Rub BBQ
208 W 23rd St
(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10011 (212) 524-4300
- Nearest Transit:
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd Street (PATH)
23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 12:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 12:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
83 Reviews for Rub BBQ
RUB was good but I think it's pulled pork is 3rd best behind Blue Smoke (2nd) and Dinosaur (1st). I also tried a side of onion straws. You can't go wrong with friend onions but be sure to get the small portion of those and share them b/c it will feed at least 3 people. The baked beans weren't that great so I'd avoid those. The service is slow and the atmosphere is rustic.
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Hands down my favorite restaurant in Manhattan. I don't know why some people are hating on it so much. I've never had a better pulled pork sandwich. Get the Sloppy Top (they add coleSlaw to the top of your sandwich) and a side of onion straws. They also offer a pretty decent selection of beer. Huge portions, decent price, quick service. It is a bit of a downer when they run out of things, but it makes me a bit more comfortable knowing that everything is fresh.
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So I was walkin' down 23rd heading for a first time visit to tia pol and suddenly I saw RUB BBQ and my stomach said fuck your pussy ass tapas, I want smoked meat NOW. So I was like, nah man, you've gotten your way too many times and you keep growing in size and power. I have to put an end to you.
But then I spotted all those happy people with spicy sweet brisket sauce all over their faces and hands and in some ladies hair and I caved. Thats the dream. Fuck tapas.
I got the BBQ Beef Brisket with corn bread and onion strings plus a corona. Go big or go home.
10 min later the bartender slides in a huge tray of bbq goodies - plus three sauces, original, spicy and pepper vinegar. I went straight for the spicy, threw it all over the brisket and gave it a first taste.
Tender and pretty satisfying. The sauce was good, had a nice kick, more on the thin side but that helped in the slathering process...I can't say it was that spicy, but then again I'm indian...I feel like my ancestors were fed chili peppers and snake venom as infants instead of breast milk.
I was hungry and I love BBQ so it was good enough to want to come back, but I can't really give it 4 stars for these reasons: First, The brisket was sliced too thin and perfect...I want uneven thicker cuts and chunks so I can taste the charred goodness on the outside. If I wanted perfectly cut slices I'd go to outback steakhouse. This place is supposed to be authentic...they should practically have the cows grazing right outside the door, flicking the customers off as they enter.
Second reason...I weigh the quality of the sides as much as the main dish in evaluating quality, the corn bread wasn't anything to write home about...it wasn't terrible, but it was too dry...didn't taste fresh. I don't even think it was warm. The onion strings were too greasy and flimsy, I know they're strings but this was more like a mess of oily fried batter and randomly cut onions, like they just threw an onion at a wall. They also include two slices of bread...but the bread looked and felt like wonder bread. Get some fresh texas toast or something higher quality.
I say I'd come back again because in spite of all that, the restaurant itself is pretty clean and nice, the staff is pretty friendly, and the food is good enough to enjoy and fill up on. Its just not amazing, thus it doesn't earn a fourth or fifth star.
I'd say try it out, just don't expect southern bbq quality. This is like the younger, hotter sister to outback. She might be a little bow legged but she puts out.
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Yay
HUGE ASS PORTIONS
I was kinda hungry, so I ordered the two meat sampler, which came with two sides.
So my surprise when our waitress came out with a 15in diameter tray, filled with pastrami, pulled pork, greens, and onion strings...thats like the size of a car rim!
I ate for days. Literally;
I gorged myself on 'cue at dinner.
Had some at 6am when I returned home from a night of drinking,
Then at the rest at noon when I had slept off the hangover.
And each serving was a full meal.
The meat is flavorful and tender(I also stole a lil of my boy's ham and brisket.) I'd say...3.5 stars yummy.
Deep Fried Oreos
By the time these came out, I was too-damn full to even try a bite...but next time, I definitely will, because nothing says loving like fat battered in fat then cooked in more fat as well.
