american coney island

the second fiddle. after chugging down what i thought, was the quintessential chili cheese dog next door, we strutted on over to american to see how they stacked up. im really all about the chili, so i didnt have any qualms about going with chili cheese fries, rather than another dog. as for mrs. michigan, she jumped at the chance to have a gyro with meat cut from a spit (something that sadly, she cant get back in her adopted home down south). after a brief bit of time, our tray was dropped off. one look at that chili and i knew it was gonna be assigned to the d league. stuff looked like it came out of a can, tasted like it came out of a can; some thin, runny juice mixed with ground beef that made for a whole lotta nothing in the flavor department. their gyro fared much better, though our desperation mightve scored it a couple extra points. the red, white and blue, flag riddled, super tacky decor didnt help matters very much. it left me wishing that we had made a full meal of things next door at the place that had some soul and non-manufactured personality. to sum things up; lafayette made me feel like i was in the heart of the motor city, while american left me feeling like i was eating at a chain in las vegas. 'nuff said.
grade: c- (the gyro saved this places bum from a well deserved d)

great cheap fast food place serving tasty coney island hotdogs. me and my partner surveyed both american coney island and the copycat restaurant lafayette next door and found that american coney island was by far the better of the two. better service, better quality food and much nicer eating experience. don't waste your time going next door when you can come here. recommend

not from the area, had to try iconic coney island dogs in detroit. inexpensive, good late night eats, but nothing spectacular or unique chili flavor. good after a night at the ballgame. nothing stood out to rate them better or worse than the other place.

loved our visit! great dogs & chili cheese fries! served hot and super fast! but...hands down the best part was the staff! so quick, efficient and passionate about the guests...made everyone feel welcome! so glad we stopped by to try this detroit landmark!!

i️ was only in detroit a few days but heard i️ had to have one of the famous coney island hotdogs. i️ chose american coney island over its competitor due to the decor, it looked a lot more fun and colourful from outside. we had efficient and friendly service, the prices were cheap and i️ was impressed by the dog itself - delicious and very filling. next time i’m in detroit i’ll have to compare the two restaurants but for now my vote goes to american coney island 😉

being from california, i had no idea what a coney island hot dog was. so i goggled it.

a coney island hot dog (or coney dog or coney) is a hot dog in a bun topped with a savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings.

still confused on how a coney island dog ended up in detroit, i did a little bit of research. apparently, the coney island developed in michigan is a natural-casing beef or beef and pork european-style wiener würstchen (vienna sausage) of german origin, topped with a beef heart-based sauce, one or two stripes of yellow mustard and diced or chopped onions. the variety is a fixture in flint,detroit, jackson, kalamazoo, and southeastern michigan.

the style originated in the early 20th century, with competing claims from american and lafayette coney islands (1917)in detroit, and todoroff's original coney island (1914) in jackson. the longest continuously operated coney island (in the same location) is in kalamazoo (1915).

 

after a long day of sightseeing, and a very heavy breakfast, we were not really that hungry for a heavy dinner.  trying one of detroit's famous "coney island" hot dog seemed appropriate, so i chose american over lafayette because they were able to accommodate my group of 7 and the menu has more than lafayette, which just offers coney island hot dogs.  the american also offers gyros, chicken, and beer.  they also offer an "american special" which is a coney island hot dog topped with ground beef.

 

stephen ordered the coney island hot dog and the american special, while i had the special and fries.  the fries were just ok, and actually cold.  the hot dog has a nice "snap" to each bite, and i probably could have easily eaten 2 but we saved room so we could go next door to the lafayette, and took one to go.

both coney island dogs were good, but we liked the american just a little more.  the lafayette used a thicker casing, so even though there was a "snap" it was a chewier snap.   either way, if  i had to eat at either place, it would be fine.  cheap eats, and dinner for 7 people with drinks and sides came less than $42 before tip. that's cheap eats!

american coney island's chili dog is ok, great snap in the hot dog. unfortunately the chili is somewhat tasteless. the 60's decor is interesting. the uni bathroom has much to be desired.
i prefer the coney island at lafayette coney island next door.

