Genuine Roadside

I ordered the Genuine Burger with no pickles. It had lettuce, tomato, cheddar and their house sauce on it. I love a good sauce on a burger and I enjoyed this one, as I did the entire burger. Their meat blend is very delicious and it was cooked perfectly. I did however have to deduct one star because their fries and shake sucked.

I don’t know how the fried chicken sandwich has ever gotten a bad review i’m really picky and i find it unbelievable. SO CRUNCH, juicy, and the meat is perfectly white.
The veggie burger is def not the best tho. Their homemade cookies are good too!

what a letdown. i was drawn in by the promising sign of chicken — how could i go wrong. really cool all american vibe, a huge easy rider poster — which is my favorite movie btw — and an eceletic mix of families, convention goers and couples making out with their lunch.
but about the food, a spiced chicken sandwich. like really not good, mostly mayonaise, not spiced at all .not even flavorful. the bun was so soft that the entire sandwich fell apart into a wet sop after 3 bites. like no. what exactly is the return policy on shitty food? is there a satisfaction guarantee or your money back kind of thing. you walk all the way in the cold to this mecca of the midtown deadzone just to be letdown. sigh.

This place gets a 5 for the buttermilk chicken sandwich and gets a star taken off because it costs $ 11. After having this chicken sandwich I put it on my top 3 list after the chicken sandwich at shake shack and chick fil a ofcourse. But those sandwiches taste better and costs about half the price if not less. So I probably wouldn’t come back here but for anyone who does I strongly recommend you try the buttermilk chicken sandwich.

After reading the Unilocal reviews for this place, I had to try the infamous buttermilk battered chicken sandwich. Already being a fan of Gotham West Market, I figured why not! I was not disappointed. Crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I was skeptical of the coleslaw on top but it added to the flavor of the sandwich perfectly. Not a bad price either for the quality of the sandwich itself. I’m huge on customer service, especially in cities like New York where really, you can walk next door and get something different to eat. These people were amazing. Smiles, polite, really genuinely happy that you’re there. Try it, you won’t regret it!

For what looks like the least unique and interesting spot in Gotham Market, only because of the trendy and upscale ramen, tapas, and charcuterie joints nearby, Genuine, more of a roadside looking joint, has some great food. The menu is roadhouse inspired with tacos, burgers, and sandwiches. The fried chicken sandwich was delectable with a crispy fried skin and tender juicy meat on a roll that held up to it well. The tacos were good but I didn’t love the traditional fried hard shell which was a bit dry. The ahi tuna inside was nice and tender, almost like a spread on the taco shell. The beer choices were small, but any place with a carafe of «wine: red or white» is cool in my book. The wine was actually pretty decent and worked with the tuna.

No clear memory of how and why we found this place to eat on a weeknight, most likely through Unilocal… Funny that we didn’t even know this restaurant and this marketplace existed! There just wasn’t Genuine Roadside in here, there were at least 5 other wonderfully fragrant places. We’ll have to come back for the others, but this review is only for Genuine Roadside.
We love the feel of the marketplace and the layout of the place. Everyone orders at the counter and you can just pick it up once it’s freshly prepared. Though the layout seems like fast food, the food definitely did not taste like it. We had the buttermilk chicken sandwich, baja burger, and of course some sweet potato fries. Don’t be surprised if you end up spending $ 30 for two people, this is sadly a deal in this part of the city.
Nonetheless, the food came quickly and deliciously. The chicken was moist and crispy on the outside without being greasy and overwhelming. Even though the sandwich seems small, it’s more than enough for one person without needing sides. Along with the sandwich came the baja burger which was not spicy and taste just right with a delicious mix of pickled and charred jalapenos. We definitely enjoyed this meal and was glad we didn’t stuff ourselves to the point of excess. There’s something here for everyone if you’re ever in the area.

This may have been the most tender piece of chicken that I have ever had. I ventured all the way over here to try this chicken sandwich and it was totally worth it! The chicken was amazing topped with delicious fresh homemade cole slaw. Absolutely one of the best sandwiches that Ive ever had. Crispy, flakey, tender and yummy! I will absolutely return here to be trying the burger!

I love the buttermilk battered fried chicken sandwich and the dill pickle fries! Perfectly crisp and tasty. It also comes with a spicy mayo sauce that wonderfully complements the flavors. The sandwich is a steep $ 11 on its own and the pickle fries are nearly $ 5, the quality of the food however makes the high price worth it. The beer is pretty reasonable and they tend to have my Cali favorites one time they had Anchor steam this time they had Lagunitas for $ 6.50 on draft.
The big minus though is the long 20 minute plus wait for what seems like should be quick service. Definitely worth the wait just try not to be starving when you order.

