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Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington, DC

Photo: Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Eat & DrinkFoodie FavoriteIconicHistory Buff

Ben's Chili Bowl

1213 U St NW · Washington, DC

Why you should go…

Ben and Virginia Ali opened this U Street restaurant in 1958, in a building that once held the Minnehaha, a silent movie house. The order to know is the half-smoke topped with chili, alongside chili dogs, chili cheese fries, burgers and milkshakes, with turkey and veggie chili on the menu too. The restaurant stayed open through the 1968 riots, serving police and protesters alike, and the family still runs it.

  • #half-smoke
  • #chili dogs
  • #u street
  • #historic restaurant

Good to know

General eat & drink guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Go early or go late

    The simplest way around a wait at a popular room is to sit down before the rush or after it.

  • Reservations open on a schedule

    Where bookings are taken, tables tend to be released a set number of days in advance, often at a fixed hour.

  • Menus move with the season

    Treat any dish you read about online as a maybe, not a promise, especially anything local and seasonal.

  • Ask what the place is known for

    Staff will point you at the thing worth ordering faster than any list will.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Ben's Chili Bowl, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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