Coney Dog Serves A Taste of Detroit in WeHo June 20

Hollywood landed Papaya King, now West Hollywood nabs Coney Dog, a new hot dog slinger which opens on June 20. Director/producer/actor Mike Binder, a Detroit native, brings this specifically Detroit delicacy to Sunset Blvd, and as for the venue's name, there's a story behind it. In Detroit, the two first founding Coney Dog spots (owned by two brothers) are, we're told, called Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island. Like Pat's vs. Geno's in Philly, people are generally devotees of one or the other (who you like is usually based on who your dad likes, Mike says -- It's also like Mets vs. Yankees). One of the brothers came to NYC from Greece and visited Coney Island. When he returned to Detroit looking for work, he ended up starting this hotdog spot and named it Coney Island because he thought it sounded exciting.

Which brings us to Coney Dog, a shop that will offer a few hot dog preparations, in addition to fries, soda (even Faygo - based in Detroit), an ice cream Sundae, and a list of beers curated by Ryan Sweeney of Surly Goat and Verdugo. Ryan's list involves 10 revolving beers from Michigan and Cali, but Coney Dog promises to ALWAYS carry Stroh's (a Detroit beer, and apparently this is the only place in Cali that serves it).

The restaurant itself was designed by Clay Tatum, think shiny white brick walls, wooden booths, counters, and a long communal table in the center. This place is quick/easy and inexpensive, but it's not low-end. There's table service, an open kitchen, and actual silverware, plates etc., in addition to two huge flatscreens on which they'll likely play sports. Coney Dog's hours of operation run Sun-Wed 11AM-2AM, and Thu-Sat 11AM-4AM. [EaterWire]