One of the cities where we spent a couple of nights during our 27-day road food trip was Utica, Michigan. Our burger popup was a few blocks away at Robusto’s Cigar Bar & Bistro in Sterling Heights.
As it turns out, I was ecstatic with my choice of hotel cause we were super duper close to National Coney Island. And after perusing the menu online, it’s my kinda spot.
The vibe inside is retro diner chic; I was all about it. Usually, I might be against something like this, but National Coney Island was founded in 1965, which gives them the right to do it.
National Coney Island for Lunch
A couple of hours before the event, we stopped at National Coney Island for lunch. The “Our World Famous Chili” with no beans, diced onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and seasoned ground beef would be the first thing placed before my hungry eyes.
I can not vouch for it being world-famous, but it was freakin delicious. The lunch we ate did end up being rather one note since it was followed up with their Classic Coney Dog and a Loose Burger.
The Classic Coney Dog natural casing dog comes heavily covered with chili, mustard, and diced onions on a steamed bun. It needed more mustard, which I added after the picture was snapped.
There’s A Loose Burger?
Next up was the Loose Burger. There is no burger patty in this one, just seasoned ground beef topped with chili, yellow mustard, and diced onions on a steamed hot dog bun.
This sandwich falls into the Loose Meat Burger category, one of the many Regional Burger-styles available across the United States. I have seen a loose meat served on a burger bun and, in some instances, like this one, a hot dog bun.
It was the chili I had earlier on a bun, just heavier on the ground beef. What’s not to love about this creation?
The third and final sandwich of this lunch trifecta was National Coney Island‘s Patty Melt. This proper patty melt has a 1/3 pound burger, Swiss cheese, and grilled red onions on griddled rye bread.
Why did I refer to it as a proper patty melt? Those are the original ingredients for a patty melt, and it’s nice to see National Coney Island sticking to the classic method.
It was perfect and left that lingering onion and rye bread taste on my tongue, which was great.
I was done eating but did sneak a taste of Marcela‘s rice pudding. I’m not a whipped cream guy, but the rice pudding was perfect, and she enjoyed it.
Fred chose the Hot Fudge Cream Puff. A lot is going on here, and I didn’t hear one peep from him, so based on his reactions, it was a winner.
National Coney Island Breakfast
We returned to National Coney Island the following morning for breakfast before heading out to Ohio for the next leg of our trip. I kept it simple with some sausage links and toast.
Whenever you see vegetables or the word “veggie” on this blog, that’s Marcela. Cheese and ham were added to the equation, so it’s technically not a veggie omelet.
But if you wanted to order this same fella, it’s a veggie omelet with Swiss cheese and ham. It reminded me of the old International Omelet from IHOP back in that day, and that’s a good thing.
Cousin Fred made sure to order the one thing we had been eyeing on the menu the night before: the Coney Island Omelet.
Coney Island Omelet was indeed a site to behold. An omelet with hot dogs and diced onions then smothered in chili was something I’d never seen before, let alone thought about.
It was so tasty that I felt as if we were up to no good. This a flavor combination that somehow works and has no business being this great. It’s highly recommended for any chili or coney dog fan.
If I had any change on me, I would have definitely bought a few gumballs on the way out. Instead, I walked out happy and full out of National Coney Island on both occasions; I’ll take it!
National Coney Island
45221 Utica Park Boulevard
Utica, MI
(586) 323-1966
Website – https://nationalconeyisland.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nationalconeyisland
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalConeyIsland65
Monday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm