JTV Entertainment | May 29th, 2019 | Gabriel Schray

Jackson, Michigan– 649 E Michigan Ave. is a sacred address in Jackson, Michigan. And no, before you ask, we didn’t get paid to write this. I grew up here in Jackson, and I can attest, this love is well deserved. This is a restaurant that has so much love for what comes out of the kitchen, we want to love the kitchen back.

Virginia Coney opened in 1914 and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its famous coney dog is made up of their coney sauce, onions and mustard. It costs just $1.50.

It’s thought that Greek immigrants popularized the dish. Detroit-style Coneys use a meaty chili sauce, while Jackson-style Coneys feature a dryer loose meat sauce, often called Coney sauce rather than chili.

Jackson is the birthplace of the Coney Island Hot Dog. “I eat ’em every day,” said Tommy Boadgieff to JTV in 2015. Boadgieff owned Tommy’s Hot Dogs. “A hot dog a day keeps the Doctor away, never mind the apple.”

Virginia Coney Island has been a Jackson favorite since 1914. The menu features classic diner favorites, including a lunch special featuring two Coneys, a bag of chips and a fountain drink – USA Today

Many of us have been going to Virginia Coney Island as long as we can remember. It’s an American classic, and part of what makes Jackson our hometown.  

Find and vote in the poll by clicking here

I can’t tell you how many of my friends from out of town and out of state I’ve dragged to the place. ‘Calm down Gabe,’ they’d say. ‘It’s only a hot dog.’ Only a hot dog? Only a hot dog? If I had to request a last meal, these coneys very well could be it.

“If you cut me open, it’d probably just be mustard” said Tommy Boadgieff. The leader board in USA Today’s poll is now closed from being viewed, but last we checked, Virginia Coney Island was in first place. Readers can vote once per day through June 3rd. The winner will be announced on June 14th.

The featured image in this article is a screenshot of USA Today’s website. For more local sports news and information, you can connect with JTV on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This article was written by JTV’s Gabriel Schray. He is in his fifth year covering Jackson Area sports and news for JTV. You can connect with Gabriel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well.