To close off my 30th birthday celebration, husband Jon and I decided to hit up a Coney Island restaurant in downtown Detroit. For those of you who are not from the northeast coast, let me give you a little history.
A Coney Island restaurant is one that sells Coney Islands, which is a chili cheese dog with chopped onions and mustard. They are a staple in Detroit. We passed so many Coney Island billboards while we were driving in Michigan that we had to have one. And if you’re going to have one in Detroit, it better be from one of two places: Lafayette Coney Island or American Coney Island. On W. Lafayette in downtown Detroit, they are located next to one another; the story behind them is that two brothers started Lafayette together, and after a dispute, one decided to open up his own version right next door. This was back in 1917. Today they are both still standing strong, and creating a friendly divide between those who like one or the other.
We chose American (just because it looked like it had more seating) and when you enter, it feels like you’ve stepped into a Coney Island variation of a diner, complete with paper diner hats and checkerboard patterns. Think Pop Tate from the Archie comics!
An original Coney Island is an all-beef hot dog, topped with an all-meat chili (no beans), yellow onions and yellow mustard. We both ordered Coney Islands, Coney Island fries and a Pepsi.
Clockwise from the top left: Lafayette vs. America; delicious Pepsi (sorry they had no Coke); Coney Island!!
In a word, the Coney Island hot dog was delicious. Jon wolfed his down in no time and had to order a second. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed mine until I found myself craving one the next day when I was back in Canada!