Strong drinks
Two bourbon lemonades will mess you up...in a (mostly) good way
Nay
No reservations
Our party of four got there at 5 pm on a Saturday, which was perfect for our evening show of Macbeth, but should we have arrived any later...there woulda been problems, ie a long ass wait
Bottled sauces
Ok, I understand and fully support the reasoning behind not saucing meat while you're cooking it (the sugars will cause the heat to flair up and burn the meat, plus if its a good piece of meat, all it needs is some smoking and a rub to be flavorful).
But I still want sauce. Scratch that. I want WARM SAUCE!
Rub has a bucket of 3 or 4 BBQ sauces on the table, which is nice, because who doesn't want to choose their own, but seriously, HEAT THOSE FUCKERS UP!!!
Hot meat + cold sauce = BAD MATH
Hot meat + cold sauce = ANGER
Hot meat + cold sauce = SHANKING
1 customer bathroom.
1 smelly, gross, unmaintained, co-ed bathroom.
When your sole business is to stuff people full of barbecue and booze, this is NOT ACCEPTABLE.
I'll definitely come back...but I'll prolly be wearing an adult diaper, cause its safer.
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Quite simply - don't go.
RUB was a huge disappointment. While a "raw" setting is great for a BBQ place, rub was down right dirty. I'm hoping the kitchen was better - or else I'll be in for a rough night.
The service was ok, though it was a good 10 minutes before anyone thought to bring us a menu - they ignored us on the way in. Later the waitress was quite nice.
The food was another matter. I had the baby rack ribs (unfortunately they had run out of the st. louis pork ribs) and they were dry, tough, and tasteless. My wife had the chicken and it was pretty much the same - dry, tough, and tasteless. The corn bread was decent, slightly sweet and (surprisingly) not too dry.
Combine that with fellow diners that were just plain rude and disgusting. We were sitting next to the open (floor to ceiling) windows and our neighbors would get up and go outside for a smoke - right next to the windows. I still don't know why I didn't just throw a glass of water at them.
So, if you're in the mood for BBQ, try someplace else. We like Wildwood (over on park ave south) and have gone there repeatedly. We will not return to RUB.
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You can find awesome BBQ in Savannah, Texas, and my mom's grill. Not in NYC.
RUB was decent by NYC standards, and pretty reasonably priced (you can get a meat platter with two sides for about $15). I had the burnt ends, supposedly their specialty, and was happy to hear I received the last order for the night (their supplies are limited, so some items can run out). Sadly, that happiness wasn't sustained after I took my first bite. They were FINE, but sadly flavorless. I'm not really a BBQ sauce person so I couldn't remedy the situation.
The cornbread was bad. Bad. BAD.
The onion strings were delicious.
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I went to RUB (Righteous Urban BBQ) last night, for my second visit. I claimed that it was my favorite BBQ joint in NYC, but the bbq is a 3. The sides are better though. I like the onion strings and the baked beans. The cornbread is decent.
RUB is known for the Burned Ends, which were okay. I ordered the duck, not bad, but nothing special. Okay, I am being too nice. I actually could not finish my duck because it was not to my liking (too dry underneath the skin). Me not able to finish duck??? BLASPHEMY. This would never happen in Chinatown, which has roasted duck galore, WAY better and WAY cheaper.
FYI, RUB does not take reservations and have a handful of beers on tap.
I've tried Hill Country, Wildwood, Blue Smoke, Dinosaur BBQ, Texas Roadhouse BBQ, and Daisy May's, but none impress me. Dinosaur was particularly a disappointment, and Blue Smoke is overrated.
Though I have yet to try Georgia's or Virgil's, I'm ready to concede defeat and admit that NYC does not offer good servings of BBQ, =(. My Texans friends already feel this way.
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The food was great and the staff was pretty good. My wife had to wait about 15 minutes to get her beer after we got ours, despite the waiter telling us 2 different times that it was on the way? It would have been less work to just bring it. Ah well, that's a silly thing to get upset about. The greens (collard and mustard mix) were some of the best tasting I've ever had. I'd go back again. Reasonably priced, quick service, and very good BBQ. I've had better, and I've had worse.
