Coney Islands are a sprawling subset of hot dogs. They are a little bit different in each part of the country, their common element a blanket of meaty chili. The chili that tops all Coneys tends not to be too hot, but it always has a constellation of seasonings that are distinctly Greek, for virtually every Coney Island restaurant was founded by Greek immigrants.
Curiously, one of the few places in America where the term isn’t heard is Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Hot dogs got their start in Coney Island, but by 1913, the folk belief that hot dogs might actually contain dog flesh had become so widely held that the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce forbid the use of the term “hot dog” on signs or menus. Instead, the immensely popular boardwalk snacks were referred to as “Coney Islands.” Many of the country’s Coney Island shops were opened by hot dog men who got their starts in New York, but why the “Coney Island” moniker continues to thrive everywhere except its point of origin remains a mystery.
Tulsa, Oklahoma: Coney I-Lander’s signature weenie.
No city is more passionate about Coney Islands than Detroit, where dueling next-door neighbors Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island each have partisans for their red weenies topped with chili, onions, and mustard. The most effulgent Coneys are constructed in Cincinnati chili joints, the best of which is Camp Washington Chili, where the chili dogs are crowned with an impossibly big bouquet of shredded cheese. El Reno, Oklahoma, better known for its aromatic onion-fried burgers, serves extraordinary Coney Islands topped with chili and also bright, pickly-sweet, mustard-colored slaw.