Gray's Papaya

Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant with two locations on the West Side of Manhattan, open 24 hours a day year-round. The two locations of Gray's Papaya in Manhattan are 402 Sixth Avenue at 8th Street, and 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street. (The 539 Eighth Avenue at 37th Street location is no longer in operation.) Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive, high-quality hot dogs. The "papaya" in the name refers to the papaya fruit drink sold at the establishment. They also sell orange, grape, piña colada, coconut champagne (non-alcoholic), and banana daiquiri (non-alcoholic) fruit drinks. The chain was founded by a former partner of Papaya King, Paul Gray in 1973. In the June 1, 2006 issue of Time Out New York, Gray's Papaya's hot dog was ranked number one over its competitors Papaya King and Papaya Dog. Anthony Bourdain featured Gray's Papaya on his Travel Channel show No Reservations. Regis Philbin mentioned it numerous times when he hosted Live with Regis and Kelly and on other talk shows that he appeared as a guest.