Раз уж мы уже были в театре, мы заодно зашли в кафе и обсудили финал.

to be

Breakdown of Раз уж мы уже были в театре, мы заодно зашли в кафе и обсудили финал.

• и: and
• мы: we
• кафе: the cafe

Questions & Answers about Раз уж мы уже были в театре, мы заодно зашли в кафе и обсудили финал.

What does раз уж mean here?

Раз уж is a conversational expression meaning something like since, seeing that, or given that.

In this sentence, it introduces the idea:

• Раз уж мы уже были в театре...
  = Since we were already at the theater...

It often suggests: the situation is already true, so it makes sense to do something else too.
That is why it fits well with заодно later in the sentence.

Compared with other words:

• если = if
• потому что = because
• поскольку = since / because (more neutral or formal)
• раз уж = since, given that, as long as that’s already the case with a slightly colloquial, practical tone

So раз уж often carries the nuance of well, since that’s already the situation...

Why is уже used twice: Раз уж and then уже были?

These are two different things, even though they look similar.

1. Раз уж is a fixed expression.
   Here, уж is not really the same as the normal adverb already. In this phrase, it adds emphasis and helps create the meaning since / given that.

2. уже in мы уже были в театре is the regular adverb meaning already.

So:

• раз уж = a discourse phrase: since / given that
• уже были = were already

This repetition is perfectly normal in Russian because the two words are doing different jobs.