The Tasty Treats of Coney Island

I recently had the opportunity to visit the hallowed, now quite weather beaten strip of Brooklyn-borough coastline known as Coney Island. Everybody knows this quintessential outer borough landmark either for its century-old wooden coaster, the Cyclone, or of course, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.

As a Jersey boy, and in turn, a child of the "Shore", my interest in paying homage to this epic beach community was always mild, if not entirely non-existent. Notwithstanding its undeniable role as one of the few remaining vestiges of early 20th century New York City, I still have to wonder....what is there really to do in Coney Island other than suck back a few Nathan's Hot Dogs?

Based on the half-day I spent there a few weeks ago, the answer to that question is a resounding "nothing", save for maybe killing a few hours on the beach. Be that as it may, I wasn't surprised to learn that what it lacks in entertainment, this wizened neighborhood more than makes up for in honest, no-frills, truly delicious food.

Obviously, the main goal of my crusade to Coney was to inhale a couple Hot Dogs at THE original Nathan's. Visible from the elevated subway platform, Nathan's sits like on a King on his throne at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues; quite the comforting sight after a numbing 45-minute ride on the D train. That said, having reached my destination at 10 AM - that tricky grey area of the day when eating breakfast feels like you're turning your back on lunch, I had no choice but to satisfy my hankering for Hot Dogs.

If you've never had a hot dog before 11 AM, you're missing out.


The walk from the subway to Nathan's is about 75 yards, and leaves much to be desired in the way of scenery. This neighborhood can probably best be described as "continually degentrifying", an observation partly resulting from the general "down and out" vibe I was getting from the locals - well those that chose get out of bed that morning anyway.

Surviving the miasma of morosity that could be disorienting if left unchecked, I eagerly walked into an empty Nathan's at this early time of day. High tables lined the perimeter of the spacious dining area, most of which was open standing room outlined by an L-shaped counter from one end to the other. (Below right)

But it was time to eat.















Sticking with the game plan, I ordered two dogs with kraut & mustard. My two dogs were presented to me nestled tightly into a fold-over paper container - the kind you'd find at any Nathan's in any mall in Jersey. This caught me off guard a bit, and was somewhat disheartening when going into this pre-planned adventure. I had been expecting something a touch more "original".

Getting over their commercial packaging, the dogs were just as I know them: puffy, marshmallow-like buns, clad with salty, beefy, guilt-ridden links, toppled with a tussled layer of tangy sauerkraut and proudly spruced up with a snaking smear of spicy brown Gulden's mustard.

This is an explosion of flavor that is both all too familiar, and yet incredibly liberating at the same time. Straight up - the dogs at Nathan's in Coney Island are stellar. And why shouldn't they be.

Still, if I'm being fair, I can't say the "original" variety is any better than the the franks you get any Nathan's chain outpost in malls across the country. Perhaps this is a testament to the brand's ability to maintain product consistency across locations; I'm not sure. The good newsh here is that you don't need to make the trip to Coney for a better dog - you'd only be going for the purposes of nostalgia - and that fades fast.

None of this says that I was disappointed in my dogs, but I'd be exaggerating unnecessarily if I were to lead everyone to believe the Coney Nathan's dogs, are marginally, if at all, better than what the chains serve. That said, I still give the upper hand to Nathan's, if for not other reason than the mere fact that eating two hot dogs 50 yards from the beach easily trumps hunching over your institution-green plastic tray of franks at some mall food court full of would-be mental patients and early morning senior citizen coffee clubs. Ambiance does play a part.

As much I enjoyed my franks, probably more memorable were the duo of frozen Italian treats that followed - one acquired on the boardwalk, the other on Stillwell Avenue. The first was a Mango Ice from the Gino's on the boardwalk. (below) This refreshing treat was smooth, velvety, and light, not to mention exquisitely mango-flavored. It was also gone in 5 minutes...


As if this wasn't enough, I stumbled upon a non-descript street vendor selling classic Spumoni from the famous L&B Spumoni Gardens in the nearby Bensonhurst neighborhood. As the inspiration for the "Neopolitan" flavor of ice cream that seems to be popular these days, spumoni is a curiously creamy creation that falls somewhere between ice cream and traditional Italian ice.

All in all, despite my reservations, this trip to Coney Island was long overdue. Any self-respecting New Yorker should make the time-warping trek to this aging beach resort from another era, at least once. Regardless of its weathered disposition and telling signs of past greatness, this Brooklyn neighborhood still affords you excellent eats at relatively chirt deap prices. Noone could ever argue that Coney Island has compromised its culinary integrity for the sake of the almighty dollar...and that in and of itself...tastes really good.