Pearl’s Place

Really good food, always poor service. Deal with it, the wait, the lack of attentiveness by servers, sometimes apologies, but don’t wait on it. They run out of stuff, deal with it or go elsewhere.

I am writing this review on behalf of the non-​Yelping people I was with at Pearl’s Place. They absolutely LOVED this place, particularly the mac n’ cheese, the fried chicken, and the peach cobbler. I have been following a primarily plant-​based diet so I cannot comment on the food itself because I didn’t eat it. However, I can and will say that the vibe was really homey and nice, our waiter Jermaine was extremely friendly, quick and attentive, and the other staff we spoke to were really sweet, as well.

Great food! The people here are very friendly. Nice family atmosphere. I recommend everyone to get the buffet to try all the tasty options.

Although I love the food I cannot support their policies. I’ve been a guest at this restaraunt numerous times and the past few times have not been pleasant. My most recent visit ended with my family and I leaving to go to another restaraunt due to their «white t-​shirt» policy. A family member had on a quality v neck shirt and after waiting 15 minutes to be seated, we were informed he had to wear one of the house shirts or go change. We’ve visited this place numerous times and he’s worn similar shirts; actually he’s worn this particular shirt and we’ve not had any problems. When I explained to one of the owners that we’ve been here before and he has worn similair shirts and been allowed to eat and his response was to raise his voice, cut me off in mid sentence and point to a sign. I am college degreed (multiple times over) so to point to a sign and speak in a terse manner to a guest is unacceptable. I’m sure this may not stop droves of people from patronizing this establishment it will at least provide people with info about their policies.

Delicious and hot Buffett all you can eat with variety of choices. Bring a empty stomach for you will want to try it all. Presentation not only looks delicious, it tastes like home cooking and hot. I loved hot they kept my chicken hot while they made my fresh waffles. Everyone was so nice especially our waitress Lisa. We came the day before and someone in our party had a white t-​shirt which was prohibited. The gentlemen at the counter never offered our friend a shirt that is available so we left. They apologized today for that omission from their worker. Glad we gave this place a second chance for it was worth it.

Pearl’s Place has been my go to for soul food for the last three years. The food is absolutely amazing. I usually order the catfish, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and greens. It has never disappointed. When I do breakfast, I do have the buffet. Everything on there is delicious. Including the unlimited complimentary biscuits/​cornbread that comes to your table. I’ve done the breakfast buffet twice and the dinner buffet once. The other times I’ve visited, I ordered from the menu. The owners of the restaurant are present in the day to day operation of the business. They come to your table for general conversation or just to ensure that your food is good and that the service is acceptable. Despite the times I’ve heard about Pearl’s having bad service, I have seriously had nothing but amazing customer service here. At one point, Deidre (who I’m not 100% is even still there) was like my consistent server. Her and her colleagues always did a fantastic job working together to make sure that service was exceptional. Even in the one or two instances where something happened that made my experience less than amazing, I informed one of the owners and the situation was rectified immediately. I highly recommend Pearl’s to anyone who is looking to enjoy good food.
And they have parking too. Which is always a plus.

The best I’ve ever had… I’ll be back with my co worker… We had the jerk chicken it was just right… The buffet was on point well worth it

The charm of this restaurant is great as well at their food! Highly recommended if you are looking for home cooked southern food similar to your mom’s cooking. We came into Pearl’s by recommendation; we had a large party and they were welcoming, friendly and able to accommodate us with no problem. The service is great, you can see that they take pride in the restaurant and their food. Will definitely come back to visit the next time I’m in Chicago!

When my friend entered today, the cook had on a baseball cap and when his employee asked about it he simply said that the boss haven’t said anything so he’s gonna keep it on. Second my takeout order came with no condiments. No salt no fork no anything. My eggs look like my 10 year old daughter cooked them. The food today disgusts me. Maybe now I’ll switch to peaches restaurant down the street. I’m truly disappointed at them. Also the pork chop is nasty.

I ate at Pearl’s Place about a week ago. The buffet food was mediocre at best. The buffet table was right next to the kitchen door, so we kept dodging the wait staff coming in and out, a female wait staff member actually told me to move as I stood in line by the kitchen door. Where else could I stand?
The fried chicken was greasy and the pork chops were tough and tasteless. Everything else was mediocre. I will not be returning anytime soon.

Plain and simple from the exterior but hotel-​like dining area inside, commendable customer service despite busy hour. These were my observations during my dine here at Pearl’s Place. Not your traditional dining restaurant who would give you an unlimited excuses when stress occupies the situation just to give justification of their incompetent services.
While here? Staffs can handle demanding and hard time. They wont fail to serve you with the best assistance they could give and leave you the contentment and satisfaction you deserve!
While the delicacies are very appetizing and tempting, like grilled chiken thigh (so juicy and inviting!), mac ‘n cheese (unique but originally seducing in taste!) with toast and fresh side
salad (freshly taken from a farm! I could not beg for more!
It surpasses the standard of every restaurant here at Chicago.

Came in for carryout only as I was woefully underdressed from my workout.
One of the owners greeted us immediately, and took the time to answer questions about the food. He was really great, and even gave a little history leson about the restaurant. Bonus points that he honestly explained what was truly vegetarian and what might not be in the sides i.e. chicken broth.
I tried the yams which were soul food sweet compared to my home cooked ones, but an occasional decadent yam like that is a great treat!
I also tried the red beans and rice. Very flavorful, cooked to perfection with a tasty sprinkling of green onions.
Lastly, I ordered the fried green tomatoes which came with a spicy dipping sauce. Even after taking them home, these were the lightest tastiest best fried green tomatoes I’ve EVER had. I can only imagine how good they would be fresh out of the kitchen!
Overall a really pleasant 1^st trip to a place I’ve driven by so many times. Glad I finally stopped to try it — next time I’ll wear my Sunday best and eat in!

