University City’s Coney Shack Promises a Taste of Coney Island With a Southeast Asian Twist

University City’s Coney Shack Promises a Taste of Coney Island With a Southeast Asian Twist

Coney Shack expands outside of New York City with the debut of their first out of market concept right here in Philadelphia. Chef, partner and founder Lawrence Mach teams up with Michael Tang of SET NoLibs to grand open Coney Shack at 3818 Chestnut Street this Friday, July 9th at 11:00am. Coney Shack started as a food cart in a parking lot of Coney Island back in 2013 and graduated to a food truck, a brick and mortar and then to a Times Square storage container pod-kitchen serving thousands of New Yorkers every week.

Coney Shack combines Mexican and American street food favorites, with a Southeast Asian twist that comes from family recipes passed down when his family moved to American from Vietnam. The menu includes unique tacos, hot dogs, quesadillas, wings, bowls, burritos, fish and chips, waffle fries, seasonal teas and drinks, and more. Coney Shack was named best restaurant in Brooklyn, and Mach earned the honors of Rookie of the Year in the Vendy Awards. Coney Shack hours will be Monday to Sunday, 11:00am to 10:00pm. Starting service for the BYO includes dine-in, indoor dining, outdoor dining, take-out and delivery.

“I am so proud to bring Coney Shack to the amazing food scene in Philadelphia,” said Mach. “It has been a long journey to get here from a food cart in Coney Island, to being selected to serve in Times Square, to staying in business during the pandemic, to now opening up and expanding into a whole new city. Every day I wake up and feel blessed to be able to do what I love and follow my passion for cooking. Our goal is to do something unique and different that isn’t being done elsewhere, and to bring joy through food to everyone who walks through our door. We are excited to partner with Michael Tang from SET NoLibs after their successful opening last year – and we can’t wait to get involved in the University City neighborhood and community.”

When it opens this Friday, Coney Shack will feature a menu of Southeast Asian inspired hot dogs, tacos, bowls, burritos, wings, waffle fries, drinks and other dishes that bring together the best of Coney Island’s street food scene. Coney Shack will open as a BYO in the 1,500 square foot space, and feature indoor dining for 20 people and outdoor seating for 8 people to start. Coney Shack joins other recent openings from NAM Vietnamese Kitchen, Paris Baguette – as well as Hamilton Court neighbors Bonchon, The Halal Guys, Tea Do and West & Down.

Coney Shack’s journey to Philadelphia dates back to 2013, when Mach followed his life-long passion for food and purchased a street food cart that would become known as the number one ranked restaurant in all of Brooklyn in 2015. That same year, Coney Shack also earned Mach a hard-earned Vendy Award for Rookie of the Year.

In 2015, Coney Shack hit the road as a travelling food truck where it brought its unique menu to pop-ups, festivals, flea markets and special events. In 2017, Coney Shack went brick-and-mortar and moved into Urban Space on West 52nd Street. A year later, Coney Shack expanded to a third location in the heart of Times Square. Coney Shack was selected by Urban Space and Times Square Alliance to operate out of a shipping container kitchen.

At the time when the pandemic hit, Coney Shack was set to have its best year ever – and then the world stopped. Coney Shack continued to operate and pivot during the pandemic at its permanent location in Urban Space Food Hall, at 152 West 52nd Street. While the Times Square shipping container kitchen and the Coney Island Art Wall locations continue to be closed due to the global crisis, Mach went forward to partner with Tang to bring the flavorful brand to Philadelphia.

Tang may sound like a familiar name to Philadelphia foodies. Tang recently opened his first outpost of SET NoLibs on N. 2nd Street at Liberties Walk. The popular Instagram-ready restaurant and sports bar is part of the hottest food neighborhood in Philadelphia during the pandemic. SET is at the very epicenter of the fastest growing food block in the city – that is home to recently opened Anejo, Urban Village Brewing Company, El Camino Real, Apricot Stone, Hikari Sushi, Baan Thai, and soon to open Figo and Figo Pizzeria (in the former home of Wahlburgers).

Coney Shack is ready to bring the fun and flavors of Coney Island to Philadelphia. While the name Coney Shack pays homage to Mach’s foodie roots in Coney Island, the name has come to mean so much more – and celebrates the diverse and welcoming community in Coney Island that first welcomes Mach. It also represents his goal to add his own cooking style and family roots to Coney Island staples – with a menu that includes over-the-top hot dogs, award-winning tacos, burritos, bowls, wings, fish and chips, waffle fries and house-made juices. When opened, foodies will find bold flavors, well-executed dishes, fun and casual vibes, and food that can easily be walked around from the beach to the boardwalk, to now the streets of Philadelphia.

