Tribeca’s Cornerstone

me-​di-​o-​cri-​ty
\mē-​dē-​ä-​kr-​tē\
noun
1. This joint.
The fried chicken thigh should be called fried bird mummies or bird jerky with bone. So dehydrated and so little meat. The breasts were better but the batter may as well be Benjamin Moore paint. It’s like they only painted it to look like fried chicken.
Mashed potatoes were gritty and flavorless. I’m guessing from a box? Even with a side of gravy I thought I was eating wet sand.
Workers are very nice and place is clean. I really want to like his place and I’ve been here a few times hoping it will get better, but after today and $ 13 later, it’s a wrap.

Love it. The fried chicken breast is incredible. A lot of times u get fried foods that are dried out inside, not here. Fried anything and the ribs are cooked perfectly. Nexr up for me to try is the pulled pork. Not too pricey either. I strongly recommend this ladies and gentlemen.

Cornerstone is a small shop with doors on Duane and Greenwich. There’s a tiny space to stand and place your order with a man behind a sales counter. Obviously he is the proprietor. He hands off your order into an adjoining room, where a crew of cooks are busy frying up chicken, fries and other goodies and packaging orders. The order was packed up quickly and we were on our way
There were customers inside, some waiting for food and others waiting to order. I was relieved to find that sorting out who’s next seemed to be one of the proprietor’s well-​honed skills. He was efficient, engaging and pleasant. The shop was clean and the doors were open. A menu hung outside on Greenwich.
My 3-​piece fried chicken order was crisp and juicy. Well prepared. More than enough to eat. The fries had an odd taste and I ended up tossing most of them. There are two nearby parks where you can sit on a bench and enjoy your food.
I had a favorable impression of the chicken but wish the fries had been better.

Nice fast delivery. Fried chicken was pretty good. Mac and cheese was mediocre. Son liked the hot dogs. Prices seem decent. Overall pretty ok for ordering in when you need a greasy fix.

The only place in the city that has actual chicken strips. Everywhere else I order chicken strips and get fried sliced breast.
It’s not fusion, not foreign, not anything complicated. It’s good American food and it’s affordable. It has counter service, it’s small as hell, and they do not fuck around. You can catch the delivery guy working the fryer.
My only issue is everything comes on a pita, which really isn’t a problem if you like pitas. Chicken strips? Pita. Fish and chips? Pita. Chicken sandwich? Pita.
The sides are pricy* but they give you damn near a lifetime supply.
*in comparison. $ 3 – 4 is what they cost everywhere else

Worst wings I’ve ever eaten. It was so sad. I love wings. I also paid $ 4.50 for a side of «roasted vegetables» — ha ha, very funny. I received a container of chopped up carrots and peas that clearly came out of a can. Altogether, super gross. Blech.

So bad that I can’t even imagine anyone would want to eat here
Let alone enjoy it.
The fried chicken was dry and distasteful, they would be better off making huge batches of Kraft macaroni and cheese as there’s was so bland I through the rest of it away.
And I LOVE macaroni and cheese.
Save your money!!!

Their fried chicken is pretty good; juicy and tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, with a nice flavor.
Their chicken wings on the other hand are downright bad. There’s not a lot of meat and their BBQ sauce (which is red, for some reason), has no other flavor besides a tanginess that manages to be overwhelming and bland at the same time. They also don’t separate the wing, which I know is a personal preference thing but still, quit making me work so hard for this sad chicken.

Grilled Chicken thigh was dry. BBQ Chicken breast that’s battered chicken in a spicey but too sweet ketchupy BBQ sauce. Meh. Chicken is so dry, had to drink water as I swallowed.
Positives: good mashed potatoes, fast delivery.
Has a good menu if you want something bland, but will not order from them again.
A lot of room for improvement.

Having worked in Tribeca for more than half a year now, I’m shocked it took me this long to come across Cornerstone. This is just what the area needed — a simple, (fairly) cheap, grab-​and-​go soul food place. Highly recommended are the fried chicken (moist, cripsy-​outside/​tender-​inside and baby back ribs (heavily sauced and a decent layer of smoky burn). BBQ dishes come with a choice of potatoes or corn. Everything is well prepared, too.
The place is tiny with no seating at all. The exterior is unassuming so pay attention when you walk by to not pass it. It’s in the same building as the Myoptic Glasswear next door.

So look, the staff were very friendly and the place was bright and clean.
But, in the end when a place is selling fried chicken, it is the fried chicken you are really here for. Unfortunately my chicken looked like it had been fried for hours and then stored in a hot oven to ensure every aspect of moisture had been sucked out of it.
My sympathy goes out to the poor chicken who have it’s short life on this earth for such a terrible outcome.

The chicken was good, crispy and not too greasy, but the fries were awful — a soggy, limp mess with fake cheese sauce on top.
Not what I hoped for.

