Papaya King’s original Upper East Side restaurant, its longtime home at the corner of East 86th Street and Third Avenue, is nearly empty — most fixtures hauled out and cardboard posted over the windows. As Upper East Site first reported, the 90-year-old UES institution would be packing it up and moving to a new location, almost directly across the street.
The new Papaya King, located at 1535 Third Avenue, between East 86th and 87th Streets, in part of the space that was formerly home to Modell’s — nestled between the entrance to Bond Vet and The Dalton School Athletic Center.
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Inside the much larger restaurant space, the iconic counter from the original eatery has been relocated towards the front of the space, with one of the large Papaya King murals featured directly behind it.
Machines to make their Pina Coladas and their signature papaya drinks were spotted on the ground in the new restaurant, awaiting reinstallation in their new home.
There’s still no signage up at the new space, however, one of the original restaurant’s neon signs now hangs above the brown paper used to cover the windows and keep nosy neighbors from peering in before the new space is ready.
Another mural along the southern wall of the new Upper East Side restaurant features black and white photos of the original location at 179 East 86th Street, as well as the message ‘Papaya King has been here since 1932,’ a reminder to neighbors of the eatery’s legendary status — not only on the UES, but across New York City.
Papaya King leaves its original location after a court fight with Extell, a mega-developer behind UES luxury buildings like The Kent and The Lucida — as well the disruptive new medical office tower being built at East 79th and First Avenue — which purchased the property and filed plans to demolish Papaya King’s building last summer.
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Extell has not revealed what it plans to build at the bustling Upper East Side street corner, where their property also includes the spaces formerly belonging to The Children’s Place, Cohen’s Fashion Optical and Wrap n’ Roll Grill.
Meantime, workers told Upper East Site that the new Papaya King is set to reopen and resume slinging hot dogs and tropical drinks as early as Tuesday.
