Ben’s Chili Bowl is making its New York City debut — as a monthly burger special at Hamburger America.

This month, the fastest route from D.C. to Manhattan isn’t aboard an Acela train but a hamburger bun.

Ben’s Chili Bowl is as significant a Washington, D.C. landmark as the Lincoln Memorial or the Library of Congress. Co-founded and opened on U Street in 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali, the treasured eatery has resolutely remained throughout literal history — serving a litany of iconic names (including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis) and an incalculable legion of D.C. locals even amid the neighborhood’s toughest of times. The secret ingredients? Comfort and community, a sense that a delicious bite will always be there waiting for you no matter who you are.

Chili, of course, is a stalwart of the Ben’s menu. Yet, it’s probably predominantly known for its half-smokes — a region-specific hot dog style that’s a half-pork, half-beef, smoked sausage — and its hamburgers, traditionally served with mayonnaise, diced lettuce, and a spicy homemade chili sauce. The latter of the two brings Ben’s 220-plus miles north to New York City for the first time and to Hamburger America, where a Ben’s-inspired-and-approved chili cheeseburger is on special through March 5.

Hamburger America opened in 2023 as close as you can get to Greenwich Village while technically being in SoHo, only a footful of steps south of Houston at 51 MacDougal Street. It is the culmination of a career in hamburger studies for George Motz — an author, filmmaker, photographer, chef, and now restauranteur who has long preached the gospel of the burger. His restaurant’s concept is a poet’s ode to every facet of the form, taking an exceptionally detail-oriented approach in pursuit of patty perfection.

Every component behind a Hamburger America burger is deeply considered. Finely ground high-fat beef chuck is balled using an ice cream scoop, smashed on a griddle with a custom-made-in-Argentina one-pound spatula (crafted to press at a precise angle), and served on a Martin’s potato roll toasted on what can best be described as a butter-coated Ferris wheel for buns. The cheese is always American cheese and the onions — a crucial element in the classic smash burger and house specialty fried onion burger, each menu mainstays — are always Peruvian sweet onions.

However, Motz does make exceptions to his own rules when it comes to Hamburger America’s monthly burger special. In those cases, such as with this Ben’s Chili Bowl collaboration, Motz and Co. do not simply adapt their special subjects to the Hamburger America style. Rather, they go to painstaking lengths to faithfully recreate the dishes as they are prepared in their respective restaurants, utilizing the literal same ingredients wherever possible. As such, the chili cheeseburger at Hamburger America isn’t a take on the same menu item at Ben’s; it is the same menu item at Ben’s (or at least as close as you’ll get to it outside of the D.C. area).

Contra to about every fact previously outlined, the burger is constructed from a quarter-pound Angus patty and served on a non-Martin’s bun, sporting melted American cheese, mayo, diced lettuce, and, most paramount, Ben’s spicy chili sauce. The plate your server presents it on is even topped with a sheet of Ben’s Chili Bowl-branded wax paper.

Really, the Ali family and Motz are a match made in hamburger heaven. The interior of Ben’s has remained virtually unchanged since 1958. You order at a counter with limited stool seating (there are tables as well), the floors are tiled, and notable press clippings and photos adorn the walls. Likewise, as Hamburger America’s whole vibe is greatly indebted to the era of American dining Ben’s came from and still represents, you’ll find essentially the same features inside it. Oh, and both places make mouthwatering food  — that’s pretty important.

Yes, we have actually gotten this far into the piece without discussing the burger in question. Rest assured, it is quite delicious and well worth the trip — you could say the same about visiting the original Ben’s location on U Street if you’re in D.C. What Hamburger America perhaps lacks in the gravitas of eating in the shadows of giants that Ben’s provides is made up for with a supremely tasty burger that accurately captures the satisfaction of eating its inspiration — which is to say, that first bite is the kind that makes you close your eyes and nod your head a little in agreement with your taste buds.

A portion of each chili cheeseburger sale at Hamburger America benefits the Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation, which fundraises for and engages in projects with communities in Washington, D.C. Consider bringing a partner along so you can split a chili cheeseburger and a typical Hamburger America burger, plus an egg cream or a freshly prepared order of fries — it can be a little much for one reasonable person to handle. Just remember, the chili cheeseburger is only on special through March 5, so make plans and arrive hungry.

Featured thumbnail image: Joaquin Ossorio Castillo/Shutterstock