Eat At The Pearl

Great spot in Pt. Loma! Came to the Pearl based on a recommendation from a friend and was glad I did. Amber was our server and everything was great. The cocktail list is amazing! We stopped in for a drink before a show at Humphrey’s but will definitely be back for more drinks and to try the food out.

Came for movie night again last night and as always The Pearl did not disappoint. The staff is amazing and attentive. We tried a new Pinot Noir — WOW! The bottle was $ 60 but totally worth it. Amber was great, she let us try it before we committed to the bottle. The energy in this place is so great. You could tell everyone was having fun — guests and staff. Walked away with a Zoolander 2 Poster to boot! Highly recommend this place — can not say enough about it.

This place is not what every one cracks it up to be restaurant wise. The hotel rooms are cute & the hotel front desk staff in the morning is super sweet. I can not say the same for the Restaurant. The staff was lazy, rude & the food wasn’t great. We had a table full of people & our waitress asked one of us if we wanted food & then just walked away without getting the rest of the tables orders … &This place was slow when we went :/​The bartender takes forever & is more worried about flirting with the chicks that come in then about customer service. I WOULD NOT even waste your time coming to this place even with the happy hour prices!!!

My friend had a passionate night here full of underage drinking fun. Took off one star for inadequate performance.

I had made reservations for a party of four on a Saturday night, because I had heard good things about this place. But I think we had the bad luck to end up with an untrained server. The food took an extremely long time to arrive, it was not as warm as it should have been, and one of our party didn’t even get his food at first. Finally, I went to find the restaurant manager, and I told her how unhappy I was and told her I wasn’t going to pay for anything but the liquor. She agreed, and she made sure the missing food arrived quickly. If she hadn’t done that, my rating would be one star.
The place was busy, and it looked like people were having a good time. So it must be possible to have an enjoyable dinner here. But that was not my experience.

Stopped in last night on a whim. $ 2 Oysters and half off craft cocktails all night. Can’t beat that. Amber was our server and was amazing. Made great recommendations — Greenhouse Effect or as she explains it, a sassy day at the spa, was on point. Coming back for sure.

Great restaurant and bar. Dolly was super helpful and knowledgeable about the drink menu. The truffle fries are the best.

Went on a Wednesday to watch a movie and dine in. What can I say the place is really unique, fun atmosphereand it was packed. I have no problem sitting at the bar excepet for the waitress didn’t acknowledge me for about 20mins. She was really cut and dry. Horrible customer service and little did she know we were great tippers. Next time she should never judge a book by it’s cover. Not saying that being the only black people in the resturant she was judging but let’s just say she could care less about our needs and wants. The food was delicious. Can’t complain about that. Probably won’t go back. I’ve had better dine in experiences for less.

This place is all gimmick and nothing more. I should have been tipped off by the number of management posted photos on Unilocal.So here’s the basics…
We had a party of 12. Throughout the meal there were hiccups – an item that didn’t get brought out because the server forgot to ring it in, a steak that came out well done instead of medium rare, etc. But hiccups are par for the course with large parties at an average (average not great mind you) restaurant. The real issue came with the check.
To be fair the server told us at the outset they don’t split checks for large groups, which to us meant okay, at the end we have to divide it all up ourselves. Which we did. We itemized everything on the check according to who had what and what check it needed to go on (which by the way was only 6 checks, not 12). Took about 10 minutes. No biggie. Server then said we needed to just tell her how much to charge each card, which wouldn’t work because how do you divide up the taxes and the auto-​gratuity, which is a lump sum on the total check. We said «can’t you split items onto their own check via your POS system (computer), since that’s how it’s done for smaller parties AND we already did the work for you?» She said yes. ONE HOUR AND 20 MINUTES LATER, (not an exagerration, please let that sink in… an HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES, no joke) nearly and hour and a half later, and after I had complained profusely about 45 minutes into the ordeal, she and the manager still had leftover items, AFTER they ran our cards and after we had itemized EVERYTHING on the check for them. End result was one party member was so fed up she just charged the whole bill to her card. Meanwhile everyone else still has charges pending on their accounts. The manager said she didn’t need to cancel those transactions because she just «wouldn’t close them out at the end of the night.» However, by not canceling them that money is being held by our banks as a «pending transaction» for who knows how long.
Bottom line… I was a server for 5 years and split many large party checks. If you can do it for 2 people you can do it for 10 or even 20. All it takes is organizational skills on the part of the server, which ours clearly did not have. And the obvious conclusion is that they don’t split checks for larger tables because it saves the server time and effort, knowing they are getting paid regardless due to the auto-​grat. So clearly THEIR convenience comes before the customer.
Food 2.5 stars (just look at the photos that AREN’T stage posted by the restaurant – the steak and fries look like something you get from Dennys, and that’s about how it tastes too). Service 1. They charge mid to upper prices with chain restaurant style service. The other obvious clue should be that they have 30 dollar entrees and their staff are all wearing raggedy looking t-​shirts. Be warned. The five star reviews are for the gimmicky setting, which is cool, but not backed up with quality food or service.

