We stopped here for lunch during a trip to Traverse City and found the friendly staff, delicious food, zydeco music and funky decor a true delight. This is definitely one for your next trip! read more

Decent atmosphere, but the food and service were very mediocre. We had high expectations after seeing all the other reviews but were very disappointed. The beef brisket was bland and the fried chicken was overly greasy. Very disappointing. read more

For starters, when we called ahead, we were told it was prom night, prepare for a long wait (5:00 on a Friday, we were an hour away)Greeted by a none too friendly hostess, our wait was less than 30 minutes. We were happy, she was still not even pleasant when she seated us. However our server, Anya made up for this in spades. They were very busy, but she was professional, chatty, informative and patient explaining menu items and recommendations. She never once seemed rushed or impatient. The food was uninspired. The shrimp and grits was flavorful, but my jambalaya must have been prepared by a different line cook. Described as flavorful and spicy on the menu, it was anything but. No body whatsoever, all of the ingredients appeared to have been cooked individually beforehand , notably the chicken , and thrown together at the last minute. I wished I had ordered the gumbo right away. Bananas Foster "table side" was a joke. Seriously, bananas, sugar and rum flambeed in a bowl and dumped over ice cream. Foster is rolling over in his grave. The whole place is in need of a good cleaning, dust on all the tchotchkes was an inch deep. Dust the damn foyer, for God's sake! Update that twenty year old decor, even if it's just cleaner beads. I hate posting a negative review, but this one is well deserved. Whoever is "managing " needs to be replaced. read more

Cherry margarita is amazing, real smashed cherries in the mix. Overall down to service with a great neighborhood atmosphere. The collard greens created an addict out of me read more

Great place with many choices. I had the vegetarian sampler which were bean cakes, fried green tomatoes, wilted greens and cheese grits. All were excellent. Bean cake and tomatoes had crispy crusts. Sauces were chunky and fresh. The grits were smooth and heavenly and the greens were sweet. The fried chicken dinner, salmon salad, and whitefish entrees were all devoured by the other members of our party with happy satisfaction. All in all, an excellent place to eat in Northern Michigan. read more

Yum! The food is amazing! The decor is great! We brought the kids and everyone loved it! I would make a special trip from Kzoo to go there again! A great place for adults or the family! read more

This was the first time coming to Pearls. And oh my stars, is this place amazing. There is an outside bar/Waiting area that had live music tonight. If your not fond of smoke in your face, I recommend sitting at the bar inside while waiting for your table. The interior is loud and so original. The decor is exactly what you picture when thinking about New Orleans. When you come here, expect to wait at least 30 to 40 minutes to get a table. That gives you plenty of time to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink. I enjoyed a Hurricane while I waited tonight. Man was that tasteful. And the drink came with bead necklace for me to wear. And for table pagers, they give you a lobster that vibrates. So original. We finally got a table and I decided to get the fried alligator for my appetizer and the bronzed catfish with fried okrah and hushpuppies. The alligator was amazing. It was so crunchy, and full of flavor. After ordering my main course, I went to use the bathroom. The bathrooms were very clean, and the art work on the walls is amazing. You must stop in the bathrooms when you come. My main course was great. I had my catfish bronzed, and it was so flaky and also full of flavor. Also not too fishy. For sides I had hushpuppies and fried okrah. Both were full of flavor, and the okrah was very crunchy. The catfish is awesome. While at the bar I noticed a lady near me had ordered one of there bloody mary's and was struggling to get the meat out of the crawfish. It was so amazing to see the bar tender stop and explain to her how to properly eat crawfish. The staff is so helpful, and full of spirit. We did have to wait quite a while for our food, but it was so worth the wait. Can't wait to find a reason to drive up north again. read more

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A big taste of New Orleans, and the "Big Easy," right in Northern Michigan! It's pretty tame (so you can get your beads without having to raise your shirt a whole lot), but it's still a good time - and the food is stellar! read more

This was our second time at this restaurant. They have very good drinks with my husband trying the Bloody Mary and liking the jalapeno pepper and crawfish. I tried the cherry margarita. It was a little sweet but it was still very good. We were there for lunch and the service was excellent and the waitress was very friendly. The portions were somewhat small. It's expensive. It was about $50 for us to have lunch with a drink a piece. read more

Hooraay for restaurants that have vegan menu items! It was so much fun to try their red bean cakes and the Cherry Margarita. Will have to try their Hurricane next. Service was sweet and ambiance was fun. But I gotta say, considering the simplicity and value of the actual ingredients of the vegan dishes, it was a little over priced for me. Bell peppers, onion, and tomato over white rice can be had easily without paying $12. Regardless, Loved the bean cakes, drinks, and hella loved all the hot sauces they had! All awesomely good. read more

Great food, great service, great guests. Highly recommended! Great "Big Easy" Bloody Mary, blackened Gator, fun atmosphere!

