Omg can't even get the words out. We just finished celebrating my grandma 75th surprise birthday party at pearls. Our waitress Taylor was phenomenal and very attentive. She catered to my grandma every need. My family loved the food and the atmosphere. The staff helped us sing happy birthday and served cake. I just want to say thank you. read more

Definite return trip is planned! Searched for a weekday breakfast buffet on Google, and up pops "Pearl's Place"... followed by an article as being touted "Chicago's Best Breakfast Buffet"... I read other reviews and there was mention of Country Fried Steak.... My fiance was immediately sold. The location is very convenient as it is only a few blocks away from the expressway. Parking is abundant, as patrons of the restaurant may park in the hotel lot. The decor has a jazzy/blues theme with posters, album covers and vinyl records on the walls.. and the ambiance is rounded out with jazz music playing in the background. We were seated in a booth, and our waitress greeted us promptly and explained that for the buffet, the chefs serve the food from behind a glass case. We walked up to the case and found eggs, waffles, pancakes, and french toast are made fresh by a chef ready to take your order... also besides standard breakfast fare, there was mac&cheese, greens, fried catfish, pork chops.. A-maz-ing. We ordered french toast, waffles, scrambled eggs, and an omelet from the chef. Continued down the line for sides that included grits, bacon, turkey sausage, pork sausage, fried chicken wings, potatoes, rice, smoked sausage, ham.. am i forgetting anything? The food was great!! The greens and chicken were soooo good.. My fiance loved the french toast. I wish I had room for pancakes as there was an option for chocolate chips and nuts. The service was excellent as well. The chefs were all very courteous and our server was very attentive and refilled our drinks with no lag time in between. Unfortunately for us, no country fried steak was seen today as their menu changes daily.. but all in all an awesome pick for breakfast! read more

I ate here a few times last year. I ordered their chicken, cabbage, mac and cheese, red beans, and their greens and everything was delicious. I also tried their gumbo but was not pleased because it was so dark in color and very salty, I almost suffered from a stroke. I like supporting soul food based resturants and will continue doing so but I want to be that one of many people that will help businesses strive for excellence so my opinion is not to tear down but to provide constructive criticism for whatever it's worth. I believe that Pearl's Place possess so many tasteful recipes for soul food and will definitely be the most popular restaurant in Chicago that serves soul food. However, I feel that most of their dishes are precooked and then frozen for later. Pearl's Place, don't rob yourself of the gift that you have. Invest the money, time, and talent into serving fresh food to your customers. We love you and we want to see your business grow. The food is the reputation not the name or the history, or how long it's been standing. read more

The food quality doesn't match the prices. Way overpriced for "ok" food. Also there were gnats flying around the dining area as if they lived there. A Very uncomfortable place to dine in with gnats flying around your food as you eat. Would've probably considered the Buffett carryout if it wasn't so overpriced $24 (one person). Decided to dine in and that's when I met the occupants of the restaurant "the gnats".......gross read more

Dress code posted on the door says no plain white t-shirt. Didn't know and was turned away. I am happy to know that the rules apply to everyone- I applaud management for the way they approached me and for being consistent and fair with their polices...I will be back in different clothes! read more

do NOT order chitterlings from here. I ordered the 16 ozs. to go and thought it was soup. more juice than chitterlings. I've had good experiences here before, but extremely disappointed in paying $24 for a half a cup of chitterlings!!!! read more

I perfer the buffet, which is the best choice for variety. Decor is older, but the food makes up

Very very very good soul food breakfast buffet!!! All you can eat breakfast!!! How can you go wrong for $14.99!! When I travel back to Chicago I will definitely visit Pearl's Place. This place reminds me of the old Queen of the Sea soul food restaurants that were on the South Side back in the 70's and 80's. Awesome!! read more

This place was probably the worst "soul food" I've had in a very long time. The Collard greens still had stems in them, and lacked seasoning along with the red beans and rice which were horrible...i have no words about those. The waitress was very forgetful and it wasn't even busy. The catfish was mediocre could've been better. It was my first time visiting and also my last. I would recommend the establishment get a new chef. read more

