Coney Island Cafe

For over a century, the Coney Island Cafe in downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has been owned and operated by one family. Opened in 1923 by Greek immigrant Arthur Fokakis, the cafe is run today by fourth-generation B.J. Fokakis, and still serves the famed griddle-cooked burgers, “curly q” fries, and other comforts that locals and visitors alike have flocked to for years.

From humble beginnings as a fruit card on Main Street, over time, the beloved diner grew into the local icon that it is today. Mainstays on the menu range from fried chicken to open-face hot ham and steak sandwiches, a BLT, cheeseburgers, and a “fully dressed” Coney Island Cafe hot dog, topped with chili, chopped onions, and pickle chips. 

For the truly gutsy, order the Coney Killer: a towering seven-patty cheeseburger with chili and 14 slices of bacon stacked between four hamburger buns—with a plate of fries. 

But the history doesn’t stop with the legendary menu. One of the state’s only still-operational pay phones can be found on the wall by the men’s room, and throwback wood-paneled walls hold framed images of over a century of community memories.