A classic hot dog from Nathan's Famous

©Mikki Brammer/Lonely Planet

Nathan’s Famous

New York City


The hot dog was invented in Coney Island in 1867, which means that eating a frankfurter is practically obligatory here. The top choice: Nathan’s Famous, founded by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker in 1916. The hot dogs are the real deal, but the menu runs the gamut from fried clams to fried chicken fingers.

The restaurant’s annual 4th of July hot-dog-eating contest is the stuff of legend. If you can't make it in person, you can catch the competitive gorging, replete with play-by-play announcing and cheerleaders, on TV. The record, if you're curious, is 74 dogs.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby New York City attractions

1. Coney Art Walls

0.07 MILES

This open-air public museum of street art features 35 freestanding walls transformed each season into colorful murals by emerging and renowned graffiti…

2. Deno’s Wonder Wheel

0.15 MILES

The pink-and-mint-green Deno’s Wonder Wheel dates back all the way to 1920 (fear not: it gets a yearly overhaul and has never had an accident). It's the…

3. Luna Park

0.16 MILES

The original Luna Park, the most famous of Coney Island's competing amusement parks, opened in 1903 and reigned for decades until destroyed by fire in the…

4. Coney Island

0.17 MILES

About an hour by subway from Midtown, this popular seaside neighborhood makes for a great day trip. The wide sandy beach has retained its nostalgic,…

5. New York Aquarium

0.35 MILES

This kid-friendly aquarium has several different exhibits around its central courtyard. Penguins, otters and seals frolic in the Sea Cliffs display. The…

6. Harbor Defense Museum

3.53 MILES

Beneath the breathtaking Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and located inside Fort Hamilton, military buffs will discover a small treasure trove of artifacts at…

7. Ditmas Park

4.65 MILES

In this tranquil neighborhood, tree-lined side streets boast bourgeois timber houses built in the early 1900s in an eclectic mix of Colonial Revival, arts…

8. Sunset Park

5.07 MILES

Sunset Park is a lovely hangout spot: on summer evenings, families keep cool in its Olympic-size outdoor swimming pool, and kids love its large, modern…