I’m not sure why some reviewers are bashing the food. My girlfriend and I came here on a Saturday afternoon in the summer and we had a pretty good meal here. First, I’m pretty sure it gets crowded here on weekdays during lunch hours, but since we came here on the weekend it was relatively quiet. Genuine Roadside actually had plenty of seating compared to the other vendors inside Gotham. In fact, it was the only one with tableside seating. For those staying to eat here, there were board games (Connect 4, Battleship) made available to those sitting down. Not sure how the board games fit in, but it was interesting.
As for the food, it was a bit above average. It wasn’t anything mind-​blowing, but it wasn’t horrific or terrible as some reviews made it to be. As for what we ordered:
Baja Style Ahi Tuna Tacos raw marinated tuna, border slaw, avocado, spicy mayo, crispy corn tortillas — The tuna tasted pretty fresh and I liked the crunchiness of the tacos combined with each bite of tuna, which there was plenty of. The tuna wasn’t extraordinary, but it wasn’t bad.
Grilled Citrus Shrimp Tacos pineapple/​cucumber salsa, charred jalapeño mayo, corn tortillas — The shrimp was also well seasoned and there was a fair amount of all of the other ingredients. The soft tacos were a perfect vessel for the ingredients.
Other than the tacos, the menu was still pretty diverse. They served pork sandwiches, beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, seafood tacos, vegetarian burgers, salads and a few fries options for sides (sweet potato, dill pickle, chili cheese). There were also shakes and sweets too. The food wasn’t anything great, but it wasn’t bad either. It was definitely somewhere that made for a great pit stop and quick bite.

Oh my gosh, their fried green tomato ALT… delicious!!! You gotta add the fried egg too!
The first time I had it was the best. They didn’t have green tomato so they used red. No biggie. I’m not picky. But it is so yummy! The buns are fluffy and the addition of the fried egg just makes the sandwich on point. So I went back couple weeks later and ordered it again. This time they had the green tomato. How the sandwich was stacked made it go all over the place those. I didn’t have this issue the first time around so I knew it wasn’t an every time occurrence. BUT I didn’t have the same wow factor as before. Maybe I got immune to it? I don’t know.
My friend had the portobello sandwich. He said it was good but not great. He ordered it because the girl at the register said that it’s better than the fried green tomato. But he said mine looked better. And just from the looks mine did.haha. But it may be because I added the fried egg.
I’ve had their regular fries. Which when I ordered it and ate it back home it was as crispy as I thought it would be. Their sweet potato fries are really good though and I don’t usually like sweet potato fries. The only reason I got them was because they made a mistake. I think they heard «sweet potato fries» instead of «side of fries.» No big deal since they were good.
My friend got the fried pickle spears. So good!!! Nice, hot and crisp on the outside and cool pickle in the inside. *thumbs up* definitely order it with their ranch dressing. Yum!!!
Overall, it’s a yummy place and worth a try. Lots a seating so that’s nice too. I forgot to take a pic of the food but here are some pics of the interior.lol.

3.5 stars, The food here is good. Maybe even better than good, at times. But it’s not worth the price. My salad was very enjoyable, but I can’t get over the fact that it was $ 13. That’s SANS protein.
Don’t have too much to say about Genuine Roadside given that it was essentially take out, but I can at least speak to the food/​service.
Food:
All things southern comfort. Nice complement to everything else in Gotham West Market, which is a bit more «ethnic» (Spanish/​Mexican/​Ramen), other than Cannibal. They’ve got fried chicken, fish tacos and lots of other good noms. I had eaten a big breakfast earlier, so I was boring and went with the California Kale Salad (comes with cucumber, radishes, grape tomatoes, sweet/​spicy peppers, avocado, pumpkin seeds, sprouts, cotija cheese, hard boiled eggs, pickled onions/​shallots). Yes, the salads are all entrée portions, but the prices are just bafflingly high, in my opinion. For protein, you can add chicken (grilled/​fried), grilled shrimp or ahi tuna. I almost always order protein on my entrée salads — they’re not filling enough to be a true meal otherwise. If I had added a protein, my salad could have ended up being over $ 20. God forbid I want ahi tuna (I actually did… and decided against it because it ain’t worth an extra $ 6.50, sorry). I’ve had expensive entrée salads at the past, but they’ve been at nice, sit-​down places.
With all of that said, my salad WAS tasty. Fresh, flavorful and pretty to boot. Avo and pumpkin seeds, just call me basic (on second thought, please don’t).
Service: Friendly, accommodating folks working here. I asked that the guy helping me repeat the list of dressings, and he ended up taking out all of the (very yummy) choices so I could see what they looked like. This certainly wasn’t necessary but I still appreciate that kind of thing given the type of service I’ve experienced at fast casual eateries while living in NYC. But hey, I guess that’s southern comfort for you!

Convenient, delicious, surprising.
This spot is right down the street from the Javits Convention Center, a nice break from the usual «convention center» sandwiches, and a chance to see some sunlight while you’re in town!
The classic cheeseburger is as you’d expect it to be. The bread is tasty, the meat is perfectly medium, and the sauces that they used here are quite unique! That’s exactly what they had in the chicken sandwich. Sambal-​mayo-​what? As an Indonesian, hearing sambal in a ‘genuine roadside’ spot is quite a nice surprise.
The wait is not too bad, about 10 minutes for us before our buzzers ring. Find a seat anywhere in the restaurant, outside, or right next door at the market. Tables are equipped with my all-​time favorite sauce: sriracha. Yum!

