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Ben’s Chili Bowl

2.5 (20 reviews)

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Bill W.

Absolutely Horrible and Way Overpriced ! So a hot dog with chili and fries is $15.50. I know it's DC and inside the Convention Center but let's be real for a second ! The bun broke in half so that tells me it lacks some freshness, the hot dog must have been on the grill or rollers longer because it was somewhat crunchy with no flavor, the fries were decent, crunchy exterior ... The chili is not to write home about, I don't see the WOW factor .. To many decent places to eat outside of the building at a fraction of the price ! Not Recommend !

Chili Dog.
Eric W.

Ben's Chili Bowl now has a location in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It's positioned near the main entrance of Hall D and while at Otakon it was always busy. This is not a large location and only has two registers, so expect a wait when ordering. They serve a similar menu to Ben's other locations, but has Pepsi products instead of Coke. Ordered a Chili Dog, but went with only that as the prices here are a little expensive. I received my order in a reasonable amount of time. It was a good hot dog and the chili sauce has the right amount of bite. From seeing the French Fries others ordered, they looked good. Overall, it was worth the stop and it's different from other food options offered in the convention center, but the prices are an issue.

Entrance to Great Food!
Keno W.

Heading back from vacation in The Bahamas.We had a layover in the DC area.I was thinking,man!How can I get me a Ben's Chili half smoke.The famous smoked sausage of the D.C. area.Well guess what...they have a location at Regan National airport. As soon as we landed,I looked at the airport map and made a beeline to Bens Chili bowl. It was busy,however people were being served very quickly.They had burgers, chili (beef,Turkey or vegetarian .I absolutely started with the classic half smoke with mustard, onions and chili on it .The flavor was good! I took a bite into my sandwich and it exploded with juices, which was a good thing.The sausage could've had more seasoning in my mind, but the flavors worked.The chili was thick and hearty,it could have used more salt. The crowd there was great, soccer was on the big screen,pilots,Airport workers and flight attendants were all enjoying their food laughing having a good time before their next flight or final destination. Only issue I had was that one classic half smoke and chili fries cost me $18.42. I know, it's airport food but come on guys... no disrespect. A sausage on a bun?! $18.42? Next time in DC I think I'm going to hit up a local spot like in the heart of town...until next time DC.

Please note the advertised "SHAKES", which are not actually on the menu!
Max S.

I was headed to DC for a conference, and someone suggested that I go to Ben's Chili Bowl, which is apparently a beloved DC institution that has been around for decades. Unbeknownst to my interlocutor, there is now a branch of Ben's located within the Walter Washington Convention Center. I tried it for lunch on the first day of the conference, hoping and expecting to enjoy their burger, fries, et al. Unfortunately, it was a huge and total disappointment. The burgers were made of what tasted like the lowest quality meat I have eaten in years; they reminded me of the public school lunch burgers I ate in the Bronx years ago. The fries were limp and semi-soggy. The strangest part of the meal was that, despite the sign above the counter proclaiming, in huge letters, "Half Smokes - Dogs - Burgers - Shakes", I was informed by the person at the counter that "we don't serve shakes at this branch of Ben's"! Overall, there is no excuse for a burger joint to serve such lame food. I will bump up my score from a 1 to a 2, mainly for the efficient service and convenient (if you happen to be attending an event at the Convention Center) location.

Dung H.

Overrated. Too salty. Staff was not attentive, friendly and helpful at all. Pricey for fast food.

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4 months ago

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7 months ago

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7 months ago

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8 months ago

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Food took forever to come out and was not that good for how long we waited and he threw up in the bathroom after like wtf vro

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3 years ago

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9 months ago

45 min after eating here, I was running to the bathroom with the "BUBBLEGUTS"!!!! Haven't eaten there since.

