James Coney Island

James Coney Island is my guilty pleasure and this is my favorite Houston area location! The staff is so nice and always smiling no matter how busy they are. The restaurant was recently renovated and looks great. The Walker Street combo maybe pricey (for hotdogs) there’s no comparison to Sonic… you get what you pay for! This location is always adding new menu items. The new bandito chili pie is delicious and worth a try! Minus one star for the new 1920s music that was playing today.

Good service and quality. They have specials on Thursdays to help on what can get expensive quick. I have only tried the hot dogs and chili and try to avoid the taters and fries.

My burger was done to perfection as well as the French fries. The service was very friendly and the establishment was clean. It was an overall pleasant experience.

The nicest thing I can write about this restaurant is thank god I didn’t get food poisoning. Just kidding. Actually, the food was tasty but way too salty. Everything was laden with salt – the tater tots and french fries especially. My Texas Style foot long was ok. Again, too salty for my taste. The folks working here when I visited were really nice and kept things lively in the ordering line.

Believe me, it’s worth reading this before whipping out your card for that greasy cheesy cheeseburger or hot dog *delight*…
I’ve written many a review thanks to good and terrible food but this one takes the cake. I have been eating at this place for the past 18 years, which makes what happened this evening all the more horrific. We visited for dinner after a craving for some JCI chili cheese and a cheeseburger. Everything went orderly until my cheeseburger arrived…
There was something off about it, perhaps the cheese or the meat, but overall the burger was simply rancid. Aside from the rancid cheeseburger I was greeted by a lovely little member of the Arthropod group, something normal people call a cockroach. None other but a friendly little insect with 6 hairy little legs and two long wiggling antennae bidding me adieu from my plate.
Well, that was all I needed to see to lose my appetite… So I asked for a refund after bringing my cheeseburger to the cashier named Luz at the front and all of a sudden the cashier «magically» forgot English. She had to have someone else «deal» with me as English had become a completely foreign language within the last 5 minutes. When the next individual came to discuss my food she ran off to find her manager.
I waited as the manager came to the front and offered me a refund for my cheeseburger alone, but nothing else. Not even the french fries which my little buggy friend was bedding down in. I was obviously not satisfied with this answer, and was asked to leave after insisting on a full refund. I felt this was fair as none of the food was eaten after my biological discovery of epic proportions had debuted.
Needless to say the manager was a little less than understanding and a little more than rude. And the food? Well, unless you enjoy a little extra crunch and protein in your food I wouldn’t suggest eating here.

I love their dogs. I also like that there is such a big selection of hot dogs
The have the best chili pie and the tamales are pretty good too.

love the chili cheese coneys.

Friendly, quiet but approachable staff and they often have specials on holidays. I go here for lunch when I’m craving that coney and boy will I tell ya, nothing beats a better lunch than James Coney Island Coney your way. Go get some!

James Coney Island could rate around three stars overall but some aspects bring the total down to a solid two.
The two and a half stars:
The tamales, which if I were rating alone would be three stars, are surprisingly good for a fast food and they actually give you crackers to eat with them. Crackers are my preferred complement to tamales and chilis. The quantity, however, doesn’t match the price. I’m definitely no cheapskate but I do believe that quantity should match the price even if it is fast food.
The variety of hot dogs offered have something for everyone from plain to the works. Unless you just dislike hot dogs, you’d be hard pressed not to find some kind you like here. They now serve Hebrew National as an option.
The two stars:
Their chili is one I find to be too runny for hot dogs. I prefer a thicker consistency. I don’t order chili on hot dogs from here. The chili sauce served with tamales seems thicker. I’m unsure whether this is the same chili or what but to me there is a difference.
The chili cheeseburger used to be very good but lately has fallen in quality and quantity. There seems to be less meat, even less cheese and the chili used lately is of the yucky runny type. The taste suffers because of it.
The drive through can easily rate one star. I’m told to pull around front for some reason. The front of the building has cramped parking and pulling to the front entrance where I’m directed puts me in the way of others leaving the lot and drive through. The wait time from there is far from speedy and I have that discomfort of being in everyone’s way even though its not my fault. That’s a big deterrent in coming here in itself.
Ordering to go inside isn’t any faster (even though you can be made to feel rushed when placing your order) but at least it’s out of everyone’s way.
This place has the potential to be good with some fine tuning in quality and service. As long as it seems like they are «skimping» with quantity, I don’t see them getting any better, though. I can find better elsewhere.

