The city of Washington DC lost a famous man last month, when Ben Ali, the 82 year old founder of Ben's Chili Bowl at 1231 U Street, NW died on October 7. Ben's Chili Bowl has been feeding hungry Washingtonians chili, half smokes and fries since 1958. The sweet potato pie and red velvet cake are not to be missed! However, Ben's Chili Bowl is more significant than just as a chili joint. It is a significant part of the history of Washington in the second half of the 20th century.
Ben's Chili Bowl is located in an old building with high-arched ceilings, character, and plenty of history. Built in 1910, it first housed a silent movie house called the Minnehaha Theater. Later, Harry Beckley, one of D.C.'s first Black police detectives, converted it into a pool hall. It became Ben's Chili Bowl in 1958. It was an exciting time on the U Street corridor, which was then known as "Black Broadway." Top performers could be found playing sets in clubs along the corridor, as well as eating and just "hanging out" at Ben's.
It was not uncommon to see such stars as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Martin Luther King Jr., or Bill Cosby at "The Bowl." Since Ben's is right next to the Lincoln Theater, it has always been a great late night spot to catch a snack, and the stars performing there were happy to stop by Ben's too.
In 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King the area around the U Street corridor erupted in riots. Although the whole city seemed closed down, Ben's remained open. Stokely Carmichael of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which was located across the street, obtained special police permission to allow Ben's to stay open after curfew to provide food and shelter for activists, firefighters and public servants desperately trying to restore order. After the riots, the area was in shambles.
Still, Ben's continued to serve an eclectic crowd of regulars throughout the 1970s. A high point had to be the press conference that Bill Cosby held at Ben's in September of 1985, to celebrate his number one rated show, thrusting Ben's into the national limelight. Not bad for a chili joint!
With publicity like this business started to improved but then in 1987, five years of construction began on Metro's Green Line. U Street in front of Ben's became a 60-foot hole in the ground. Even though it was almost impossible to reach the restaurant, Ben's decided to stay open with only two employees serving Metro workers and faithful regulars each day.
Ben's has received a diverse set of well deserved honors. Councilmember Jim Graham named the alley adjacent to Ben's 'Ben Ali Way;' Ben and Virginia were inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame (May 2001); and in 2004, Ben's won the prestigious Gallo of Sonoma 'America's Classics' Restaurant Award from the James Beard Foundation.
Ben's Chili Bowl has been featured on CNN , Oprah, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, PBS, the Food Network, the Today Show, the Travel Channel, and stories in Washingtonian, Gourmet, Southern Living, The Washington Post, and The New York Times and Ben's is now recognized world-wide as a "must go" place to eat when visiting Washington. Sure enough, President Obama made a stop at Ben's to try the hot dogs and chili fries.
U Street is flourishing now as a wonderful neighborhood of upscale condos and lovely Victorian townhouses, and Ben's is a famous and important component of the Washington DC. If you would like more information about DC homes, just give Lise Howe a call at 240-401-5577. She will be glad to help you!
