“The Original” Coney Island West Monroe

“The Original” Coney Island West Monroe has been serving up diner favorites and continues to do so thanks to a whole lot of stored memories and consistent classic, homey dishes.

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

There’s not a lot that can compete with a childhood memory, especially when it ties to food. Whether it’s a whiff of deep-fried goodness, the recognition of a particular color scheme, or just a good ‘ole bite of a greasy griller, the power of nostalgia works its way into the fabric of our subconscious and, without fail, reminds us of simpler times. It’s not too hard to find places between Monroe and West Monroe brimming with fond memories of times past, but some spots are a bit more tucked away and worth the effort of exploring. For a few decades, “The Original” Coney Island West Monroe has been serving up diner favorites and continue, to do so thanks to a whole lot of stored memories and consistent classic, homey dishes.

Built around 1947, the building that currently houses the restaurant was first established as a doctor’s office. The original Coney Island West Monroe opened there in October of 1962 and has gone through four owners. The restaurant began with a father and son partnership, with ownership trickling down to Harry Auttonberry, who owned the landmark for twenty-one years. Current owner, Shannon Harper, jumped at the opportunity to snag the place when it went on the market. Fifteen years of working in real estate and owning a few businesses provided Harper assurance, despite having no previous restaurant experience, that carrying on the Coney Island tradition would be a safe bet. “I never wanted to buy a restaurant because most of them can’t be open for only one meal a day and survive. Coney Island is a unique situation,” he says. Just open for lunch, the establishment packs the house, particularly during the lunch rush. This setup allows Harper to step in, tend to his other business in Bastrop, and then immerse himself in one of his favorite hobbies: “I can hunt in the morning, come in a couple of hours for rush hour, then hunt in the evening.” Managing a lunch-only arrangement doesn’t just point to good food, but dedicated employees. When Harper took the lead at Coney Island, Auttonberry stayed with him for a month showing him “the ropes” and with the additional help of veteran employees, some having served for as long as ten years, Harper got used to the restaurant’s unique clockwork.

The first order of business for Harper when buying Coney Island West Monroe was to try everything on the menu. Though Harper would frequent the establishment during his high school days, the only item he returned to on the menu was the chili cheeseburger (hint: a must try). “I had all these big ideas about changing the menu and adding knock-out items,” he claims. But after trying Coney’s Country Fried Steak Sandwich he kept everything the same: “It was so good, I wasn’t ready to try something else.” Long-standing customers would probably agree—no need to fix something if it ain’t broke. Nevertheless, there is one menu item that was added on demand by a few customers: tamales. It took Harper two and a half years to find his east Texas supplier and now they sell forty to sixty dozen of the delectable, steamed, corn-wrapped Mesoamerican crowd pleaser. Well balanced in spice level, you can order half a dozen or a dozen of their pork tamales plain or add chili and shredded cheese for an additional cost. Only wanting a taste? The tamale pie serves three tamales with chili and shredded cheese, a great option for an appetizer.

Tamales or not, when it comes to the Coney Island name, images of roller-coasters, go-karts, boardwalk games, shops, sideshows, and, of course, hot dogs project through our minds like vintage home movies in all their glory. The original Coney Island hot dog is topped with options of mustard, onion, and cheese, but the West Monroe adaptation has one additional ingredient that keeps customers buzzing: the house-made chili. “We have a secret recipe,” claims Harper, making sure to emphasize that only he and Auttonberry have it, a heavily guarded secret of over twenty years. “Our chili cheeseburgers come in a close second,” he says, encouraging extra hungry customers to upgrade to the jumbo cheeseburger (half a pound of premium patty, cooked to order, and topped with mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions, and cheese). Another in-house item that has been making its rounds is Coney’s ranch dressing. Another new addition, Harper was dead-set on creating one of his favorite condiments and after finding a recipe online, he tweaked it until it was menu-ready. “People come in here everyday and dip everything in it,” says Harper, disclosing that recently a customer ordered four house ranches to take with them.

Whether you go the burger and dog route or opt for a sandwich, the one special ingredient that ties the menu together is the opportunity to feel forever young. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” is a remark that’s often repeated at Coney Island. Harper has heard countless stories of patrons who remember attending regularly with their grandparents. And while some customers offer their enthusiasm and allegiance by showing up five to six days a week, not many have the high-roller status of brothers Roy and Frank Scalia. The Scalias have eaten at Coney Island for close to fifty years and every Monday a table is reserved for the siblings and their ten count posse. It’s always the same order: chili cheese hot dog and fries. “I’ve been buying hot dogs in here since they were fifteen cents a piece.” proclaims Frank. As much as the restaurant’s online reviews are overflowing with variants of “best hot dog in town,” many customers have left comments as an opportunity to recollect special moments in their lives that intersected at the restaurant. “Mike and I have been going to Coney Island West Monroe for about fifty-two years. He’d go all the way to Monroe, pick me up for a date, and we’d go back to Coney Island and get hot dogs for twenty-five cents,” relates a reviewer, admitting, “They may not be good for old people (Lol), but yes, they are as good as they were all those years ago. We have to go about every month or so!”

People really seem to respond to the intimacy and family friendly atmosphere of Coney Island. Even during the lunch rush, when the lack of abundance of square footage is most notable as you squeeze between fellow grubbers, the iconic all-American diner style of the space wins you over. From the iconic red and white color scheme, striped awning, and flagstone terraza floor, to the Route 66 themed accents, customers feel they’re dining in an authentic space. “Most of this stuff that you see on the walls, people gave to Harry,” says Harper. He points at a white toy motorcycle that some youngster left behind years ago, becoming the first Coney Island trinket. “When someone saw the motorcycle there, people just started leaving things.” The leftover tokens include vintage knickknackery and toys, but also extends to license plates from every state and even foreign countries such as Panama, the Bahamas, and Germany. “One of our good customers works at the DMV,” says Harper, who still has boxes of plates to keep mounting wherever there is available space. The plates collage a large portion of the restaurant’s walls and ceiling, forming borders and layering over old photographs and posters. Upon close inspection, a few vintage plates can be spotted, some dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. One of the oldest plates, from New York, dates to 1939! Lunch and a scavenger hunt just became a thing that’s bound to entertain the youngest and oldest customer for the span of their meal.

Harper is often asked when he plans to open another Coney Island location, but he didn’t buy the restaurant to create a franchise. He wants to continue serving his loyal customers and keep this West Monroe tradition open for years to come. “Coney Island West Monroe has been here so long, you’d think everyone in Northeast Louisiana has passed through here, but every day we still have new customers come in,” says Harper. Clearly, their reputation precedes them, not a difficult feat for the longest established Coney Island in town.

Maybe you’ve been eating at Coney Island since you were old enough to talk; or you remember eating a dozen of their chili cheeseburgers in one sitting; or maybe it’s your favorite place to feel American comfort; regardless, all that matters to the staff is that you enter, eat, and leave with the spirit and enthusiasm of a child—hungry and ready to enjoy the simplicity of indulging in guilty pleasures. When customers boast, “This place was great forty years ago and is still great,” that’s your cue to go and find out for yourself what great memories are made of… and taste like.

“The Original” Coney Island West Monroe is located in 410 Natchitoches St, West Monroe, LA 71291. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday between 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM, and Saturday between 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Follow them on Facebook and feel free to give them a call at (318) 323-7610, especially if you want to pre-order a couple dozen of their tamales.