Ben's Chili Bowl

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2025-03-09

I love a black owned establishment done RIGHT. The staff was on point, aware, ready, smiling and present. The music was perfect, a mix of old and new. The wait time was none existent. Food came out hot and quick and yes EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. Bacon PERFECT. Restrooms clean and fresh. If I lived in D.C I would be a regular here.

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2025-02-15

Came here for Valentine’s. It was fun. Chili was good, was expecting more spice. Cheese fries were good. Spicy sausage good. Milkshake was a little thin. The meal you see pictured was $38 not including tip. I didn’t love the value but it was a good time. I saw a sign that they have a parking lot. Street parking can be a bit hard to find and was about $4 for 1.5 hours.

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2024-12-11

This was a great experience! We were blessed to find a pocket on a Tuesday evening at 5pm where we were alone in the building. The service The man at the register was very helpful with suggestions. He also helped with a picture. More about that later. They gave free refills and were very prompt with their service. The food I’m from Cincinnati and I know Chili dogs. There were parts that were familiar to that but the chili is a classic bean chili. Very hearty. The mustard and onion are a must. The half smoke is a half pork, half beef sausage. It’s really good. It was overcooked, but that’s the way I like them so it was perfect for me. We also had the chili cheese fries. The fries were very fresh and thick cut. Same chili and nacho cheese with it. Vanilla Shake This was a great shake. Good thick straw although it’s a stupid paper straw. Good thickness and good flavor. Overall, not something I’ll be craving being from out of town, but somewhere I’m glad I had the chance to visit. Location is great. It’s right off the metro. The building is awesome. So much history and a classic look. Halfway through our meal we were asked by a sweet elderly lady how our meal was. She looked familiar and I realized that she was the founders wife, Virginia! We immediately asked for a picture and she was happy to oblige. Pretty amazing experience to meet this living legend. Overall, I’m very thankful for the experience and glad I was able to visit this iconic place! Highly recommended!