It is beyond me that this place has 4 stars! Our group had a variety of sandwiches. My catfish po'boy had the thinnest piece of fish possible. The bread to fish ratio must have been 10-1. The gator bites must have come from Gordon Foods freezer section. Tiny and over processed. The rest of the food wasn't any better. Totally skip this place! read more

Great atmosphere, fun place to dine either just for two or with a group. Crawfish and jalapeño cornbread were great!! Loved the margaritas. Pearl's was a real treat !! Can't wait to go back and try more on the menu. read more

These folks "get" it. Range of well-prepared and interesting food. Moderate prices. Well-oiled staff.

Good food just outside of traverse city. Ordered the beef brisket which came with mashed potatoes and green beans. Brisket was able to be cut by fork and the potatoes were cheesy. Green beans were too al dente for me but fresh. My mom had the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and collard greens. She enjoyed her meal and the chicken was piping hot! All this complimented by good happy hour appetizers and great service. Would definitely try it again!! read more

Creole food in northern Michigan! Nice change from the norm. And on top of it the foods great. I recommend to anyone who wants some good spicy food or anyone who just wants good food I suppose. read more

I had a really nice time here and I wanted to love the place. Unfortunately, I think I just ordered the wrong thing. I had a crawfish caesar salad - I think it was a special. The crawfish tails were fried in a cornmeal (?) batter and just became very gluey when mixed with the dressing. Sadly, I just had to sit and watch everyone else eat. They all liked the food a lot. read more

I want to give a 3.5, but not quite a 4. Service good, atmosphere so fun. The food we had heard so much about was kind of underwhelming. Blackened catfish was very good, fried chicken was meh, greens good. We would go back for the great drinks and live music. Keep it up, Pearl's! We love the non-chain originality you offer up! read more

Unusual location for a cajun restaurant, but this was one of the best places we've eaten since we last were in Louisiana. Excellent food, fresh delicious bread served with the meal..wonderful attentive staff..plan to go there again aoon. read more

Very tasty food, (I had shrimp, the husband had gumbo). We enjoyed the ambiance of this cute little Cajun place, and the waitress was attentive but not to the point of being intrusive. read more

First and last visit. Sad that our experience was so poor. Our cocktails came out halfway through the meal, were warm and made with cheap bourbon. The alligator was tasty, the crawfish cakes were bland. The gumbo was authentic. The fried chicken dinner came with two pieces, a leg and thigh for $11. It was average, the mashed potatoes and greens were good. The bill for two at lunch was $70. I was so excited for something different and good, Pearl's is different for northern MI, unfortunately it's not good. I guess you don't have to be when you depend on one stop tourists...this local won't be back. read more

Place has great Louisiana style food! Place has a great atmosphere and great food! This is a unique place that you have to try! Been here twice and extremely satisfied with each visit! read more

This review is solely based on our last visit this past week. We meet our cousins here every year during 4th of July week and usually have a great meal. This visit was a completely different experience. It started off with bad drinks (and bad drink service-we weren't the only ones complaining of this). There was no drink service out on the patio while we waited (there usually is) and several young inexperienced bar staff inside, my husband watched one bartender make a cocktail in a shaker pour it into two glasses but there was not enough for the second glass so he just poured additional juice in and said to my husband "you didn't see that". Our meal was not great either, starting with my shrimp and grits-undercooked and grainy and the shrimp was overcooked, our server took it off the bill. My husbands meal was not great either-his collard greens were overly vinegary.. Overall a disappointing visit. read more

Great place the best in elk rapids.. great bartenders and the best servers in town.. fun atmosphere and everyone is so pleasant to talk to

Honestly, no idea how this has the quality reviews it does. My girlfriend and I went here based on the rave reviews and were massively disappointed by the food. Seemed both dishes were microwave dinners found in a common grocery store. Wouldn't eat this again if it were the last food on earth. read more

I am not sure which is better, the food or the atmosphere. The music, the art and the staff were all great and very authentic. I got the jambalaya, it was so good! The chicken was flavorful and juicy, the shrimp was great but the rice and sausage were what got me. It was spicy but full of flavor. I can't wait to go back. My only caution is the parking, there is not a lot of parking and the restaurant can get very busy. read more

One of the best restaurants in Northern Michigan. Cajun/Creole food that rivals New Orleans, no joke. Fun atmosphere, great drinks and consistently solid service. read more

