By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
Whether you are a go-go aficionado, a radio icon, a Hollywood superstar, or just someone from the D.C. area longing for a half smoke, Ben’s Chili Bowl is once again the place to go.
The long-awaited grand reopening of the flagship location of Ben’s Chili Bowl took place on May 1 at its famed U Street NW in Washington, D.C. The event attracted a throng of supporters who were eager to salute Virginia Ali, the 92-year-old matriarch who, along with her husband, Ben, opened the D.C. landmark in 1958.
The popular restaurant has survived major upheavals in the District, including the 1968 riots, the Green Line construction, the drug epidemic of the 1980s, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. But the need for long-delayed renovations to the facility, which in 1910 opened as D.C. first silent movie theater, forced the owners to suspend operations in July 2025 for major renovations including plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems.
Sage Ali, one of the sons of the founders of Ben’s Chili Bowl, said over the past few years, whenever it rained, employees would have to break out buckets to catch the water falling through the roof.
“We had to close 10 months ago to make things work more efficiently and to make Mom proud,” he said. “But Mom was never allowed to go inside. So today, when we cut the ribbon, she’ll walk inside with Mayor Muriel Bowser and get her first look at what we’ve done.”
He said his wife, Vida Ali, came up with the vision for the renovation project.
“The improvements we’ve completed have been years in the making – well over six years of planning,” Vida Ali told AFRO News. “It’s taken a village to get it done, but it’s our gift to Mom for her many years of service and who taught us to treat everyone the same – the way we’d like to be treated.”
Alonzo Johnson, 66, is a resident of Bowie who has lived in Maryland for his entire life but had never been to Ben’s Chili Bowl.
“My wife, Andrea, convinced me to come out today and based on some of the stories she’s shared, I am going to have a great meal,” he said.
Andrea Johnson attended Howard University in the 90s.
“My classmates and I went to Ben’s often – even when we should have been studying for an exam,” said Johnson. “It’s always been the perfect spot to chill out and have a good time, especially late at night.”
Native Washingtonian Rhozier “Roach” Brown, 82, hosts a monthly talk show every Tuesday (10 a.m. – noon), WPFW-FM 89.3, from Ben’s Chili Bowl, during which he addresses the injustice within America’s criminal justice system. For him, Virginia Ali has long served as a second mother, particularly in his times of need.
“I grew up behind the alley here at Ben’s when the City was still segregated and many Blacks were struggling just to put food on the table,” Brown said. “I’ve called Mrs. Ali ‘Mom’ for as long as I can remember and even when I was flat broke, she made sure I got a good meal. Back then, you could get two hot dogs for a quarter – a quarter that I often did not have.”
Several celebrities who have become fixtures and given back to the Black community, spoke during the program – from Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams to film maker extraordinaire Spike Lee.
But it was the legendary media trailblazer, Donnie Simpson, 72, who hosted a radio show on WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 2010, whose words clearly struck home with the Ali family and others in attendance.
“When I first arrived here from my hometown of Detroit, Michigan, I didn’t know a soul and no one knew me,” Simpson said. “But I kept being told about this place called Ben’s Chili Bowl and the matriarch who greeted you at the door. Before long, I was calling Mrs. Ali ‘Mom’ like everyone else.
“I know how difficult it can be to own and manage a small business because my mother owned a record shop back in Detroit. That’s what got me into music,” Simpson continued. “What’s so incredible about Ben’s Chili Bowl is—even in D.C.’s darkest times–they’ve weathered the storms. I’m told Mrs. Ali didn’t even have to lock the doors during the riots after Dr. King was assassinated.”
“Faith, food, and fortitude,” said Simpson, “That’s how I would describe Ben’s Chili Bowl and the woman who, along with her family, have made it happen and always given us a safe place to eat and meet.”
