Papaya Dog
Papaya Dog
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
7 reviews
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Papaya Dog
It seems like the people who work here are all brand new to cooking, because the manager yells at them about everything and very loudly criticizes everything they do. You'd think they would have provided basic training before opening a couple days ago, or at least when the small space isn't packed with customers. We watched them put a hamburger patty on the grill, get yelled at for flipping it too soon, get yelled at for not checking doneness before serving, get yelled at for not putting the right amount of mayonnaise and catsup on the bun, get yelled at for not wrapping it the right way, get yelled at for not properly communicating what else was in the order for proper billing. This happened over and over while we were eating our corn dogs and hot dogs and chicken tenders and fish sandwiches and french fries. It's a small space, so the manager really needs to refrain from yelling, it made the employees frustrated and created an overall stressful and miserable atmosphere during our meal. As for the food, it's typical bargain fried food, nothing special, but very affordable.
Similar to all the other "Papaya" dog places – Gray's Papaya, Papaya King, Mike's Papaya, Chelsea Papaya, etc, but I consider Papaya Dog 2nd Tier.
Although Papaya King was the first "Papaya" in 1932, I think Gray's Papaya, started in 1973 by a former employee of PK, is the Best of the Bunch and consider it 1st Tier.
All the others are about the same at 2nd Tier, in my opinion.
Papaya Dog serves good hot dogs & corn dogs, my pina colada drink was pretty good and it's relatively cheap.
My main criticism is that the dogs don't pop as much as Gray's and don't have as much flavor.
They're better hot dogs than you get from street vendors and at sporting events, but not the best I've ever had…that would be Portillo's in Chicago, Rutt's Hutt (NJ), Danny's Drive-In (CT), Bark Hot Dogs in NYC (sadly, now closed) or Shake Shack's Chicago Dog.
But, if you want something fast, easy, pretty tasty and cheap, then Papaya Dog is good for that.
Cheap, fast and totally a guilty pleasure. You shouldn't enjoy something as salty and as greasy as a hotdog prepared in bulk, yet something about a hotdog draws you in. Maybe it's the low price for getting 2 hotdogs, maybe it's the cooked smell lingering in the air, or maybe it's the questionable meat and the high levels of sodium in every bite. Before you know it, you're sinking your teeth into a bun wrapped around meat that cannot be compared to any one piece of steak or chop. (Mainly because a hotdog is made from many parts of many pieces of meat.)
It's good when you're in a rush and need to get a bite in. I am a big eater so I wasn't satisfied with just 2 hotdogs, but I feared having anymore would've filled my quota of sodium intake for the rest of the month.
Go here for the breakfast deals.
$1.25 for 2 fried eggs on a roll is pretty darn good.
$2 for 2 eggs, toast, and shredded hash browns.
These are the same guys that run the location by port authority, and the food's about the same, but with less homeless people and riff raff around the hood.
Definitely a NY institution and I'm glad they're providing a cheap option for breakfast, and lunch in this hood.
No complaints. The fish sandwich was really good. their fries were fine and the mango juice was amazing.
Food is made to order with extra grease. Yes yes .
What's opened late in the financial district that isn't bar food? Well that's our struggle. My Airbnb hosts in FiDi couldn't find a spot for us, decided to take me here, woot!! How elegant.
Service is great, extremely friendly people.
Lots of cheap combos. Hot dogs are their specialty of course. But all I saw were sausages and toppings. No thanks. Delicious though (I had a bite)! But hmmm…. decided to order the Philly Cheesesteak, the odd thing on the menu. Nobody seems to order this on Yelp. Clearly I was lost. Also my hosts were in a hurry so I looked straight and saw this item. It was 20 seconds of "UHHHH. OKAY, THAT."
Surprisingly delicious!!!! And they took time (and passion) to prepare this, while both my companions finished their hot dogs before I could even pay. They are open 24 hours!
I've had a few misses with the Papaya variations around the city.
But this one is a hit. You can smell it when you walk in. Dog's sizzling. Clean location. Serve me up two with ketchup, mustard and sauerkraut. And in the first bite, you could tell this dog was grilled to perfection. I ate it so fast I wished I hadn't already promised the other one for my buddy.
I'll be back for this one.