The Genuine

I genuinely enjoyed this restaurant. It had a modern retro vibe, if that makes sense. This place caught my attention on Instagram when I saw $5 martinis on Thursdays! (There are also $10 pizzas on Wednesdays.) My boyfriend and I rated it a 3.5/5, and we'd come back for happy hour, which is what we did on our visit!Their selection on the HH menu has some good options. I think the star of the show were the cottage fries! It was similar to a thick potato chip, but with a dense and soft bite as opposed to a crunch. The onion dip that was paired with it was also delicious. I think I could dip anything in it. My least favorite thing was the sesame seed crackers with the ahi tuna tartare. It didn't match the flavor. I would have much rather have a sort of wonton-type chip with it. As for their martinis, I would highly recommend the prickly lychee one! We loved it. I wish I tried all of their martinis because for $5, why not? Though, the "lime in the coconut" one sounded good in theory, but we were not fans because the banana liquor was overwhelming. We made a reservation because we were unsure how busy it would be since it was a thirsty Thursday night. It seemed to pick up within an hour! Their parking lot is small, but looks like they have additional designated parking in a separate area. The waitress we had was very sweet and attentive. Overall, a good spot.

Made a reservation for Mother's Day brunch at this lovely mid century style retro vibe venue. It looks totally different inside than when it was the Vig, a pleasant change. Brought two giant teenagers and husband. Open Table listing specified business casual so I made them put on pants and shoes. When we arrived, it was not crowded and there were many people in shorts and flip flops. So, why? We're seated right away, and are excitedly reviewing the menu. I tried to order a raspberry Mimosa only to find out they are OUT OF RASPBERRY SYRUP on Mother's Day??! I settled for passion fruit and it was meh. So was the pineapple. So disappointed. We ordered an appetizer of the jumbo cinnamon roll, so the gluten eaters dug right in and devoured it. Gooey and sweet, it really was perfect (I tasted the frosting). I started with the beets. Mostly beets, not a salad, on marvelous whipped feta with pistachios and arugula on top. This dish is five stars delicious. I kept thinking I would bring some home, but then I kept eating more. Perfect again!It's good that I was pretty full by the time my entree arrived, because it was quite frankly, awful. I chose the egg white frittata and what I got was hard fried eggs, stiff and browned on both sides, topped with green salad, roasted red peppers and raw tomatoes. The contrast between this dish and the beets was astounding, I cannot believe they came out of the same kitchen. A frittata should at least have some of the ingredients sauteed first then cooked in with the eggs! The flavors would have been dramatically improved by the slightest effort here to cook the ingredients and not overcook the eggs. Ugh. Son ordered a steak sandwich with no sauce. It arrived drowned in a sour sauce he just couldn't get past, and he is normally able to ignore a mistake like this one. So he reluctantly sent it back. His meal didn't arrive again until we were all finished with our entrees. It was perfect and he ate all of it. With asparagus, mind you, not French fries. This boy has good taste! My other man-child ordered a pepperoni and hot honey with roasted jalapeno pizza. The pizzas are high quality with a fantastic crust, however the combination was odd and my son pronounced the roasted jalapenos "too earthy" and picked them all off. Husband had a big traditional breakfast and devoured it all. No one kept room for dessert, so we made our way home to put back on our shorts and flip flops. Although the passage of time has dulled my recall, I felt the service was mostly unapologetic and disinterested. Perhaps they are used to making excuses for items which are unavailable or ill-prepared? I would like to come back for happy hour, and give them another chance at a different meal. The beets were so good, but I don't think I will order the frittata at brunch ever again.

New favorite spot!!! I went on the $5 martini Thursdays during restaurant week. This has been a place I've wanted to check out but never got around to it. To start I sat at the bar and enjoyed the lavender lemon drop martini and the leechee martini! Both delicious! I moved to the lounge for dinner. The restaurant week deal was wonderful! Loved my appetizer and the pasta, my friend got the frites (DELICIOUS)! The dessert was underwhelming but I would go back in a heartbeat!My waitress was so funny and helpful with quest! She didn't even rush us out at 9PM when they closed!I absolutely loved the vibe in the entire restaurant.