Perfect example of how Yelp can help you find a hidden gem. We were headed to the beach at 31st and did a quick search for brunch and found this place. Awesome food all around. Well done. read more

I've eaten here once, for a weekday breakfast buffet. I haven't had opportunities to try much soul food, so I can't claim an experienced palate for comparing Pearl's to competitors. All I know is that my made-to-order scrambled eggs as well as biscuits, spicy links, potatos, fried chicken, and little tastes I had of gravy and stewed apples, made me smile like a fool. I don't know why the eggs tasted so good - I didn't watch them getting cooked but maybe a ton of butter, and/or very special ingredients, but they were the best eggs I've every tasted. I took too many waffles - good but took up room that should have been allocated to foods far above "good." The Cook, waitress, and everyone in the room treated me well. If I ever get the chance, I'll be back for more. read more

The setting is friendly, well located, with quality service. The food is outstanding. It is like eating at Grandma's! My toddler LOVES the food. I never get the buffet because a regular dinner has such good portions, that it is lunch AND dinner the next day for me. I go for an early breakfast or an early dinner since I have a small child. And, it is great for us. read more

I was skeptical at first because of the location. However, when I started eating I fell in love! Sooo good! Tastes like an old southern woman was in the back cooking. I was so full afterwards! Definitely will be back ! read more

Pearls Place has the best soul food breakfast , lunch and dinner. They have a large selection & also have the best homemade biscuits in Chicago. I was a little dissatisfied with a slice of cake I tried as I could not taste any butter flavor. Otherwise, the food is delicious! read more

This was my first visit. They DID treat us just like family. We went for breakfast and I had the New Orleans breakfast. The salmon croquette was the best I ever had and went SO well with my eggs over easy. The french toast was some of the best I ever had. The biscuits were amazing. We will definitely go back. read more

On today I took a chance and tried Ms. Pearl. From the beginning its just gives me a diner feel nothing to fancy the host greets us with a smile and seats us quite quickly and stats she will send our sever over right away. Tisa arrives is a very quick fashion with a very good bread selection and is very friendly and polite. Then we asked about the BUFFET. She informed us that she doesn't know what's on the BUFFET because the menu changes everyday. This was the first red flag. I don't care if the menu changes everyday the staff needs to be able to tell you what is on the BUFFET. So we get up and go over to see what they have. They have a very good selection from red beans and rice to fried chicken smother chicken Jerked pork chops with all the fixings so we decide to try the 20.00 BUFFET. My favorite Item was the fried chicken yams and the corn. The red beans and rice was ok the macaroni was MEH which was the sec red flag. If you are going to sell soul food certain items should be up to par. I was quite surprised to see who was dining in the restaurant majority older elderly people. The staff was very nice the food was just ok. Nothing to write home to mama about! read more

Food was good but the peach cobbler was bland. Tasted like canned peaches and not enough sugar or extract. The crust was made of bisquik (not good). The bad part was that the server was extremely lacking. It takes a lot before I will even think about not leaving a tip for a server, but this was horrible. I could have forgiven the cobbler if the service was better but no such luck... read more

The food was just okay. Not the best soul food and definitely overpriced. Most importantly, this place IS NOT family oriented. There was no where for me to changed my 7 month old baby girl and I was asked to cover while nursing. This left me very uncomfortable and unable to enjoy my food. read more

