K- I went to Ben’s for the first time for lunch with a couple of colleagues. I’d never gone as I’m not a big fan of chili dogs, half-smokes, etc. as I’m not really a meat eater. However, my colleague assured me that Ben’s does have veggie chili and veggie dogs!! So, off I went to join them for lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
The place is really cute – let me reword as my colleagues (both guys and huge fans of the restaurant) said that I cannot say that it is “cute” but they are fine with “groovy” and nostalgic. Who uses the word groovy? Anyway, it is very retro, 1950s-looking, with photos of all of the celebrities, politicians, etc. that have come to the restaurant.
I had a bowl of chili with cheese and onion (unfortunately they were out of the veggie dogs) a side of fries and a lemonade. My colleagues had a chili dog, half-smoke, fries and a piece of lemon cake. The veggie chili had a nice spicy flavour to it – it pretty much tasted the same as “regular” chili, at least from what I remember. The fries were good too – not a bit greasy. I heard the lemon cake was tasty but didn’t get to try it myself – I was too full and hadn’t finished my chili and fries when my colleague was half-way through his piece of cake!
The atmosphere of the place was cozy and friendly. The restaurant was very busy but everything went smoothly from ordering to having the food brought out. I even got to meet Ms. Virginia Ali (she and her husband started Ben’s Chili Bowl) who chatted with us for awhile and started clearing our table even though she was obviously dressed up for something else. If you’ve not met her she’s a very lovely and gracious woman.
Overall, it’s a great place to have lunch, catch up with friends and have a good time without the formalities. Long live Ben’sl!!
Ben’s Chili Bowl
1-U Street Metro | 202-667-0909
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