The king is dead, long live the king.
NYC’s beloved hot dog joint Papaya King is back open in a new location after the iconic building it once called home was sold and torn down.
“I’m in tears now that it’s back,” said 57-year-old neighbor Jamie Boone as he stopped by the new Papaya King location on the Upper East Side on Sunday.
“My sister couldn’t even walk past that place being destroyed,” added Jamie’s 68-year-old sister CJ, explaining how they were “born and raised” visiting the store with their parents.
The papaya king – once called “the pinnacle of the art of making it hot” by Anthony Bourdain – reopened its doors Saturday, more than a year after its old, fluorescent-lit location closed for good last spring to make way for a luxury floor.
The new location is right across from the intersection of East 86th Street and Third Avenue — a huge relief to many who feared they would never see it reopen in the neighborhood where it thrived for nearly 100 years.
“I have been getting so many calls every day for the last year and a half. Some people tell me I will die for the Papaya King,” said manager Mohammad Alam.
“We don’t want to lose our customers, because we are the neighborhood. This is our company that has been here for 92 years.”
A steady stream of customers came and went through the new location on Sunday afternoon, loading up on their relish and onion red drinks and pairing them with Papaya King’s signature tropical drinks.
“My dad grew up around here and always loved it, so when we were kids visiting New York, he’d always make us go at some point,” said New Yorker Bill A., adding that he’s excited to continue now. tradition with his children again.
“It’s fantastic – my girls will be thrilled. They are 9 and 12 years old and loved this place. They were very sad when it closed a few years ago. It will be the third generation of Papaya King visits.”
Papaya King first opened in its old location in 1932, where it became a mainstay for generations of New Yorkers and passing visitors.
But she was forced out of her long-term home after the building’s landlord sold it to developers in 2021 for $21 million.
The property vowed to reopen at a site just across the street, but negotiations with a new landlord fell through in early 2024 and left its future in limbo – especially after its original home was razed to the ground.
“This is a New York institution and the old location should have been marked,” said Jill Schlesinger, who grew up on the same block as Papaya King founder Constantine “Gus” Poulos. “I went to all the board meetings to try to save this place.”
Since opening yesterday, Alam said the flow of customers has not been as strong as before, but he expects that to change as word spreads that the store is open again.
“I think it will take some time, maybe a week or two,” he said.
By then, the new location has already attracted some first-time customers.
“We moved here about two years ago and we started looking for what food we should try here and everyone said here, so that’s why we’re here,” said Eric Wang as he devoured a dog with his wife. his Erin and their daughter. .
Although they “were a little late” to the old location, they said everything at the new Papaya King was “excellent.”
Additional reporting by David Propper.