Papaya Dog - Midtown West, NYC

Remember me blogging about bringing our friend Wendy to the Lindy's opposite Madison Square Garden for some NY cheesecake? After filling our tummies with those delicious cakes, we took her up to the Empire State Building Observation Deck for a bird's eye of view of Manhattan. I will blog about that later on (in our soon to be launched travel blog ;P). We spent quite a long time at the Empire State Building (lining up to get tickets, going through security...etc) and after we were done, it was time for another snack! So far, we have tried NY bagels, NY cheesecake....what's next? New York style hot dogs of course!
We initially wanted to take her to Papaya King (the original founder of NY style hot dogs) but the original branch is located all the way uptown and it's currently undergoing some renovations. Since Papaya Dog is located nearby the Empire State Building, we just decided to take her there. Here's a little bit of hot dog history. Papaya King is the original and in 1973, one of the employees of Papaya King came out and started his own hot dog company (Gray's Papaya). That was the start of the so called hot dog turf war. From Gray's Papaya, other similar hot dog companies emerged. Papaya Dog was one of them. Despite being relatively 'new' in the hot dog business, I can tell you that Papaya Dog is not lacking in the taste department. In fact, many people have commented that their dogs somewhat taste better than Papaya Kings!
Check out their menu. It consist basically of hot dogs, burgers, fries, nachos, knishes and chicken strips. Apart from food, they also offer the ever popular tropical fruit juices, sodas and water too. Just my kind of menu. Simple and delicious food that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket!
Mmm mmm mmmmm, those dogs look so yummy. The standard NY style hot dog uses Sabrett's natural casing all-beef frankfurter. Of course, they also have turkey dogs for those who do not like beef. You can also see their yummy plump corn dog to the left and toppings for the hot dog on the right.
After ordering our hot dogs, we headed over to Greeley Square Park to enjoy our food. Papaya Dog doesn't have any tables or chairs for dine in customers. Most people get their dogs to go. However, if you really want to sit down somewhere to enjoy your meal, table seating is available at Little Italy Pizza (a few doors away) for Papaya Dog customers. Since it was such a nice day, we preferred to eat our dogs out in the park instead of indoors at the pizza shop.
Wendy doesn't eat beef, so she ordered the Turkey Dog ($1.50). A NY style hot dog consist of a grilled frank served on a lightly toasted bun with sauerkraut, brown mustard and the ever popular red onion sauce that is unique to NYC dogs. I believe Wendy had her dog with everything on it.
Kevin and I shared the 2 Hot Dog Special ($3.99). We got two original beef frank hot dogs and a 16 oz Diet Coke. We didn't want any sauerkraut or brown mustard on ours, just the yummy red onion sauce! Mmm mmmm gooood! I am not exactly sure what is the secret recipe for the red onion sauce but I have been told that it's basically a concoction of onions, tomato paste, vinegar and some other secret ingredients. Whatever it is, they got it right. In my opinion, the red onion sauce is what makes the NY style hot dog the best hot dog in the whole country. So, the next time you are in the city, go pick up a hot dog or two. Ask for extra red onion sauce and trust me, that will definitely make your day! :D

Papaya Dog - Midtown West, NYC
33rd and 5th
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 627-9748