Coneys Frozen Yogurt

Where: 242 East University Parkway, Orem, UT (near Deseret Book)

Distance: 2.6 Miles

Website: coneyscustard.com

Restaurant Type: Single Location (there use to be a location in American Fork, but it's closed)

Cuisine: Desserts/Ice Cream, Hot Dogs/Sausages, Burgers

My Frequency: First Time (and second for custard)

Who: John, Scott, and Eric

Food: Single Cheeseburger with Fries, Coney Dog (without tomato or sour cream), Sonoran, Vanilla Custard, and Juicy Peach Custard

Price: $8.20 for my dog and custard

My thoughts:

I was excited to try Coneys not only for their renowned custard, but also for the award-winning burgers and gourmet dogs. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my first step into the restaurant. It was smoky and smelled like they had just cleaned the grill. I thought that it was because we went right before closing, but I went in the afternoon on a different day and the smoke and smell were the same.

In addition to Coneys' everyday vanilla and chocolate custard, they feature a Flavor-of-the-Day. The signs inside and out let you know what the flavor is. On our day, it was Juicy Peach. I'm always one to try the new or special item, so I went with a regular serving of Juicy Peach. It had perfect texture, but the flavor was weak. Eric's single scoop vanilla had more flavor than my orange-colored custard. I do really like how they ask you when you want your custard: right away, with your food, or after your food.

Eric mostly enjoyed his Coney Dog without tomato or sour cream. His favorite parts were the chili and dog, but said that the tortilla strips were stale and distracted from the other good flavors. 

The guy at the register was a good salesman; he said that we couldn't go wrong with either a burger or a dog because both were award winners. Scott went with a cheeseburger. The bun was flavored well, toasted just right, and overall very good. Though the bun was the best part, he enjoyed the patty too. Next time, he'd order a double.

The fries were plain and nothing special. They were too crispy and had no substance. It's a good filler, but I definitely wouldn't come here just for the fries.

The guy at the register sold me on the Sonoran Dog. "Hot dogs may have been invented in New York, but they were perfected in Mexico." Though my dog was good, it definitely had not been perfected yet. It was messy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem was that it was messy with beans that dominated the flavor. As I got more into the dog, I noticed the low quality of the guacamole and cheese. The bun and dog were great, but the toppings were a little too much for me.

I was thinking about how my experience at Coneys seemed to vary from many others, so I had to go back and try at least one more Flavor-of-the-Day. I got the Caramel Cookie Crunch the second time around. It was delicious and more flavorful than my previous experience with Juicy Peach.

Do differently next time:

A friend said the Lemon Chiffon is to die for, so that's definitely on my radar. You can check out their flavors of the day at their website. I would eat outside to avoid being in the smoke.

The Verdict:
Try it. I didn't love it like a lot of other reviewers do, but it was good enough to go back. The custard was good, and the food has potential. Just eat outside if you don't like smelling like smoke afterwards.

Other Opinions: