I Tried Gray’s Papaya

Yes, I am 26 years old and I just about jumped out of my seat when I saw that the theatre I was seeing a show at last night was a block and a half away from Gray’s Papaya—you know, the famous NY hot dog place.

Gray’s Papaya off 72nd and Broadway in NYC

Was it the best hot dog in the world? No.

Was it the cheapest? Also no, I think Costco takes the cake there.

But it was sure as heck tasty and I love a good famous spot.

I’ve heard about this place from many sources—TV shows, movies, Instagram, friends; when I saw it I knew I had to try it.

Here’s how it went down:

You walk in and it’s a relatively small space with a couple of counters along the edges to stand and eat. The walls are lined with plaques and signs which can make it a little challenging to discern what to order, but the main menu hangs over head: $2.45 for a frank, a few free toppings, and a few that are $0.50. You walk up to the counter and tell them what you want on your dog and they load it up for you right there. My friend and I got 3 hot dogs and a large pineapple juice and it came out to about $11.

I ended up getting only the free toppings on mine: sour kraut, onions (which were cooked in some kind of sauce), and relish (which was sweet relish and I’m not a fan).

Overall, definitely a tasty treat and one I would recommend anyone check out. The price is great, especially for NYC (feeding two people for about $10? Yes please!) and the food was fabulous. It was also very fast! There was a line to the door and we had food in hand about 2-3 minutes after we walked in, so not a bad time at all.

The one thing I will say if you’re planning to go when it’s 30º outside, like we did, is make sure you’re bundled up. There wasn’t much room to eat inside so we stood at one of the few tables outside and scarfed down our food. It was mighty cold which meant the food did not stay warm for long—and neither did our fingers. But I would say it was worth it to have tried this cute, old place in a city known for its hot dogs.