Coney Island Lunch (Est 1915) — Kalamazoo MI

In another thread I wrote:Coney Islands are fixtures of the Michigan landscape. These Greek-owned hot dog stands began appearing in the early twentieth century and now are ubiquitous in and around the Motor City. Probably the most famous are American and Lafayette, in downtown Detroit since about 1917. Where and when the first Coney Island opened is not entirely clear but one of the early ones was Todoroff's in Jackson MI which claims a 1914 establishment. I'd been looking forward to visiting Todoroff's for years and was shocked to find it closed.

With the closing of Todoroff's Coney Island, Coney Island Lunch in Kalamazoo might be the oldest surviving Coney doggery. From what I understand it has been at the same downtown location since 1915.





I believe the restaurant was remodeled several years ago but with great sensitivity. Both the storefront and interior are beautiful. Hot dogs are cooked in the window on a lovely old griddle.



Dogs are dressed with yellow mustard, meat sauce (basically ground beef in mildly spiced red grease) and chopped onion.



The weak link is the frankfurter itself, a mediocre skinless thing. It's a shame such things are served at such a beautiful and historic business. If you're ever in Kalamazoo, it's definitely worth a look.

Coney Island Lunch (Since 1915)
266 E Michigan Av
Kalamazoo MI
269-382-0377

Hot damn I was about 50 miles from Kalamazoo according to the highway sign this past weekend and my girl asked if there was anywhere on my food radar in Kalamazoo and I said not that I know of. I've always been intrigued by the whole Coney Island chili dog thing. Coney dogs are big in and come from Detroit, while Michigans are from upstate New York? always thought that was funny. Thanks for he tip, I'm sure I'll be near there sometime this summer.

Also whenever I meet or anyone I know who's from Michigan starts talking food with me and specifically burgers they will mention Millers. It looks good and I totally trust your taste judgment but it doesn't look like its title of "best in U.S" or worthy of any top lists. I'll still try it one day.

Carolyn and I went to college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but it wasn't until I was back for a reunion maybe 10 years ago that I realized I'd been to Coney Island Lunch before. Like a little over half-a-century ago. We'd stopped in after a reunion dinner in the early Aughts, and I realized the brown benches in back were exactly ones I remembered sitting in during a lunch stop we made on a family vacation in the Fifties. I distinctly remembered the bench...and the fact that my mom wouldn't let me get a corn dog ("That's junky food," she said).

In coming months, I'm planning a trip to Detroit to try out Coney dog stands, and I will definitely be stopping on the way in Kalamazoo (in part to shoot a few pix of Indian mound in Bronson Park). I will surely have a dog at Coney Island Lunch, though I must say, this is one sad wiener: pedestrian dog, under-seasoned meat: the only thing the sandwich had going for it was mustard and onions. Still, it's a classic and respect must be paid.

Binko,

I've lived in the North Country and Montréal–lands of the Michigan–for going on ten years now. Fully long enough to know the ins, outs, and some of the lore of that fabled chien chaud. As the wiki article you cite notes, Plattsburghers hold strongly that the guy who brought the recipe and technique of the Michigan was, in fact, *from* Michigan, and, indeed, claimed that his dog originated there. It's thus that the name "Michigan" refers to an origin, as well as to a style.

The meat sauce which is ladled over the top of the dog is a closely-held secret amongst the competitors. Each of the three main competitors' sauces in fact do taste different, which is a nice feature. As Hammond mentions, the dog itself is a wan thing, limp, pasty, no snap skin, pretty tasteless; indeed, merely a place-holder for the sauce and the onions. McSweeney's is the class of the class, IMHO. Good sauce, always-fresh chopped onions, decent clean resto with cheerful kids serving. Plus, you can get a pretty damn good basket of onion rings if you wish.

Montréalers call 'em Michigans also, but everyone admits that no one in the city does them as well as they're done in Plattsburgh. One reason is that in Montréal, they're always cuit à la vapeur, which limpens things even more. Plus, Québec hot dogs are awful to begin with.

Anyway, that's a bit of the story about how Michigan Coney Islands became a staple of the North Country.

Geo

David Hammond wrote: I will definitely be stopping on the way in Kalamazoo (in part to shoot a few pix of Indian mound in Bronson Park).

If you're in the Celery City on a Wednesday afternoon, Heritage Guitars Inc. has a free tour of the old Gibson factory, where HGI now builds their own beautiful jazz (& other) guitars.

I'd suggest trying, not only places in the Detroit area, but some around Flint as well. There actually are two schools of Coneys. Detroit style( which is more of a beanless chili) and Flint style (drier, more of a seasonsed ground beef mix). Everybody I know from the Flint area swears by Angelos.