The iconic U Street joint will be serving up 175 chili dogs and 25 bowls of veggie chili tonight to demonstrators at Freedom Plaza. more ›

Because, for some sick reason, we're unable to turn away from the story of competitive eater Joey Chestnut downing two gallons of Ben's Chili Bowl chili over the weekend, here's video of an interview with Mr. Chestnut after he won. more ›

Remember that awesome video featuring a b-boy breaking up the escalator? Perhaps you were wondering where the b-boys were heading -- why, Ben's Chili Bowl, of course. more ›

It feels weird to type these words, but: Ben's Chili Bowl is closed. Temporarily, of course -- the beloved U Street institution which has survived riots and Metro construction is closing its doors for some long-overdue plumbing work that will require ground to be torn up. more ›

It's tough being a Washington Redskins fan these days. But at least attendees at FedEx Field will be able soak up this fall's sorrows with a delicious Ben's chili half-smoke. more ›

Yesterday, Domaso in Rosslyn played host to the Top Dog Half-Smoke Challenge. Ten chefs offered their variations on D.C.'s signature chili half-smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl. Entries ranged from broad interpretations with foie gras and sliders to more traditionally flavored sausages. more ›

UPDATE: After some confusion about the deal among Ben's staff, it appears as if they are indeed giving out totally free half-smokes to those who donate blood today. more ›

D.C. United has been game planning for tomorrow's season opening match against the Columbus Crew for a few weeks now. But yesterday, head coach Ben Olsen, striker Charlie Davies and midfielder Dax McCarty were forced to hone their tactics for another furious opponent: the seemingly never-ending dinner rush at Ben's Chili Bowl. more ›

Ben's Chili Bowl stands on its own. It needs no promotion, it doesn't need to cater to anything other than its own interests, and it has more than earned the right to dictate who and what it supports, if anything. So when the half-smoke slinger does engage in a promotion with a local group, you know it's something to get excited about -- which is why we have no reservations about lending our full support to this evening's event at the venerable eatery, in which D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen and a group of his players will transform the space into "Ben Olsen's Chili Bowl" for an hour. (Okay, the free half-smokes might have made our decision to give our blessing to the promotion the decision a little bit easier.) more ›

Good morning, Washington. After enduring rainy weekdays, we get a pretty nice weekend. Today and tomorrow, temperatures will surge into the high 50s and low 60s. We also get to spring forward this weekend, another sure sign the warm weather will soon be here to stay. more ›

Well, wouldn't you too? For those looking for context: NBC Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd is kidding about the Beef O'Brady's Bowl, named after the semi-national chain of sports bars which serves as the sponsor of St. Petersburg, Florida's annual postseason college football game. more ›

The Top Chef host tweeted the photo below less than 30 minutes ago, so he might even still be there if you hurry. "Guess where I am," Colicchio asked his followers. Not exactly a tough one, but we're glad to see the celebrity chef made his way to U Street while he's in town filming the next season of his hit Bravo show. more ›

Big news for D.C. United fans. The Washington Convention and Sports Authority and concessions manager Sodexo have reached an agreement to bring several new food options to RFK Stadium this season, including Ben’s Chili Bowl. Ledo Pizza and Fat Face Bar-B-Que will also be opening inside the stadium. more ›

Word spread fast through the Twitterverse, and now the French Embassy's own Twitter account confirms -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in town for meetings with President Barack Obama, ate lunch today at Ben's Chili Bowl. He was joined by his wife Carla Bruni and his two sons from a prior marriage. more ›

The Ali family is holding a memorial service today for Ben's Chili Bowl co-founder Ben Ali, who died last week at 82. The memorial service actually began a short while ago, at noon, at the Lincoln Theater on U Street. While the service is open to the public, the short notice implies mostly family, friends and colleagues are in attendance today. In a message on the Ben's web site, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Ben's Chili Bowl Family Foundation, a non-profit organization, at 1213 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 20009. more ›

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty just put out his statement reacting to the passing of Ben's Chili Bowl co-founder Ben Ali. More statements we've received today from local politicos are rounded up after the jump. more ›

Ben's Chili Bowl continued to serve up its trademark chili-smothered half-smokes on Thursday, despite the loss Wednesday night of its co-founder, Ben Ali. The Post says Ali, 82, died at home, of congestive heart failure. The hearts of Ben's employees and customers were heavy today. more ›

Very sad news for D.C. residents and lovers of half-smokes the world over: Ben Ali, co-founder of Washington institution Ben's Chili Bowl, passed away Wednesday night, (as City Desk also reports). He was 82. more ›

Everyone was excited that President-elect Obama made his first big foray into the city this weekend with a stop at Ben's Chili Bowl. Some were more excited than others. Namely, the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, who put out a press release hilariously titled, "National Hot Dog & Sausage Council Says President-Elect Obama's Historic Trip to Famous DC Hot Dog Restaurant Reflects Excellent and All-American Taste in Cuisine." more ›

The Post reports that Rahman "Rock" Harper -- former "Hell's Kitchen" winner and an Alexandria native -- will return to the area to run the show at Next Door, the new U Street space neighboring Ben's Chili Bowl. Next Door is slated to open in time for the Inauguration. Harper, who in 2007 managed to skirt Gordon Ramsey's caterwauling long enough to win $250,000 and a job at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Vegas, was previously the Executive Chef at B. Smith’s in Union Station. Harper's arrival also signals a slight change in direction for the space -- Next Door had been looking like a long bar featuring little more than Ben's staples. But with Harper at the helm, the space is looking at installing tables and significantly upping the menu selections. more ›

Not to be left out, Washington institution Ben's Chili Bowl has gotten into the election spirit. Last night, a sign on the front door read "PLEASE VOTE," and inside the sign behind the counter that used to read "Who eats free at Ben's: Bill Cosby / No one else" now reads "Bill Cosby / The Obama Family." Is the Ali family calling the election early? Do you suppose Michelle would let little Sasha and Malia partake of a free half-smoke? more ›

U Street institution Ben's Chili Bowl celebrated its 50th anniversary today with a block party, complete with moon bounce, food and other games for kids of all ages. They also let the crowd have a sneak peak at the new Ben's expansion site next door, which is still under construction. The line for half-smokes ran all the way across the street and circled around in front of the Suntrust next to the Metro station entrance. more ›

We got a press release announcing that a new book, Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C., Landmark, is now available for sale. Ben's is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. Mahaboob Ben Ali and his then-fiancée, Virginia Rollins, opened the hot dog and chili shop on U Street on August 22, 1958. Congratulations to the Ali family on all their achievements! more ›

OK, he may not be Brad Pitt or George Clooney, but I'd bet $5 on Anthony Bourdain in a bare-knuckle boxing match. So, if you see him around town this weekend, filming segments for his Travel Channel show, No Reservations, best not tick him off. more ›

The Nationals have officially announced their complete lineup of food vendors that will serve the new stadium. The list of 11 pretty much runs the gamut of sporting events foodstuffs, including: Boardwalk Fries, Gifford’s Ice Cream, Red Hot and Blue, Hard Time’s Café, and Kosher Sports. Most notably on the list is Ben’s Chili Bowl, whose rumored second location at the stadium has been teasing Nats fans since December. Marc Fisher offers a great breakdown of the local pedigrees of many of the chosen vendors. more ›