New York’s Best Hot Dog: Gray’s Papaya

Have you ever had a real American hot dog? If the answer is no, you have to try the ones served at Gray’s Papaya, in New York. This no-frills establishment comes up in all self-respecting tourist guides, and lately, nobody can resist checking out first hand why their hot dogs are so popular. I’ll give you some hints as to why.

A Winning Menu

It’s called Gray’s Papaya and it has become a culinary point of reference for those traveling to the Big Apple. Many visitors intend to go there, and others just happen to stumble upon it, but most return. For less than 5 dollars, they’ll serve you their star menu: “The Recession Special” including 2 hot-dogs and a natural papaya juice, which gives the restaurant its name. We should dedicate a special section to the juices alone: they have papaya, coconut, orange, pineapple, etc. Delicious!

The Popularity of Gray’s Papaya

Gray’s Papaya is also known for its many appearances on the small screen and the big screen. Dozens of actors, directors, and producers have made a stop along the way during filming to fill their stomachs with some of these delicious hot dogs. Just so you get the idea, this small restaurant has been the backdrop to movies like Die Hard with a Vengeance, Fools Rush In or You’ve Got Mail, where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan eat one their tasty hot dogs with mustard. And not only that. It also appeared in many successful sitcoms of the likes of Sex in the City, Glee, Castle, and How I Met Your Mother.

In recent years there have been competitors opening shop in every corner, but none have achieved the popularity of Gray’s Papaya. They’re not the same. Although they try to mimic the name or the signs over the doorway, it’s just not the same.

And though its popularity comes from much earlier, it has definitely grown these last few years. Many have visited this establishment to check it out, or simply to take a picture. Public figures from all walks of life. Barack Obama was there during the 2008 campaign trail, among others. He obviously didn’t go unnoticed, and ever since a picture of the US President eating a huge hot dog has been hanging on their wall. An image that will go down in US history.

Where is it?

Take good note of its coordinates if you want to taste the best hot dog in town: on 72^nd Street with Broadway Ave. It’s a few steps away from Central Park, in the vicinity of the Dakota Building (where John Lennon was murdered). In the heart of Manhattan, Gray’s Papaya operates at full capacity all day long, as if it were a service station. But keep in mind that only one of the 3 original restaurants remains open: the one on 72^nd Street with Broadway Ave. There used to be 2 others, in West Village and in Midtown, which unfortunately closed their doors a few years ago. So, all these reasons and many others make this is a mandatory stop when you visit New York.