Ben's Chili Bowl
| Ben's Chili Bowl | |
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Ben's Chili Bowl, Northwest Washington, D.C.
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | August 22, 1958 |
| Current owner(s) | Virginia Ali |
| Food type | American |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Rating |
Yelp:    Zagat: 22 out of 30 (Food) |
| Street address | 1213 U Street, NW |
| City | Washington, D.C. |
| Postal/ZIP code | 20009 |
| Coordinates | 38°55′01″N 77°01′43″W / 38.91694°N 77.02861°W |
| Other locations |
Ben's Chili Bowl - Arlington Ben's @Nats Park Ben's @FedEx Field Ben's at Reagan National Airport |
| Website | |
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Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater
(now Ben's Chili Bowl) |
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| Built | 1909 |
| Built by | District Amusement Company |
| Architect | P.A. Hurlehaus |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Part of | Greater U Street Historic District (#98001557) |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | December 31, 1998 |
| Designated DCHD | January 11, 1999 |
Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the Shaw neighborhood of northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been an integral part of the neighborhood's history since its founding in 1958. It was frequented by both police and protesters during the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots, and is regularly visited by celebrities, such as Bill Cosby and Chris Tucker.
In January 2009, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty took then-President-elect Barack Obama to eat at Ben's as part of his welcome to the city.
Ben's Chili Bowl was founded on August 22, 1958 by Ben Ali, a Trinidadian-born immigrant who had studied dentistry at nearby Howard University, and his fiancee, Virginian-born Virginia Rollins. The two were married seven weeks after opening the restaurant. The building they chose was that of Washington's first silent movie house, the Minnehaha, which was established in 1911. The building is a contributing property to the Greater U Street Historic District. Most of the furniture in the restaurant is original to the 1950s. At the time U Street was known as "Black Broadway". Many jazz greats of the day, such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Nat King Cole, would stop by the restaurant when they performed at U Street clubs.
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