Travelers through Reagan National Airport will be able to taste one of Washington’s iconic dishes with the opening of Ben’s Chili Bowl Wednesday. The outpost of the Ali family’s historic U Street spot serves its chili half-smokes in the pre-security area of the B/C Terminal.
This year has been an expansive one for the family-owned brand. March saw the debut of the first standalone sister restaurant in Arlington (a kiosk, similar to the one in the airport, serves FedEx Field and Nationals Stadium). An H Street branch is expected to open later this year. Still, much remains the same on the menu of fries, half-smokes, and, of course, chili.
Find Anna Spiegel on Twitter at @annaspiegs.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
