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Nathan's Famous, Brooklyn, NY

Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Eat & DrinkIconicFoodie Favorite

Nathan's Famous

1310 Surf Ave · Brooklyn, NY

Why you should go…

This is the original Nathan's, opened in 1916 by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island. You order classic hot dogs and fresh crinkle-cut french fries a short walk from the boardwalk and beach. Every Fourth of July the stand hosts the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, where competitors have 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they can.

  • #hot dogs
  • #coney island
  • #historic restaurant
  • #boardwalk food
  • #hot dog eating contest

Good to know

General eat & drink guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Go early or go late

    The simplest way around a wait at a popular room is to sit down before the rush or after it.

  • Reservations open on a schedule

    Where bookings are taken, tables tend to be released a set number of days in advance, often at a fixed hour.

  • Menus move with the season

    Treat any dish you read about online as a maybe, not a promise, especially anything local and seasonal.

  • Ask what the place is known for

    Staff will point you at the thing worth ordering faster than any list will.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Nathan's Famous, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Luna Park

    $25–$50

    Ride the landmark Cyclone wooden coaster, the Thunderbolt and other rides and games beside the Coney Island boardwalk.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Coney Island

    Free

    Stroll a 2.7-mile oceanfront boardwalk, ride the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel, and eat a hot dog at the original Nathan's.

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    New York Aquarium

    $25–$50

    Walk through a 14-acre Coney Island aquarium with a shark exhibit, the Aquatheater and an invertebrate gallery called Spineless.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Eat & Drink
    Iconic

    Peter Luger Steak House

    $50+

    Sit down to a dry-aged porterhouse for the table at a Williamsburg steakhouse established in 1887.

    9.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Little Italy

    Free

    Stroll Mulberry Street north of Canal past Italian restaurants, long-running bakeries and a family grocer selling imported cheeses.

    10.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Legendary

    Katz's Delicatessen

    $25–$50

    NYC's oldest deli, slinging hand-carved pastrami on rye since 1888, and home of the famous 'When Harry Met Sally' table.

    10 mi awayMore like this