Pearl Oyster Bar

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InThe Road

Joined 4 years ago

Best Lobster Roll. Being here few times for dinner and becoming a fan of this restaurant...Sometimes it's too crowed that you have to wait on line to get a table, but once you are sitting down the service is good and the food is fresh and delicious....The waiters are very courteous..and the Lobster Roll and the Fried Oyster are the best..the only thing that I will tell the Manager is to lower to use of salt and mayo...sometimes it gets too salty..but overall..I will come here again and again...

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Tbonedelux

Joined 4 years ago

Pearl Mayo. Being a huge fan of the Lobster roll... the search is always on in NYC to get a taste of summer. After being strongly recommended by fans, we decided to drop in. Promptly at 6 pm we thought we would be able to grab a seat at the bar, but instead took cue on the curb. Mildy warm for February, we waited the ten minutes outside for a seat before they opened their doors. The Sav blanc was your average but not a great selection. Crab cake was good but overpowered by the mayo-slaw which was, well mayo. Being rushed by the almost theatrical staf f was a litle stressful, I get it that the entire restaurant was seated in a matter of seconds and they have to turn it over, but it was a little much.... I recommend not going for the early bird as we did (especially when u get stared down by waiting patrons.).. Then-- the highly anticipated LOBSTER ROLL , was good , but sooo much mayo & salt that I felt like I was at McDonalds. The shoe string fries were great, hot and pefect, but I won't go back for this much praised lobster roll.

There are way to many fish in the sea, I'd rather not soak them in mayo....

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caylowenstein

Joined 5 years ago

Best Fish in NYC and a Bargain. I don't know what restaurant the previous reviewer went to but it wasn't Pearl Oyster Bar--they don't have any MEAT! LOL! Idiots! Pearl is far and away our favorite restaurant in New York and still a bargain--where else can you get sublime clam chowder under $10? Addicted to the fried oysters; all others are judged by this standard. Mussels are also amazing--ask for bread, though. The other night we had a whole grilled bass that was simply incredible and pan fried skate, sweet, juicy and delicious.

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kendrickbreeden

Joined 5 years ago

average. I give this place 3.5 stars..

Although the ambience, the service and the decor was great, the food actually was a bit of a letdown.. not that it was bad, but it was just OK and not very memorable surprisingly..

I would've given it 4 stars, but for the price of the dinner, we expected to be blown away.. My friend had fish, which he thought was pretty dry and I had some kind of meat and to be honest, I don't even remember it and this was only a month ago..

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ritzgirl21

Joined 10 years ago

Oysters on the Half Shell - Oyster Power. This place is as close to Newport, Rhode Island as the West Village can get minus the marinas, boats and water. Definitely start out with their raw bar, the oysters on the half shell are fresh and standout. The New England clam chowder and lobster roll are both very authentic and respectable. My only complaint is with respect to the salt crusted shrimp. I would only advise ordering that small plate if you enjoy eating shrimp shells. At least things ended on a high note - finishing 3 different glasses of Pearl Oyster House's white wines and desserting on their seasonal blackberry and pear pie a la mode - just wow.

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jtbone

Joined 5 years ago

Best Lobster Rolls EVAR!!!. OMG the lobster rolls here are absolutely divine. A bit of a wait but well worth it. Wish I could afford to go more often!

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rsw

Joined 8 years ago

okay & overpriced!. Wanted to keep my Block Island/Shelter Island vacation vibe going so went last night for a really good lobster roll. Based on reader reviews I expected to be blown away. The lobster roll was good, but nothing amazing. Honestly, it did not have too much taste. It had too much mayo, not enough spice/seasoning and it was $27. I've had better at seafood shacks in Sag Harbor and Block Island for a lot less money. So bottom line, I will not be going back here for the lobster roll.

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RA10022

Joined 5 years ago

Fab, fresh Seafood and amazing desserts. I know people "crab" about the attitude, but we've never had a problem. We had a perfect smokey grilled lobster, sweetest scallops I've ever had over these buttery little vegetables, sinful mussels with cream sauce and a Caesar. (That recipe was worth trying to protect.)

And why is the shrimp cocktail better here than anywhere else in the world?

We won't even order it in most places.

We got REALLY used to the strawberry-rhubarb crumble pie but now that the blueberry is back it was outrageous. If you're listening Pearl, maybe a shorter apple pie season?

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at0m

Joined 5 years ago

Lobster Roll is a Classic, Attitudes are a Bummer. Great, cute little restaurant, the obvious go-to for a sure-to-please lobster roll, as well as many other excellent seafood dishes. However, when I went last night it was a series of rude encounters with the staff, kicking my bag out of their way and just walking away when we had apparently taken too long considering their menu. This place is successful, and for good reason, but I hope I never become so successful at anything in life that I no longer find it necessary to be a nice person. Being in all these great restaurants in NY that act like you should be honored to be eating there is becoming a bore.

Cheer up or close the place - if you hate it so much that you can't be happy, maybe you shouldn't be doing it. You're doing no one a favor by serving excellent food with a bad attitude.

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bubblychik

Joined 5 years ago

Fabulously delicious lobster roll. I had heard/read glowing reviews of Pearl, but every time I passed by it (I live in the area), there always seemed to be a huge crowd and a long wait. I decided to try it out late on a random weeknight to avoid the dinner rush, and the tactic worked out well: We were seated almost immediately.

The oysters appetizer is okay, their desserts are fabulous (particularly the apple crumble when they have it) and the lobster roll, provided you prefer the version that is creamy and heavy on the chunks of lobster, is absolutely to-die-for. I crave the dish on a regular basis, and have been back at least four or five times. They have a decent by-the-bottle wine selection (by-the-glass is limited to a few each day), and the wait staff is both efficient and friendly.

Since Pearl doesn't take reservations, if you want to avoid a long wait, it's best to try going on a weeknight, either directly after work (6pm-7pm) or after 9pm.