the best coneys in the city. the onions are better than the ones used by their competitor. also, the dogs have a better flavor and a better texture. the staff is friendly.

great atmosphere. clean environment. super friendly staff. good dog. not as good as a wv hotdog. fun place. my vote goes to american coney island.

this is coneys as they should be. every detail is perfect. the best buns, the best dogs, the best chili, perfectly diced onions. case closed. next. stop searching, you've found coney heaven.

best coney island in detroit. period.. grade: a
compare side by side with anybody else’s coney, as my brothers and i did. never again will you question who’s the best. american wins, hands down.
the hot dogs are the best quality – dearborn brand – with all meat, no filler. grilled to a sear on the sides, the natural casing snaps when you take your first bite, releasing the meaty flavor. the chili is perfectly seasoned and textured; others coney chilis are fatty or under-spiced by comparison. very finely diced onions, yellow mustard, and the perfect bun bring this all together and create the standard of the detroit coney.
there’s still no better in the business than american coney island...if you are basing your judgment on flavor, that is. as the originator of the detroit coney island hot dog restaurant, they remain the best without question.


-----10 nov, 2010-----

this is the original detroit coney island. grade: a

there's a reason why american coney island beat lafayette in comparisons on the food network and the travel channel--american's coneys taste better.

if you go to downtown detroit and peer into the two old side-by-side hot dog restaurants at the triangular corner of michigan ave. and lafayette blvd., don't let the old, dirty looking one fool you into thinking that it is somehow more "authentic". the bright, gaudy american coney island on the corner is the originator of detroit's unique interpretation of the chili dog.

and if you judge such things on taste, american is far, far better.

american began during world war i. its founder would bring his brother over from greece and get him involved in the business, but he wanted to break away and soon opened next-door lafayette coney island. the two businesses maintained a family rivalry until two decades ago when lafayette was sold to its employees.

american puts together a better product. the hot dogs and chili are both made to their exclusive recipes, and both have distinctive characteristics of texture and spice that allow them to stand out when you take a bite. i can't say when lafayette's ingredients went downhill or if they always were that way, but its chili and its dogs get lost in a common flavor that is not very appetizing. in a taste test with my two brothers and nephew, american coney island won hands down (see my review of lafayette coney island).

some 350 restaurants in the detroit area, starting with lafayette, have attempted to copy american coney island. none of them comes close. if you want the original and best, go downtown and go to the bright red, white and blue joint on the corner.

awesome coneys!

after our slow start, we headed downtown to do our own american vs. lafayette coney dog challenge. i'll write about our results in a different post, but we had two coney dogs, two vernors, and shared two sets of coney fries. so good. then we headed a few blocks away to campus martius . the park sets up a skating rink in the winter, and i've always wanted to skate there, but never had anyone that would go with me until laura visited. we rented skates for $3, and skating was $8.  luckily, the weather wasn't too cold. skating on the rink is a little scary, because pretty much no one knows how to skate and these little kids keep falling and running into you. i was semi-terrified of falling, but luckily laura and i were able to remain upright. a funny thing happened when we had to take a break for the zamboni cleaning; someone dropped a dollar. no one really saw who did it, but no one would pick it up. we saw maybe 10 people walk over it, look at it, then look around but not pick it up. then a woman picked it up and moved it to the bench next to us, saying something like - someone might come back for this. then laura and i proceeded to watch a few more people sit by the dollar, but not pick it up. it was as if no one wanted to be the "cheapskate" that pick up the dollar. it was definitely an interesting experiment in human behavior.   and the christmas tree at campus martius! we walked into the compuware headquarters to cut through to our next destination, and stopped to enjoy the world's tallest indoor water structure (which is actually very stunning in person). we tried to go on the people mover, just for the fun of it. after we paid

service much better than lafayette. coney needs more chili.

best downtown coney. friendly staff, plenty of space and credit cards accepted. open early and late. unfortunately, i don't usually want coneys for breakfast. suggestion, get some eggs, toast, bacon and hashbrowns.