Road Trip: A Green Bay Chili Taste-Off - Who is the Winner?

Green Bay-style chili at Kroll's East.                                                                                                                                                       Photos by Kevin Gibson

Three years ago while in Green Bay having a cup of chili at Stadium View, a bar with a view of historic Lambeau Field, and the bartender offered up an alternative: a place called The Drift Inn, which was a few miles away on the way to the small town of DePere. Unfortunately, it took me three years to finally find it open.

In the meantime, I fell in love with the chili at Kroll’s, a classic Green Bay dining spot with two locations: one across the street from Lambeau Field, the other, original, location near downtown.

And when I say I fell in love with that chili at Kroll’s, I’m not even really being terribly hyperbolic. I crave that stuff, no matter where I am on the planet at any given time. (And if you aren’t sure what Green Bay-style chili is, here’s a missive I wrote a few years ago for LEO Weekly.)

Another Green Bay resident suggested that many locals like the Drift Inn chili even better, and that I should give it a try when in town. They didn’t have to ask me twice. My travel buddy Butch and I, also a fan of the Kohl’s chili, decided we’d do a taste-off — go to Drift Inn for a cup there, and then immediately drive to Kroll’s East (the original location, which we prefer) for a cup. That would make for a more immediate comparison.

In short, Kroll’s won in a landslide.

Now, let’s break it down. Starting at The Drift Inn, we found the place hopping — no seats at the bar, employees flitting this way and that, many of them looking harried. We were warned lunchtime at Drift Inn is super-busy, and no one lied.

We found a small table and sat, and we were quickly handed menus and offered beverages. When we both ordered a cup with cheese and spaghetti (Butch added onions to his), the server sped away. (And that’s one of the features of Green Bay chili — if you want spaghetti, fine. If not, also fine. There’s no debating the issue like you might find on social media. It’s refreshing.)

Chili at Drift Inn.

The chili came out very quickly, topped with plenty of cheese, and dropped off somewhat abruptly with spoons and napkins, not to mention two packs of oyster crackers, in a small plastic bag. We dug in and agreed the chili was tasty. But the farther I got into it, the more I found myself realizing that this particular version of Green Bay chili was a lot like, well, regular chili. It was bean-heavy, broth-heavy and the chili-to-noodle proportions seemed off-kilter to me — the preponderance of spaghetti helped to mute the flavor somewhat.

In fact, while I enjoyed it, I left some of the spaghetti in the bottom of the bowl and wondered if I had exaggerated in my mind just how much I loved Green Bay chili. (Maybe it was my Packers bias invading my subconscious?)

We paid our bill and drove to Kroll’s East, assuming our usual place at the bar. By this time, the lunch crowd had passed through, and the place, which feels like a time slip to an old '1950s diner, was pretty quiet. The servers/bartenders greeted us and offered menus, but we knew what we wanted — we each ordered the exact same thing we’d just eaten, along with a couple of Spotted Cows (another Wisconsin thing).

When the chili came out, I quickly knew my memory hadn’t been distorted. The chili in my bowl was dense, thick, a dark brown color and not at all soupy. The cheese was served on the side, giving me the opportunity to apply it gradually as I ate bite after bite. The flavor if the chili was rich and lightly spicy, and the beans were an afterthought — this was ground-beef-forward all the way. It was hearty. It was what I craved. As I made my way through to the spaghetti buried underneath, I noted that there was significantly less of it than I’d had at Drift Inn, and it therefore didn’t dilute the flavor much, if at all.

It was an easy victory for Kroll’s. Not that I am in any way knocking what Drift Inn serves — it’s just not what I crave. Now, my understanding is that the burgers at Drift Inn also are quite tasty. Maybe next time I’m in Green Bay, I’ll try one of those and compare it to a Kroll’s butter burger. Hmmm. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.