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Without meaning to, I've begun a survey of BBQ places in Manhattan over the past several months.
Sadly, I cannot say that RUB has been the highlight.
Went on a Friday night at 6;30, and the wait was about 20 min. I got the pulled chicken, and it was reeeeally dry. Later I was told that the chicken on the bone would be juicier [duh! shoulda known]. It comes dry, and the sauce that's sitting on the table [no spicy for me, thanks, just original] was quite good.
As for sides, the crispy onion strings are pretty much the reason why I'm giving this place 3 stars. They were soooo good. Almost too salty, but otherwise totally fab. I probably should have tried the cornbread, but instead I got the greens of the day for my other side order, which were mustard/collard greens and spinach. I was hoping for something rich, buttery, and creamy. Um, they were sitting in a styrofoam cup of water. Not good! I mean, it was just the water that probably came from the cooking of the greens, but still. When I go for BBQ, and I eat something green, I want it to be so rich that it's just as filling and caloric as a big block of cornbread!
I tried the bbq baked beans, which were good but not great - ditto with the potato salad. I would go back, but next time try a different meat and the cornbread.
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Getting ready to go to RUB requires a level of preparation normally reserved for athletic events, tests, and presentations. It's not so much the physical preparation (though undoubtedly important) but the mental girding that steels one's determination.
There are more meat bits than one knows what to do with.
The short of it: Get the wings, the pulled pork, the BBQ Bacon chunks, the ham, the burnt ends.
If you're brave enough for "The taste of the Baron" bring 5 friends with you. Along with a couple of appetizers, the 5 of us couldn't finish that much meat (and we're not lightweights either).
This place transports you 1000 miles south, to where plates don't exist and you're going to leave in a food coma. The head cook (Scott) is a great guy if you happen to get a chance to speak with him, knowledgeable about how to do crazy things with pretty much any meat you throw at him.
Bring your appetite, but leave your diets at home.
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One aspect I like about their menu presumably will disappoint others. It's clearly stated on the menu that because they smoke their meats daily, it is necessary to estimate their daily supply and if they run out, they can no longer offer it until the next day. This was the case with my friend's smoked turkey order. The manager came out and explained that she was not comfortable serving it because the cut was too dry. Ok, fair enough. She did offer a few alternatives and even threw in some "burnt ends" (they weren't all that good, but we weren't charged so I can't complain).
My order of 1/2 BBQ chicken was the last one available for the day, so I lucked out. The side of smoked beans and non dairy cole slaw were ok. I found the beans to be a bit too sweet for my liking, but overall the meal was satisfying.
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Well, Rub my empty belly.......
....cause I came here once to cure a potato salad craving, and they were out.
....i decided to try again to satisfy a crack craving for pulled pork, and they were out.
You get fooled once, it could be a mistake.
You get fooled twice, and you've learned your lesson.
Get fooled three times, and you got nobody to blame but yourself.
So following my own personal philosophy, I shall not chance that 3rd visit, unless I've somehow forgotten my flask of bourbon at home and need a quick fix for a Country Lemonade, which was the only thing I actually tasted here.
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Decent BBQ in the City. I was pleasantly surprised. Not the best ribs I've ever had, but certainly tasty. They didn't come with any sides, and I didn't need 'em. I left full and satisfied. The spicy BBQ sauce had just the right about of kick and tanginess for me. Prices were quite reasonable. The server was great. It was around 7 on a Friday night, and we waited 10 minutes or so for a table. The atmosphere was lively and fun. I loved that they had Abita Turbo Dog on drought, too.
I didn't know you could make ham so dry that it flakes!
Thanks to RUB now I know you can.
I was exploring BBQ places and stumbled upon this restaurant that ended up being more appealing in aesthetics than in taste. The ham was dry and slightly cold. The chicken was...forgettable. I don't really remember what it tasted like. I ate it so at least we know it won't kill you.
