Hey everybody! We’re Lizzie and Carolyn and we’re rolling out, looking out for North Charleston’s greatest diners, drive-ins, and dives. This week, we traveled to Spruill Avenue to try out our first location: Coney Island Hot Weiners. Recommended to us by Lizzie’s uncle and neighbor, Gabriel Jolly, we knew this was the perfect place to start our Triple D series. It is owned by Mike Tuddle.  Conveniently located just minutes from the Bonds-Wilson campus, Coney Island Hot Weiners offers affordable, tasty, and quick loaded hot dogs. Although we have no experience with authentic Coney Island hot dogs, we certainly know a good dog when we see it. Featuring a lunch counter and fully stocked bar, this restaurant offers a great place to kickback with friends.

Menu

Orders

As we walked in, we immediately scanned the menu and decided on the 2 Coney Special. This includes two cheese hot dogs (with chili, mustard, and onions), fries or tater tots, and a drink (with free refills), for only $8.99! We selected the tater tots as our side and Carolyn added sauerkraut to her hot dog. Lizzie selected MUG Root Beer as her drink of choice. 

Reviews

Carolyn:

As we received our order, I was immediately intrigued by the sheer mass of toppings placed upon the hot dog. With almost a cup and a half of topping gracing the bun and weiner, I was nervous to dig in, afraid of the potential mess to be made. As I took my first bite, my tongue was filled with the flavor of sharp cheddar, tangy kraut, and meaty chili. While I would say that I did enjoy this hot dog, there were definitely drawbacks. The cheese was unmelted and left an odd texture in my mouth. The sauerkraut was pleasant, but was definitely lacking in a super distinct flavor and was also cold. The chili is the one aspect that I did not enjoy about this hot dog. It was severely lacking in flavor and seemed just to be ground beef cooked in some tomato sauce. Aside from these aspects, I did enjoy my dog. It had a good ratio of bun to filling and left me satisfied.

Rating: 3.5/5 Guy Fieris

The absolute best part about this meal was the tater tots. As someone who avidly enjoys a good tot, I had high expectations. As I bit into my first one, my expectations were blown out of the water. These tater tots were the crispiest I have ever tasted. The outside was crunchy and the inside was perfectly soft. I paired them with a simple ketchup dip, creating the perfect side for my hot dog.

Rating: 6/5 Guy Fieris

Lizzie: 

While I initially had some preconceived tentative ideas about this establishment, I was pleasantly surprised! Initially, I was concerned about the heaps of unmelted cheese on top which obscured the rest of the dog from my vision. I greatly enjoyed the onions, as an onion lover, and felt they added a crucial tangy and crunchy element. Unlike Carolyn, I really enjoyed the chili, however I don’t have much chili experience to compare it to. I thought it tasted good, it was hot, and it added a nice saucy element to the dog. The actual hot dog itself was more of a sausage and didn’t have the typical hot dog casing, which I definitely prefer. 

Rating: 4/5 Guy Fieris

I absolutely loved the tater tots as well, and I’m strongly considering going back and ordering the cheesy chili tots ($3.99). They were super hot, crispy and just overall delicious. While we didn’t have the chance to try the fries, I would still recommend you order the tater tots.

Rating: 6/5 Guy Fieris

One downside that really put a damper on my experience was the lack of Coca-Cola products in this restaurant. I am a die-hard Diet Coke fan and was greatly disturbed when I saw they only carried Pepsi products, as well as miscellaneous drinks like Mug root beer. They also had lemonade and sweet tea, so you can enjoy an Arnold Palmer with your drink. They also offer free refills, which is very convenient. 

Setting:

The restaurant is split into two sections: an area with the counter to order your food, and a fully stocked bar. The counter is very well lit and seems to be modeled after a New York bagel place, with stools placed against a big window overlooking Spruill Avenue. The bar is more closely modeled after a local college bar, with a huge mural against one wall.

We felt that the atmosphere was very interesting. We felt like it smelled of sweet cigarettes and cleaner. However, it was not overpowering and we got used to it. It was also practically spotless in there. It’s not often that you notice the cleanliness of a restaurant floor, it either has to be disgusting or impeccable, and it was pristine, as well as the tabletops. We noted it as “quiet yet boisterous,” however we did visit at 1:30 on a Sunday, so that definitely affected the amount of people in the establishment. We noted that it had very good airflow and AC, it was not stuffy at all in there. The bar room had lots of wood, and with the colorful wall, it made it feel cozy and fun. There were multiple TVs playing football games as well. Overall, it was a very pleasant atmosphere.

One thing to know is that the parking lot is a little questionable. It’s gravel and full of flooded potholes, and shared with the Cod Father. We almost witnessed two wrecks, but we didn’t consider this in our setting score because this is mostly out of the restaurant’s control. It is nice that there is a lot to park in at least.

Rating: 4.5/5 Guy Fieris

Service: 

While there wasn’t really service at all because we ordered at a counter, we were still impressed by the service. The man who took our order also made our food and he was super friendly and even made a funny little joke, which we highly appreciated. The food came out very speedily, so our growling stomachs didn’t have to wait long for an appetizing treat.

Rating: 5/5 Guy Fieris

Overall, we would rate Coney Island Hot Weiners 4.5/5 Guy Fieris. It was a fun place to have lunch with a friend, and the food was surprisingly good. We would recommend it as a place to eat a good and yummy meal before a football game at the D4 stadium. It is reasonably priced, has many options, has a nice atmosphere, and is hot and delicious!