THE MENU

Mach said, “When you think of Coney Island, you think of so many fun, bold and rich foods and flavors. It was a melting pot for variety and diversity in the cuisine – with everything from a mixture of Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Totonno’s Pizza, ice cream, seafood, tacos, fried foods, boardwalk fries and everything in between. I opened there because I felt welcome and I saw the joy there. I also wanted to celebrate my favorite dishes and the atmosphere – but do it in my own special and personal way. I am excited to bring those flavors, that inspiration and that joy to all the foodies in Philadelphia.”

Mach’s menu for Coney Shack celebrates his favorite dishes from Coney Island and New York’s street food scene – and brings them together with inspiration and recipes from his family. The opening menu is found below. For the top must-try dish every Philadelphian should try, don’t miss the Mach Dog – ready for Instagram and TikTok. The dish is finished on a rotating tray on the service counter and it spins as Mach melts the cheese using a blow torch.

Coney Shack Menu

Taco:
1 for $5, 2 for $9.49, 3 for $12.95
Add Waffle Combo Fries: $3

Beer Battered Crunchy Fish
Deep fried Southeast asian fish, shredded cabbage, cilantro, scallion red onions, lemongrass aioli

Five Spice Calamari
Crispy Calamari infused 5 spice, pickle red onion, cilantro, lemongrass aioli, tomato basil sauce, scallion onion & toasted sesame

Organic Crunchy Tofu
Fried crunchy organic tofu, shredded cabbage, cilantro, dice red onion, lemongrass aioli, sweet chili spicy mayo & toasted sesame

Caramelized Garlic Pork
Vietnamese caramelized garlic pork, pickled daikon carrots, cilantro, pickle serrano peppers, diced red onion, sweet chili spicy mayo & toasted sesame

Vietnamese Shaking Beef ShortRib
Vietnamese Shaking Beef ShortRib, charred scallion in oil, cilantro, sweet chili spicy mayo & toasted sesame
Additional .50 per item

Garlic Lemongrass Chicken
Garlic and lemongrass infused chicken, pickled daikon carrots, cilantro, scallion, sweet chili spicy mayo, diced red onion and toasted sesame

Hot Dog: $8.95

Holy Phuc
Beer battered crunchy fish, pickled red onions, mex cheese melt, tomato basil sauce, scallion onion, lemongrass aioli & toasted sesame

Mach Dog
Vietnamese caramelized pork, crispy onion strings, Mex cheese melt, sweet chili spicy mayo, scallion & toasted sesame

Chicka Dog
Garlic lemongrass chicken, pickled daikon carrots, cilantro serrano pepper, lemongrass aioli, sweet chili spicy mayo, dice red onion & toasted sesame

Mad Cow Dog
Vietnamese beef short rib, pico de gallo, Sweet chili spicy mayo, ire roasted salsa verde & charred scallion in oil

Calamari Dog
Crispy 5 spice calamari, pickled red onions, lemongrass aioli, cilantro, sweet chili spicy mayo & charred scallion in oil

Customize Hot dog:
Guacamole: $1.50
Cheese Melt: $1
Fried Egg: $1
Fried Onion Strings: $1
Fried Serranos: $1
Pickled Red Onion: $1
Coco Corn: $1
Salsa Verde: $0.50
Lemongrass Aioli: $0.50
Spicy Mayo: $0.50

Create Your Own Bowl, Burrito, Quesadilla

Rice Bowl: $10.95 (follow steps below)
Burrito: $10.95 (follow steps below)
Malaysian Hainan jasmine rice, pico de gallo, spring salad, cilantro scallion oil, pickled red onions & cucumber
Quesadilla: $8.95 (follow steps below)
Monterey jack cheese, queso adobo cheddar

Step 1: Chose Base
Malaysian Hainan jasmine rice, pico de gallo, coco curry corn, Pickle Daikon, Pickled Serrano, Red onion, scallion oil & spring salad

Step 2: Choose Protein
Vietnamese Shaking Beef ShortRib +$1
Caramelised Pork
Garlic Lemongrass Chicken
Beer Battered Fish
Crunch Organic Tofu

Step 3: Chose Sauce
Lemongrass Aioli
Sweet Chili Spicy Mayo
Cilantro-Lime Crema
Fire Roasted Salsa Verde
Burnt Salsa Arbol

Add Ons:
Add Extra Protein: $2.50
Add Different Protein: $2.50
Runny Fried Egg: $1.50
Mex Cheese Melt: $1.50
Avocado Slices: $2
Pico De Gallo: $1.50
Coco Curried Corn: $2.50
Fried Onion Strings: $1

Sides:
Waffle Fries
Fish & Chips
Guacamole
Queso Cheese Dip
Tortilla Chips

Wings:
Honey Sriracha Wings
Scotch Bonet Wings
10 for $12.95
20 for $19.95

Grilled Elote: $6

Beverages: $3.95
Peach Palmer
Acai Lemonade
Refreshing Cucumber Mint