American and Lafayette Coney: Original Greasy Spoons

Grid View

[Photography by Chris and Michelle Gerard]

Taste and competing "original" claims aside — who invented the coney dog first? Does it matter? — the Coney Island restaurant concept is a concept made in Greasy Spoons Week Heaven. The two longest-standing and most popular Detroit institutions of coney are American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island, sitting next to each other on a busy block of Lafayette Avenue downtown. We wanted to paint a picture of what a typical afternoon at these Detroit institutions feels like. Enjoy.