The Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1001 H St. NE will donate a portion of its sales to J.O. Wilson Elementary School tonight.
For every customer who stops in between 5 and 10 p.m. and uses the code “Cardinal” while ordering, Ben’s will donate 10 percent of that sale total to the elementary school at 660 K St. NE.
Click here to view the eatery’s menu of half smokes, hamburgers, french fries and chili.
This is the first installment of an event that will occur on the first Tuesday of each month.
Half-smokes, chili, fries, oh my! @benschilibowl, Tue 3/22, 5-10p. 10% of sales donated to @JOWilsonDC. @HStGreatSt pic.twitter.com/SaSwXh2C6Z
— JOWilsonDC PTA (@JOWilsonPTA) March 19, 2016
This weekend might be the best time to visit Ten 01, the new bar above Ben’s Chili Bowl on the H Street corridor.
The bar and restaurant at 1001 H St. NE is offering a 15% off discount on food and cocktails this weekend.
Customers must show a flyer that the bar tweeted out today to receive the discount, which runs through Sunday.
Head over to TEN 01 this Thurs. – Sat. for a 15% discount when you share this flyer! #HappyHour #SharePlate #Foodie pic.twitter.com/2Q8HoU9FdF
— TEN 01 (@ten01h) November 12, 2015
Visitors will get a chance to try some of Executive Chef R.L. Boyd’s creative dishes, including a PB&J donut sandwich and a twist on the classic U.K scotch egg, which was recently featured in The Washington Post Express.
Residents will get a chance to sample food and drinks from 15 H Street NE restaurants while raising money for a Capitol Hill school at Taste of H on Sunday.
The fundraiser will be held at Atlas Performing Arts Center at 1333 H St. NE from 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
The annual festival raises money for J.O. Wilson Elementary School at 660 K St. NE with silent and live auctions. The event is hosted by Friends of J.O. Wilson, a group that raises money for the school in which three quarters of students qualify for free meals.
In the past, money raised at Taste of H has gone into teacher training, field trips and extra-curricular activities and new technology, according to a press release from Friends of J.O. Wilson.
This year’s festival will include food from 15 restaurants along the H Street corridor, including Ben’s Chili Bowl, The Queen Vic, Addis Ethiopian Restaurant, DC Harvest and Dangerously Delicious Pies. There will also be an extensive silent auction and live auction featuring everything from jewelry to a week-long beach vacation.
Tickets to the event range in price from $45 to $75 and can be purchased online.
Photo via Taste of H
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Ten 01, Due South Make List of Best New Area Restaurants — H Street NE restaurant and bar Ten 01 and Navy Yard eatery Due South both made Thrillist’s list of the best new Washington area restaurants. [Thrillist]
Police Looking for Hill East Package Thieves Caught on Video — Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two package thieves who were caught on video in separate Hill East thefts. [Hill Now]
J.O. Wilson Elementary Receives $175,000 Grant for Extra Services — Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a press conference at J.O. Wilson Elementary School on Capitol Hill that the school will receive a $175,000 community schools grant to provide health care, extra learning, mental-health services and counseling for families of students. [Washington Post]
Center for Teens, Preteens Opens at D.C. General — A youth center inside D.C. General homeless shelter designed by the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project for teens and preteens opened yesterday. [NBC Washington]
Ten 01 Restaurant and Bar Opens Above Ben’s Chili Bowl on H Street NE — Ten 01, the bar and restaurant on the second floor of Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1001 H St. NE opened yesterday with a refined menu that includes a half-smoke-infused Manhattan and a prickly pear margarita. [Washington City Paper]
NoMa Parks Foundation Buys Its First Property — The NoMa Parks Foundation, a group responsible for bringing more parks to NoMa purchased their first property last week. The lot at 3rd and L streets NE is just over 5,000 square feet and cost the foundation $3.2 million. [Washington Business Journal]
The Ben’s Chili Bowl on the H Street corridor might officially start selling cocktails from its roof within days.