10 things I enjoyed about The Pearl:
1.The cocktails here were creatively delicious.
2. Happy hour wings and tacos
3. French fries and secret sauce
4. Sitting by the pool and in the bar at the same time
5. Easy parking
6. Giant pumpkin
7. No waiting (I got there at 4pm)
8. Cool, intimate vibe
9. Free movie nights
10. Open air seating

The food is great, service is friendly, atmosphere is unique and hip. The only downside is they seem to have some information issues. The welcome sheet for example says they are open for drinks 10am — 12am. But the bar doesn’t open until 5pm. This is on a Saturday mind you. Check the picture too. Then, on the menu the said they have a seafood dish, but that was just a fish dip. That’s not a dish, that’s dip. They also said they have a house made pasta, we tried to order it but they said they don’t make pasta or have a pasta dish. So either the staff has a lack of knowledge, or their printed materials need some help. Anyways, the food and atmosphere is great. They just need to dial up these bugs to make it a truly great experience.

Been wanting to try this place for awhile. Finally was able to be at the right place at the right time. I think it was just as expected a nice relaxed setting by the pool with a nice sea breeze. Happy hour was going on so that was a plus limited menu but tried everything on it and it was all good. Beer selection was solid but could have had some more ipa’s for this hop head. The service was also great we had a lovely waitress with an english accent by the name of Dolly wish made our dining experience memorable. Overall great place and will keep coming back.

This area is a little deceiving like most commented. I felt unsafe walking around the neighbourhood at night. But, once you enter the restaurant, it has quite a charm — with tables surrounding a lit pool and having a really old classic movie playing (without the sound) on a wall. There was a small fire place with real fire on one corner. The ambience was a bit dark but overall very nice. I was really glad I dropped by.
I went there around 745pm and was seated promptly. My waitress was Amber and she was just delightful. I ordered crispy salmon entrée and a craft brew (ale but tasted more like a light IPA but very good). The dish was well presented with 6 – 7 small nugget sized potatoes surrounding a salmon on top of corn and veges. I picked one of the potatoes and ouch — it was too salty. I quickly washed it down with the beer. The salmon skin was crisp but the salmon was largely unseasoned and the veges were only lightly seasoned. I was not impressed. Then, I cut half the potato and ate with salmon flakes, and it was better. I cut a piece of potato and ate with the veges and salmon — it was a lot better. It took a few bites of experimentation on my part but I got it perfect half way. And, I ended up really liking the dish. I am only imagining that this was the chef’s intention. I will try other dishes and we will see.

The Islander is a must try! Absolutely delicious and refreshing. My fiancé and I have been going to The Pearl for 2 years and they have yet to disappoint. Ashley is a phenomenal server and Paul is a master at making cocktails behind the bar.
Highly recommend:
The Islander cocktail
The Bone-​In Pork Chop
The Beignets

Very unassuming venue as you walk up to it from nearby parking. Parking spots are reserved for hotel guests and are marked accordingly. The bar décor is vintage with relaxing earth tones. Tonight a James Dean movie is playing behind the bar. Dining on the pool deck is recommended, but the seating is all close together anyways. The menu selections are great. Tonight it’s small plates to share. But, seeing the entrées served around us makes us rethink that decision. LOL
Louisa, our server, was very attentive and friendly.
Food came out fairly quickly. All of what we tasted was delicious! I will definitely come back. They promote their Wednesday poolside movie night so it must attract a crowd.

Don’t let the exterior fool you… this a sexy beast of a restaurant.
Came here for a Saturday night bday party. Felt like I stepped right in to an episode of Mad Men. This place is Swingin’ Sixties baby. And I dig it.
Craft cocktails, fresh local food, people dressed to impress, and a warmly lit upscale lounge vibe. Candlelight and gin all around.
The indoor bar opens onto the courtyard pool. There’s also a small, raised platform area for floor seating on shag carpeting to get your Zen on.
Our party of 8 got the private, open-​air room in the back with a fountain, 12 ft high bamboo wall, and the long wooden table. Service was great, food was pricey but delish. Bummer about the gravel floor to that outdoor room though… I can see the look already on my shoe repair guy’s face.
Definitely try the oysters and the brussel sprouts!

