Grace of India Takes Over the West Side From an Old Chili Parlor

It used to be The Chili Company, but palak pakora and chicken korma have replaced the three-ways and coneys.
2021

Photograph by Wes Battoclette

If the building housing Grace of India looks familiar to you, you’re not alone. Many locals remember the restaurant at the crossroads of Cheviot and Blue Rock roads as The Chili Company, complete with the unmissable vertical sign down its chimney. In the most Cincinnati story ever told, The Chili Company is actually where this writer’s parents met. But all things come to an end: The chili parlor—and the marriage—closed up shop in the late ’90s. We’re crossing our fingers for Grace of India’s staying power, though.

There are scant few Indian restaurants on the west side. But the good people of White Oak deserve a reliable chicken korma, and they’ll find it here. This basic creamy, tomato-based chicken dish is the oft-overlooked cousin of the flashier chicken tikka masala, but it’s worth a try at the right place. Grace of India’s version is rich without being oily, with tender chicken stewed with cashews. Start your dinner with palak pakora (batter-fried fresh spinach), perfectly crispy and served in a basket so big you’ll question your life choices, if only for a moment. The room is not fancy—Chili Company regulars will fondly remember the drop ceiling tiles—but three different people greeted each person who walked through the door, and the food is carefully prepared from scratch. That, along with an $8.99 lunch buffet six days a week, makes Grace of India a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Grace of India, 6900 Cheviot Rd., White Oak, (513) 873-7118, Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun.

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