On a strip mostly dominated by the barbeque havens of Stevie's, Philip's, and the like, Jack's Chili Factory offers a nice, cheap, comforting bowl of chili mostly to locals. But there are so many options here. Turkey chili, beef chili, with or without beans. Straight up, on spagetti, macaroni, rice, brown rice, fries, or even fritos! Never mind that their specialty is a chili covered tamale, plus they have tacos, soups, and sandwiches. I had a nice talk with the co-owner (the son of the father and son), who was very nice and chatted with me when I told him I'm going to participate in a chili cookoff. He wouldn't however, reveal any details of their long-held secret recipe. Shucks. Anyway, it was a great research spot, and as it's close to USC, I'm surprised there aren't throngs of kids hanging out there. The chili (I had straight up beef, no beans) had a nice consistant kick. Not too fatty (there was orange oil gathered on top), and spiced well, just so well that I couldn't discern the cumin from the chili powder, the tomato from the beef. It all came together into one cohesive bowl, looking much like the thing you'd get a carney's or pink's, but MUCH tastier by itself, and stands alone well without a hot dog, or for that matter, without a tamale. 4 stars for convenience, price (under $3 for a good-sized bowl), and friendly staff.
Pros: Good, simple down home chili.
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