In 1958, newlyweds Ben and Virginia Ali used $5,000 to begin renovating a building at 1213 U Street in Northwest Washington DC. Built in 1910, it first housed a silent movie house called the Minnehaha…
best veggie chili I have ever had!! Also perfectly prepared beyond burger. best meal I've had in a while. Will order again
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Frank S
Local Expert • 73 contributions
Loved
• 10/22/25
• DoorDash order
As a young teenager we would pool our allowance money and ride our bikes from a half mile away to buy a Ben's Famous Burger - SINGLE.... 40 years later they are still just as good if not better.... The Original Half-Smokes are unparalleled if you allow yourself to eat that kind of meat, which I do about once or twice a year and man-oh-man are they worth it...
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Alex B
1 contributions
Didn't like
• 12/9/23
• DoorDash order
I've tried the original half smokes and spicy half smokes many times. But they are very overrated. I could hardly eat the ones I ordered last evening, tough and chewy with bits of gristle that I had to spit out. And they are $10, I would rather have a delicious $3.50 sidewalk cart stand half smoke any day. Totally consistent and made with love.
M
MV K
14 contributions
Didn't like
• 2/10/22
• DoorDash order
Unfortunately, one of our chilis was missed. Fortunately, we loved the food we got, and we got plenty. This was our first experience with BCB.
The potato salad was delicious! Exactly as I was hoping. The burgers were fresh and there were plenty of options to customize toppings. The fries were great and there were a lot of 'em!
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Monique D
Local Expert • 50 contributions
Didn't like
• 5/20/24
• DoorDash order
The hot dog and spicy half smoke tasted the same. No spice. I had high hopes being as though it was first time eating there, depsite being a native washingtonian. They are too small for the price charged. It's giving $2.50 church fundraiser hot dog/half smoke. I was charged $11 plus for grilled onions and cheese. Never again. I'll stick with my DC City Smokehouse who's quite meatier and worth the price.
