Whether it is after a night of exuberant clubbing , a few round of drinks with your friends or even an elongated study session the perfect end do such night is a drool-worthy hot dog from Papaya King. As you tuck into each bite some might devour the moment while others feel guilty. But as you are in the Uber to Papaya King remember you aren’t alone even Martha Stewart ocassionally indulges in a Papaya dog late at night.
The Deets
As some of you may know Martha Stewart lives in Bedford, Westchester NY which is an hour away from the city. After a long hectic day of work, she stops at Papaya King on the Upper East Side on her way home – which can sometimes be at around 11 pm. She once said in an interview it is evil of her driver to take her to such a delicious, yet sinful place.
Martha’s go-to order is two hot dogs with sauerkraut and mustard while her driver keeps it simple with ketchup as the only topping. Because of her families financial issues, Martha didn’t have the opportunity to eat at restaurants much – she claims this is the reason she like hot dogs so much. So, when she would manage to save up some babysitting money she would go treat herself to hot fudge sundaes and hot dogs.
Flash Back
As a child she along with her family would go to Rutt Huts, in Clifton, New Jersey. She said she recently went there and was amazed at the number of options available. They’ve come a long way since the usual mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut and relish were the only toppings. It was also a good #tbt moment for her as she remembered her mom who was also a hot dog lover.
Martha eventually moved to Connecticut and was determined to find a hot dog shop. She fell in love with the CT-style hot dog from Rawley’s Drive-In, Fairfield – topped with mustard, sauerkraut, bacon, and relish. In fact this inspired the Martha Stewart hot dog at Pink in Los Angeles. Her hot dog is prepared with a bacon, relish, onions, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and sour cream on a 9 inch bun.
The History of Papaya King
Papaya King has been serving hot dogs and tropical drinks to New Yorkers since 1932 at its original location on 86th Street. It was founded by a 16 year old Greek Boy named Gus Poulos after going on a trip to Miami – only to fall in love with Papaya’s. He searched for Papaya’s in New York but was unable to find them.
When he finally acquired them he opened his first juice store named Hawaiian Tropical Drinks but nobody came (I guess a juice cleanse wasn’t popular then). Instead of wasting the drinks, he would get girls dressed up in Hula Hoop skirt and serve them on the road. New Yorkers were soon hooked and another store opened in Brooklyn in 1937 – thus began the celebration of everyone’s favorite smoothie.
A Love Story Meant to Be
The introduction of the hots dogs was the start of an epic love story in the 1900’s. It all started when Gus fell of his skateboard and broke his ankle while trying to impress a German-American women named Birdie. Gus soon fell in love with both Birdie and the Frankfurter she would get him.
Once the couple was married, he started serving the franks in his juice shop and a new craze began. A little while later he earned the name Papaya King. Apart from the best-selling hot dogs, the store brings people from all woks of life together.
It doesn’t matter who you are, you’ll be running to one of Papaya King’s locations to get your fix. So, the next time you’re contemplating whether or not Papaya King is worth it, remember that if Martha Stewart eats there, then you can too.