Jonesing For A Great Coney Dog

[SmartCookie]

Help me in my quest for a great coney; here's where I've been that have been OK but less than stellar:

Chris & Rob's
Bullwinkle's
Stabby's
The Weinery

Any suggestions in Minneapolis?

[KTFoley]

Uncle Franky's - Northeast, Plymouth, Dinkytown

Not in Minneapolis , sorry
Gopher Bar - St. Paul (folks have as much to say about the vibe as the dogs)
Dean's Tavern - Maplewood
http://www.minnmoms.com/ci_15409533?s...

-----
Uncle Franky's
728 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Dean's Tavern
1986 Rice St, Saint Paul, MN 55113

[KTFoley]

Gopher Bar link

-----
Gopher Bar
241 7th St E, Saint Paul, MN 55101

[zfwp]

i have not found a favorite coney yet, but i do go to the gopher and enjoy it, sometimes i go to kelly's depot bar.

kelly's depot
241 E Kellogg Blvd
St Paul, MN 55101

[John E.]

I've been to Chris and Robb's in Fridley and the coneys next door at the Super America are far superior to theirs. I've been disappointed in the chili dogs at other places that claim to have great Chicago style hotdogs, they all seem to have the watery chili with beans instead of coney sauce. The Gopher Bar's coneys are just ok, despite the praise they have gotten recently. If they used decent weiners instead of the cheapest chicken dogs they can find they would be much better. But, they sell a ton of them and their profits are increased with the crappy dogs, so they won't change.

[keithinmpls]

I haven't been there yet, but I heard that Stabby's Cafe cooks up a mean Coney dog.

http://www.stabbyscafe.com/

[KC612]

You could try Little Tony's next to Golden Bowl in Stadium Village. I've had one there and enjoyed it although I don't know what makes a great Coney...

[KC612]

Look like Little Tony's closed...that didn't take long.

[SmartCookie]

Stabby's was on my original list. Their's is just OK.

[zfwp]

i have given up on the great coney, i have been through too many coney wars. but two other places occur to me: liberty custard at 54th and nicolet and a dairy queen near by you...

[liney714]

Follow this link http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_154...
deans tavern st paul/roseville/maplewood just got kudo's for theres. i have never had it as of yet.
1986 rice st 651-488-6868

[SmartCookie]

Thanks liney714, I can't believe I missed that in the paper. I'll give Dean's a try.

[Lincster]

Well, I certainly will try Dean's, but for me right now TC coney perfection goes through the Gopher Bar. Sauce makes a coney for me. Bullwinkles and Franky's do other things well, but they aren't close to the Gopher Bar for me.

[JimGrinsfelder]

I like the dogs at the Gopher. And the people.

The buns are grilled in butter (or a reasonable facsimile) which is good and tasty. The sauce is thicker than I'm used to in old-school coney joints. And putting cheese on them? It's good but it's not an old-school coney.

Uncle Franky's coney dogs are a mess and the sauce is too bland. I like their grilled turkey (The Nordeaster) with everything.

What I consider an old-school coney dog is on a plain but fresh bun, with a very liquidy highly seasoned sauce that soaks into the bun. Onions and mustard on top. The old-school coney place in downtown Saint Paul went into a long decline and finally closed a few years ago (maybe a decade now? Tempus fugit).

There was a bar in Eagan, The Valley View, that I used to go to for lunch that served pretty good coney dogs. I don't know if it's still in operation. It was at the river-end of Yankee Doodle Road, if I remember correctly. By the big Blue Cross building(s).

-----
Uncle Franky's
728 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

[cookkevin]

Valley Lounge ??

-----
Valley Lounge
3385 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Saint Paul, MN 55121

[SmartCookie]

Finally made it to Dean's, I am very happy to report it was very good; the best I've had in the TC's. Flavorful all-beef dog, and the sauce was perfectly balanced, being not to dry and not to wet, with a good chili flavor. I believe the price was $3.49 for the first, and $2.49 for the second. Can't beat the price. Service was very quick and friendly.

[JimGrinsfelder]

Yup. Definitely. The Valley Lounge.

-----
Valley Lounge
3385 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Saint Paul, MN 55121

[mech_e]

Still open, and the coney's are pretty good. I wish the sauce had some more flavor, but the toasted bun and dog are good and you can't beat the price ($6.25 with chips).

[John E.]

I finally had a coney at Uncle Fanky's and it was good. I haven't yet been to Dean's but Uncle Frankie's is easily better than the coneys at he Gopher Bar. They're bigger and with Vienna beef wieners they're better than the chicken franks at the Gopher.

-----
Uncle Franky's
728 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

[foreverhungry]

Is this a second outpost of the Uncle Franky's that's in Dinkytown, in the....I think it's the "Dinkytown Mall", next to the Varsity Theater?

-----
Uncle Franky's
1316 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

[John E.]

I guess it is. It's the only to which I have been. I think there is another out in Plymouth.

[SmartCookie]

The one in Nordeast is the original, their second is Dinkytown, and the third one is in Plymouth. They also have a cart at the Home Depot at the Quarry on 35 and Johnson.