The story
Cincinnati chili spaghetti traces back to Tom and John Kiradjieff, brothers who left the village of Hrupishta in the Macedonian region of Greece and reached the US in 1921. In 1922 they opened a hot dog stand beside the Empress burlesque theatre in Cincinnati and named it after the theatre. Tom spooned his cinnamon-scented meat sauce over spaghetti, at first cooking the pasta in it, and added a mound of cheddar when customers asked. The brothers invented the numbered ways to speed up ordering. Former Empress staff went on to open their own parlors, including Skyline Chili in 1949, and the area now has more than 250.
Also known as Cincinnati chili, three-way, 3-way chili, Cincinnati chili spaghetti.
On the Meridish menu
Chili spaghetti (three-way) was the rice & noodles course on menu No. 13 on October 13, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Spaghetti under a thin meat sauce spiced with cinnamon and cloves, then a mound of cheese. Immigrant brothers from the Balkans created it beside a burlesque theatre here in 1922.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
