Ben’s Chili Dogs

I love love love Ben’s! Kerri is an amazing employee for them and it’s the cheapest place on Broadway to eat.

I grew up eating here on my walk home from school. Instead of getting lunch at school, I’d save it for a hot dog. Now that I’m an adult I still go here all the time. The best cheese dog ever.

In Newport, cheap lunch is hard to come by. The chili dogs here fit the bill. The dogs we had didn’t have much meat or even beans on the dog. There was just a thin line of such. It was flavourful nevertheless. I wouldn’t recommend the dogs if you are looking for something special. I don’t know how it could win the“best chili dogs” voting in Newport.
I also had a Rhode Island style clam chowder. It was a broth style clam chowder. It was strongly flavoured with black pepper, which I was not surprised. There was some clam bits, though I wished there were more. I was not complaining though, cause this was the only shop I came across that sold RI style chowder during my stay at Newport.
2 stars for the dogs. An extra star for the Rhode Island clam chowder.

I love a good hot dog. And I love a cheap lunch. $ 6 for two dogs and a Coke yesterday; can’t beat that.
Without a doubt the best dog I’ve ever had, and that’s why I’ve been here AT LEAST a million times.

The BEST hot dog place In the world for hotdogs.
Ben’s Chili Dogs has been around since the 1960’s and I’ve been eating here since I was a kid. Ben passed away about ten years ago and I miss his dry humor, talking about politics, world affairs, classical music and opera. Not what you’d expect, eating chili dogs with Bach, Verdi, or some other masters’ work being played in the background. UNLESS there was a Red Sox Game on. Ben was a great baseball historian too. His Brother Jerry took over the place when Ben retired, also just as very smart and unassuming guy who was a poet !!! I didn’t know this until I bought one of his booklets of writings at a Brown University book sale. Beautiful !
Anyway those two came up with the best hot dogs in the world, voted best in RI for years. It’s not a fancy place at all. But it’s clean, and the food is quick, cheap and delicious! Always.
The place has been sold for a few years now. The hot dogs are still great. The best.
Don’t care much for the other food offerings and think they should stick to hotdogs.
It’s still hard to walk in and not see Ben or his brother Jerry at the counter. They made the place special and were an institution in Newport.
If you love hotdogs, go to Bens !

Wanted a quick, simple, inexpensive lunch in Newport and this fit the bill perfectly. The chili dogs and chili cheese dogs were very tasty. Coke products are sold in bottles and cans. Just right for a quick bite.

We took my in laws to Newport for a weekend. We stopped in here for lunch. The hot dogs were good. My mother in law didn’t care for the lobster roll. I think they should let you know they are not lobster rolls you expect but Mediterranean style. I did not see any info showing that. Great that they added a ATM because a lot of people do not carry cash. The thing that really upset/​bothered/​annoyed me is that there are no restrooms. I can understand if it’s for paying customers only but no restrooms. I have 2 young kids. My husband had to take my daughter across a very busy street to Dunkin who must know that customers come from the hot dog shop so they have a huge sign you must buy something, so he bought a drink so she could do to the restroom and come back to eat her hot dog. Very disappointing. I would not come back because of this. Not family friendly and not good when you have small children. I still am baffled a restaurant with seating has no restroom…

I don’t know what the big hoopla is about this place. I have had better dogs at gas stations. The dining area feels like the kind of atmosphere you would find in a laundromat. The ONE person on staff that night (a girl) seemed like she was frustrated with her job there, she seemed inpatient when I was telling her what I wanted on my hot dog. Seriously folks, the people here giving 4 and 5 stars must be employees at Ben’s Chili dogs.

buns are nice and soft from the steam. the dogs are good I prefer more snap to them. chili and cheese sauce is excellent. the counter staff was nice. they did still have xmas stuff up in February

It’s on my short list of places I have to go when I come home to Newport! The perfect ratio of hot dog to bun to chili to onions! Don’t miss out!

Best hot dogs I have ever ate! Kraut, chili, and home made cheese is very delicious! They also have a very good soup which they served me for free because it was my first time there. I have been there twice and I am willing to go much more times throughout the summer. I eat like 5 or 6 six dogs because they are small but it is still cheap than a regular burgers. I love it here.

I am DEVASTATED. When we first started coming down to Newport, this was a GREAT place. A middle-​aged guy ran the shop. He was quiet but cordial and friendly. His menu had refreshingly limited options — you don’t need a huge menu if the five or so things you make are EXCELLENT. He let you use his bathroom even if it was a little tricky to get to. He played a local talk radio station, mostly. It was a calm and relaxing, old-​timey place to eat a delicious meal.
Now, there are Coca-​Cola signs everywhere; it looks like any old pizzeria with combo meals and all sorts of ridiculous options. The teenage girls who were working there were playing obnoxious hip-​hop/​rap, loudly. There’s no bathroom access. They’ll probably add TVs at some point and that’ll be the final straw. AWFUL. WHAT A LOSS.

Don’t understand what’s so great about this place. No better than a gas station.

Stopped by dragging 3 co-​workers. I like it. I had a chili dog with mustard & onions. Nice steamed bun, good heat in the chili, light on the mustard. Good but I probably will try other places.

Chili cheese dogs for about $ 1.75 each. Cash only. Tasty dogs, cool little place.

No trip to Newport is complete without a visit to Ben’s. The buns get a little steam and the chili has just the right combination of kick and viscosity. You could down 3 or 4 without thinking, but I try to restrain myself and keep it to 2.
Word to the wise, when you approach the counter, know what you intend to order and quickly move to the right. If you dawdle, the staff and patrons waiting behind you in line will get annoyed.

Oh man, I love Ben’s Chili Dogs! There are few places in Newport that I would consider good cheap eats, but Ben’s is at the top of my list. The hot dogs are lightly grilled and the buns are soft, chewy and remind me of fresh Wonder Bread. You can get a variety of toppings on your dogs, like kraut, mustard, ketchup, chourico, chili or cheese. My favorite combination is chili and cheese. The chili sauce is like the meat sauce found on a typical RI «New York System» weiner. The cheese is also more of a sauce, which is easily spreadable rather than shredded cheese. It reminds me of a smoother, more watery aerosol can cheese. I know that sounds bad, but please don’t misunderstand… it works really well with the chili!
The restaurant is more like a hole-​in-​the-​wall. There are about three tables inside and two tables outside. The spare walls are decorated with local kids’ drawings and notes of how much they love Ben’s Chili Dogs. It’s very much a local’s joint, but for those of you visiting and eating on a budget, be sure to give Ben’s a visit!

I can say this about Bens, they’re cheap and consistant. Given the fact that they’re the only dog joint in the area, i’d say they have a bit of an edge on the market. one thing i HIGHLY reccomend though is to try a dog with chourico and cheese on it! Besides that, your choices are simple, and its a cash only joint.

Bens is by far the best place I have been to so far if you want a good dog or several! I grew up around that area and for sure every time i go back to visit mom i visit Bens too… lol I have been to plenty of Dog joints and till this day nothing has came close to comparing to his consistency. If you have never been you will be hooked after the first time! DEFINETELY TRY IT!!! Chili Cheese and Mustard is to die for…

Ben is amazing! My son and I went in and ordered 2 dogs and drinks and as I was paying, I realized he didn’t take credit cards. I was so embarrassed! To my amazement Ben said to come in and pay him NEXT TIME!!! Are you kidding me!!! I was so grateful. Well my friend came in and I dashed across the street for some cash, came back ordered another dog and payed him for the whole bit, which only came to $ 7 something. I’ll be back over and over!