For its neon beauty and the cheap thrills it promises—sun, surf, and juicy hot dogs—does any sign beat iconic Nathan’s Famous at Surf and Stillwell Avenues?
Repeat the words enough, and they start to sound like a four-line haiku. “Take Home Food”: Is it a noun? A command? This is what Coney Island should look like.
I don’t know how old the sign is, but Nathan’s has been serving hot dogs, fried clams, and even frog legs (has anyone been brave enough to try them?) since 1916.
Tags: Coney Island, Coney Island boardwalk, Coney Island old signs, Nathan's Coney Island, Neon signs New York City, neon store signs, vintage New York signs
Ephemeral New York 
September 4, 2011 at 1:31 am |
That makes me homesick!
September 4, 2011 at 12:28 pm |
They also used to serve chow mein on a bun. Don’t know if they still do.
September 5, 2011 at 3:17 pm |
I’ve had the frogs legs — as a teenager on a dare — like the clams, they were heavily battered and deep fried and didn’t have a distinct
flavor.
I don’t think they have the chow mein anymore, instead they’ve added a lot more chicken dishes — but I always go for the hot dogs & fries which are as good as ever!
September 5, 2011 at 4:20 pm |
You are brave. I saw the frogs legs on the menu a few weeks ago and thought I should sample them because they seemed like such an odd menu item…but I just couldn’t do it!
September 5, 2011 at 8:58 pm |
Marty After Dark had a road trip to Coney Island yesterday, I know they had a blast
http://www.martyafterdark.com/chasing-something-in-the-night/2011/9/5/september-5-2011.html
September 8, 2011 at 6:20 pm |
I loved the frog legs and the clam strips. They both have a distinct flavor. I miss the original Nathans. Whenever I come home to NYC from Philly, I go get the original foods. Knishes, those delicious thick fries and franks. I ask for a frank here and they give me a soda. They say what kind of frank, orange or grape?
September 9, 2011 at 11:21 am |
[…] The Most Enchanting Sign in Coney Island: speaking of signs… […]
September 16, 2011 at 1:40 pm |
[…] The most enchanting sign in Coney Island « Ephemeral New York. Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. ← Campground in Brooklyn? […]
January 6, 2015 at 5:11 pm |
Frog legs are really delicious. They are very popular in the South.
They taste like chicken.
June 2, 2016 at 6:36 am |
[…] Feltman’s survived until 1954. Nathan’s—like hot dogs all over the city—is still going strong. […]