american coney island

great cheap fast food place serving tasty coneyislandhotdogs. me and my partner surveyed both american coneyislandand the copycat restaurant lafayette next door and found that american coneyislandwas 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 coneyislanddogs 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.

i️ was only in detroit a few days but heard i️ had to have one of the famous coneyislandhotdogs. i️ chose american coneyislandover 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 coneyisland😉

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

a coneyislandhot 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 coneyislanddog ended up in detroit, i did a little bit of research. apparently, the coneyislanddeveloped 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 coneyisland(1914) in jackson. the longest continuously operated coneyisland(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 coneyislandhot dogs.  the american also offers gyros, chicken, and beer.  they also offer an "american special" which is a coneyislandhot dog topped with ground beef.

 

stephen ordered the coneyislandhot 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 coneyislanddogs 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 coneyislandat lafayette coneyislandnext door.

best coneyislandin 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 coneyislandhot 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 coneyislandbeat 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 coneyislandon 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 coneyislandwon 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.

overall, i found this a very good hot dog, definitely worthy of making a trip to get, although given the city, i would definitely choose to make the trip in broad daylight if i was going to return here. but was it the best coneyislanddog on its own street? well, you’ll have to come back for lafayette’s review to find out…

although there are many contenders, the consensus seems to be that the best coneyislanddog can be found at either american coneyislandor lafayette coney island, which sit next door to each other at the intersection of michigan avenue and lafayette boulevard.

well done...you be the judge. i ate at both lafayette coneyislandand american coney island. i would have to say my experience was better at american coney, but the hot dog was better at lafayette. at american they asked if i wanted my hot dog well done...well, i didn't know well done meant just burned! the chili was good on the hot dog though. i would recommend american if you are ever in detroit! heck, try them both and you be the judge!

for food at 2 in the morning.... ...this place isn't half bad. i'm not sure where the half good was being i was pretty much dragged there while walking back to my hotel by a hungry friend who ordered a few dogs. detroit, i must say this place & coneyislandshouldn't even be in the same sentence. over all, an interesting experience to say the least.