Hot Dog News

Coney Island hot dog shop brings taste of Tulsa to Dallas-Fort Worth

Chili dog time.

Photo courtesy of Coney Island

A legendary Tulsa restaurant that's been in existence for nearly a century is expanding to Dallas-Fort Worth. Called Coney Island Hot Weiners, it's a beloved Tulsa landmark specializing in hot dogs and will open a location in Rockwall in January.

The restaurant is from Tony Osburn, a native of Tulsa who's excited to bring a favorite from his hometown to DFW. He'll open at 621 White Hills Dr., in a space on the east side of Lake Ray Hubbard that was most recently a massage parlor but has been home to a number of businesses.

At one point it was a bakery — "that's one of reasons we picked it, because it had all the electrical and infrastructure we needed," he says.

His restaurant is not the only Coney Island coming to DFW; Coney Island has been plotting to enter the area for at least a year. There's another location in Allen that'll open in the spring; it's from a different franchisee.

Dallas has seen restaurants open with a hot dog focus, and few have survived. But Coney Island is not just a hot dog joint, Osburn says.

"It's the longest surviving restaurant in Tulsa," he says. "Founder Christ Economou emigrated here from Greece in the 1920s and opened stores on the East Coast. Eventually he made his way to downtown Tulsa, where the restaurant has been since 1926. It's still in the Economou family."

The menu features hot dogs and chili, and there's something unique about the way Coney Island does what it does. "Anybody can make chili, but the process they use and the spices are what makes it taste so good," he says.

Although the restaurant name mentions hot dogs, chili is the signature dish. You can get it on a hot dog or in an unusual dish called "the 3-way."

"The 3-way is basically pasta with chili, cheese, and beans — you can get your chili with or without beans," Osburn says. "I don't think I've ever seen it around here."

The shop's longevity and careful customer service have contributed to its long lifespan. "If you go to the Tulsa store, you'll find that most of the employees there have been there 10 to 30 years," he says.

There are hot dogs topped with chili, cheese, and diced white onions; tamales; Frito pie; and a relatively new dish consisting of a baked potato topped with chili and cheese.

"It's a simple menu, but it's great food," he says. "A lot of people from Tulsa make it a point to visit when they go back home. It's a ritual — they have to eat there. And that's been going on for five generations of people who grew up with it."

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new roots

L.A. celebrity favorite The Ivy plants Dallas branch near Katy Trail

Photo courtesy of The Ivy/Facebook

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A Los Angeles restaurant famous for celebrity sightings on its bright floral patios is opening a branch in Dallas: The Ivy will debut in fall 2027 at 4205 Buena Vista St. inside The Terminal at Katy Trail.

“This will be the first Ivy outside of Southern California,” says India Wolfe, the restaurant founders' daughter, in a release. "I felt a strong calling to bring The Ivy somewhere new and to plant roots there with our family.”

India’s parents opened The Ivy on Robertson Boulevard in 1980, followed by Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica five years later.

While her father, chef Richard Irving, and mother, Lynn von Kersting, remain in LA, Wolfe and her husband, Ernest Wolfe IV, will move to Dallas in February with their two children and dogs, to operate The Ivy. The restaurant will be located inside a luxury apartment tower overlooking the Katy Trail.

India started working as a teen at the family's third branch in Santa Monica and learned everything "from greeting guests and waiting tables to staging events, filming viral social media, and modernizing the business for a new generation," says the release.

Both she and her husband spent time in other professions but were drawn to the dining field. Ernest helped his in-laws so often at The Ivy that they finally employed him full-time.

“I love working with him," India says, "and we complement each other’s skills really well, not unlike my mom and dad.”

The Ivy The family behind The Ivy.Courtesy photo

The Wolfes say they want the Dallas restaurant to retain The Ivy’s familiar cooking, warmth and character, while making it feel like home in a new city.

“I love the idea of people taking a walk on the Katy Trail and then meeting friends for brunch at The Ivy,” India says.

Her parents are assisting with the design and menu; India wants a contemporary vibe but doesn’t plan to change what works so well.

“I don’t want to make it too different because I think the reason that people from Dallas come to The Ivy is because they love The Ivy,” she says. “That said, this new restaurant will certainly stand on its own two feet.”

Unlike the original, the Dallas Ivy will have a bar, an idea India dreamed up. While restaurant bars are nothing unusual, India actually envisioned what her family jokingly calls “the D Bar" (so named for Dallas), where guests can clink glasses and share good energy around a curved, D-shaped counter.

Her interest in art and flowers will result in a space well-appointed with roses, a family tradition, and local blooms like zinnias and snapdragons.

The Ivy serves upscale American comfort food and Californian cuisine with influences from Italian, French, Cajun, and Mexican cooking. Dishes are made with seasonal ingredients, so the menus evolve throughout the year.

While the Dallas menu is being developed, the restaurant's Southern California winter menus, for example, include starters such as crab cakes, Caesar salad, and grilled-vegetable salad. Pasta options include lobster ravioli with Ivy pink sauce and lobster tagliatelle. Wood- or stone-fired pizzas include margherita and Cajun shrimp pies, while house-baked breads, old-fashioned red velvet cake, coconut cake, and chocolate chip cookies round out the menu.

The Ivy has always been at the center of family life, India notes. Now she and Ernest are bringing that way of life to Dallas.

She adds, “I am confident it will be a great home for The Ivy and for our family.”

openings katy trail