If you want a unique experience it’s definitely a cool little spot. We went for brunch on Sunday for my friend’s birthday and totaled about 25 people. They handled it pretty well overall, kept our bottomless mimosas filled for the most part.
The food though… truly nothing to write home about but it’s a motel-​type place after all. I had the chilaquiles and it was very simple with eggs over chips and salsa verde. Would have liked to see at least some more cotija cheese or something… just very little to no flavor.
The area to eat and go in the pool is small/​quaint, and for the most part people there are very chill (minus the obnoxious 2 – 3 guys throwing things at people). Overall they did well, even though it took a bit more arguing with the waitress than we’d prefer telling us we counted the people wrong… that plus the food makes me say «eh» to going there regularly.
That said, I’ve heard the movie watching there on a wed (?) night with a drink in the pool sounds LOVELY for a summer night.

What a wonderful feeling to be in love. Everything is soaking with a crispness that makes the moon air fuller and your heart brimming over. I know I was enthralled by a special woman who took me on an unknown adventure and down to a port town at the cusp of ocean and dock. Kids still played in parks. Houses were aged and carried stories. Lights hummed gentle auras mixed with the mist of sea. And just like that, I was welcomed to street side parking and walked inside the unique boutique hotel called The Pearl and entered into their restaurant, EAT, and boy did it turn into a night.
Deco: 5 stars
Walking into the restaurant means really walking between a fine line of indoors and outdoors. The interior has a great long bar busy with the bustle of patrons and bartenders mixed in conversation and libations. Across lies another long table parallel. Past it is an open partition welcoming people to view the kidney shaped pool, unabashed and ostentatiously. Intimate tables meant for two place themselves cozily near pool’s edge with hammocks and hotel rooms across the artificial pond. Strings of lights ascend towards a projector screen and as the sunset hues fall to aqua and violet, the place lights up. It is romance manifested.
Service: 4 stars
The service here is engaging. Because the restaurant serves only a select size the interactions between the servers are frequent and informative. Whether it’s where they receive their fresh baked bread or what the specials are the insider information is the bee knee’s when trying to decide on important life decisions like which cocktail is best with the specials of the day.
Food: 4 stars
Unlike most restaurants located within hotels the food here isn’t meant to be an afterthought. The chef takes great pride in collecting the brilliance of the community of San Diego to elevate the menu into a great dining location. The ingredients are fresh with a zeal that can be tasted from crackling baked bread to the crisp crunch of perfectly pan fried chicken. The Brussels sprouts are infamous here, mixed with sweet pickled jalapenos and smoked bacon. These are the things that make food not simply fuel but accentuated moments in a memorable night.
Special Consideration
EAT has special events happening all the time. The night I went was a Wednesday and on Wednesdays they have movies projected on the screen above the pool to be viewed for free while enjoying your food and drinks. Just make sure you make a reservation if you can because it will get packed.
Conclusion
I fell deeper in love that night. Not simply with the incredible woman I was with but with the city itself. Every moment I spent was complete bliss and I can say with strong conviction that is something rare and meant to be savored as long as possible. EAT at The Pearl is the perfect example of how great a night out can be if you look for adventure and are unafraid of the outcomes. Summer is meant for adventure and love and you can find both here.

Who would have thought hotel food can taste so delicious?!
The Pearl hotel looks like nothing on the outside but when you enter it’s quite lovable. You have tables and cabanas around the pool for Wednesday movie night. I mean, you may have to watch the movie’s first 15 minutes over and over again. We came for a birthday celebration and Wednesdays are movie night. The Heat starring Sandra Bullock was playing. The DVD was scratched so we watched the first 15 minutes like 5 times. At the end they cut the movie short… I think they had to return the DVD back to red box. Minus 1 star for their lousy execution of the movie night.
Despite the movie aspect, the food was exquisite! I was very surprised with all the flavor combinations. For the table we shared the Brussels sprouts, mussels with chorizo and charred octopus. I must say this is the 2^nd best Brussels sprouts (after Bo Beau’s). Crispy and soft at the right places, some jalapenos, bacon and a lime vinaigrette in the mix. Mussels with chorizo… with a pineapple broth, that didn’t sound too good, but once you get used to the pineapple flavor it went well with the jalapeño. I would come back and have mussels all night long. It was my favorite of the night! The octopus was appetizing as well… it needed more octopus on the plate though. I think the apps were well worth it.
On to the main course! I shared the steak frites. The steak was good but was not worth the price for about $ 25, the steak portion was kind of small too. The sauce on it was good and the steak itself was very good… but would I come back and pay $ 25? No, I rather use that to get more appetizers!
Service was friendly. She handled our party of 12 very well. Drinks were good too. The hotel itself looked very old school, something like mid century modern. Bar area was more modern and nice. Check in and you can get a good discount on drinks!

