Chelsea Papaya

"You wouldn’t expect to find a great smash burger at a hot dog restaurant named for papaya juice, but Chelsea Papaya prepares its patties with unusual care, smashing them repeatedly to release excess moisture so that you end up with a paragon of the genre. Burgers are ordered face-to-face from a cook, like at a bodega, and they can be adjusted to your standards: more done, no ketchup, a toasted bun, and so forth." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"This brightly tiled space — open 24 hours— channels old-time joints perfectly, with its grab-and-go demeanor and no-nonsense uniformed personnel. The menu goes way beyond just franks and fries, but the chili cheese dog is still the thing to get. And yes, the chili con carne has beans — this ain’t Texas! Take a couple of extra napkins." - Robert Sietsema

"In addition to Gray’s Papaya and the new location of Papaya King, several establishments advertising hot dogs and papaya juice have managed to hang on, according to the Times. ...Chelsea Papaya to the north..." - Luke Fortney

"I noticed they offered a burger which I’d never seen anyone order, and said, Why not order a burger from a hot dog place? The burger ($7, cheese $1 extra) seemed a bit expensive till I noted the size of the patty, which looked to be more than a third of a pound, and care with which it was cooked." - Robert Sietsema