My favorite was the cornbread...but NOT because it was great. It was because the cashier spent several minutes telling me that RUB was known for it's homemade cornbread...HA!
it probably is well known. I tell other people about it all the time using the description "comes from the Jiffy box". Eesh.
Money poorly spent.
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The name ("rightous urban barbecue") sucks. The atmosphere is akin to a Boston Market's - if Boston Market was full of businessmen tossing their ties rakishly over their shoulders and watching sports on TVs over the bar. BUT for my money this is the best 'cue in the Big Apple.
Last night, felled by bed bugs, romantic woes, academic strife, professional headaches and yet another Mets loss, four dejected friends and I headed onto the Island with meat in mind. Several pounds of pulled pork, ribs, barbecued chicken, brisket, potato salad, baked beans, skin-on fries, white bread and coleslaw later, we were feeling no pain.
RUB is very good. The sauce is a touch acrid, the beans perhaps a trifle smoky - but the moist, flavorful meats and no-nonsense presentation result in the sort of monomaniacal gluttony that only good barbecue can produce. I know at least two people who have gorged themselved sick here - in both cases they succombed to the lures of Fritos pie and fried oreos - rookie errors! You need to concentrate on the meat, the absurdly delicious potato salad and, if you need a sweet taste, the terrifically moist cornbread. (And, obviously, beer or sweet tea!)
My favorite is the "sloppy top" pulled pork sandwich, on a bun, covered in vinegar slaw. You can't imagine how happy it makes me to know that half of it is waiting for me in my refrigerator! If they hadn't shown the lowlights from the Mets game on the bar TV as we were getting our check, it would have been a well-nigh perfect evening.
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Eh. Not bad, but not great. Their wings and sausage were the highlights for me. They lose major points for not having mac 'n cheese offered as a side dish. And they were out of fried green tomatoes the night we were there.
I did enjoy tasting the Elvis Crusher sandwich, which has peanut butter, banana, and bacon on it. On plain white bread, however, it was not worth the $10.50 that they charged for it, and could be easily made just as well at home.
Most notably, the service was so horrendous that we seriously had to flag down other waitstaff every time we needed something because our waiter was so unavailable. Not only did he refuse to stop by for regular check-ins, but he almost seemed to be avoiding us! And they messed up two of our orders and took a long time replacing them. If you end up with a stoned Australian guy, switch tables.
In conclusion, Rub reinforced my opinion that no BBQ experience in New York will compare to Dinosaur BBQ.
My wife and I went here on a Saturday night. The place was packed but we had to wait only 20 minutes or so.
We started out with an order of Hush Puppies which were good but they could have used some interesting dips rather than just BBQ sauce.
For our entree we split a BBQ Meat Platter. We like to get a good sampling of everything. Ours consisted of pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, spicy BBQ sausage and a 1/4 rack of baby back ribs. Our sides were spinach and coleslaw w/mayo. Everything was delicious with the burnt ends being the standout. Crunch and chewy and addictive.
The portions were huge. We thought we might have a little left over but we could barely get through half our platter. The total price for the platter was $33.75 with enough food for at least 3 people.
And for dessert, the Deep Fried Oreos. Almost as good as a fried Mars bar.
The service was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The atmosphere was pretty forgettable. Not bad, but it didn't add to the experience.
We will definitely go here again.
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The reviews of RUB on Yelp frankly do not do this place justice. If you're looking for fine dining, atmoshpere and BBQ together as one - you need to have your head examined...The BBQ is very good - yes it's greasy, yes the service is spotty, yes you will walk out feeling like a disgusting glutton...it's BBQ people! I for one am no longer up for waiting in line with hordes of tourists at Blue Smoke for overpriced, while good (not great) BBQ. At RUB you get a very good pulled pork sandwich, decent ribs, fantastic hush puppies and deep fried oreos all without the lines of tourists. Sounds good to me.
Not all that and too smokey for my taste.
I went to see them for their bbq chili. Described on their menu as: "made with our own slow smoked brisket and burnt ends." That's a very seductive description indeed. As I made my way inside, I knew that this chili had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, I loved the menu description more than I enjoyed the actual bbq chili.
