Papaya King Evicted, New Location To Open Wednesday

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Come Wednesday, it will be the second republic of the Papaya King.

A long court case against history's favorite hot dog joint appears to be winding down with an order filed Friday ordering that Papaya Kind be ejected by city marshals from their circa-1932 home on or after April 3, according to court documents.

But the lawyer for the longtime hot dog hot-spot says the King isn't moving too far.

The attorney confirmed that Papaya King will be ready to serve up dogs, fries and good-for-your-health, per advertised, papaya drinks this Wednesday at their new location on corner of East 87th Street and Third Avenue, at 1535 Third Ave., just 300 feet up the street from their home of 90 years.

The historic meat snack staple is fleeing demolition plans by landlord, Extell.

Last year, Patch first reported the mega-developer's plans to demolish 171-179 East 86th St. for a still-unknown project.

Those details may emerge soon now that they seem to be wrapping up a court battle that began in 2020, when Papaya King was sued by the previous landlord, Imperial Sterling, for what they called an improper transfer of the lease to a new King owner.

The new owners, Grab & Go Convenience, "insisted on remaining in possession" of the building despite "monetary incentives to vacate," an attorney for the new building owner wrote in a letter to the judge last May.

But the new move appears to make the issue moot, and the judgment of ejection ordered by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge makes it official.

First spotted by Upper East Site over the weekend, the old-school Papaya King announced the move in an old-school fashion: with signs in their shop windows. Their social media accounts appear to be untouched since 2021. A phone number listed for the shop is currently disconnected.

Since its opening 90 years ago, Papaya King has become an icon of the Upper East Side, spawned imitations like Gray's Papaya on the Upper West Side, and expanded to the East Village, Brooklyn and even Las Vegas — though all of those outposts have since closed.

Extell, the mega-developer, known for kickstarting the "billionaire's row," is currently engaged with a number of Upper East Side developments, including a pair of corners opposite each other on East 86th Street and First Avenue, a site on East 86th Street and Third Avenue, a 30-story building on East 79th Street where the Hospital for Special Surgery will be an anchor tenant and First Avenue and on East 75th Street and Third Avenue, where a 200-foot tower is planned.