GRAY'S PAPAYA or is it Papaya King? The Best Hot Dog Anywhere

It’s been in the news around here that local eatery and legendary Hot Dog eatery George’s Coney Island is giving its multi million dollar neon sign a makeover— it’s quite a sign— back in the day when I owned a sign shop we had them contact us to do some minor repairs to the sign, and WAAAAY back then I knew the sign was in need of some major repairs— neon wears out- the tubes get filled with gunk, glass breaks and the only choice is to drop a heap of money and replace and repair— it’s a landmark in the Woo so I think it’s one that needs the investment.

While I like Coney Island very much— especially “Up” aka- the works— my favorite Hot Dog is from Gray’s Papaya in New York City. The dogs are cooked (I believe, please don’t burst my bubble if I’m wrong) in Papaya juice and then served with what can best be described as the perfect beverage to go with it— the Papaya Drink. Rich and almost milky— it’s the same reason that eating at a good Indian restaurant calls for a similar drink— the fruitiness and richness calms your stomach as it wrestles with the slightly spicy bit of sausage your body processes.

Pluto— the streaming service that is completely free, albiet you have to deal with a lot of commercials, has an entire channel devoted to Anthony Bourdain’s NO RESERVATIONS— one of the episodes had him at the Gray’s around the corner from his Upper West Side Apartment and it brought back a lot of good memories.

To be fair, there’s also Papaya King— if I understand the legend, two brothers started a hot dog stand with the idea of making hot dogs in Papaya juice— they split into two factions but they offer pretty much the same product.

If you want to try Gray’s Papaya but you’re not planning on navigating the mean streets of NYC they ship, so you can get a night’s eats delivered right to your door.