Papaya King - Brooklyn, New York - Independent Hot Dog Restaurants on Waymarking.com

The smoothie fruit drinks were first. The hot dogs followed a few years later. According to Papaya King's website (www.papayaking.com) this is how it all happened.


It didn't take long for New Yorkers to get hooked on the drinks (OK, the girls in hula skirts didn’t hurt!) Long lines formed outside his store and the legend of his papaya drinks spread like wildfire. In 1935, he opened another store in Brooklyn, and in 1937, he set up his third shop in Philadelphia. He started serving fresh squeezed strawberry shakes and coconut drinks mixed with papaya juice. The birth of the smoothie as we know it! Despite his success, something was missing.

Gus' first store was on 86th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan (still there today), an area that was heavily populated with German and Polish immigrants at the time. One day while trying to impress a young German-American woman named "Birdie" on his newly purchased roller skates, Gus fell and badly injured his ankle. The young lass took pity on him and helped him through his recuperation which included bringing him food from the German restaurants in the neighborhood. Gus loved the food and his new girlfriend. After he and Birdie decided to marry, he introduced the frankfurter to his juice stand creating one of the most magical combinations of all time.

Seasonal?: Year-Round Website: [Web Link] Seating Available: yes Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

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