Ben's Chili Bowl and U Street's cultural refuge

Ben's Chili Bowl was founded in 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali and became a longstanding cultural and social hub on U Street. During the 1968 riots after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, the restaurant remained open and served the community, an act often cited in local histories. Over the decades it has been frequented by entertainers, activists, and politicians and is widely recognized as a landmark of Washington's African American and cultural history.