A few weeks back I wrote up where to eat before a Broadway show without blowing your budget, and it turned into the most-read thing I’ve put on this site. Apparently I’m not the only one who refuses to pay $32 for pasta just because a theater is nearby. So here’s Part 2: three more spots I trust for a good, cheap, fast-enough dinner before an 8 o’clock curtain — none of them repeats from the first round.
Same rules as before: walk a few blocks west of the crowds, eat early, and tell them you have a show. Now the new additions.
Rudy’s Bar & Grill — the free hot dog nobody believes is real
Yes, it’s a dive bar. Yes, it’s been on Ninth Avenue since 1933. And yes, every drink comes with a free hot dog — a Hebrew National on a Rockland Bakery bun, mustard or ketchup, no catch. Buy a cheap beer, get fed, tip well, and you’ve had a pre-theater “dinner” for under ten bucks at Rudy’s Bar & Grill (627 9th Ave, near 44th).
Is it a full meal? No. Is it a perfect thing to do when you’ve got 45 minutes and $12 and you want a story to tell? Absolutely. Order two dogs if you’re hungry — they’re free, remember. Just know it’s a bar first, so it’s loud, cash-friendly, and gloriously divey. Get there by 6:30 and you’ll have your pick of the red pleather booths.
Xi’an Famous Foods — hand-pulled noodles, in and out in 25 minutes
When I need to eat fast and eat well, Xi’an Famous Foods (885 8th Ave, at 53rd) is the move. Order at the counter, grab a stool, and a bowl of hand-ripped noodles or the cumin lamb “burger” lands in front of you in minutes for around twelve to fourteen dollars. The Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles are the thing to get, but fair warning: “spicy” here means it, so ask them to dial it back if you’re sensitive.
It’s counter service, no frills, cash or card, and it’s the single fastest sit-down-adjacent option on this whole list. Perfect for the 8pm curtain when you didn’t leave the office until 6:45. It’s four blocks from most Theater District houses — an easy walk with a full stomach.
Kashkaval Garden — the cozy sit-down that stays cheap
If Part 1 was all counters and slices, Kashkaval Garden (852 9th Ave, between 55th and 56th) is your answer for an actual sit-down that won’t wreck the budget. It’s a warm little Mediterranean spot doing mezze, cheese fondue, and grilled kebabs, and a table of small plates split two ways lands you a real dinner for a reasonable number.
It leans date-night without the date-night bill, so it’s my pick when I want to sit down, share some warm pita, and still make the show. It does get busy, so reserve if you can — and tell them you’re theater-bound so they pace the kitchen. A little further north than the Ninth Avenue core, but worth the extra two blocks.
The cheat sheet
- Under $12 and a story: Rudy’s Bar & Grill — free hot dog with any drink.
- Fast and filling: Xi’an Famous Foods — hand-pulled noodles in 25 minutes.
- Actual sit-down, still cheap: Kashkaval Garden — split the mezze.
And one for the road
Need something to smuggle in for intermission, or a coffee-and-a-scone before a matinee? Amy’s Bread (672 9th Ave, between 46th and 47th) has been the neighborhood bakery since the ’90s — grab a sandwich on their sourdough or a slab of the devil’s food cake and you’re set. No seats to speak of, but that’s not the point.
Before you go
All the timing tricks from Part 1 still apply — eat early, say the magic words (“we have a show”), and go counter over table when the clock is tight. If you want the wider neighborhood rundown, my local’s guide to the Theater District covers where to walk and what to skip. And if dinner ran cheap because you also scored cheap seats, that’s the dream — the Broadway lottery hub is how you pull that off.
To be continued. Part 3 is coming if you keep reading these — three more spots, probably including a couple downtown-adjacent picks for the Off-Broadway crowd. Got a cheap pre-theater favorite I keep missing? That’s what the comments are for.
