Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant with three locations on the West Side of Manhattan, open 24 hours a day year-round. Somewhere between a street vendor and a fast food restaurant, Gray's Papaya is famous for its very inexpensive, relatively high-quality hot dogs. The "papaya" in the name refers to the fruit drinks sold at the establishment, which include orange, grape, and piña colada in addition to papaya. Many customers get the "Recession Special," two hot dogs and a drink for $2.95, including tax. Individual hot dogs are 95¢ each.
As of November 2006, the "Recession Special," (2 Hot Dogs & a Drink) is $3.50, and a single hot dog is $1.25, with tax included.
The original Gray's Papaya was started as a spin-off/clone of Papaya King in 1973.[1]
The branch at West 72nd Street and Broadway is clearly visible behind Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in the scenes just prior to the subway sequence in the movie Die Hard with a Vengeance.
The restaurant was also featured in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, as one of Ted's pre-arranged New Year's celebration stops in the episode "The Limo." Matthew Perry's character in the movie Fools Rush In makes mention of his preference for Gray's Papaya hot dogs, and his wife special-orders them to Arizona.
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