Ten 01 at 1001 H St. NE is slated to open to the public on the second floor of Ben’s and a rooftop deck this Thursday, Mike Herz, the operations manager for the bar, said on Twitter.
Herz also shared photos of the inside and the roof deck, which are both minimally decorated with stained wood and metal furnishings.
Coming soon to H Street Corridor! *TEN01 pic.twitter.com/MxkaYyY2xl
— Mike Herz – Ten01 H (@Mikeherz101Herz) October 2, 2015
The bar previewed their beer, wine and cocktail menus at an open house during the H Street Festival on Sept. 19.
Practice run last week pic.twitter.com/MycVTOVZrh
— Mike Herz – Ten01 H (@Mikeherz101Herz) September 26, 2015
A Ben’s representative couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Local children can pick up a free sweet treat on the H Street corridor in honor of Ben’s Chili Bowl’s 57th anniversary this weekend.
The eatery located at 1001 H St. NE and famous for its half smokes will give away mini milkshakes to children who are 12 years old or younger tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. Full-sized milkshakes usually cost $3.55.
When reached by phone earlier today, spokeswoman Vida Ali was helping a customer in the restaurant and couldn’t immediately comment.
In honor of our 57th Anniversary we're giving away FREE mini milkshakes to kids 12 and under all day on Saturday… http://t.co/5ObmD9Hezv
— Ben's Chili Bowl (@benschilibowl) August 21, 2015
The Ben’s Chili Bowl on the H Street corridor is set to serve breakfast for the first time next week.
Starting Monday, Ben’s customers can buy eggs, half smokes and other food at the 1001 H St. NE eatery before 10:45 a.m., the D.C.-based restaurant chain announced today.
Diners can order the breakfast dishes beginning at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends.
Ben’s menu has more than a dozen breakfast options including hot cakes and sandwiches, in addition to eggs and half smokes. All of the food is less than $10.
The H Street Ben’s opened last month.
We are happy to announce that starting Monday August 24th our H Street location will be serving Breakfast! 6-1045am pic.twitter.com/8fjJTEH0WF
— Ben's Chili Bowl (@benschilibowl) August 19, 2015
Hundreds of people descended on the H Street corridor today to revel in half smokes and go-go music for the grand opening of the new Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Virginia Ali, who opened the original Ben’s on U Street NW with her late husband in 1958, cut the ribbon to open the restaurant at 1001 H St. NE this morning with the help of Mayor Muriel Bowser, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and others.
Ali said opening a restaurant on H Street signifies the neighborhood’s turnaround since riots devastated the area after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
“This area had a downturn after the riots in 1968,” she told Hill Now. “Now it’s in the process of growing, and we’re very happy to be a part of that growth. We’re here to serve a community, to support a community and we anticipate the community here will support us as well.”
Prior to the ribbon cutting, Bowser, Norton, Councilman Charles Allen of Ward 6 and other local officials applauded the Ali family’s focus on local business and community.
“This is a small, family-owned business whose owners call D.C. home and care about what happens here,” Bowser said. “This is a small business who saw other opportunities on H Street and said, ‘Ben’s Chili Bowl needs to be there.'”
Norton said she was excited that H Street not only got a Ben’s, but that they also got a chance to dance along with the go-go music of the Chuck Brown Band before and after the speeches.
“H Street was the heart and is the heart of this community, but it did not arrive until today because only today did it get a Ben’s,” Norton said. “Everybody here knows there will never be enough Ben’s for D.C.”
Inside, the restaurant is filled with mustard-yellow and ketchup-red decorations, a long bar, a handful of booths and a wall of well-known celebrities who have visited the restaurant. Comedian Bill Cosby, who has close ties to the Ben’s chain and helped open its Rosslyn location, didn’t appear among the photos.
Cosby, who has faced allegations that he sexually assaulted women, was in a photo on the wall before the eatery opened, The Washington Post reported. But the photo wasn’t there today.
