Ben's Chili Bowl to Injera: Lunch on DC's Black Broadway
A U Street lunch walk with a few long stops and Black Broadway stories in between, starting at Ben's Chili Bowl.
Blue Fern Travel walks the U Street corridor, the neighborhood its listing ties to the Black Broadway era, and feeds you lunch along the way. The company began in 2014 as Carpe DC Food Tours, and it says U Street started out as its flagship tour in 2015. The walk starts outside Ben's Chili Bowl, which the listing also names among the tastings. Ben's calls itself a Washington icon since 1958, opened by newlyweds Ben Ali, born in Trinidad, and Virginia Ali. After nine months of repairs, Ben's announced a May 1, 2026 reopening for that original U Street location, and its website now says the location is open.
Expect a handful of hearty stops, with the history told in the walking between them. The listing names Ethiopian injera as another of the flavors, and the operator promises to explain the half-smoke along the way.
The booking covers the guide, tastings that add up to lunch, and a donation to Bread for the City that the listing says buys a DC resident three meals. Bread for the City's own 2023 annual report lists Blue Fern Travel among its corporate donors. A tip for the guide is extra; the operator pays each restaurant in full and tips its staff.
DC's Original Food and History Walking TourGuided U Street food and history walk starting at Ben's Chili Bowl, with tastings that add up to lunch, sold as three hours.www.viator.comHearty Plates and One Shared Platter
The listing names two of the tastings, Ben's Chili Bowl and Ethiopian injera. Guests through 2024 described four food stops in all: a half-smoke or chili dog with chips at Ben's, a shared Ethiopian platter, guava pastelitos at Colada Shop, and ice cream to finish. The operator's own reference page, updated in May 2026, says its food tours visit five to seven places, and the operator says the selection changes from time to time.
The Ethiopian stop is family style, one platter for the group, eaten by hand with injera. Two 2024 guests disliked sharing a plate with strangers, and the operator answered that the shared plate is meant for cultural exchange. Guests from 2017 to 2022 named the Ethiopian restaurant as Dukem, on U Street, and later guests did not name it. Dukem has announced November 7, 2026 as its last day of service. As of October 18, 2026, the operator had not said where the injera course goes after that.
Between plates the walk pauses at murals, and a November 2024 guest timed the gap after Ben's at over an hour.
Black Broadway Between the Plates
The operator frames the walk around U Street's heyday as Black Broadway in the jazz era, the little clubs where household names got their start, the murals and sculptures along the corridor, and the riots that reshaped the city. Ben's sits inside that story: the restaurant says it stayed open past curfew during the 1968 riots to feed people working to restore order.
The listing's own photos include the bronze relief of the African American Civil War Memorial, which the National Park Service places at Vermont Avenue, 10th Street and U Street, by the Metro. A January 2024 guest wrote about learning the efforts of African American soldiers in the Civil War.
Treat it as a history walk with lunch built in. Over the years several guests wanted more eating and less talking, and one in September 2026 found the pace a little slow between stops.
Party Size, Ages and Diets
Each booking here takes two to eight travelers, and the operator caps a departure at 12 guests. As of October 18, 2026, this listing would not accept a party of one on any date tried, which leaves a solo traveler unable to book it alone here. Small groups still run: in March 2026 a couple were the only two guests, and the operator kept the departure.
Everyone 3 and up pays the adult rate. The operator says a toddler riding in a stroller does not need a ticket.
Vegans and anyone with a dairy allergy cannot be accommodated; a vegetarian version is available if you ask when you book. For other allergies the operator says it will look for alternatives at each stop and may not manage it at every one. It calls the U Street route wheelchair accessible, notes that a few stops have a step or two at the entrance, and asks families bringing a stroller to email ahead. Tours run in English only.
Keep the Early Afternoon Free
Departures start at 11:30 AM. As of October 18, 2026, the booking calendar shows Thursday-to-Sunday departures through December and, so far, only Saturdays and Sundays after that.
The listing sells the walk as three hours. The operator's own pages put it at anywhere from two to three hours, with one to two miles of walking at a stroll and some sitting along the way. Plan on the full three hours and leave the time after it open.
It runs rain or shine. The operator says most stops have restrooms, and that nearby street parking is mostly two-hour spaces, shorter than the tour.
📍 Meet outside Ben's Chili Bowl, 1213 U St NW, across the street from the U Street Metro station.
- Arrive five to ten minutes before 11:30 AM. If the guide is not out front, the listing says to look for the group inside.
- Cancel at least 24 hours before the start for a full refund.
- Tell the operator about vegetarian needs or allergies when you book.
The listing marks the finish at 1405 T St NW, a few blocks from where the walk began, with the Metro a short walk back.