Got a bbq bacon cheddar burger and I was hoping that the burger would be a little big but realized the beef was a thin slice, not even a quarter pound. The person that took my order was a little rude and because it was my first time i was not sure what to do but wait around. I asked if I could order a shake and the person looked dumbly at me and told me to move down to order. I wouldn’t know, it was my first time. Anyways, got my shake and ¼ of my cup was whipped cream. Rip off. Not coming back again, sorry.

I used to come here as a kid, and decided to try it again. I decided to just use the drive thru. After I paid, the lady told me «pull around by the door and someone will be right out with your food.» Um… that right there was fishy to me. Why should I drive elsewhere to obtain my food when I am in the drive thru? Well I had already paid so I pulled forward. The only place to park was along the fire curb… um that’s not legal at all! But that’s where I was told to go, and I’d already paid…
So there I sat. People going into the dining area glared at me. Other vehicles honked at me. And I got flipped off. Surely this wasn’t right. But she told me to pull around front… after waiting 10min I went back through the drive thru. Upon pulling up to the window, I was greeted with a rude «the staff has been wandering around the parking lot looking all over for you!»
I explained how I was honked at and that I wasn’t sure if I was where I needed to be. She assured me I was, and told me to go «track down» the employee «wandering around the parking lot»
I wanted to just leave, but i had already paid…
So I found the guy with my food, and left. My food was cold about that time.
JCI, I swore parking along the red fire curb is illegal, but I guess with the superiority complex I was greeted with during my visit, you’re above the law.

First time I visited Houston a couple of years a go I rode by one of these and said to my friend, «Oh a hot dog place, I want to eat there. Is it any good?» I was told it was the best and got a chance to stop in on almost my last day of the trip to try it out. Well… I was underwhelmed unfortunately. I was hoping for hot dog excellence and ended up with something closer to what I find at Sonic, adequate but not really anything to rave about.
Well now that I live here in Houston I’ve had the chance to try a different location a couple of times and I have to say that this place is better then I originally gave it credit for. The chili here is the way I like it, (no beans on my hotdog please), and is much meatier then I at first experience and usually get from the run of the meal Sonic or DQ. It also has good flavor, at least for for fast food chili. The dog was pretty good too. There’s nothing super special about it but at least it doesn’t seem to sit in a hot steamer all day until all color and flavor has been completely drained from it. The availability of tater tots is a huge plus for me as well as I am a complete sucker for those little bite sized hash browns. Soft serve ice cream is a win too.
So if I like the place this much why doesn’t it get more stars? Well it doesn’t because quite frankly spending $ 8 bucks for a foot long chili with tots and not even getting a drink for that price is not my idea of what fast food should cost. For that kind of money I can just about go to Pappa’s Burgers and get one of their all beef foot longs that are so thick I can barely fit my mouth around it, and that come with so many fresh cut fries that I can’t even finish them all. Really if James would cut there prices back by about 20% this would be a real go to for me, but at these prices I think I will stop by the local Sonic instead when I have a hankering for cheap dogs and tots.

Avoid at all cost.
Despite the fact that it was slow, I ordered and my pre prepared lukewarm food was set on the tray. Four of us was 27.00 for lunch and it was bland, barley warm, a massive fail. French fries had no salt, Chili cheese dog was a big bread pocket with a tiny bit of runny Chili and cheese.
You couldn’t pay me to eat here again.

