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| Northwest corner of 37th Street & 8th Avenue |
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| Southwest corner of 42nd Street & 9th Avenue |
The most basic of foods is the Hot Dog; really simple - fry it, boil it, or grill it. Just not that much to it, right? Hard to screw up, at least one would think. However, we all know it just ain't that way in reality, and there ain't many good dogs to be found in Manhattan, let alone in our beloved home hood, the Kitchen.
So, with no further adieu; here are the only two decent dogs in the hood, and frankly, if you have been here for more than five minutes, neither should be a big shocker to you; Papaya Dog & Gray's Papaya.
First, Papaya Dog (which does not have a website, and good luck even finding a reference to the Hell's Kitchen location, it wasn't so easy) which is on the South East corner of 42nd Street and 9th Avenue. Now I know what you are thinking; that's not such a good spot. Well, you would be both right and wrong on that one. Its a nice spot for foot traffic - a great spot as a matter of fact, however its also a bad spot, as its scumbag and Skell central, and at the beginning of what I consider to be one of the worst 4 block stretches in Manhattan below 96th Street (38th - 42nd Street on 9th Avenue). So, skell's and scumbags aside, put your wallet in your front pocket and hold on tight to your purse (and your children - if you want them), as the fact is, if you want a good dog in this hood you're gonna be hanging out like its 1989 in either spot.
This location was previously across the street for several years on the Southwest corner of 42nd and 9th, and apparently either lost its lease or the rent went up, as it moved across the avenue to its current spot a few years ago.
The dogs at Papaya Dog are good, in fact, they are very good, but definitely not the categorical best in Manhattan (or the five boro's). But, being that there are so few places that have decent dogs, it makes them seem better than they really are.
So, since I am starting to feel dirty from writing about this, lets get on with it.
First, take your dog to-go, and go eat it somewhere else, really. There isn't much to this place; it sits on the corner with sliding windows so its open to the street on both sides. There are a few tables and standing spots, but I sure wouldn't eat inside. The service is quick, but that isn't all that tough to do. The dogs are good and usually consistently so. There seems to be a pretty big turnover here so nothing is really sitting on the grill thus they are usually pretty fresh. However, other than the crapmosphere, my big complaint is the buns, as on my last several visits that have been stale.
A word of advice to the Papaya King owner; heating up a stale bun does not make it soft, nor does it make it less stale - it just makes it warm and stale. Got it?
Papaya King gets a B+ for the dogs, a D for the buns, and an F for the location and skeezy people hanging out inside and out front. My advice; bring a weapon and enjoy your hot dog...over in Times Square.
Next up; Gray's Papaya. Gray's is the most well known of the group, and has been around since 1973. Gray's has a few locations in Manhattan on the west side (but also has no website). It was started by one of the partners in Papaya King (read: copied/stole the concept), which is widely considered to be the originator of the concept.
The Hell's Kitchen location is on the fringe (literally and figuratively) at 8th Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets. This location is no great shakes either, but if I had to choose, I pick this place both as a better location and for having the better dogs. The interior is almost identical Papaya Dog (and every other Papaya anything place) and just about the same size and layout. Thankfully the buns here aren't usually stale, and honestly, I like their "Recession Special" signs, so they get a point for that. I give the dogs a solid B+, the place itself gets a C, and the location gets a D+ for being too near Port Authority.
For the best dog in the city (a rare non-Hell's Kitchen reference/endorsement on HKL), I go to Crif Dogs, which is on St. Marks Place in the East Village. This is hands down the best dog in the city and gets an A+. It does however lose two full grades for being too trendy and being filled with douchey East Village hipsters (because its in the East Village!) who you just wanna smash in the face, so the location and the vibe get a C+, unless you like to smash douchey hipsters in the face, in which case the location and vibe get an A.
Last but not least, if you have a car, the hands down best dog that I have ever had (so lets just say, the best in the world), is in Fairlawn, New Jersey, at Johnny & Hanges, which is about a 30 minute ride with no traffic (good luck with that one) from the Lincoln Tunnel. Yeah, I already know what your thinking; what a stupid F'ing name - agreed. However, stupid F'ing name aside, this joint has been serving the best dogs I have ever had since 1939, when it was originally in Paterson, NJ, about a mile away from its current spot, which it moved to in 1999. I have been a loyal customer since 1975 when I was a kid, and I still go there at least once a month.
The current J & H location is super clean, super nice, and frankly, a little too bright and Dairy Queenish for me, but the dogs are exactly the same as they always were. The meat based Chili Sauce (known simply as "Sauce") is so good I sometimes get an erection thinking about it (its been a slow year).
I get mine with Sauce and Cheese, and you should too.
Grays Papaya
539 8th Avenue (Between 36th & 37th Streets)
NY, NY, 10018
212.904.1588
www.grayspapaya.com
Papaya Dog
400 West 42nd Street (South East Corner of 9th Avenue)
NY, NY 10036
212.629.0632
NO WEBSITE