In 99.999% of all situations, I will choose a beef pattied burger over a chicken sandwich. But after hearing rave reviews about the battered chicken sandwich here, I decided to give it a shot. SUCH A GOOD DECISION.
At a hefty $ 11.50 after tax, it was definitely a pricey chicken sandwich. The bun was soft and buttery. The cole slaw blend was refreshing. The chicken had a crispy battered skin and the inside breast was so tender and moist that it can be pulled apart easily with a fork. Despite it’s large size, the sandwich did not fall apart when picked up. Everything held together nicely (this rarely happens with large sandwiches!!). The combination of textures hot, soft, crispy, crunchy, all came together. I enjoyed every last bite. I have no regrets.
I did think the sandwich could be a bit bland (which is why I’m always a beef girl). So I supplemented the sandwich with some sriracha hot sauce and ketchup (these mix well together). I highly recommend doing this! These 2 condiments bumped the sandwich up from a 7.5÷10 to a ⁹⁄₁₀ for me.

There’s really no word that can describe my happiness right now! I just had the Buttermilk Battered Chicken Sandwich and it is the best sandwich I have had in a long time. This beats Shake Shacks new chicken sandwich by 10 miles lol (sorry Shake Shack)
I picked it up at the Gotham West Market and walked back to work. Although the bottom bun was soggy, it didn’t bother me much because the the slaw and the chicken itself made the sandwich. I was extremely pleased with all of the flavors and could not have asked for anything more, not even fries. Not even FRIES people! it was that good and I would definitely get it again! ugh, I’m dreaming of it lol
do yourself the favor and get it! :D

Everything here is very good.
My favorite is the Chicken Lemongrass Taco with a Large Arnold Palmer with lots of Ice. The décor is awesome. And the staff is absolute pleasers. So nice!!!

Genuine has the longest line of any place in Gotham West Market. It also has a larger menu than most of the other restaurants. So, SO and I went for it.
I’ve had the fries from Genuine one late evening and remembered that I really liked the sweet potato fries that were part of the «mountain of fries», so we got a whole order of them. They are more of the shoestring kind rather than fat strips of sweet potato, but they were still delicious. They are dusted with some sort of chili powder which gives them a little kick. The sauce it comes with is amazing. The bf was dipping his sandwich into it!
I had the chicken and waffles which were underwhelming. The black pepper butter seems like an attempt to be creative. The syrup is just regular ol’ syrup — wish they had an infused one to eat with the chicken. Chicken was decently juicy for being all breasts, but there was little to no flavor in the chicken itself or the batter. I’ve had better waffles elsewhere.
My friend and the bf both got the spiced grilled chicken and said it was a little tasteless and the chicken breast was too dry. It was also very soggy looking. They couldn’t help but compare it to a Chickfila sandwich, which is less than $ 4 and tastes much better.
Overall, love the sweet potato fries, but the chicken dishes are lacking in flavor.

I am on a three star rampage. This restaurant is located inside the Gotham West Market and it looks nice and appealing but I wasn’t overly joyed with my meal. The place itself is a cute little clean, city version of an out of state roadside restaurant. The menu items are kinda Southern with hamburgers, shrimp and grits to chicken and waffles etc.
The food:
Buttermilk Battered Chicken Sandwich– Apple celeriac slaw and sambal mayo. I was intrigued by the little sticker that said most ordered, so sure, follow the crowd. I followed myself off a damn bridge lol So first bite, I tried the little dangling piece of chicken by itself and the chicken had no taste. It was crispy but it kinda had a weird finish like old frying oil or something. The slaw, which looked great, had no taste either and the sambal mayo didn’t really have a flavor profile that worked for me. I did like the idea of using a potato bun because quite frankly, potato buns are the ish.
Vanilla Shake– Nothing out of the ordinary, kinda a standard thick vanilla shake.

Can’t really figure out what this place is going for. Is it Mexican? Is it southern? Tex-​Mex? Probably one of those options.
They are actually one of the real restaurants in the Gotham West food court, with dedicated seating. Their walls are lined with old western movie posters and a crap ton of vintage beer cans. They also have board games like Connect Four that you can play while you wait for your food (with those large chain buzzers).
Had the shrimp and grits and an order of chili cheese fries. The shrimp and grits were this disgusting grey color, which was super unappetizing. But it was heavy and filling. The chili cheese fries were about as unhealthy as they sound, and hit the spot.
Not much more to say, really. Probably wouldn’t come back, as there are many more interesting options at Gotham West.

LOVE IT HERE!
The staff is so friendly, always sending you off with a smile. I haven’t tried anything here that I didn’t like, BUT I think the fries could be better. The sweet potato fries are good, but the regular fries, eh.
Definitely have brekkie here. The biscuit egg chicken sandwich is so good, I always want more. If you’re feeling good, get extra jalapeño mayo on the side. I’m only mad that I didn’t try it sooner. The breakfast burrito is also good. All the burgers are delicious, the chicken sandwiches, yum.
Overall: yes, yes, yes.