covering with her hand ) wiping her nose with her hands and sniffling a lot. I understand this happens and it is the season for colds but In the food industry it is imperative to be mindful of sanitation ESPECIALLY if under the weather . She had no mask no consideration of guests seeing her cough all around in the food area and my BIGGEST concern was I had to ASK her to put on gloves while handling my food. She didn’t even think to put them on and after serving our food she continued to serve other guests their food with no gloves . This needs to be addressed it turned my whole experience upside down and made me want to just leave . I was going to order more food but changed my mind after seeing her spread her germs around . I went around 4-5 last night on November 26th. I didn’t get the lady’s name but she was Caucasian with blonde hair and brown roots . Please take care of this issue as I would like to continue to be a loyal customer but cannot if sanitation is not a main concern for this business !!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chili
chili is very good but very pricey.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
My husband and I come here for our anniversary every year! We come other times too but it's our special place for our anniversary. We love the chilli soo much!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Medium with Beans and Noodles, Mild
Best place ever. If you ask for that music up they turn it. The go to is definitely a since 1931 chili. It’s absolutely crazy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Medium with Beans and Noodles
Love seeing they always have customers. Hot spaghetti with beans hits the spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot
Love it all. Especially the Marquette special.
Vegetarian options: Mushroom based veg chili is very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegetarian
The place was ok no one was there, the server was nice. Now the food was not good to me my auntie raved about it like so many others so I tried it and I was disappointed because the chili was extremely GREASY I will never understand how people consume undrained ground beef or any drain able meat for that matter. But hey if you don’t mind grease and lots of salt cause by the way it was salty but I should have known when I seen it sitting up in the warmer vs being cooked fresh I will not be returning here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Saw fruit flies last 2 times I was there. 1 server looked like they hadn't showered and could be dripping in the food. It may be they were hot from kitchen.
Hire more staff 4 cleaning, turn up ac, or set simple fruit fly traps. Cider vinegar in a bowl, cover w saran wrap and rubber band, poke a few small holes in the top.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
LOVE THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IF YOU HAVENT STOPPED IN TO TRY THIS GOLD IN A BOWL, YA FOOLIN YO SELF, IM TALKING THE BEST CHILLI IN THE MIDWEST YA HERE ME... AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN WISCONSIN AND YOU HAVEN'T HAD, SHAME ON YOU NBS... NOW GO GET SOME OF THIS GOLD IN A BOWL BET YOU 100 YOU BE BACK FOR MORE....
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nacho Supreme, 1 ½ - Mild, Second Serving - Hot, Second Serving - Mild, Double - Mild, Hot Giardiniera, Chili Cheese Dog, Chicago Dog, Chili Dog, Hot Dog, Mild, Hot, Nachos, Frito Pie
This was my first time at the Marquette location and it was just as good as the other. Excellent service and fantastic chili. One thing to note is that there are no tables at this location, just the service counter with stools.
Vegetarian options: They have a vegetarian version of the chili made with fresh vegetables.
Dietary restrictions: The vegetarian version has no gluten, dairy, or soy.
Wheelchair accessibility: There is only counter service with no space for wheelchairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles, Chili Cheese Dog, Chili Dog, Mild
The atmosphere and service are both top notch, I really wanted to like this place, the amount of salt they put in the chili made it practically inedible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles
Me and my wife decided to try this place the person who took our order was great but the food was horrible the meat on the chili and Nachos tasted burnt and a bad after taste we threw it away I called back and was told to see the manager but he wasn't in we bought food for us and my sister inlaw and father inlaw I'm wanting a refund on our purchase we spent $51 dollars and couldn't eat it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
The recipe doesn't change. The interior hasn't either, for decades. It's the best. A must when in Milwaukee.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beans and Noodles, Second Helping
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