Gray's Papaya • 1973

The Recession Special—two hot dogs and a drink for a price that still defies Manhattan economics—has made this Upper West Side corner a New York institution since 1973. Gray's Papaya serves snappy, high-quality franks around the clock at 72nd and Broadway, paired with tropical papaya, piña colada, and coconut champagne fruit drinks. It's the kind of place where cabbies, Columbia students, and celebrities all line up at 3 a.m. for the same thing.