This is a very unique chili; there's little actual liquid to this chili. It's all brisket, beans, and burnt ends. Correction, lean brisket. So, as one can imagine, you need to really enjoy lean brisket to be able to enjoy this chili.
BBQ Chicken Wings
The wings have a slight smoke flavor to them; I liked that aspect the most. It is, therefore, a shame that the nice smoked chicken is overshadowed by the spicy rub that's been thoroughly massaged into the meat.
The spicy rub started off as a welcomed surprise. However, as I ate more wings the spice factor increased. By the tenth wing I began wiping off excess bbq rub. In conclusion, I would eat a few of these wings, I just wouldn't eat a full plate.
Edited 6/8/08
Being a BBQ fiend, I had to revisit Rub BBQ to try their other menu items.
Rub BBQ Brisket
Upon first glance, I noticed the authentic smoke rings. Yes! Hesitation was not an option. I promptly invaded the pile of brisket with my trusty fork. Brisket meets mouth. Good smoked flavor permeates the meat. I would've liked a better-marbleized slab of brisket though. Some might even say the brisket was lean and a tad over cooked. Without the bbq sauce the beef gets kind of dry, so I'd definitely keep the bbq sauce bottle close by. The bbq sauce, on the other hand, was very good. It has a nice tanginess to it. I'd love to keep a bottle or two in my cupboard.
The fries are very good. They do a good job of living up to their "Super Fries" namesake. They are medium-thick, skin-intact seasoned fries. The sprinkled seasoning has a barbeque flare to it. They taste a bit like bbq flavored potato chips. It's a daring & unique combination that works very well. I also tried their mayo-based coleslaw. It was pretty good, but nothing stood out about it.
My newest and favoritest menu item in Manhattan are the BBQ Bacon Chunks found on the menu here at Rub BBQ! Talk about yummy! These are little nuggest of triple smoked, nitrate free, high quality pork belly. They came out hot and delicious, full of flavor. My only problem is there were not enough of them in the single order (although if there were more of them in the order, I would expect them to be served with a side of paddles, a stint and a coupon for an angioplasty). They come with pickle chips that, if I had my way, would have been substituted for additional BBQ Bacon Chunks . . . I sadly do not think they would have gone for that idea though. But I am happy to report these little nuggest of piggy goodness do wash down quite well with cold Samuel Adams beer.
Now if thtat is all I had, this place would be scoring the BIG five stars rather than one short, only because I was less than impressed by the main course. If I had not had the bacon chunks, and went right for the main course, you might instead be seing three stars from me. I ordered the BBQ Beef Brisket for my main course. Now it did have a nice pink smoke ring in the meat -- a true sign of a thorough smoking process, but (and perhaps for some this is good), there was not a distinct smokey taste to the meat -- it was more subtle than I had expected. On, and they give you a nice size portion for your money . . . eight full ounces (a full half pound), of brisket. I also expected the meat to be more tender and not quite as dry as it was. The dryness was helped by the use of their selection of BBQ sauces, but for me a good BBQ brisket should not need the addition of sauce after the cooking / smoking process. I did enjoy the onion rings and the corn bread -- well it had a nice corny flavor to it, and it did not need butter to be enjoyed.
I am still willing to go in there and perhaps give their ribs a shot next time, but I believe I am done with their brisket . . . unless maybe I consider giving their burnt ends a shot -- perhaps those will be a bit more flavorful.
But if I do go back, those BBQ Bacon Chunks are going to be the first words out of my mouth to the waitress. Perhaps preceeded by "Two orders please".
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I'm still mad about the $7 grilled cheese that was a slice of cheese on two pieces of fleishman's bread on a plate - no little cole slaw, no fries, no nothing - for $7! yowza.
BF thought the BBQ was pretty good but wasn't raving. They don't really offer many sides at all so don't go here expecting some mac n cheese, etc.
Kinda weird they have waiter service - the vibe of the place is totally fast-food.