«Remember that year when we???»
Every year I plan a robust celebration for my birthday, but this year I decided to have a more low-​key party — yet I still wanted something memorable and unique. Knowing that my birthday would fall on a Wednesday this year, I was eagerly looking forward to having a group dinner at the retro Pearl hotel since they have poolside «dive-​in» movie nights on Wednesdays during the summer.
The Pearl took such great care of myself and my ten friends. It turned out to be the elegant, unique birthday experience I wanted! Attentive and friendly service by Louise and other waitstaff, delicious food, intimate atmosphere surrounded by the cool mid-​Century modern hotel architecture.
I made a reservation for 12 people in the restaurant lounge a month in advance and they placed us right across from the large movie screen in front of the pool in two cozy cabana style tables. It was a perfectly private section that I would recommend for group dinners. I ended up increasing the reservation to 15 although not all showed and the space would have just accommodated that amount of people.
There were definitely issues with the film that night, «The Heat» starring Sandra Bullock. The DVD kept skipping and they had to restart several times. But the audio was good — loud enough to enjoy the film but not prevent you from talking during the show (the movie is more or less running in the background during dinner). In addition to the large screen, there were two small TV panels inside our section.
For food, the small plates were definitely more intriguing than the regular entrees. The brussel sprouts were simply to die for — roasted, crispy separated leaves versus the usual big balls of sprouts. The mussels with chorizo were perfectly slightly spicy from the jalapeño (although the second plate of this was too spicy unfortunately) and was a great portion for sharing. For an entrée, I got the pasta of the day simply because it sounded super weird: «fried rice style spaghetti with eggs, Chinese sausage and herbs.» Although the salmon or scallops or steak would have probably been a better choice, I wanted to have the memory of «Remember that birthday when I ordered???» It was a strange dish, slightly creamy, slightly stir-​fried but very flavorful from the garlic and Asian seasonings. The housemade sausage was absolutely delicious and there was plenty of it.
One of my besties brought a fabulous tres leches birthday cake, and our server Louise brought it out toward the end of the night with some seriously active sparklers coming out of the cake. This has got to be the first time where I didn’t know exactly when the cake would come out — Louise was stealth! Everyone sang «Happy Birthday,» and at that critical moment in the song my newer friends sang «PJ» while my older friends concurrently sang «Peijean.» It was such a lovely moment to be surrounded by my closest friends in such an inviting, intimate setting that felt like our own little piece of the planet.

The Pearl is such a unique find!
Being a native to San Diego I don’t naturally venture off to hotels unless I have company visiting. I’ve been to the Pearl multiple times now and really enjoyed my experiences.
The décor of the hotel looks like something that came out of a really crafty interior design show. LOVE IT!
Last weekend I came here for Sunday Funday and indulged in the brunch. The bottomless mimosas were delicious and highly recommended. I tried their chilaquiles and wasn’t impressed. I wish they added some chicken, beans or something with more substance would be appreciated. They also had a DJ playing from 10−2pm which was cool – really enjoyed the music.
I’ve come here for happy hour and they have lots to offer. The Brussel sprouts are spectacular! Their fries are ok, I felt like a lot of the pieces were broken or maybe cut too small :(
Overall the service is great and I think everyone should come by to check out the retro vibe this hotel has going on.

Awesome cocktails and amazing atmosphere! Retro hotel bar extraordinaire.
I can’t wait to go in the summer and swim while watching the movies they project on the big screen outside by the pool.

Love the ambience here. The décor is extremely cute and has a cozy feel to it. Although we did not have a reservation for dinner, they welcomed us in and accommodated us in a quick manner.
Little did we know, Thursday night is bingo night! So we played bingo for a chance to win 2 free drinks as we waited for our food. Lost, but it was fun idea to make the time go by. Even if it isn’t bingo night, they have a projector hung up by the pool with movies playing for entertainment.
Anyway, for the food, I got the steak sandwich with a side of truffle fries. Didn’t know whether to get the steak sandwich or the best burger, but went with the steak sandwich since I wasn’t that hungry and it showed up under appetizers. Also ordered a peachy keen to drink, which was pretty good ($ 10) but since it’s Thursday night, it was half off. The sandwich was great & fulfilling. The side order of fries was huge!
One star off for our waitress though, she barely checked up on us and when she did, it didn’t seem like she wanted to. We said please and thank you whenever we asked for anything, but she never replied back lol.
Definitely want to come back when I’m in the area!

Super diner, un Lundi l’huitre est a 1 usd (et elles sont super bonnes), + happy hour toute la soirée (très bon cocktails).
Vraiment une belle et bonne trouvaille, avec un endroit complètement dans le jus (piscine, film projeté sur un écran, service impeccable et sympa)
Je recommande également l’hôtel, les
Chambres superbes (bien qu’un peu bruyantes)