My co worker and I were strolling near the Food Emporium when our nostrils were filled with the awesome aroma of char grilled beef. Folks, this is where «awesome» ends and mediocrity begins. I couldn’t decide what unwanted and noticed a BBQ Burger listed on the menu. The girl who was working the counter was interesting to say the least.
Me:. What’s a BBQ Burger?
Girl: A burger that’s been barbequed (she stares at me with a” duh” look)
Following her explanation, or lack thereof of the BBQ Burger, I settled on a bacon cheeseburger. After much debate with the girl I was charged 75 cents extra for ordering a bacon cheeseburger with cheddar cheese instead of American even though the menu shows them both of equal value. What I didn’t realize at the time was if I’d just ordered a regular burger and added bacon and cheddar cheese I wouldn’t have been charged extra. My co-​worker was then ready to order but had to wait for the girl to finish opening a plastic bag which seemed to take an eternity because of her excessively long nails, she continued putzing around before asking my co-​worker what they wanted. I obviously was not expecting 4 star service in a take out BBQ/​Burger place but reasonable service would have been nice.
The fries I ordered were great, but that 75 cent cheddar cheese that I paid extra for was actually some sort of «spoonable» cheese spread. The burger did have a nice char grilled taste but that was the only good thing about it as far as I’m concerned.
This seems to be a neighborhood favorite but I can’t say I have any desire to return.

Based on a single food experience, the formula here works. Various quantities and parts of the chicken are either fried or barbecued. There is a wide selection of sides as well. This is a nice option for take-​home or delivery.

Be in no hurry but be ready to eat BIG!!! The chicken was amazing and the potatoes needed no butter they were so darn good. Lots of competition and they score big with me!

Delicious.
The skin is super crispy, and satisfyingly so. The thigh meat I had was juicy and succulent, every bite full of that simple, wholesome, comforting Southern food we know and crave.
The chicken gravy is different than the standard brownish gravy that I usually have. It’s less salty and more… well chicken-​y.
In contrast to Dirty Bird to go Cornerstone is unassuming and classic. It’s interior may be drab, it’s kitchen taking up ⁷⁄₈ of the floor space, and there’s no seating, but for a warm comforting meal, come here and enjoy.
Plus it’s much cheaper than dirty bird!

There are a lot of places that sell fried chicken in Tribeca, from fancy pants upscale restaurants to kid-​friendly upscale casual eateries to straight up hole in the walls to my favorite fried chicken chain, but if you are a die-​hard fried chicken fan, you’ll want to head straight for Tribeca’s Cornerstone. This unassuming, take-​out only hole in the wall has the best fried chicken in Tribeca.
It actually took me a really long time to take the plunge and try the chicken because it’s the skinless, battered kind, and I was completely skeptical about the validity of this approach to fried chicken… but once I finally tried it, I was hooked! And now I’m a regular!
All the food is made with lots of care and TLC, so be prepared for a slight wait (typically 5 – 10 minutes). On a sunny day, it’s a great excuse to stand around in the sunshine with your friends and colleagues, producing some helpful vitamin D.
My favorite order is the Leg & Thigh ($ 3.50) + an extra wing or two (I think they charge ~$ 1 each). The chicken is always nicely seasoned and crispy on the outside and flavorful and tender on the inside. Definitely try it with the house hot sauce! I also like to bring some honey to mix into the hot sauce!
I’ve also tried a bunch of other things on the menu including the fried shrimp with fries (small portion), the cheese steak (tasty steak sandwich in a pita, but definitely not a cheese steak) and the broccoli and cheese (reminds me of being a kid!) The fried chicken is the best thing I’ve tried so far!
PARTING THOUGHT: Gotta love a place that sells sides of gravy!

This is definitely a take-​out place, but trust me when I say that they make darn good wings! Today was my first time getting food from here and hence, this review is strictly on their Batter Dipped Wings and they were amazing! The meat is very juicy, skin is extra crispy, and they actually didn’t look/​taste that greasy! Plus, $ 6 includes 6 full wings (thigh + wing), so it’s like getting a total of 12 pieces of chicken wings that Buffalo Wild Wings serve. Also, the wings come with a decent slice of pita bread just in case you are still hungry afterwards.
Highly recommend if you want to grab some wings for lunch and oh heck, I will be back!

um GROSS.
I just ordered delivery from here and I want my money back. I got a «hamburger» that was not edible. 3 small dry stale patties that taste like cardboard slapped onto a pita wrap with old damp lettuce shreds? That is nasty. It smells like mildew. Throwing out now as I hold back a dry heave.
Got mac & cheese too. Had no flavor and was not fresh. Is there even real cheese in this?
Thanks for delivering completely unpalatable food and for the bout of nausea. What a waste of money.

I don’t normally put my hand into strange holes in the side of the wall, but I venture past this hole-​in-​the-​wall a couple times a week and there’s always a couple guys hanging around waiting for their orders — even in the snow and rain. Hmm. if it’s good enough to wait for in the rain and snow, I may as well give it a chance. It always smells A-​MAZING walking past this little place too.
Their menu is divided into BBQ, (fried) chicken, wings, fish and chips, baked potatoes, vegetables, burgers, sandwiches, entrees, and side orders. So many choices! And the prices are pretty reasonable too.
I was feeling healthy, so I got an order of steamed broccoli. And then I counteracted it by adding on a baked potato with chili, cheese, and sour cream. Yeah yeah yeah. You totally saw that one coming, didn’t you? Hah!
I was pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of my order. So much so that I’ll definitely be back to try the fried chicken on a nice day when I can eat outside so that I’m not ticking off all of my coworkers by stinking up the office. It smelled sooo good. Mmm… fried chicken… Oh crap! I just drooled and shorted out my keybawda asdnq@1