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I found the food inedible, the service was good though.
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I'm not sure what I did in the recent past to skew my restaurant karma so far toward the horrific, but based on the service I've received almost everywhere I've gone recently, I might need to consider some serious repentance. Suffice it to say that the 3 stars I'm giving RUB are based entirely on the food.
We met here on a recent Saturday night around 8pm. We expected some crowds at this time and were prepared to wait. Initially, we were told 30-45 minutes, so we squeezed in at the bar and downed some beers (Abita Turbo Dog on tap is always guaranteed to keep me happy). After 45 minutes, my friend went to check in with the hostess and was told it would be another 30 minutes. I don't think any of us had eaten anything that day, so we started weighing our options at that point. But they plied us with free drinks and pretty much begged us to stay, and the place smelled so good and it was kind of wet and gross outside, so... back to the bar.
Fine, whatever. I wasn't complaining. But by the time we were seated, the place had calmed down quite a bit and it was hard to excuse what followed. Sightings of our waitress were few and far between, our drink order was screwed up and took forever, and so on. To top it off, they were out of almost everything. No chicken, no ribs of any sort. Brisket, we were told, but no burnt ends. Luckily we were mostly planning on pulled pork and brisket, so we were fine with that. Our hush puppies were tasty enough, with big pieces of onion and good texture.
Then, when she actually took our order, it turned out that there was no brisket, but there were in fact some burnt ends. Perfect! Burnt ends are my favorite. So, burnt ends with bbq beans and fries for me. Elsewhere at the table, more burnt ends and pork sandwiches and a lot of cornbread and fries.
And then we waited, and waited, and waited. I'm not sure what we were waiting so long for, exactly. The meat's already smoked. Beans and cornbread, I assume, are not made to order. Fries don't take that long. It felt like we sat there long enough for them to smoke us just about anything we wanted, honestly. We were starting to get thirsty as our waitress never came back to see if we wanted more beer (we did).
The thing is, all of this was forgotten the second our food was placed in front of us. I didn't try the pork, but those who did seemed pretty happy with it. The reviews here haven't been that positive, but I was honest-to-god thrilled with my burnt ends. Perfectly fatty, juicy, smoky, blackened and amazing. Sauce was decent, but I ate most of the meat without adding any.
And the beans were killer, too. So smoky and tasty and riddled with more meat. The fries were something of a non-issue, honestly. They were actually pretty decent, but they were totally overshadowed by the meat and beans. It's for the best, maybe, because if they had been great I never could've finished them anyway, and then I would've been sad to waste them. The platter came with 2 slices of white bread and a bunch of sliced pickles, for what it's worth. I ate all of that too.
For god knows what reason, we decided to do all of this before heading to a party in TriBeCa. By the time we waddled out of there, I was already kind of drunk from all the beer I drank while waiting around forever, and on top of that I was so full of meat I could barely summon the will to haul my ass to the train - much less to drink more and dance and fend off the advances of strangers.
Come to think of it, maybe I should've eaten MORE meat. It was just that good, and a case of the meat sweats probably would've done quite nicely to keep dudes from chatting me up.
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I'm not sure what to think of this place.
The decor was OK but the music was a bit loud. Our waitress was nonattentive - she came by to get our drink orders and food orders. Never came by to check up on us or to see if we needed anything else.
I got the beef brisket and the smoked turkey. The smoked turkey tasted like dry turkey from Thanksgiving. Not really a smoky flavor at all. The brisket was good though.
I agree with the other reviewer who said the beans were good. I also recommend the corn bread and the hush puppies.
So all in all, I'm not really impressed and just kindof have no real opinion one way or the other. I'd rather go to Blue Smoke
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Five short reasons why RUB only gets three stars:
Blue Smoke
Dinosaur BBQ
Virgil's
Hill Country
Brother Jimmy's
One long reason:
Because the food just isn't that good. Don't get me wrong: I dig the hush puppies. I ravished the hunks of bacon served as an appetizer. But the pulled pork fell short. It wasn't flavorful enough, or big enough, or cheap enough. Still, I left full, drunk, and greasy. RUB-a-dub-dub, thanks for the Grub.
