Curtis' Coney Island is in the old mining town of Cumberland, located in the narrowest western part of Maryland right between PA and West Virginia. It's been on Liberty St. since 1918, originally called Coney Island Lunch. George Giatras & his soon to be wife worked at the stand when it first opened. Their son Louis bought the business in 1969 and opened a second restaurant 5 doors down the block, and ran both places for at least 30 years. Lou's son Gino is now running the business at the newer location.
When I saw the lettering on the windows I knew we were in the right place. Amazing. You can see the dudes making the dogs right in the front window. Sit at the counter and watch the game (pittsburgh teams out here) and check out all the old signs & stuff on the walls. There's also booth seating (which was packed) and tons of people coming in for take-out. Super friendly & fast service too. This place isn't going anywhere.
The dogs here are "Coney Island Weiner" style which is pretty much the same as a "Texas Weiner" but without the greek flavors in the sauce. Also the dog was not split - as seems to be the custom in Philly and Central PA - but grilled whole. The actual dogs were super flavorful here. Side of crinkle-cut fries and Cherry Smash soda, awesome. They also do a fried fish tail sandwich and a chocolate rickey which I was informed is "just chocolate milk with ice cubes in it".
Cumberland was a little more "quaint" than Chambersburg but has a ton of amazing old signage and plenty of neck tattoos.
Check out some shots on flickr if you're interested.
Curtis' Coney Island Weiners
35 N Liberty St
Cumberland, MD 21502
