Lacto
American
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Local dive offering vegan chili, hot dogs, burgers, subs and fries. Impossible and Beyond brand patties available. Open Mon-Wed 11:00am-9:00pm, Thu 11:00am-11:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:00am-4:00am.
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1213 U St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA, 20009
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Last update on 18 Mar 2022 by LaurenMilord
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Added by brosner on 10 Oct 2014
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15 Reviews
First Review by vegantouring
Mma13
Points +1531
Enjoy a DC classic! - Edit
Per the board inside the veggie dog and impossible burger are vegan! They have vegan chili as well. I had the vegan chili dog and it was as expected- diner food. But fun to share in eating at this iconic location and we met the 90 year old owner who was very sweet!
Read moreGuest
mike1366
Points +1299
New vegan options - Edit
They have added new vegan options recently since many of the previous reviews. The veggie dogs are now Field Roast Frankfurters. The veggie burgers and veggie subs (two patties on an hoagie roll) are a choice of either Beyond or Impossible burgers. The home-made vegan chili is awesome, especially on chili fries! A local institution and worth checking out for the fun atmosphere and history.
Read moreGuest
etoile
Points +323
Be realistic - Edit
Let's be realistic, you're not coming to Ben's for 5-star food. You're coming for the history, nostalgia, reputation, and late hours. But what I do appreciate is that you are getting the exact same experience as omnivores - everything they offer, from dogs to chili to burgers, has a veg option. (Okay, the half smokes don't, but DC would probably explode if they made a veg half smoke.)
Read moreMy greasy, 2am, soak-up-the-beer preference is the veg chili fries.
Guest
Shiru
Points +2844
Not my top choice - Edit
We came here at 2:00 am after catching a local show. This is definitely a great spot to eat when everything is closed but not something I would just get during normal daytime hours. Definitely good to have choices though.
Read moreGuest
SCG
Points +156
Gut bomb - Edit
Greasy spoon comfort food.
Read moreGuest
RicanVegan
Points +431
Decent Chili - Edit
We ordered the vegan chili and vegan chili fries (without cheese).
Read moreThe vegan chili was good. The vegan chili fries portion ratio was off. Way too much chili, we could hardly taste the fries.
Pros: Vegan Options
Cons: Too much chili on the fries, Packaging , Should have vegan cheese option
Guest
happyveg5
Points +91
Iconic chili 👌 - Edit
The veg chili hits the spot! Plenty of vegetarian options and some vegan options so no one misses out. The chili dog for vegetarians and chili burger for vegans are both delicious options!
Read moreGuest
Kasham
Points +562
For meat eaters - Edit
I would say this place is definitely more for meat eaters than vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. They didn’t have Impossible burgers (although on the menu) so I ordered a Beyond burger with vegetarian chili. I also got fries and a milkshake “because it was cheaper to make a meal”. Much to my disappointment, the total was $22! The food tasted mediocre and I ended up only drinking less than a fourth of my milkshake because the taste wasn’t worth the dairy intake.
Read moreCool atmosphere but wouldn’t recommend to fully Veg/Vegan friends.
Pros: Cool atmosphere
Cons: Expensive for the taste/quality, Not a lot of veg options
Guest
morgan524m
Points +95
Pretty good - Edit
They gave me meat at first and then reassured me it was the beyond burger when it wasn’t. I don’t think they knew what I meant by the beyond burger. Just make sure you’re careful! Luckily the manager knew the difference and re-made my burger. It was very good with the vegan chili.
Read morePros: Cheap, Delicious
Cons: The staff doesn’t know what the beyond burger is
Guest
20daisy00
Points +794
Great for large groups - Edit
About 30 of us came whilst on a visit to DC, two of us are vegan and one gluten free, we were well catered for and the vegan and gluten free options were talked through. I had the vegan chilli in a salad bowl, it was very filling (fortunately, as I had been struggling to find vegan options at our other locations throughout the day). The staff were awesome and asked us whether we wanted ‘crackers’ etc. By no means a healthy choice but very delicious and satisfying. It really is a must-visit due to the famous history and amount of celebrity connections.
Read morePros: Caters for mix of needs, Caters for mix of needs, Caters for mix of needs
Guest
dc_dissedxx
Points +25
Vegheads won't miss out on the hype - Edit
Veggie dogs are NOT vegan, but the veg-chili is. It's nice you won't miss out on the hype of Ben's chili...
Read moreGuest
DCGrrl
Points +101
DC landmark - Edit
Ben's is famous for its chili, halfsmokes, and its history.
Read moreIt's located in the center of an historic DC neighborhood that is now full of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and performance venues.
The vegetarian hotdogs and chili were only fairly recent additions, and they are not showstoppers. However, it's worth at least one visit if you are visiting Washington.
Soak up the history, look at all the photos around inside, and if you're lucky their 'resident historian' will be hanging out, ready to answer questions.
It's better to go early if you want to take time here - Ben's is open late, so it's a popular place for post-show munchies.
Pros: History, Location, Price
Cons: Busy, No parking, Narrow choices
Guest
Brusswole_Sprouts
Points +557
sketchy - Edit
I ate here at the whim of drunk companions late at night, as I heard they had vegan options. Despite the drunken haze, my veggie dogs tasted pretty not vegan. As other reviewers have commented, there have been some arguments over whether or not their products are vegan or not. Ultimately, I think I'm all set.
Read moreGuest
shineonyou
Points +941
DC tourist attraction, not vegan food destination - Edit
If you're considering going here, I'm assuming it's because you're going with someone who wants to visit the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. It's been in movies! Celebrities go here! In that case, go here. You can eat vegan here, but you're not going for food. Per information provided on their site, their vegetarian chili is vegan and their veggie burgers are vegan: http://benschilibowl.com/about/ I've eaten here, and it was fine, and now I never need to go ever again. I think the veggie burger was a boca burger, and I can get those at the grocery store.
Read moreIf you're more interested in eating delicious food, you have better options nearby that are still locally DC. Busboys and Poets is one example. The DC area has a large Ethiopian community with some great Ethiopian food options in the U Street neighborhood, and pretty much any Ethiopian place will have a vegan-friendly veggie platter. Really, I'm often surprised to see what vegan-friendly option makes it to Happy Cow while other, much better vegan-friendly options aren't submitted.
Stray observations: It's pretty weird that they still haven't removed their Bill Cosby mural. And it can get pretty crowded, and there's often a long line.
Updated from previous review on Wednesday December 23, 2015
Pros: Famous
Cons: Plain, boring vegan food, Better vegan options nearby
Guest
vegantouring
Points +24
Dogs NOT VEGAN! - Edit
their veggie dogs have egg. their veggie burgers are reportedly vegan.
Read moreGuest
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