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This review is in reference to takeout. I've never actually eaten in the restaurant.
OMIGOD, do not ever order from this place. Just go there and eat, if you want to.
The food is quite good. If I'd been in the restaurant, I'm sure I would have given the experience at least 4 stars.
But holy jesus christ on a trisket-and-cheez-whiz cracker! Delivery takes at least an hour and a half, even just from 7th avenue over to 11th. They always eff it up. The woman taking phone orders is on crack. The delivery guy shows up knowing how sketchy the whole deal is and tries to sweet talk you into tipping him well, hoping beyond hope you don't assume the whole thing was his fault. And he will. not. leave. And it's 3:30, and you're about to pass out, and you just want to eat your damn barbecue already!!!!
Then you open everything up, and take a bite. And it's soooooooo good. But is this because it's actually good, or because you waited about a thousand years and catfood on a bed of wilted iceberg lettuce would taste phenomenal right about then?
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Way better than Dallas BBQ, which makes me queasy just stepping inside. When we lived in Chelsea, we ordered in from them once - we had an orgy of delish BBQ, from onion strings to hush puppies to loads of amazing meat.
Eating in, the food was just as good - greasy, yes, but plentiful and yum-yum-yum. And we went during the Giants-Pats game, sat at the bar (we were starving and not interested in waiting for a table), and started a cheering section that encompassed the whole rest of the bar AND 5-6 tables. Maybe my opinion is skewed, but I say yeeeee-haw RUB!
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My sister brought us here while we were visiting from California. She knew that both my and hubby love us some good barbque! I had the Biggest fricking' beef rib I have ever seen!! It was on special that night and fantastically yummy!!! I had the baked beans and fries too. Both very good. The hubby had the pulled pork sandwich. Although he said it wasn't the best he has ever had, he said it was pretty damn good. Don't forget to get their fresh cobbler for dessert. You will melt when eating it, it is so good!!
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I'm a bit surprised by all of the negative reviews here. I admit I'm not a barbeque connoisseur. I grew up in the Northeast and I've never even been to Texas or Kansas City, which may disqualify me outright from even offering a worthy opinion on the subject. However, I've had barbeque ranging from barely edible to completely incredible, and the barbeque at R.U.B. is some of the best I've encountered in a good while. Until recently, I'd thought that a barbeque joint in New York City sounded about as credible and authentic as a Kosher deli in Oklahoma, but when a friend from Austin raved about R.U.B., I thought it must be worth a shot.
The decorum is what you would desire and expect in a barbeque place: wood floors, wood-paneled walls, rough-hewn wooden tables...in other words, a lot of wood. Fortunately, they didn't overdo it and batter you over the head with irony and kitsch. If you want that crap, you can go Williamsburg and nurse a PBR among the legions of hipsters for whom blue-collar slumming has become a cheeky pastime. Go ahead and see if you can top your best Big Buck Hunter score while you're at it too. Just let me eat my meal in an irony-free environment, please.
The appetizer and sides were all very good. We started with some fried chicken strips that were crispy, tender, and tasty, albeit nothing fancy. The potato salad and cornbread were both pretty good, although the latter was a bit on the dry side. However, the pulled-pork sandwich was really what made the meal. The pork practically melts in your mouth, and the sauces on hand complement the flavor nicely. I'm sure there are better barbeque places out there, and hopefully I'll try at least a few of them, but I'll still go back to R.U.B. and recommend it to anyone.
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Date Visited: June 6th
People: Megan, Steve
My tab: ~$30
In reality I'd give it a 3.5 star place. The big debate with Megan and I was always which is better between RUB and dino, so we brought in our 3rd party meat expert, Steve. Unfortunately, we're still undecided, or at least not unanimous. If nothing else, it's in a much better location.
