Jane & Michael Stern

"Here you can have one at lunch dressed with chili (known as a chili smoke), mustard, onions, and relish. At breakfast your half smoke will be matched with a fried egg and a slice of bright orange cheese."

Laura Siciliano-Rosen

"There’s another iconic spot for real half-smokes in this area, but it’s in Arlington, Virginia: Opened four years before Ben’s, in 1954, Weenie Beenie has also been in the half-smoke game for six decades and counting, and likewise use sausages from trusted brand Manger; a half-smoke “all the way” includes chili and a runny egg."

Summer Whitford

"If you want to cook the sausages at home, buy them at a great old butcher, Harvey’s at Union Market, or leave the cooking to the pros at Weenie Beenie take-out grill, probably the first guys to sell half-smokes in the area."

Laura Hayes

"This VA roadside gem has the buns to say they’re home to the original half smoke. This is no hollow claim -- Weenie Beenie has a few years on Ben’s Chili Bowl. Not only is WB older and wiser, but cheaper too."

Ari Charney

"The half-smoke can be enjoyed topped with mustard, relish, onions, and chili. We opted for everything but the chili. The half-smokes are split in half and splayed on the grill, resulting in a wonderful char down the middle. The casing has the perfect amount of snap and the insides are smoky and spicy."

Alex Baldinger

"Arlington’s Weenie Beenie offers perhaps the best approximation of the Ben’s experience. Not only is queing up outdoors part of the ordering process, as it freqently is at Ben’s, but the no-frills menu and in-and-out service will seem familiar as well."