Cornbread: great
Dirty rice: spectacular
Greens: amazing
Cabbage: absolutely wonderful
Catfish nuggets: pretty much perfect!
Jerk ribs: mine were a little dry, but sauce was tasty!
Candied Yams: scrumptious
Mac & cheese: TO DIE FOR!!!
I cannot WAIT to get back!

So you know how you give things 3 times before you try to say how something is. Well all 2 out of the 3 times the service I had is terrible. I ate the Buffett and my waiter has no even came to check but once. I order a appetizer and I been to Buffett twice and it came 20 mins later. No use of having it now. Normally when you go someone if they see your glass is not filled with they refill it. I will not be coming back here. Food was ok
Today but when ever I am paying my money to Eat Somewhere I expect good service.

YAY to biscuits. Neh to the buffett. All you can eat, but there is only a handful of items and you get tired pretty quick. You are better off ordering from the menu and getting one thing you like. The buffet has these things and that is it.
Omelette station
Waffles
Grits
Greens
Sausage patties/​links
hotlinks
fried catfish nuggetts
chicken wings
rice and beans
corn beef hash
home fries

I went with a friend to their New Year’s Day Buffet after reading everyone’s positive reviews. Sadly, everything that we ate at the buffet was either over seasoned, salty, or sweet. Perhaps the food from the buffet is different then when you order from the menu?
Polite and exceptional service from our waitress and buffet staff.

WOW this place is amazing. Don’t let the sketchy neighborhood scare you off– and don’t worry if you aren’t black. Just come hungry.
Everything we had was soooo good! Pearl’s serves breakfast until 2pm, so if you go for lunch, you can actually have breakfast also. The buffet is all you can eat, $ 14 for adults, less for kids. There is absolutely no way you could leave in any condition other than STUFFED. Standouts: fried chicken, yams, mac and cheese, rib tips, egg dishes which are made-​to-​order. They also have pies for sale, the sweet potato is awesome.
We can’t wait to go back! But I think we need to hit the gym a few times before we return to Pearl’s (smile)

After Thanksgiving food cravings led me to Pearls! I am so happy to have found this place esp. since it’s a short commute from Hyde Park!
Pros: Food, location, staff
Cons: no parking, currently doesn’t sell alcoholic beverages but apparently that’s changing soon, also the Jumbo Wings were huge but I steer away from chemically modified meat as I don’t think quantity should supersede quality
Overall I would def. return

Really great and attentive service from the entire staff. They’re tech savvy, too, texting you when you’re table is ready.
My friend and I wanted to try their Southern lunch and we both left liking the food and loving the staff. You can either do their $ 14 buffet or order off their menu. My appetite in the morning is usually not as beastly as it is later in the day so I opted to just order my grub.
I ordered the ham & egg sandwich & added some cheese for $ 8. It came on wheat bread and totally loaded with both ham and egg! So much protein was packed in, it was all falling out and made for a little side breakfast dish. Flavor was all good and the side portion of potatoes was yummy, too. For people who like peppers, it had chunks of red & green throughout with some onion, too. Peppers and onions are two of my least favorite foods so for me, the taste was too overpowering.
Those biscuits though! Pearl’s Place starts everyone out with a couple of fresh, warm and delicious biscuits that you can smother butter or jam on. Oh yessssssh. Those were some tasty buns.

After an disappointing experience at Priscilla’s in Hillside, I recalled my encounter with Pearl’s Place in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood back in July 2013. At that time I didn’t officially join Unilocal.
You know what? I want to do Pearl’s Place an honor this time because I want to recommend this place to my fellow Unilocalers. If you want some southern food that can bless your body, mind, and soul in the city, my pick would be the Pearl’s Place on Michigan and Pershing.
After parking our vehicle at the Amber Inn (a partner business) parking lot, our journey to the best soul food in the city began.
The entire place ran like a well-​oiled machine. We were taken care by Ms. Liz, who was one of the most professional, easy-​going, and systematic servers we have ever met. We forwent the lunch buffet ($ 13/​person) and ordered a la carte instead.
My shrimp and cheesy grits with bacons and green onions was soul-​fulfilling! I’ve been craving for shrimp and grits (one of my favorite southern-​food specialities) for quite some time. The shrimps were cleaned thoroughly and de-​tailed; there was a balanced amount of «melt ability» between cheese and grits. I was so glad that I satiated my crave this afternoon.
Hubby also had a quality catfish sandwich. Liz kindly informed him that the Brussels sprouts weren’t available, yet he could have a choice of another side. Hubby then received a cup of rice with gravy. By the way, their coleslaw and gravy were quite delicious as well.
The adjacent patrons went with the lunch buffet option. I would say it’s worth the price if you come hungry. One of the unique features at Pearl’s Place is that the chefs behind the buffet bar serve each plate for you. Trust me, every plate is filled to its full-​capacity and will make you «incapacitate» (hopefully in a good way) after several plates from the buffet bar.
I know some reviewers have mentioned the surroundings and the neighborhood itself. Yes, it’s a «bare-​looking» neighborhood, but I feel fine walking on the streets from and to the train station (CTA Indiana Green line station is in a very close proximity) during day-​time. Nevertheless, free parking is more than sufficient at the Amber Inn lot.
Come as you are! Overall, we spent $ 20 (not including tax and tip) and our stomaches were «soul-​ly» happy. Give Pearl’s a try, and let me know what you think.