It's been forever since Ive been here but the service and food was still on point and the aesthetic is still cute as ever. The quiche is a must try for brunch!

I am a big fan of many of the Genuine Concepts restaurants. The Womack, Vig and Little Woody are some of my regular stops. I came here to the Genuine for the first time and enjoyed the inviting atmosphere. I love the 1970's living room vibe to the lounge area with its funky plants and wood frame sofa seating. The long retro curtains brought back memories of my childhood home that I grew up in. Dining out is not just about the food for me. I enjoy the experience of checking out a new establishment and appreciate when they pay attention to detail with their decorations. The kitchen is an open-kitchen concept with a wood-fired oven. I was a line cook back in the day and enjoyed watching Chef Jeremy and his team do their magic.I came here for happy hour and ordered some house-made bread and pizza. The Cacio e Pepe and Three Pigs are solid choices if you order pizza here. They have a number of small plates on the menu if you are wanting an appetizer before your meal. For cocktails, I ordered a Spicy Prick and Nitro Espresso Martini and enjoyed them both. Overall, I had a nice time here and always enjoy visiting this part of Phoenix. The Genuine hosts dinner pairing nights and you can reserve tickets on their website. They also partake in Arizona Restaurant Week. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.

Wow!! Forget the ambience, the whipped feta is too DIE for!!! Come with grain and plain type chips. We also got calamari which I wish was more crispy. The salmon dinner was good but needed some salt. It cane with orzo rice mixed with veggies inside. Pretty tastee. The cocktails were good. Dessert was not great. As a funnel cake connussier , this funnel cake was lacking in the taste. Did not get a photo of salmon. Service was excellent!!

I have very mixed feelings about this restaurant. Doubt I'll return and if I do it would only be for happy hour since those prices are fair for the average food and portions you get here. Pros1. Gorgeous decor. Love that they kept a lot of the old bank that was located here. The waitress said it was from the 70s but looked more like 50s and mid-century modern. Either way. Very cool. 2. Happy hour pricing was very good. About half price off a lot of apps and pizza. 3. Server was pretty good. Cons1. I ate at the restaurant (decent-average food) and got a salad and chicken to go for lunch today. Got home to put the $15 salad (missing items) and $7.50 chicken (didn't know it was that much or I would have skipped it) in the refrigerator and saw how teeny tiny it is. I feel totally ripped off. I could have thrown this together at home for $2. Tiny amount of arugula leaves and maybe 2 ounces of old roasted dark meat chicken, if that. Also, completely missing the avocado that was supposed to be in there. I feel like they are trying to make their money back from the good happy hour pricing. 2. Great menu but the food was average tasting. Lamb meatballs were mushy and the pita it came with had a ton of olive oil on the bottom of the plate. So the top looked great but was soaked in oil underneath.

We were invited to a friend's birthday dinner at The Genuine, where we had never been before, so we were excited to check it out! We had a large party of 12, which meant plenty of catching up, equaling one picture from me....whoopsie!! We did however try several menu items, including the whipped feta, which was kinda disappointing, it was like plain Greek yogurt without any excitement. We also tried the baby gem caesar and the Cacio de Pepe pizza, both of which were very tasty! We even added sausage to the pizza, which I thought was delicious! The service was A, and the atmosphere felt like a cozy little hangout. Overall a good time!

My only complaint is they don't open until 3pm on weekdays! Love the $10 pizza Wednesdays, and martini Thursdays! Parking can be full during happy hour, but there is additional parking a little ways down the road. Pizza is soooo good! Super classy vibe at night, I would recommend reservations to get the good tables, some of them are definitely close together.

Great service and the Thursday martini happy hour was a fabulous way to try new drinks! Or was a bit toasty sitting at a table near the wood fire oven but it was cool to see the food being made.