While the existence of Coney Dog in LA has staved off my insatiable desire to eat at Coney Islands every time I’m in Michigan, I still take advantage of Coney if it’s not too far out of the way. Case in point: National Coney Island at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. When I was there last, I was hungry and rather than blowing money on a generic sandwich, I opted for some Coney.
National Coney Island is not one that I grew up going to. It always felt like the “chain” version of Coney, which is ironic because I grew up going to Leo’s, a Coney that now has more locations than National. Despite this, they obviously were doing something right to get so big.
I ordered my usual – one coney dog and one loose burger, both without mustard or onions. Call me crazy, but I just love that chili so much I don’t need other fixings. The result was exactly what I expected. The natural casing hot dog was perfect and the bun was nicely steamed. On the loose burger end, the ground beef was nicely seasoned and the juices that ran to the bottom gave the bun a punch of flavor without making it too soggy. As for the chili, having not eaten a coney dog in a while, it was hard to say how good or bad it was. It certainly didn’t stand out to me as amazing and didn’t let me down either.
I couldn’t ask for much more from an airport Coney Island. It was a good way to end my Detroit trip and probably left everyone sitting near me on the plane wishing they had made the same decision I had.
Want a real treat? Try G&L’s “Greek-style” hot dog in Muskegon, Michigan. It comes with chili, onions, and mustard, just as you would expect. Eating one, however, makes my car immediately drive 237 miles east to the nearest Leo’s.