We finally made it to Ben's Chili Bowl this weekend. I can't believe we waited this long. It was goooooood.Ben's has been around since 1958. It has survived eleven presidents, the DC riots, economic blight, and the building of a metro station across the street that killed business for five years.
Ben's managed to survive with the help of some very high profile plugs from Bill Cosby. Cosby gets to eat free at Ben's. He used to be the only one.
Now the sign says that Cosby and the Obama family eat free. Except, since Barack paid, someone wrote at the bottom of the sign "but he paid." I came so close to going to Ben's the day that Obama showed up. I can't imagine the energy in that place.
The energy was pretty good on a random Saturday night when we went. It was packed, as always. They were blasting Motown and old 80s r&b on the radio. A million employees were squeezed behind the narrow counter. Happy people gorged on chili covered half smokes, burgers, chili fries, and thick chocolate shakes.
If you think Ben's has gotten to the point where it relies on its notoriety and constant appearance on travel shows, forget about it. The place is still filled with locals. The food is great (if possibly heart attack inducing). It's a must stop in DC.
Ben's Chili Bowl, 1213 U Street NW, Washington, DC
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