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Home > Restaurants > RUB

RUB

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

208 W. 23rd St., New York, NY 10011
nr. Seventh Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-524-4300 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    6.2 out of 10

      |  

    18 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: BBQ
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Photo by Carmen Lopez

Official Website

rubbbq.net

Hours

Mon-Thu, 11:30am-11pm; Fri-Sat, 11:30am-midnight, Sun, 11:30am-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

1 at 23rd St.; F, V at 23rd St.; C, E at 23rd St.

Prices

$14.75-$22.75

Payment Methods

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Delivery
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Hot Spot
  • Lunch
  • Notable Chef
  • Take-Out
  • Reservations Not Required

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Not Accepted

Delivery Area

14th St. to 34th St., Fifth Ave. to West Side Hwy.

Profile

RUB's co-owner Paul Kirk is the self-styled "Kansas City Baron of Barbecue" and a pitmaster who has won hundreds of awards and competitions. His arrival in Manhattan is viewed by barbecue fiends as a significant event. RUB's interior exudes a tattered, utilitarian seeminess: the walls are devoid of decoration and painted light ochre, and the tables are dark beaten wood. The menu reads like a laundry list of delicious death foods (pork butt, burnt ends, deep-fried Oreos) from the nether regions of red-state America, served on unceremonious heaps on metal pie plates covered in wax paper, garnished only with slices of Wonder Bread and a scattering of pickle chips. The most popular item on the menu seems to be the Taste of the Baron, a hodgepodge of ribs, chicken, and smoked meats, including a choice of side dishes (good beans, dreary French fries or collard greens, passable cole slaw) served in Styrofoam cups. Cooking truckloads of meat to perfection 24 hours a day, six days a week, is a tricky business, and certain dishes will spark "This isn't like Memphis" lamentations, but the Baron's Down Home Pig Pick'n (pork butt hoisted to the table with bread slices, pickles, and four silver tongs) will make you think real barbecue has at last come to New York City.

Recommended Dishes

St. Louis ribs,$22.75; Down Home Pig Pick'n,$89.75; cole slaw,$3.50; baked beans,$3.50; fried Oreos, $4.75

Related Stories

Best of New York Awards

Featured In

6.2 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
61% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
61% Would you take kids?
38% Would you go on business?
44% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 6.5
Service: 6.5
Décor: 5.4
Value: 5.7

Excellent BBQ

jforst02 from 07030 | Posted on 12/29/08

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 7
Décor: 9
Value: 6

This is a great place if you want Ribs. If you're looking for Brisket, stick to Hill Country. If you want something nice, go to Wildwood. However, for Ribs these are arguably the best. I'd stick to the pork ribs. The pastrami and wings are also great. I also like how they have vinegar based slaw. Texas lager is also a nice touch on the place. Definitely one of the best BBQ joints in the City. Anyone who likes Dallas BBQ or Virgil's is insane.

the food is great, but the service?

amybrill from 10009 | Posted on 8/15/08

Overall Rating: 7 (Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 3
Décor: 1
Value: 5

Everytime I go in this place at lunch time there are the oddest bunch of characters walking around looking confused ... and that's the service staff. I also never seem to see any of the same servers from one week to the next. The people who eat there look focused and clearly know why they are there. The food is great. I particularly like the brisket, which some people have said here is dry, but for some reason that doesn't bother me. I like it with the coleslaw on a sandwich. I also love the baked beans, which is why I keep going back. They are spicy and loaded with bacon, yum! But whatever is going on with the dazed and confused service, I hope the management can get it sorted out.

Read All 18 Reviews >>

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