Outside, a line to enter the restaurant began to form at 9 a.m. Mattie Callaham, who lives near the eatery, had the first spot in the line.
“I’ve been going to the U Street one for over 20 years,” Callaham said. “Since I live in this neighborhood, I could walk here, and it wouldn’t be no problem. I just can’t wait to get one of those hot dogs.”
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An Icon Comes to H Street NE — Ben’s Chili Bowl will open its newest location on the H Street corridor today with the help of Mayor Muriel Bowser, Del. Elenor Holmes Norton and the Chuck Brown Band. [Hill Now]
‘AlleyPalooza’ Ready to Jam — The District Department of Transportation and Bowser’s office are launching an alley restoration project today. Based on professional reviews and community input, they’ve selected eight alleys in each ward to renovate. [DCist]
Popular Petition — Capitol Hill resident Erick Sanchez started an online petition that calls for chef José Andrés to cancel his plans for a restaurant at a D.C. hotel under construction by businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The petition went viral after Trump’s controversial remarks on immigration policy. [Hill is Home]
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and a go-go band will help celebrate the opening of the Ben’s Chili Bowl on the H Street corridor next week.
July 8’s grand opening ceremony at 1001 H St. NE will start with a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a go-go performance from the The Chuck Brown Band, according to Ben’s Facebook page.
In addition to Bowser and Norton, members of the Ali family, who own the restaurant, will take part in the festivities.
Ben’s Chili Bowl in the past has attracted many celebrities, including President Obama, “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon and tennis player Serena Williams.
In 2014, comedian Bill Cosby helped open the Ben’s in Rosslyn.
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Ben’s H Street — As Hill Now first reported on Thursday, Ben’s Chili Bowl’s H Street location will open this Wednesday, July 8. [Hill Now]
The Week Ahead — The ANC6B Executive Committee will meet at 7 p.m. at the Hill Center on Tuesday, and Larry Janezich has updates on the Boys & Girls Club and RFK Stadium. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Bridging the Anacostia — An analysis of the potential 11th Street bridge’s impact on neighboring communities. [Greater Greater Washington]
The Ben’s Chili Bowl on the H Street corridor is less than two weeks away from serving half smokes, chili fries and hamburgers to the public.
The restaurant at 1001 H St. NE is slated to open July 8, said Vida Ali, whose family owns the Ben’s eateries throughout the D.C. area.
The Ben’s will have a ribbon cutting the morning of July 8, featuring members of the Ali family and yet-to-be-determined “special guests,” she said.
“We’re just happy to be a part of H Street,” Ali said. “It’s a great neighborhood.”
Founded in 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali, Ben’s has locations on U Street NW and in Arlington, as well as at Nationals Park and FedExField.
Photo of Ben’s Chili Bowl interior via Ben’s Chili Bowl
While the District waits to find out when Ben’s Chili Bowl will open their new location on H Street NE, Hill Now has discovered one ironclad fact: The owners want the new location to have a spunky, colorful bear statue.
According to the agenda of the Transportation and Public Space Committee of ANC 6A, Ben’s Chili Bowl has filed an “application for the placement of a statue in public space.” One well-placed source tells Hill Now that the statue will be a bear similar to the panda at the original Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street NW.
The original location received its rainbow-colored panda in 2004, when the D.C. Commission on the Arts backed a massive art project that scattered 150 whimsical panda statues throughout the city.
Named PandaMania!, the project was part of a push to promote the giant pandas at the National Zoo.
On U Street, the panda statue was never meant to become a long-term part of the Ben’s Chili Bowl experience. But our source tells us that their customers have embraced it over the years, with kids and adults alike taking pictures with the friendly beast.
Yesterday Hill Now reached out to J. Omar Mahmud, the ANC 6A commissioner whose name was attached to the agenda item, to check on the status of the Ben’s Chili Bowl statue application. We are still waiting to hear back.
