Coney Island Hot Dogs are a Fort Wayne Tradition

The Coney Island Weiner Stand has been in continual operation in Fort Wayne since 1914. It sits in a traditional downtown storefront building on Main Street, and smells of steaming dogs and buns. Customers are lined up approaching the grill, but parties are seated at old tables. Down the length of the place is the counter bar, with ancient stools propped to view the grills and the workers behind.

The menu is limited and does not change. So customers have been eating the same coney dogs, chili soup, and cheeseburgers for generations. If you came in here to eat in the 1950s or 60s, or 1970s, 80s, or 90s - well, you get the idea. You would get the same coney dog that is a small amount of thin chili over the dog, with a steamed bun, minced raw onion, and yellow mustard. The hamburger or cheeseburger, which is exactly mustard, ketchup, pickle, onion. And no fries - chips, because they used to serve only the hometown traditional brand, made nearby: Seifert's.

The chili, which is more accurately described as chili soup, is great and is unique. The ground beef pieces in it are fine, not chunky. It is somewhat watery but packs a kick in flavor - I really liked it steaming hot in the bowl, served with oyster crackers. You can also get a fountain Pepsi or a Coke in a small traditional bottle.

Food is brought out on trays, and is served on served on tiny, hard plastic plates that would remind a baby boomer of one's grade school cafeteria. I noticed people walking in and out from the back door, picking up box-fulls of dogs, and there it is listed on the menu - served by the dozen. This is all new to me, but I did not grow up here. The locals have always talked about stopping here like it's a favorite haunt. If restaurants are full and you need to get the ballpark on time, the waiting list would be a lot shorter here.

I was too full for pie but I asked about it - the waiter said they had lemon, coconut and apple. Yum! That sounds really good. Coney Island is found at 131 W. Main St. near the intersection with S. Harrison. They are open at 7 a.m. during the week- does that mean it's hot dogs and chili for breakfast? I'll have to ask an old local about that.