Ben's Next Door

I first heard of this place by word of mouth, then as I usually do...I went to the internet for reviews. The angry peron in review "Nextdoor to Horrible" certainly had lots to say but despite it all I took a chance. What a great decision! I have been impressed with the friendly bar keeps and the menu offerings. The atmophere reflects the upbeat energy of the ever changing U Street life. I have returned numerous times and bring any DC visitors to it aswell. Lesson to learn for the angry reviews: maybe you should be more realistic about your evenings out and expect mistakes to happen on occasion...but thumbs up for the fast learning of Next Door staff to make Washingtonians happy. more

An addition to the historic Ben's Chili Bowl, Ben's Next Door offers all the great half-smoke kind of fare and more. Not only are these folks good at simple, fast food but they know how to do larger soul-food type plates very well. The shrimp and grits at Next Door are some of the best I've had in DC - there's plenty of medium-sized, well seasoned shrimp with a tomato broth, on top of a heaping pile of cheesy, herbed white grits. It tastes as good as you expect shrimp and grits to be. Their brined fried chicken is also deliciously seasoned and served with braised kale and sweet potato puree, both of which are amazing. The kale tastes like real Southern-style collard greens and the puree is sweet but a good balance with the savory chicken. I've also tried Next Door's Chocolate Coconut Pecan pie, which tastes just as rich and sweet as that sounds. It may be too much for some, but for those with not just one sweet tooth like myself, the mix of chocolate chips and coconut shavings mixed with pecan filling and drizzled with caramel on top is just the right ending. Pros: Good service, delicious food and drinks Cons: Gets cramped and crowded early, loud more

My friends and I went to Ben's Next Door today for brunch. I was excited because knowing of the fame of the restaurant Ben's Chili Bowl my expectations were high. Please do not bother to spend your money here for brunch/lunch. The service is horrible, the management is horrible, rude, and seems to need a lesson in customer service.Food took 45minutes to an hour from ordering. They don't refill drinks. We got up and left because our food never came out. Oh correction, one person in our party had a part of her food come out while the other five of us watched it get cold waiting for ours. The waitress told us on inquiring that "she has nothing to do with the kitchen, she put the order in and the rest is there responsibility." Wow! Next!!! more