Who serves your favorite Coney Burger in town?
Coney burgers have always been the subject of debate on Thunder Bay Dining: Who has the best sauce, the best burger and let’s not forget the bun? No matter what place is your favourite, someone will disagree with you and insist that their place is the best in town.
I think it’s a matter of where you grew up (even down to what neighbourhood) and what you are used to.
The four main Coney burger places in town include: The Hodder Greeks on Hodder Ave and at the corner of High Street North and Van Norman Street inside the High Variety; the Westfort Coney Island on Frederica Street; McKellar Confectionary on Arthur Street; and Nipper’s Take Out on Simpson Street.
These are the four traditional locations that have been selling Coney burgers in Thunder Bay for over 50 years.
In Thunder Bay, many corner stores have popped up over the years, equipped with small take-out kitchens. One such is Carries Corner, located on Windemere Ave.
Four more are Mrs's L's over on Cameron Street, Pauluccis Bar & Grill on Gore Street, Mets Variety on Churchill Drive, and a newer place that called OTC Burgers and More which is located out Highway 61.
Each of these burger places offers you a unique flavour of Coney sauce; not one tastes like the others. This leaves one to wonder: how can each Coney sauce be so different and still be categorized under one label?
Well, each owner has spent years tweaking their sauce recipes, trying to create the perfect flavour for their customers.
Burger Variety
Over the last week, I ventured out and started doing comparisons. I have to say, no two burgers or sauces were the same; each place offers a different variation of Coney flavour and sometimes more than one. Whether you like your sauce spicy or you’re more into the tame sauce, there is a place for everyone.
Westfort Coney Island
Let's start with the Westfort Coney Island. I found the sauce to be very mild, with hints of onion and a dash of mustard.
This burger was also the smallest of all the burgers I sampled. Westfort Coney Island gets their buns from Bennett's Bakery and when I asked about the beef, well they told me that was a secret they didn’t want to reveal. Their Coney burgers cost $2.50.
The Westfort Coney Island is located at 142 Frederica Street and is open Monday to Saturday 7:00 am until 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sundays. The Westfort Coney Island is a smaller restaurant and offers meals at very reasonable prices.
McKellar Confectionary had the best bun; it was perfect. The burger was very thin and the sauce had a bit of kick to it, but it was again a smaller portion burger. McKellar Confectionary uses 5-Star Bakery buns and their meat comes from Maltese.
Their Coney burgers cost $2.80. McKellar Confectionary is located at 241 McKellar Street and is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm. McKellar Confectionary offers seating to eat in.
Nipper's Take Out
The burger at Nipper’s Take Out was a bit thinner, but their sauce was definitely very tasty and had a small bite to it. Nipper’s gets their buns from Bennett's Bakery and their meat from Maltese. Their Coney burgers cost $2.50. Nippers is located at 713 Simpson Street and is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Sunday from Noon until 6 p.m..
There is no seating area at Nippers, but they do have some high top tables where you could eat while standing.
Larger Patties at the Greeks
The Hodder Greeks had the largest patty, topped with lots of onions, and had just a bit of heat in the sauce, but it wasn’t over-bearing. The Coney Burgers cost $2.80.
The Hodder Greeks on Hodder Ave is open Monday to Sunday from 10 am until 7 pm, and the Hodder Greeks on High Street is open Monday to Sunday from 10 am until 10 pm.
The original Hodder Greeks is located at 445 Hodder Ave and their secondary location is located at 106 High Street North (they also make homemade donuts at both locations). They have no indoor seating, but at the High Street location there are some picnic tables outside.
Off in the Corner
Carrie’s Corner has one of the largest patties, but their Coney sauce was very different from that found at the original Coney places. Their sauce is more like a mild chili sauce.
The sauce was still good, just different than the other places. Carrie’s Corner gets their beef from Maltese and their buns from Bennett's Bakery. Their Coney burger costs $3.99.
Carrie’s Corner is located at 61 North Windermere Avenue and are open Monday to Sunday from 10 am until 10 pm. Call to confirm they are open. Sometimes if it's not busy, they close early. They have a picnic table outside where you can enjoy your Coney burgers.
Good Afternoon, Mrs. L
Mrs. L's definitely has a large burger, with a mild flavoured Coney sauce. Again, their sauce is not like that of the original four places, but is still very tasty.
The price of the Coney burgers at Mrs. L's are as follows: the 1/4 lb Coney burger is $3.19, and the 1/2 lb Coney burger is $4.49.
These burgers are clearly larger than any of the original four Coney shops, but the sauce just isn't the same. It’s more like a mild chili Coney sauce. Mrs. L's gets their buns from Shaw Baking and the meat from the local meat processing plant out Oliver Road. Mrs. L's is located at 1120 Cameron Street and is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am until 10 pm and Sundays from Noon until 8 pm. There is a picnic table outside where you can enjoy your Coney burger and, if you’re in the mood, they even sell slushies!
Meeting at the Wayland
Paulucci's Wayland Bar & Grill also makes a nice Coney burger. They make their burgers from scratch on-site. A Coney burger at Paulucci's costs $4.25 but it’s a fairly large burger.
They get their meat from Westfort Foods and Bennett's Bakery supplies their buns. Paulucci's is located at 1019 Gore Street and is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 am until 11 pm, Wednesday from 10 am until midnight, Thursday to Saturday from 10 am until 1 am, and Sundays from noon until 8 pm.
Heading over to Met's
Met's Variety had a pretty large burger, but the Coney sauce just didn't have that Coney feel to it. It was almost like a toss-up between a pasta and chili sauce.
The Coney burger at Mets costs $3.39. Mets did not want to disclose where they get their buns or meat from. Mets is located at the corner of Churchill Drive and James Street and is open Monday to Friday from 11 am until 7 pm and is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Local Buns at OTC
OTC Burgers has a fair-sized burger made from scratch on-site. The Coney sauce itself was more like a thick paste than a sauce. The OTC Coney burger costs $5.99. The buns are made locally at Golden Bakery, using OTC's own specially-developed bun recipe.
OTC is located at 1725 Highway 61 (out past the airport) and is open Sunday to Wednesday from 11 am until 8 pm, and Thursday to Saturday from 11 am until 10 pm.
They have a small eating area inside, as well as picnic tables for outdoor seating.
With all of the great places to get a Coney burger in our city, I am sure you will find one that you love, but I hope you will try some of the other places and give them a shot.
You never know, the other places may just surprise you by how good they are.
