Papaya King - New York, NY

The papaya juice is excellent, creamy and sweet, reminiscent of the beverage served at New York’s old Orange Julius stands. The hot dogs are dense and meaty with a beguiling garlic taste and a casing that pops with juice when you bite into it. The buns that encase them, although nicely toasted, are so bland that we often discard one bun for each two wieners and eat double-meat dogs with all the fixings.

79% Approval Rating (29 votes)

Overall: Worth planning a day around

Must Eats

hot dog ($2.00)

papaya juice ($2.00)

Written Reviews

Michael Stern

"A tiny streetcorner eat-shop with an insistently happy, eye-aching red and yellow color scheme Papaya King seems perpetually mobbed by hordes of hungry people pushing their way to the order counter, then to a space at the stand-up eating shelf at the window. The line ..." [Read More].

NY Dogger

July 31, 2009

"In the sixties and seventies, when I lived on East 87th Street, Papaya King was the king of hot dogs of the entire Upper East Side, and Yorkville, as this neighborhood used to be called. I grew up in this neighborhood and, to this day, fifty years later, I still think ..." [Read More].

HelmetHead

November 03, 2007

"First of all, the editorial review is incorrect. Gray's Papaya (not Gray's Papaya King; there's no King in the title) has nothing to do with Papaya King except for being an imitator. It did not "secede" from Papaya King. Papaya King is the original and Gray's is ..." [Read More].

Logbooks

6/18/2002 - Michael Stern, $5

Map & Directions

179 E 86th St, New York, NY
212-369-0648

http://www.papayaking.com/index1.htm

Hours & Policies

Seasons:	Open Year Round
Meals Served:	Lunch, Late Night
Operational Hours:	Always Call Ahead!
Credit Cards Accepted:	No
Alcohol Served:	No
Outdoor Seating:	No
Reservations Accepted:	No
Delivery Available:	No
Takeout Counters:	Yes

"A pair of Papaya King dogs, well-dressed"
Michael Stern

"Papaya juice is creamy and sweet: excellent balance for a few garlicky hot dogs."
Michael Stern

"Most New Yorkers think of Papaya King for its hot dogs; but juice is how it started, and juice is still big in this little shop."
Michael Stern

"Tiny interior with standup-dining-only and seemingly hundreds of signs."
MiamiDon

"Just some of the ways you can get your wiener fixed"
Michael Stern

"If the warden gave you your choice of anything for your last meal, would it be filet mignon ... or a Papaya King hot dog?"
Michael Stern

"This happy fella is the head atop a sandwich board on Third Avenue."
Michael Stern

"Papaya King has doors, but if the weather is decent, it is basically an open-air corner stand."
Michael Stern