I started with my first of 2 abita turbo dogs, a dark beer that goes down tremendously easy. This trip I decided to skip the ribs and just do the massive 3 meat plate, which included pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket. This is the third straight time I've been disappointed that they've been out of the burnt ends...somebody please tell me what I gotta do to try them. I'm curious only because I find the brisket to be a little dry here in comparison to dinosaur, and these are supposed to be a little fattier. Pork was on par with Dino, although I'm used to dousing this stuff in wango tango, and RUB's regular and hot BBQ sauce are worthless, Plus the meat doesn't come with jalepenos. The Pulled chicken is not available uptown, and at RUB I found it disappointing, not nearly as juicy as the whole birds. I've heard you can request all dark meat, I would definately recommend that. My sides this time around were the onion strings, which perfectly salty although way more than any human could possibly consume...and the baked beans, which are nowhere close to Dino's. Overall I do prefer the sides at RUB, and really missed the collard greens this time.
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This is a simple establishment - not high on atmosphere, but the bbq is delicious. The St. Louis ribs are well-seasoned as are the burnt tips. The BBQ is served simply with white bread and coleslaw. The pulled pork is saucy enough as it is, but more is offered in squeeze-bottles on the tables. Somehow, I've never made it to dessert, but haven't heard rave reviews on that front. Or, maybe the cold sweet tea is enough sugar for a meal.
Wow. I'm reading these negative reviews and I'm thinking "where the hell did you eat cuz it wasn't here!" That's how different my take is on RUB. Ate in once and did take out twice. All three times the food was DELICIOUS. First time had baby back ribs. Freaking great. Not slathered in sauce at all, not fatty. Just smokey tasting, meaty deliciousness. Side dish was cole slaw w/vinegar. Love cole slaw. This was fresh and crispy. Take out: first time pulled pork sandwich, second time pulled chicken sandwich. I thought the pulled pork was so good and tender I inhaled it. But the pulled chicken was even better: more tender, if that's possible. I ate it so fast, I got the hiccups. Again, no sauces (which I hate - for me that's the sign of BAD BBQ). this time I tried the cole slaw w/mayo and I liked it even better than the vinegar. I would definitely go there again to try something else.
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Pretty good overall, but not spectacular BBQ. Brisket and Texas Link were probably the best things I had here. Pulled pork just decent. The sauces, though there's a wide variety, are only decent. Really good service, lay back atmosphere and some really good brews on tap though. For great BBQ though I stick with Daisy May's, but this is a fun place to go.
ONE REASON TO COME HERE
THE BEANS - I kid you not
As for decor, bbq, service, sauces, drinks yada yada - well above average and in the top echelon of BBQ places in NYC but for one exception this place is NUMERO UNO for beans
A savory concoctions of beans and brisket pieces - very close to heavenely and a reason alone to patronize this RIGHTEOUS URBAN BBQ.
BBQ is not my meal of choice. Being with three other guys, I had to make some compromises. We had the meat platter with collard greens and potato salad sides, chicken tenders, fried green tomatoes and ... whatever. I must admit I love fried foods and I truly enjoyed the burnt ends (a favorite that tends to sell out before 7pm each night).. However, a whole meal consisting of just meat? Ehhh.
I felt artificially full real fast due to the heaviness of the food.. had fried oreos for dessert, which certainly didn't help. But for good friends and good conversation, I'd be back.
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I had to meet up with 3 guy friends for dinner. I personally wouldn' t have chosen to eat BBQ, but we all have to make concessions sometimes.
Food: I had a sandwich with two meats - brisket and pulled pork - with root beer. Portion size was alright. The brisket was pretty dry. Nothing worth writing about. The root beer tasted watered down and my dinner companions had similar thoughts on their sodas.
Service: A waitress was standing nearby the entire time and didn't bother offering me a menu when I arrived late and sat down with the rest of my party. I had to order by myself at the takeout counter.
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I have stopped there a couple time while in NYC and have always enjoyed my meal. The ribs are tender and smokie and the BBQ beans are awesome. While the selection of sauces are good, I like them with just the rub on them. Good Stuff.