11 Foods You Can't Miss In Coney Island And Luna Park

If something has been around since the year 1916 in New York City, you know that it's quality. The beautiful thing about the original Nathan's is that you don't have to get too crazy there: A classic hot dog with mustard and relish (oh, and definitely some cheese fries) is supremely satisfying without any other distracting toppings.

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Right at the entrance to Luna Park, Fly Wheel Eats is a quick and great way to fuel up before a long day at the park. While the menu might seem scattered at first glance, don't get distracted; the burger—specifically the Western burger, with its absurdly tall layers of glory—are where it's at.

Oh, and you should probably chase said burger with a thick and luscious gelato milkshake. Probably.

A quick walk from Fly Wheel Eats is the Halfmoon Food Court, where, again, you have a lot to choose from. The first thing that catches your eye may or may not be the cheeseburger nachos, which are essentially chips slathered in the perfect yellow cheese sauce and then blasted with ground beef bits. What a treat. What a joy.

Lest you finish your nachos and still feel like you could take on the world, the next step is waffle fries drenched in ranch.

For dessert, I've narrowed down your choices to two essential options, but let's start with funnel cake. Crisp, large, hollow, sweet, monstrously perfect funnel cake. It's just a must, y'all.

Your second mandatory Halfmoon Food Court dessert option? Obviously the fried Oreos. You can get them in sets of five or eight, but either way, you're guaranteed a fresh-out-the-fryer, powdered sugar-laden experience.

Anyone who's still standing should, by this point, leave the park itself and wander onto the boardwalk to Coney's Cones, a lovely little gelato joint with a fantastic ocean view. My three off-the-cuff picks were the Amaretto Yogurt, Milano, and Strawberry flavors, but just about everything else looked as good as the delicious ones I ended up eating. Like, fully eating. I ate all three cones of ice cream.

Place To Beach—another boardwalk adventure—is packed with seafood and very large alcoholic drinks. The standout here is The Bulldog, which, dare I say, is a perfect beer-topped frozen marg on a hot summer's day.

OK, fine. There is a thing also at Place To Beach called "Super Nachos" that is also very much worth your time. Seriously. It weighs many pounds and is enough to share with all of your friends. Also, cheese!

Allllll the way down the boardwalk is the new-ish Al Cavallino, which has a nicely parsed down menus of pizzas. Margherita is there (and vvv good) for those who want something familiar—the capriciossa is an A+ option for meat lovers who are feeling more adventurous. Which you should be. Trust.