"Loved their hotdog so much that I did not have the chance to take a photo of it! I quickly gobbled everything."
"The hot dogs were good and tasty!"
"The hotdog was freshly cooked and great."
"The dogs are cheap and outrageously good, even plain."
"These dogs were completely delicious."
"Their hot dogs are nice and tasty even without the toppings of your choice, and they are grilled not boiled."
"The hot dogs lived up to the hype! Got two dogs, one with all the fixings including onion and relish, that one was for B. And then I got one with chili and cheese for me, of course. They were fantastic!"
Cons:
"The hotdogs are sub par with everything that goes on them."
"The hotdog is too salty to my taste."
"But the hot dog itself is small."
"Also the famous papaya drink doesn’t pair well with the hot dog flavor."
"There is absolutely nothing special about these dogs."
"The hot dog bun was crunchy not soft, hot dog was way too salty."
"The hot dogs just have a too salty taste."
Service
Pros:
"The employees take great pride in delivering an unforgettable Gray's Papaya experience."
"The service is quick and atmosphere is classic. Places like these need to live on forever."
"service was excellent and very quick."
"The service was always quick and fast."
"The place is pretty small but that’s absolutely ok and the staff was super fast."
"The service was speedy."
"The service was extremely quick and they were courteous."
Cons:
"Not the friendliest of staff, but they're expedient."
"One of the cashiers is often rude."
"Staff is incredibly unfriendly."
"The staff were pretty rude and the hot dogs themselves were really average."
"Stone faced employees who are not welcoming."
"Horrible service. The gentleman handling the hotdogs has a nasty attitude, as does the cashier!"
"It's dirty and the people who work here are super rude."
Drinks
Pros:
"The papaya drink is fabulous."
"The papaya drink was nice and flavorful without being too sweet."
"The papaya drink was good and refreshing."
"The drinks are absolutely delicious tho, I can recommend the papaya drink!"
"For drinks, I really enjoyed their papaya juice, which they make in-house from scratch."
"Their pina colada drink is the perfect complement to a chili cheesey dog!"
"The amazing papaya juice (and piña coladas too) just make this experience completely out of this world."
Cons:
"The hotdog is too salty to my taste and the drink is not freshly squeezed and definitely has added sugar."
"Drink -- I didn't care about the drink as much as B, but she got the pina colada drink. This would normally be right up her alley, but it was extremely sweet. Tasted really good for a couple of sips, but was too sweet to finish the whole thing."
"Papaya drink was just powdered, artificially flavoured drink."
"The papaya drink is awful - no idea what this is."
"I don’t feel any tropical taste in the 'signature' drink. Just a sweet incomprehensible drink."
"Papaya juice taste like a cheap juice from shop rite."
"Just get the hot dogs, don't bother with their papaya or other fruit juices, despite all signs claiming their health benefits, it is really just syrup and water, not real fruit juice."
Price and Value
Pros:
"Can’t go wrong with the price!"
"What sets Gray’s Papaya apart is its affordability. In a city where prices can skyrocket, Gray’s offers a budget-friendly option without sacrificing quality."
"Very reasonably priced for NYC."
"Two hot dogs and a drink is $4.95 hard to beat when you're low on cash and hungry."
"In a city of overpriced everything, you can't beat their prices."
"Less than 5 dollars for a dog and a drink? Yes please!"
"Always a great spot for food quality and affordability."
Cons:
"Overpriced."
"Prices went up recently. Now a hot dog and drink are $4.50 2 hot dogs and a drink are $6.45 and 3 hot dogs and a drink are $9.95 damn inflation!!!"
"Prices keep going up, not sure they are worth the price anymore."
"Wow, this used to be the place... And now their prices are too high. Won’t be going back when in New York!!"
"1.95 per dog now when they were just 1 dollar then 1.50 I don't get the constant switch up in price."
"I wanna say a little overpriced for hotdogs (it’s a small serving) but definitely tasty."
"Waste of time getting there and waste of $$."
Ambiance and Cleanliness
Pros:
"The service is quick and atmosphere is classic. Places like these need to live on forever."
"It’s cool place to eat and drink."
"Classic New York Institution."
"A piece of NY that makes me nostalgic about my 'old New York'."
"Great neighborhood also lots of nice shops."
"It's a neighborhood classic and the subject of a key scene in a romcom."
"It's not the prettiest meal, and there’s not much you can say about the ambiance, but it’s a gem all the same!"
Cons:
"This place is more of a nostalgic have to go once while you're in NYC just to say you've been there then it is a place I would recommend a friend to go if they're looking for a good hot dog."
"Too bad it's often swamped with tourists -- long lines so come early!"
"Doesn’t look clean; homeless love to hang out around and inside; really doesn’t look clean."
"They don't take credit under $10 and not much space inside (small standing counter), and a few standing tables outside."
"This small place is not cleaned."
"Classic chaotic New York experience: when you first entered there was a homeless man getting in everyones face asking for money."
"The one thing I’d say they should work on is the smell, the place reeks of an bad meat/oil odor which makes it quite unpleasant if you plan to eat inside."