Traveling Musician's Digest

Milwaukee Wiener House
309 Pearl Street
Sioux City, IA 51101

The culinary competition in the Sioux City area is fierce. Continuing my run through the gauntlet of local restaurants, I took the “wiener challenge,” as it was phrased to me. The age old establishments of “Milwaukee Wiener House” and “Coney Island,” both Sioux City staples were to be pitted against each other. Located within city blocks of each other, it was easy to walk from place to place, which was both convenient and confusing. Taking into account the opinions of others in my orders, I decided to order relatively similar meals, as to not give one an unfair advantages due to the addition of chili to my dog. First came Milwaukee Wiener House.

Double Dog. Two hot-dogs with onions, chili, ketchup, and mustard. Accompanied by Parmesan and Garlic chips and a vanilla milkshake.

My review: Milwaukee Wiener house was excellent. As an avid hotdog fan, this place was right up my alley. Several folks inside the door advised me to try the chili, and I was S-O-L-D. I ordered a double dog, and was met at the counter by a rather dull looking smile from an obviously overwhelmed worker. Once he’d regained his composure, he slid me my tray with my dog, accompanied by a bag of Dutch Crunch chips and a vanilla milkshake. The entree was a couple of standard wieners under a mountain of beef, ketchup, mustard, and onions. The bun was soft, and the chips (which were a complete toss-in) turned out to be a total winner. They accented the dog perfectly. Side note: the milk shake was good, but not jaw-dropping.

Coney Island
510 Nebraska Street
Sioux City, Iowa

My review: After having my expectations set extremely high by Milwaukee’s best wieners, we headed on over to Coney Island. As one of Sioux City’s oldest restaurants, if anyone was going to upset the Wiener house in a game of one-on-one, it would be Coney.

Order space inside Coney Island

The space inside was half the size of Milwaukee Wiener House, requiring a lot longer wait. Patience wore thin before the line finally started to move, but I still walked in with an open mind. I ordered one Coney Dog and one Cheese Dog, along with a diet coke.

One Coney Dog, one Cheese Dog, and a Diet Coke

The natural casing of the dog was worthy of writing home about, as it encased the natural flavor of the meat, and cut through the relative dullness of the meat and cheese. It’s nearly impossible to complain about that combination, but neither really held a candle to that of Milwaukee’s Wiener House. I was, however, impressed by the onions at Coney Island. They were strong, fresh, and incredibly tasty.

Guy Fieri at Milwaukee Wiener House in Sioux City, Iowa.

My verdict: If you’re craving a hot dog, you really can’t go wrong with either place. I enjoyed the service at both, and the food was good, but my personal preferences just tilted the scales toward good ‘ole Milwaukee. Time is limited for the wiener house, and if you want a shot at tasting one of Sioux City’s best kept secrets, head on down and grab yourself a dog!