Bill’s Drive-In

Iconic Detroit area coney spot. The coney sauce seems to be a hybrid of the Flint and Bay City coney sauce styles: packed full of finely ground meat but with a lightly spiced sauce holding it together (with a hint of tomato?). The delicious homemade rootbeer is available to go in plastic jugs, but be forewarned it does go flat quickly.
Drive in, cash only, closed during the coldest months of the year.

This place is great. It’s a small yellow building on Washtenaw, south side of the road. You pull in, park, and someone grabs your order. They have a very limited menu — hot dogs, coney dogs, chips, and root beer. After you order, you can either eat in your car, or take the food home.
The food. While a limited menu, these are, hands down, the best coney dogs I have ever had. We have attempted to get the recipe for the chili, but it’s Bill’s secret. I’m not sure about anything else, because you specifically go there to get coneys. The chips are standard, but that truly doesn’t matter.
And then we come to the root beer. I’ve never liked root beer until I tried theirs. I have no idea how it’s made (it’s another Bill’s recipe), but it’s fairly phenomenal. You can either choose root beer or a root beer float. Then, you have the options of A) getting a tray on your car for a glass mug; B) getting one to take home in a styrofoam cup; or C) buying a gallon. I have not yet attempted the glass mug, next time.
Price: my husband (6’1″ and 250) and I (5’1″ and 100) got four coneys and two root beers for $ 8. Worth the drive!
This is cash only, and only open in the summer. Both things could be viewed as positive or negative, depending on the person.
TIP: Ask for LOTS of napkins!
All I know? The day it opens, we’ll be there.

Amazing amazing amazing! Coneys with chili, mustard, and onion & that incredible homemade root beer is the specialty here! This place is totally worth the 30 minute drive from Farmington Hills to Ypsilanti, but it’s one we make a few times a year! Don’t miss!

I’ll say 3.5. I’ve been wanting to check this place out for a while, and I finally did over the summer. I actually tried to go in the winter, and didn’t realize they’re a seasonal joint, so heads up there.
Having never been, I drove up to the little shack, and wasn’t sure what to do. A guy came out and greeted me at my car, and basically ran me through how they operate and what they do. Not a lot to think about as far as what you want. I got two coneys and a large root beer. The guy told me to park on the other side, and he’d be right out.
Not more than 5 minutes later, there he was with coneys and root beer. Coneys were ok, nothing mind blowing, but good all the same. The root beer was tasty. Definitely sweeter than most root beers I’ve had, it complimented the coneys well.
OVERALL– not bad. cheap, fast, and good root beer? Yeah, I’ll likely roll back through in the summer time and bring the fam for a quick little snack.
CELEBRITY RATING– Guy Fierie (pre-​douche days)

I’ve been going forever, the root beer is so good and the chili dogs are top notch. Get them with mustard and onion. They mince the onikn super fine so it’s not overpowering, just perfect!
The one thing that would make me so happy is if they had fries, because chili fries from Bills would be amazing.

Ok — whatever stars you see here, double. Maybe triple. She Who Must Be Obeyed and I stopped after Thunder Over Michigan, so I was punch drunk on Jet A. We were neophytes, having never stopped before. Upon leaving, I wanted to testify on the highest moutaintop. Since the highest peaks are trash dumps, I had to suffice with screaming at the top of my lungs the praises. OMG — not the absolutely V-​E-​R-​Y bestest rootsbeer, IMHO needs ever-​so-​slightly move phyzzz to scald the back of the throat, but Sweet Lord it was grand. And the coney goo, Oh YEAH BABY! WE HAVE A WINNER! Nothing over done — perfection in a wrapper. The cherry on top — the car hop dude who took time to esplane to me Lucy, the myth, the legend, the glory that is Bill’s. He has no idea what fans he made that fateful afternoon. BDogs 4ever. Simple. And simply perfect. From the bottom of my heart and craving tummy, most sincerely, THANK YOU. TIP GENEROUSLY, FOR THEY DESERVE IT.

I’ve had the root beer and coney dogs here. Both delicious! I have no idea what they do to their root beer but it has a bit of a vanilla taste. Almost as if they mixed root beer and crème soda. Delicious! One thing for a rookie to know stay in your car one of the friendly car hop dudes will be over to get your order.

Always a summer favorite ever since I was a kid! I love the chili dogs!
The only complaint that I have is for Bills to open all year round.

Always take the road less traveled… Michigan Avenue! There are several great old timey places to eat at Bill’s Drive In is one of them!!!
The root beer is mind-​blowing-​creamy-​delicious-​amazing-​ness! Yes, it’s better than A&W or anything else you’ve had. Before you start arguing with me, try it and you’ll tell me «Yep, you’re right, sorry I doubted you oh great Foodie Goddess, I am not worthy of your Unilocal.» But I’m a benevolent Foodie Goddess so I’ll keep sharing.
Now for the vittles, lots of choices but whatever you order, it should include a hot dog, chili, onions and mustard. If you must have ketchup, do so but eat over in the corner because I don’t want to be embarrassed by you!
My «heart stopping I don’t care if this is my last meal on earth» is the loose meat hotdog with onion and mustard, messy as everything and worth every sloppy, drippy bite. I order two along with an icy mug of root beer and tip the waiter guys because they are on point.
Get in your car/​truck/​suv/​tractor and get over to Bill’s before it closes for the season!

