Gray's Papaya - Owner Paul Gray's 24-Hour Hot Dog Joint in Upper West Side, Split Off From Papaya King in 1973

[RWBooneJr]

Source: Grub Street New York

Gray's West Village corner operation was a neighborhood fixture.

The famous, brightly lit hot-dog shop at one of the most trafficked corners of New York City has apparently closed for good: Gray's Papaya has been shuttered and dismantled in the West Village. "I heard we were closing for good, but I don't know the details," general manager Romy Villanueva tells Bedford + Bowery, adding that a recent rent hike is to blame. Villanueva also says that owner Nicholas Gray is currently looking for a new location. For the moment, there's only one remaining Gray's Papaya in New York City, ...

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This sucks.  Not that there's much to differentiate the various hot dog and papaya drink places in NY, but Gray's was my first.  It's a bit like cheesesteaks in Philly: whichever one you first fall in love with is the one that you hold above all others.  The original is still open, but I don't make it to the Upper West Side much.

[ktmoomau]

It was Anthony Bourdain's favorite too.

[DonRocks]

Does anyone know where Gray's Papaya's website is? grayspapaya.com doesn't work, and grayspapayanyc.com seems bogus.

Incidentally, having opened in 1973, the Upper West Side (and final remaining) location makes the list of Oldest Restaurants in the New York City Area.

[weinoo]

But don't forget the real first one, Papaya King.

[DonRocks]

But don't forget the real first one, Papaya King.

That was kind of a given (hence the thread title).

Industrial hot dogs: proving that New Yorkers, too, have absolutely no palates.