Nick’s Original Coney Island Hotdogs | Historic Weenies

Historic Weenies Come to Fall River

In 1920 Nicholas Pappas came to Fall River with a Coney Island hot dog sauce he learned in Philadelphia. The wood-paneled wall of the restaurant he started holds a gallery of photos showing some of the celebrities who have eaten Nick’s historic weenies since then. Here you’ll see Lucille Ball, Judy Garland and Stooges Larry, Moe, and Curly.

How Many Coneys Should a Person Eat?

Similar to the New York System weenie of adjacent Rhode Island, a little hot dog at Nick’s begs to be doctored up. Connoisseurs want a squiggle of mustard, a line of the spicy, dark meat Coney sauce, and a scattering of chopped raw onions. I did not find love at first bite when I originally ate one. No, I find these little things offer a more progressive pleasure. Eating them leads from taste-buds bafflement to intrigue to pleasure, and ultimately, perhaps to addiction. A single one gets your attention. Two become a nice snack. Four comprise a meal, except for the fact that if you buy five at Nick’s, you get the sixth one free. Nick’s weenies also inspire the Fall River delight known as the bean dog. For that one, the chef scatters sweet baked beans on top.

Chourico and Fries

Smoky chourico is huge in this region thanks to the Portuguese roots of so many citizens. It inspires another local creation: the chourico and fry plate. For that, French fries surround sliced discs of chourico sausage lined up in a bun. Nick’s makes fries as they are needed. When you order them, a member of the staff puts a potato in the French fry cutter. He then throws the little white spud logs into the Autofry machine. The machine dispenses the cooked potatoes after their allotted cooking time.

Only-In-Fall River Melted Cheese Sandwich

Beyond Coneys, bean dogs, and chourico sandwiches Nick’s serves that curious Fall River delight, a melted cheddar cheese sandwich. Honestly, if I visited a dozen times, eager to try out local specialties, I likely would never even have registered “Melted Cheese Sandwiches.” Much less, ordered one! But thankfully, dining partners Chris Ayers and Amy Briesch knew better. Having done serious homework about Fall River, Amy discovered that, sure enough, melted cheddar cheese sandwiches are a big deal in many of the city’s hot dog joints. Nick’s makes its version using tiles of sharp cheddar that melt but don’t quite drip. With some of that magic hot sauce on top, sandwiched in a supersoft bun, you’ve got a wonderful little sandwich.

And what better place to eat these historic weenies, bean dogs, and cheese sandwiches than in one of the 100-year-old school desks lined up along Nick’s wall?