Can't say anything bad about Pearl's! Great service, great food! This is a destination for us from Traverse City several times a year. It is our go-to special occasion restaurant! read more

My partner and I went to Pearl's based on a recommendation from friends. When you first walk in, the decor looks like it belongs in Disneyland--very over the top and filled with stereotypical New Orleans artifacts. But, don't judge a book by its cover. The decor is part of its charm and the excellent food will surprise you! I ordered the Chicken Florentine and Crawfish Tails special. It was amazing. It came with a bed of creamed spinach and fried polenta with blue cheese. I never had crawfish before and this was an excellent way to introduce me to it. The crawfish was nice and tender instead of rubbery when it's overcooked and the polenta was creamy in the middle and crispy on the outside. My partner had Fried Catfish with Crawfish Tails in a garlic cream sauce and he gave it his approval, something the southern boy only does when it tastes authentic and fresh. We loved the food so much, we went back 2 days later and ordered the same thing!! The service is great. Our first night there, we had a wonderful waitress who was attentive and full of personality. She made our experience at the restaurant fun and inviting--A plus in my book! I am so happy we came across this place! It is one of THE best places to eat in the Traverse City area and my favorite restaurant now. read more

Great food and great drink specials. This is one of our favorites! Bronzed shrimp pasta is my favorite main dish. The blackened alligator and the crawfish chowder are awesome! They also serve Shorts beer :) read more

Stopped in for just a snack. The Buffalo oysters were hot, hot, hot! Will definitely get them again! read more

Pearl’s - Buffalo oysters - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Elk Rapids, Michigan

Go and eat here now! Flavorful dishes with balanced spices. Not hot or spicy for the sake of being Cajun. Wait was shorter than expected. Jessi was an AMAZING server. read more

Love this place!! You get jalapeño cornbread and French bread before the meal. We decided, after our waitresses' recommendation, to get the fried green tomatoes .... They were really good! Nice fried green tomatoes with some spice to them. The chicken po boy was really good as well! The service was the best we've had all week since we've been in northern Michigan too. This place has a cool vibe and great food. I'd definitely recommend it! read more

This really is just a great place to eat. The staff is ON the ball and the food is consistently good. We have one person with Celiac disease in our group and they really cater to her with a solid menu and good kitchen practices to prevent contamination. This is a must see/must eat if you are in ER! read more

Sooo not gonna hold server accountable for so-so food. Corn gumbo had good flavor but it was mildly warm. French loaf &cornbread delish. Shrimp enchilada good, Cajun caprese salad good. LA jumbalaya was delish too! I don't know if they'd jus been slammed & the kitchen was behind but, restaurant wasn't crowded. Our server was V nice & got our drinks out quickly but the food was slow & not very hot-.... read more

It was fantastic! We ordered the Brisket, craw fish enchilada, and Jambalaya. Our waitress was super nice and a delight. Very helpful and on top of things.....I feel bad that I can't remember her name....but she did mention she had worked there over 12 yrs. She gave us her suggestions which were helpful. The brisket was seriously the best I have ever had! The sauce had a hint of kick to it......and it went very well with the cornbread. I know many of the reviews said this place was pricey.....for the amount of food and the quality, I think it was right on target. This was our 1st visit and before we go home.....we plan to go back! We didn't have too much of a wait.....but by the time we left the line was long! read more

My family vacations in Elk Rapids every year and every year we eat a Pearl's while we are there. Sometimes we eat there more than once in a week! I get the brisket and it's delicious every time we go. The service is great and it's a fun atmosphere. I have tasted a few different appetizers there and they were all good. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

We were sent here by my wife's coworker and it did not disappoint. It was a fabulous place despite the meager outside of the building. I was very happy with the lunch. Even though the pork steak was not really a pork steak, it was still very delicious. My wife's brisket of beef was very tender but she loved the cherry margarita so much, she had two. The collard greens had a bit more vinegar than I would have liked and not enough pot liqueur but with the cornbread, it made the grade. We also tried the blackberry cobbler. It was also good but not as good as the sweet potato pecan pie. I would go back just to have some more of that. I will be going back on the next trip to the TC area. PS. The ride up 31 is very scenic as well. read more

We head over to Pearl's anytime we are in the Elk Rapids area. The food is fantastic and also the specials. Only disappointment is the wait on Friday/Saturday Nights, which is to be expected. Also, the service is slow at times. But other than that, exceptional place to try, at least once! read more

If you are looking for good southern cooking while in Traverse City area, this is the place for you. They even have a great selection of Gluten Free which is great because my sister can ONLY have Gluten Free. They fullfill your spicy needs. Great Drinks. If you like Oysters, get the Oyster Shot. Pepper vodka and an oyster with tobasco. read more