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

We door dashed on a cold snowy day. Great chili dogs, fries and yummy banana pudding. Highly recommend!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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Z Burger

Z Burger

3.9(36 reviews)
0.8 mi

Good food My burger…read morewas very good as were my onion rings. I was not expecting hand dipped rings so that eas a nice surprise. I was not real impressed with the speed of the employees. It took her a while to take my order. Later, I noticed the self order kiosk as another couple used it to order. If that was the only way to order, I would have walked out. Be aware that not only do they have a button to add a tip, they add a service and packaging charger to your order and yes, I was eating in. I will return as the food was good

This is part of a small local chain or restaurants. that is know for its variety. There is metered…read morestreet parking out front of this restaurant and within a reasonable walking distance. They have a decent sized out door patio out front and a modest dining area. inside. The inside was not the cleanest. The floor was sticky, dirty and had a lot of trash on it. The staff there did their job, nothing more, nothing less. This place has two counters to order one looks like a shake bar and the other is where the food is prepared. This restaurant has a little bit of everything. They have burgers, phillys, hotdogs and chicken sandwiches. Oh, and they have the largest selection of floats and milkshakes that I have seen. I ordered the bacon philly with a side of fries. It took about 8 minutes for them to prepare my food. It was made fresh. The food was really good. The fries were hot and well seasoned. They gave me a ton of fries. They loaded the bag up like they do at 5 Guys. My sandwich was delicious. The meat was fresh and it was packed with flavor. I was very happy with my meal. They would have easily gotten 5 stars if the place was cleaner and teh staff was more welcoming.

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Z Burger
Z Burger - Spicy chicken sandwich with "loaded" toppings

Spicy chicken sandwich with "loaded" toppings

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Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers - Bacon Jalapeo Meal & Swizzler Signature Cheeseburger Meal

Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers

4.4(238 reviews)
2.3 mi•Navy Yard
•$$

This was my first time ever eating at Swizzler Crispy Chicken and Smash Burger, and honestly... I…read morewasn't even supposed to get this order. I had ordered Wise Guys on Uber Eats, and this showed up instead and I am SO glad it did. Whoever originally ordered this got a bacon jalapeño burger and a spicy chicken deluxe. The jalapeño burger was a 10/10. I'm not even big on peppers, but it had the perfect amount of jalapeños, great flavor, and was just really well done. I passed that one to my friend, and I took the chicken sandwich. The spicy chicken deluxe was incredible. Perfectly crispy, great sauce, and I'm pretty sure it had bacon on it, which just took it over the top. Everything worked together so well, and I was honestly upset that I hadn't known about this place sooner. The fries were also really good, crispy and plentiful. They remind me of Five Guys fries, but honestly? This felt like a better version of Five Guys overall. I don't even know what the price was, but I can confidently say I would pay good money for both the smash burger and especially that chicken sandwich again. The best part? This place isn't even far from my house, so this is officially my new burger spot. Sorry to whoever lost their order,but thank you for putting me on. I'll definitely be back.

Great burger , great service and actually better than i expected! I like this place better than…read moreshake shack plus the aesthetic inside is so cute! I have to try the chicken sandwich if the burger was that good! 9.3/10

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Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers - Seating

Seating

Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers - Fries they were awesome!

Fries they were awesome!

Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers - Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich

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Ssong's Hotdog

Ssong's Hotdog

4.5(11 reviews)
2.3 mi•Navy Yard

I went to the Nationals vs. Dodgers game last Saturday afternoon with a big group. Sometime during…read morethe second inning, half of the group left to find something to snack on. 2-3 innings later, they each came back with a K-Dog which made my mouth water. Despite the inflated stadium pricing, I soon scurried off to find Ssong's Hotdog, which is located near Section 308. The line was sizable, so I waited about 15-20 minutes before it was my turn to place my order. Unfortunately, they were out of almost everything. The potato mozz sausage stick -- the one I drooled over -- would require a 30 minute wait, which I wasn't down for. MOZZ SAUSAGE STICK - 11.49 This was the only option they had left, which is half mozz and half beef sausage. It was pretty small -- four bites and it was gone. The top half was the mozzarella part, which was completely hollow with maybe a few cobweb strands of mozzarella, so it was mainly batter. Overall, incredibly disappointing K-Dog, and it was stale too! I don't know if I'll attend another baseball game, but if I do, I don't think I'll be back at this K-Dog stall.