The root beer was very tasty, kind of reminded me of southern sweet tea. My wife loved her dog, with ketchup and mustard, my son loves his dog with ketchup. I got 2 coney dogs, the bread was amazing, the toppings were top notch, as a native NY’er the dog was very bland, but over all it tasted very good

Love Bill’s Hot Dogs!!! The root beer here is delicious and the hot dogs are simple but amazing!!! I get my hot dog with mustard and onions… so yummy!!! They are very attentive and fast! Don’t forget to tip these hard working guys!

Great, simple, cheap eats at Bill’s… The coneys are super fresh and hot, paired with root beer you won’t be disappointed in the awesome curbside service of Bill’s Drive In.

I have certain summer rituals. My 2 most favorite occur on the same day. 1 is to bring the rag top outta storage & the second is to drive down to Bill’s Drive In over in Ypsilanti for 2 dawgs & a large root beer (chilled glass stein only please). The top is down, it’s 84* and the XM is blazing. Bill’s never fails me — a pair of dogs that are sized to perfectly steamed buns, slathered in chili, light onions, & tangy yellow mustard. God Holy Trousers life is good today (I did hedge my bet with tums)! Bill’s is a great Ypsi & EMU tradition — get there!

Best chili dogs and loose burger dogs anywhere ever in the history of mankind (Dinosaurs may have had better before humans polluted the world). The root beer is some of the best I have ever had. Rumor has it the family is very religious. My theory is they are and God granted them one wish. They wished to have the power to make the best chili dogs in the world and wash them down with great root beer. I believe that wish was answered.

Best Coney dogs on earth. Been coming for my entire life! Look forward to opening every thaw

Fantastic dive. Great dogs, great sauce, fantastic root beer. Our family has been going here for many years, and we are so excited when it opens for the year (in February) and closes for the year in October

Best dogs in the world, been coming here since I was a kid. Love em. Even got my husband addicted to them.

I have driven by Bill’s Drive-​in for last 20+ years on my way to Hana and other places and always told myself I needed to stop by and try their dogs… well, the 20 year wait is over!
Service — 5 stars — pulled in, guy walked up, placed our order and had our food in less then five minutes… 2 regular dogs, 3 chili dogs and root beer float. Super friendly service with quick speed!
Dogs — based upon my taste and other hot dogs I had, they were decent (3 stars)… I had better hotdogs, but those joints are far away from me… Everyone uses different kinds of dogs, so yeah, the tastes will different from place to place, but did enjoy them.
I didn’t have the root beer float, but my nephew says it was awesome and the best he had.

Reminds me of a tail… two immigrants land in NYC fresh off the boat. They’re hungry so they each buy a dog from a street cart. As they start eating their hot dogs, Stash says to Skee, «Aye Skee, what part of the dog did you get?»
Bill’s is pretty darn good. VERY casual eating, great root beer & coney dogs. A real treat. Cheap too! I don’t know what’s in these things but it’s very tasty. They should employ girls in bikini’s as car hops IMO.

Hello. I have not written a Unilocal review in approximately three years. Bill’s Drive-​In has instilled some Brett Favre-​ian magic into my weary writing chops and has made me believe that I can still lace’em up one last time and sling it from the hip like I used to.
My father is a coney dog connoisseur. What is a «coney dog,» you ask? For the uninformed, a coney dog is an all-​beef hot dog topped with chili and white onions and mustard, a specific combination that individualizes it from the generic «chili dog.» When I say my father is a connoisseur, I mean to say that he grew up devouring coney dogs since his childhood. I mean to say that during my own childhood, he would often come home after work with a sack of these little delicacies, set said sack on the kitchen table, and call it «dinner.» I mean to say that because of this diet, I had my own struggles with high cholesterol and being overweight while growing up, but have developed my own critical and discriminating palate when it comes to a coney dog. When I encounter a new place that claims to peddle coneys to a largely unsuspecting public, I say «BRING IT.»
Bill’s has brung it. Broughtten it. Did bring it. I struggle with these conjugations because I am still reeling from this experience. Bill’s Drive-​In exemplifies why I joined Unilocal in the first place: to wax philosophical on incredible eating experiences at little-​known venues.
I didn’t even know it existed until one of my friends told me about it. He had to describe it to me by using general details before moving to specific ones, much like how a police sketch artist asks a victim to describe a mugger: «It’s on Michigan Avenue. It’s on the left side. It’s sort of by the Korean place (stay tuned). It’s yellow and about the size of a tool shed.»
This place is crazy. I pull in, not really knowing what to expect. I was planning on getting out of my car, but some dude walks up to my window and asks me what I want. He had a stack of bills in one hand. I ask him what they have. He lists all THREE things they have on the menu. I order some things. Five minutes later he comes back and hands me a paper bag. I pay him. I drive away.
Also, I pretty much just described a drug deal. However, there is one major distinction: a drug deal doesn’t usually cost $ 4.39. Actually, I apologize. I don’t remember really what I paid, but $ 4.39 sounds a little high. My point is, it was ridiculously cheap. Here is where logic defies me: this was by far the best coney dog I have ever had in my entire life. My friends rag on me for my generous use of superlatives, but this is no exaggeration. This is the greatest coney dog I have ever introduced into my digestive tract.
The funny thing is, this place also has the audacity to call it a «chili dog.» They didn’t even use the lingo. I wish they would have. I would have been more prepared.
Look at this. It’s a mess. I’m a mess. I’ve written like five hundred words already and I didn’t even mention the root beer. Yes, they have root beer. THE GREATEST ROOT BEER I HAVE EVER INTRODUCED INTO MY DIGESTIVE TRACT. And again with the superlatives. I don’t care. I think I’m going to go back. Right now. You should too.
See you there.