These Five Iconic Midwest Food Specialties Are Worth a Road Trip Beyond Kansas City
If you know Kansas City’s food scene, you already understand that the Midwest takes its regional specialties seriously. But beyond the smoky ribs and burnt ends you love at home, the heartland is loaded with iconic dishes that deserve a spot on your next road trip itinerary. Here are five worth seeking out.
Cincinnati Chili
This isn’t the typical chili you might ladle over a bowl of rice. Cincinnati chili is its own category entirely — and it comes served over spaghetti. According to The Takeout, “Cincinnati-style chili is a carb-loaded blast of classic chili flavors with the Mediterranean twist of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the mix.”
Part of the fun is the ordering system. Kat Kinsman for Food & Wine broke it down this way: “One-way: Just a bowl of chili. Order it like that if you want, but you’re missing out. And no one calls it a ‘one way.’ Two-way: Chili plus spaghetti. Which is fine, but unless you’re avoiding dairy or are allergic to joy, this is not why you’re here. Again, ‘two-way’ isn’t really a thing; just call it chili spaghetti. Three-way: This is where it gets good. This is chili spaghetti, topped with a nimbus of fluffy, shredded cheddar. It’s perfectly fine to stop here. This is golden glory. Four-way: This can go one of two ways, adding either onions or beans to determine how the rest of the day is going to go for you. Five-way: All bets are off. You’re getting both onions and beans and bless your heart.”
The restaurant chain Skyline Chili is a very popular place to get it.
Wisconsin Cheese Curds
For anyone who appreciates honest, no-frills bar food, cheese curds are essential eating in Wisconsin. Per WisconsinCheese.com, cheese curds are “small pieces of curdled milk, roughly the size of peanuts in the shell, with a mild and cheddar-like flavor. Fresh cheese curds have a rubbery texture that causes a squeak when you bite into them.”
A tasty byproduct of the cheesemaking process, they’re commonly deep fried and paired with beer — making them a perfect companion for a brewery crawl.
Chicago-Style Italian Beef
The Italian beef sandwich originated in the early 1900s when Italian immigrants in Chicago slow-roasted tougher cuts of meat in a spicy broth to make it tender, then piled thin slices onto Italian bread. They’re often modified to be either “sweet” (topped with sweet peppers) or “hot” (topped with giardiniera).
The popular TV show The Bear depicts a fictionalized version of the original Mr. Beef location in Chicago, which famously serves the sandwiches alongside other casual fare.
Gooey Butter Cake
St. Louis claims this dessert with pride. According to GooeyButterCake.com, “In the 1930s, a happy baking accident in South St. Louis gave birth to gooey butter cake. Legend has it that a baker, faced with too much sugar in a butter cake, improvised with additional ingredients, creating a beloved St. Louis dessert.”
Traditional versions from local St. Louis bakeries start with a yeasted crust. A mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, corn syrup and vanilla is poured onto it. Then it gets baked — but not for too long. It’s crucial to make sure it’s just barely set.
Buckeyes
Ohio’s signature candy is a no-bake dessert made of balls of peanut butter fudge dipped in chocolate, with a circle of peanut butter still showing on top. They’re crafted to resemble the nuts from the buckeye tree, the official Ohio state tree. Both the actual nuts and the candies are said to resemble the eye of a male deer (buck), hence their name. Cafes, candy shops and grocery stores throughout the state commonly have them.
Each of these dishes tells a story about the community that created it — much like Kansas City’s own food traditions. Plan a Midwest road trip around them and you won’t be disappointed.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
