On February 28th, 2022, the Brester’s Coney Island Facebook page announced the restaurant’s closing due to medical reasons. This was two weeks to the day since I ate lunch there.
Marcela and I were on a road food trip to Gainesville when I came across Brester’s Coney Island (506 S Pine Avenue, Ocala) online.
After dropping her off at an antique shop nearby, I made a beeline to Brester’s. I never know how long she’s gonna be at one of those stores.
I walked in and was all about the vibe inside. All the signs were handpainted; it reminded me of my horror store, where our lack of funds sparked creativity.
Brester’s Coney Island Menu
Tough Call on Eats
I knew a Coney Dog was in my immediate future, but I called an audible with the cheeseburger. The toppings for the hamburger sandwich are fixed onions, pickles, mustard, and plenty of ketchup.
Plenty is usually where I draw the line, but I let this one slide; it was just the right amount…not much. My only issue with the burger was the pickles sliced longwise, me no likey.
The Coney Dog was a tasty beauty with a snap. Diced onions and yellow mustard covered the dog with the coney sauce that leaned heavily on the seasoned ground beef.
The fries came out crispy and salted just to my liking, not that I ever add salt to my meals. So I asked my waitress for plenty of ketchup to dip the spuds, and they obliged.
Marcela missed out, and I knew she would regret it, so I took half my fries and a chili slaw dog. She loved it even lukewarm when she ate the messy wiener about an hour later.
My only regret was skipping out on the pork loin sandwich; what a rookie mistake.
After picking up Marcela, we were headed to Dick Mondell’s, or so I thought.