Ben's Chili Bowl Menu

Ben's Chili Bowl Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Ben's is a true neighborhood fixture along the U Street corridor. Opened in 1958, it has always attracted plenty of local diners and big-name entertainers, not for its looks, which are free of frills, but for its chili, the dish that made it famous.

Food & Drinks: Composed of ground meat and kidney beans, the chili is served with crackers and, if you want, a scoop of shredded cheese that melts down through the mixture. Mildly hot and aromatic, this is one chili that will stick to your ribs. Also famous: the chili dog. Ben's is apt to be crowded, even mid-afternoon, so plan to double-park like others do and wait for your chili. Or park, eat in, and order up a whole meal of country-home cooking, with a bowl of chili as the centerpiece. Another must-eat is the half-smoke sausage; it appeals to almost every taste bud. A "healthy" eats section of the menu includes turkey burgers, vegetarian chili and vegetarian burgers. Other locations.