The prices really do not dictate what you get anymore. Even with coupons and/​or when they are running a special, you don’t really get your money’s worth anymore. We went this past 4^th of July for their special, and we left disappointed. I like Hebrew National dog’s much better and was astonished that they charged about $ 2.50 a hot dog to substitute the wiener part only per hot dog choice. Each hot dog (Chicago, New York, etc) set you back about $ 5, when you got it with a Hebrew National hot-​dog. Even with their special, they charged extra for cheese, and who really gets a chili dog without cheese so that $ 1 hot dog turns into more than that, and triple that if you want it with a Hebrew National dog. We also tried the blue cheese tots, that was a horrible mistake, they smelled horrible, and the flavor was complimentary. They also left out huge chunks of our order that we had to re-​request. It really is a shame, for I love the occasional good (aka non greasy and flavorful) hot dog, but sadly James Coney doesn’t deliver like it used to anymore.

People that know me are familiar with frugal nature – the rush of saving a quarter here, a dollar there. I love using coupons and try to use them if they TRULY are a bargain. I already knew from a few prior visits to JCI that their food was pretty expensive, but since I could not remember what the food tasted like, I decided to give them a try. My coupon was for $ 5 off any burger, regular fries, and a drink (but not as a combo). Items bought al la carte would therefore make the cost of the meal much higher before the coupon was applied. Very nice business tactic I have to say – I’ll give in this time. Maybe, just MAYBE the food is worth $ 8+ bucks. Ummmmmm no. The drink is a drink is a drink as long as you don’t over fill it with ice and the fries were hot – not too salty. In fact, they could have used some more salt. They were even somewhat pale to me. I guess I’m use to fries that have sat under the heat lamp so long they have darkened or something, but these fries were practically white or off beige. The most disappointing part of the meal had to have been the burger. The meat patty was so bland to my taste buds that really do not desire salt not extra sugar that much, so if I say it needed salt, IT NEEDED SALT!!! The veggies on the burger were adequate for a fast food chain, but the for the cost, size, and taste of the burger I tasted, I could easily name 5 places that I could get a bigger, better burger for about the same price or less. So my advice for you, skip the island, not worth the trip.

Good & very friendly service. Pricing isn’t too bad for a fast food restaurant. I still prefer the home grilled hot dogs, but it’s still not a bad place to eat a good dog. They are generous with the chili & cheese.
The only bad thing (small bad thing) was that they charged me for a little container of jalapenos. Oh well.

This place is way, way overpriced for what it is, which is a shame because I think their business would pick up if they lowered their prices. That said, the food is all right… nothing spectacular.
You have your basic coney hot dog priced at about $ 1.29, and then there is your gourmet dogs, bigger franks with different toppings. Most of the gourmet dogs are available as a combo with your choice of fries or tater tots. They also serve burgers and chili, though I have yet to try those. Jalapenos are extra. Boo.
The line moves fast, and you don’t have to wait long for your food, so it’s good if you want to sit down yet have a quick meal.
The service is nice. Usually there is someone walking around bussing tables and asking how everything was.

Not someplace I will go again. Now my expectations weren’t for an amazing dining experience, but I was very disappointed.
I am a hot dog lover — been that way since childhood. I ordered the Chicago Dog Combo with fries. The dog itself was good. I like that it had different toppings on it other than ketchup, mustard, saurkraut or chili (the standards). It had a dill pickle spear, a special lime green relish, sliced tomatoes — tasty. The french fries were almost uncooked and I only got about 5 little shoe strings.
For a meal that cost $ 6 for ONE hot dog it was a waste of a dining experience. I’d eat elsewhere if I were you!

If you like corn dogs like I do this is the place for you. I’ve never been to a Coney island until this one. This is a place where they take pride in their corn dogs. Corn dogs are delicious. The price is good too. Its never busy and the people are helpful for those of us who sometimes get lost in front of a menu. Don’t bother with the frozen drinks theirs a sonic just down the road. Corn dogs Yea!

They have so much more than hot dogs now (which are awesome and made in every regional style you can imagine). Texas chili pasta? Heck yes! There are also baked potatoes, cheese steaks, burgers, and chicken tenders. I was also pleased with the cleanliness and prompt, friendly service at this location.
I really shouldn’t love the «hose cheese», but I have developed a taste for it after having the chili cheese tots.
They have the typical fast food dessert of soft serve vanilla ice cream mixed with chunks of candy. Theirs is called the Frost Bite. It is basically the same thing as a Flurry, Blizzard, Polar Swirl, etc.