Is Camp Washington Chili Still Open? Food Paradise Update (Cincinnati, OH)

Food Paradise, Season 4, Episode 6 Aired 2012

On Food Paradise's 'Chili Paradise' episode (2012), Camp Washington Chili appeared for its Cincinnati-style chili, served over spaghetti, hot dogs, or as a stand-alone bowl. According to Wikipedia, the parlor was founded in 1940 by Steve Andon and Fred Zarnbus in Cincinnati's Camp Washington neighborhood and relocated a few lots away in 2000 after the city required it to vacate for the widening of Hopple Street. Longtime owner John Johnson ran the restaurant until his death in October 2025, after which his daughter, Maria Papakirk, took over, according to Wikipedia. The parlor was also featured in 2011 on a Cincinnati episode of Travel Channel's Man v. Food Nation, according to Wikipedia.

Man v. Food, Season 4, Episode 19 Aired October 12, 2011

Man v. Food Nation (S4E19, aired October 12, 2011) featured Camp Washington Chili on a Cincinnati episode, sampling the parlor's Cincinnati-style chili served over spaghetti and coneys. Camp Washington Chili is a chili parlor founded in 1940 by Steve Andon and Fred Zarnbus in the Camp Washington neighborhood near downtown Cincinnati, and according to Wikipedia (revised July 2026) it relocated a few lots away from its original site in 2000 after the city required it to vacate for the widening of Hopple Street; the current building is modeled after a 1950s-style diner. Longtime owner John Johnson ran the restaurant until his death in October 2025, according to Wikipedia, and it is now run by his daughter, Maria Papakirk.

The restaurant's own website, campwashingtonchili.com, was last modified in September 2026 and continues to describe itself as serving customers from Cincinnati and beyond, with the page updated that same month. Between the ownership transition documented on Wikipedia and the September 2026 site update, Camp Washington Chili remains an active, operating restaurant.