90-year-old Papaya King could be forced to close

NEW YORK - Papaya King has been on the corner of 86th St. and 3rd Ave. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan since 1932, but its days appear to be numbered.

Paperwork has been filed to request permission to demolish the building it is housed inside.

The hot dog shop and fruit juice store has been a neighborhood favorite for decades.

Julia Child once called it the best hot dog in New York.

Food critic and host of the Special Sauce podcast Ed Levine calls the potential demolition of the 90-year-old eatery somewhat of a tragedy.

"The hot dogs were great, and they were the fastest, cheapest way to get a good meal," Levine said.  "Because even if there was a line at that Papaya King, it still wouldn't take you long to get your food."

The success of the Papaya King spawned copycats in other parts of the city but they all have closed.

FOX 5 News reached out to Extell Development, the company that reportedly bought the property last year. It's known for building luxury apartments. This story will be updated if it responds.

Papaya King’s owner declined to comment.