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Ben’s Next Door Gets New Signage
1213 U St, NW
First a mural and now some new signage at Ben’s Next Door located at 1213 U St, NW. What do you think of the new signage?
We judged them back in 2009 – any current fans? You can see their menus here.
Back in July 2008:
Category: Restaurants, signs, U Street
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Recent Comments
11:46pm
I'm not sure who all these people are who are suggesting to park at DC USA. I just... 
AR
11:36pm
Work across the street. Business never appears to be THAT good (ie saddest bar/club I've...
Sure, transfer the title, registration, and insurance to someone who doesn't own or drive...
11:23pm
Mat, Thanks again for your support; and your point is well taken.
grr
11:04pm
"Used to live," not "used the live." I hate blackberrys.
I miss hearing the wild cats...
nicely done!
I’m not crazy about it– pretty generic and bland. They could have at least mimicked the style of the original restaurant. Of course, people will flock to it anyway so I guess they figured it doesn’t matter.
Out of curiosity, what kinds of things are for sale at the “U Street Visitor Center & Gift Shop”?
I’d love to know that myself.
I’ll give you a hint: all the “gifts” come in small ziploc baggies and can be smoked.
oh, right – pork. cheers.
The Visitor Center is run by Cultural Tourism DC, in partnership with Ben’s and Mid-City Business Association. Lots of brochures and maps.
The gift shop is Ben’s gift shop and has tshirts, mugs, that kind of stuff.
The bathroom vent is truly awe inspiring. It can suck a monkey through thirty feet of garden hose.
What?! Done. I’ll bring the garden hose if you can get the monkey.
does Next Door sell the over-hyped food from Bens Chili Bowl. Call me crazy but I just don’t get why everyone love’s this place. The food is blah
Okay. You’re crazy. You haven’t really experienced DC until you’ve shattered the commode at Ben’s. It’s a rite of passage. A painful, disgusting, traumatic rite of passage. Seriously, it’s like you’re up the Ganges without an air freshener.
Ben’s is a place that the average joe, like myself, likes. I like the half smokes and chili cheese fries. It’s not supposed to be mindblowing or haute cuisine. It’s great greesy food and drunk eats in a fun atmosphere with friendly service. I don’t think it’s ever pretended to be anything else. Set your expectations accordingly.
On point.
I play at Ben’s Next Door pretty regularly (they do acoustic music in the back room every Tuesday), and I really like the place. Nizam Ali, the current Ali-In-Charge, is a super great dude, and they treat the musicians really well there.
The food is much more expensive than the original Ben’s (although you can still get a Half-Smoke!), but I think it’s pretty awesome. The fried chicken with kale and mashed sweet potatoes is heavenly.
It’s usually pretty packed in there, and definitely a “scene” at the bar area (which is pretty cramped), but I feel like it just has good mojo in there and the crowd is fairly diverse. Definitely not a place for everyone, but I dig it…
This seems weird to me, like Ben’s is gonna jump the shark.
I like Next Door. The food and drinks are nothing special but the people who work there and frequent there have personality. There aren’t that many great places on U street to watch sports but it’s a pretty good spot. Especially for NBA playoff games.
I like Ben’s Next Door. They have good food–definitely fancier from the original Ben’s. I had a tasty crab cake sandwich there. It is a great place to watch sports at the bar, and the previous commenter is right that Nizam, the proprietor, is an awesome guy.