Gotta love Ssong's Hotdogs. I was at Nats Park for The Lumineers concert and have tons of…read moreallergies. I was so happy to see Ssong's Hotdogs there since I frequent their Columbia Mall location. I know they are safe for me and was excited to get a glizzy while I was there. They were having a Internet outage while I was there and instead of letting all their hot dogs go to waste, they gave them out for free, not only helping introduce newcomers to their amazing hot dogs, but also reducing food waste. I love business practices like that. I would've already supported them anyway since I seek them out. I also came back later when they were online and ordered a Boba while I was there. they were able to mix their two flavors together, making something even more delicious and new to me. I highly recommend the spicy potato mozzarella dog.

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Ssong's Hotdog
Ssong's Hotdog
Ssong's Hotdog

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Five Guys - A Five Guys cheeseburger, milkshake and regular order of fries sits on a table inside a Five Guys restaurant.

Five Guys

3.7(209 reviews)
0.4 mi
•$$

I've frequented this FIVE GUYS restaurant for several years now, and the burgers and fries are,…read moresimply put, among the best. Always fresh, tasty, and DELICIOUS. The staff always does a thorough and timely job of preparing and serving up a meal. Other burger places can learn a lot in terms of quality control from FIVE GUYS.

As five guys goes this was a normal food experience the burger was good and the fries were as well…read more The young lady at the counter was pleasant and friendly but she made a huge mistake. We tried to order 2 single burgers 2 medium drinks and 1 medium fry the bill was a few cents shy of $50 bucks. I didn't even question this but it's seemed a bit steep. After her participation in a discussion over getting 1 order of fries she added 3 medium fries to our order. The truth is I only picked up on this when they callled out my order number and gave me 3 bags. The addition charge was $20 bucks. If you work behind the counter you should have an idea when the price is wrong. Okay the boss made it right by charging us for only 1 order of fries but the counter girl did also fail to charge us for our drinks so they left those off the bill too. The food was fine and the dining area is clean and overall this isn't a bad place to grab a quick bite. Just keep an eye on the receipt to avoid paying for stuff you didn't order.

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Five Guys
Five Guys - A photograph of the contents of a Five Guys burger bowl, which include two ground beef patties, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce ...

A photograph of the contents of a Five Guys burger bowl, which include two ground beef patties, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce ...

Five Guys - A Five Guys hot dog sits on the counter in a Five Guys restaurant.

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A Five Guys hot dog sits on the counter in a Five Guys restaurant.

DCity Smokehouse - Ribs

DCity Smokehouse

4.0(675 reviews)
0.7 mi
•$$

Look, there are two versions of me. The disciplined, sensible version, and the version that orders…read morethe smoked wings, ribs, AND potato salad without a single regret. This restaurant is exclusively for the second version. I don't come here often because I respect myself. But when I do? Oh, it's a whole event. The smoked wings are everything, the ribs hold up every single time, the smoked chicken is to die for, and that potato salad has absolutely no business being that good. Bonus: one order feeds me for like three days. Three. Days. The portion sizes alone deserve a five-star review. This is my naughty place and I am at peace with that.

Vibe: Feels like a straightforward neighborhood BBQ spot…read more Nothing fancy, just good smoked food. Food: I ordered the smoked wings (12) and the spicy greens. The wings were seasoned just right and honestly didn't need sauce. If you want one though, go with the cilantro ranch. The BBQ sauce wasn't sweet or smoky, I'm still trying to figure out what the flavor was. Also, I got 9 drums and 3 flats, which was a little off, I'd prefer a 6/6 split. Online you cannot do all flats or all drums The spicy greens are meat-free and I even called both to make sure. had good flavor, but they were more sweet and spicy to me not just spicy. Service / Timing: The cashier wasn't very welcoming. No hello, no thank you, nothing. That definitely stood out for these prices. Value: Pretty pricey for what I got. My total was $27.55 for 12 wings and greens. HIGH Highlight: WINGS. Wrap-Up: Despite the service and the price, the food was good. I will be back for the wings!

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DCity Smokehouse - Inside

Inside

DCity Smokehouse - Oxtail and Onion Rings

Oxtail and Onion Rings

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Ben’s Chili Bowl - hotdog - Updated May 2026

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