Ben’s Chili Bowl is the most iconic of all the restaurants in DC. So when it reopened after 10 months of remodeling, it is news. So much so that the mayor DC proclaimed the reopening day, May 1st, as Ben’s Chili Bowl Day.

Owned and operated by the Ali family, Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a mainstay of DC since 1958, when it opened on U Street. For more details on the history of Ben’s, see my 2020 Ben’s Chili Bowl article.

The building housing Ben’s was built in 1910 and it has been decades since any kind of remodeling had been done. So in July in 2025, the original location closed for needed repairs to the HVAC and electrical systems. While this was going on, Ben’s operated out of a popup location across the street, along with its locations at the airport, the ballpark, and on H Street.

For the reopening on May 1st, there was a grand celebration. Much of the Ali family were present, including Virginia Ali, co-founder and wife of the man the restaurant is named after, the late Ben Ali. Also present were Muriel Bowser, the mayor of DC; Dawn Moore, First Lady of Maryland; Spike Lee; and other local celebrities. Bands were playing Go Go Music, the official music of DC.

After all the speeches came the ribbon cutting ceremony. Then Virginia and the mayor went inside to celebrate and have a meal. Everyone else had to wait in line. I was near the front, but only 5 people were let in at a time. After about an hour, I made it inside.

Per Virginia’s instructions, the inside looked the same. The furnishings are perhaps a little shinier, but otherwise, it is hard to tell any remodeling had been done.

I did not have to think about what to order: a Chili Half-Smoke (smoked sausage – half beef and half pork), which is Ben’s most famous dish, and a side of Chili Cheese Fries. I ordered mine to go; the picture is of the order of the man who was standing next to me. It was a lot of food, but I had skipped breakfast and quickly polished it off. Both were as good as I remembered.

I never made it to the back room, but I did get a glimpse of the cake. It was shaped like the building, including the mural on the outside wall. I found out later that the cake was Red Velvet.

It was a beautiful day and I am glad I could participate in the celebration of the reopening of this DC institution.