Ben's Chili Bowl - U Street landmark

Ben's Chili Bowl opened in 1958 on U Street and was founded by Ben and Virginia Ali as a neighborhood diner. The venue remained open and served the community during and after the 1968 riots, becoming an enduring social and cultural landmark in the city. It has hosted numerous political and cultural figures and is widely cited in histories of the U Street corridor's mid-20th-century African American life.