The food is any soul food lovers dream. My spouse and I ended up at this restaurant by chance as another establishment we'd chosen had a wait time of 45mins for a party of 2. Again the food was GREAT as well as our server (her name escapes me); not to mention the rest of our time there. It was so great, I began to reconsider the venue for a dinner I'd host the next weekend for my grandmothers 80th birthday. Our current reservations were for an upscale restaurant in Tinley Park for a party of 15, however after my time here I felt my grandmother would appreciate the food here as a soul food connoisseur; most definitely a further drive from Three Oaks, MI but well worth it or so I thought. This place would not receive 5 stars from me with their current reservation policy. I've patronized an extensive amount of restaurants nationally and internationally as a travel agent. To be told by the restaurant mgr. that we'd have to pay everything up front for reservations without a private setting to say the least was absolutely absurd! I've managed 3 restaurants (all 3 stars and above) and what IS customary is to have the table prepped 30-45mins before group arrival and then to release the seats with group absence 30 minutes after no arrival. I neglected to inform him that I was also a restaurant manager but being argumentative wouldn't have changed either mind at this point. I will say however, to not tell a client what you believe is customary with opinions of unvalidated grandeur because "we have to be considerate of all of our guests", as he stated. To ask for nonrefundable money upfront sounds like the pitch at a burger joint, NOT at what I wanted to consider a 4 star place in a sketchy neighborhood; a hidden gem. I WILL be back but as a small party of 2-4. If my math serves me right, this establishment will miss out on an easy $325-350. Revisit your operations plan please. I'm sure I'm not the only prospective client to find your policies ridiculous. read more

I went to pearls place on a cold but sunny Sunday afternoon. In the hood there is usually a guy willing to open the door for you that looks like he needs a helping hand and most times he will put that hand out.When you step in it is not a pretentious place but just people trying to get a good meal at a reasonable price. The food is served buffet style by servers which I like. I have never liked strangers breathing over my food with bare hands. The food was outstanding overall. The smothered Chicken was very tasty except there seemed to be a lot of bones. The collard greens were exceptional as well as the candied yams and muffins. But the mac and cheese was comatose to say the least. The service was outstanding I think the guys name was Jermaine. But there was one thing I never experienced and that was paying for a to go plate for leftover food. Even though it was cheap that was new to me. I just chalked it up to hood rules. But overall a really good meal and we will return... read more

Pearl's Place - Tastes as good as it looks and love the smokey Robinson in the background - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

On Good Friday March 25, 2016 during the 2:00pm hour my date and I came here hungry. We were told to wait 20 minutes, and at the same time there were 10-13 empty tables. There was a party ahead of us waiting so we left. I'm a diabetic and we both had been here before, never waiting more than 8 minutes. No reason was given for the wait. So beware you might have to wait to eat longer than excepted. We won't be back! read more

On today at approximately 9:10am while eating breakfast- two mice ran toward the kitchen area. When I mentioned to the manager he stated that was being addressed. read more

First time visiting this restaurant and I would definitely go back. The food was fresh and well seasoned. The fried green tomatoes were very good and the spicy remoulade sauce was even better. I ordered the salmon croquette dinner and chose dressing and cabbage as my sides. They were good. My sister opted for the buffet and the really enjoyed the smothered steak and greens. Another plus is that none of their side dishes are cooked in meat. What was even better than the food was the service. "Willam" was our server and I can't remember the last time that I had a server as professional and attentive as he was! He was polite, made suggestions, knew about the food on the menu and kept our glass filled with water. All while he was waiting several other tables. He knew when to bring more napkins without us even having to ask. He was fantastic! When you stop by ask for William, you won't be disappointed. read more

Their food is the best soul food on the south side hands down!!! Great Service the bomb.com

Another GREAT Soul Food Restaurant! I'm so happy I checked YELP and read the wonderful reviews about this place. The customer service was top knotch and even the interaction with some of the other patrons was pleasing. I ordered Liver & Onions with Cabbage & Yams as my 2 sides. The food was seasoned to perfection. Not overly salty or overly bland. The cabbage even had a little spice to it that was just right and something I had never tried before. The yams tasted naturally sweet and didn't ooze of sugar. The seasoning of the liver and onions not to mention the green and red peppers that were used for both color and seasoning was delicious! Everything was exquisite. My friend and co-worker ordered the ox-tails with greens and spaghetti. From what I could tell by looking at them it looked GOOD and seasoned well. I will have to check with him later to see how it actually turned out and will get back to you. You do have the option to order a dinner roll or cornbread with your meal and I suggest the cornbread. It's not a muffin either. It's a whole slice of cornbread and it too was very satisfying. We ordered our food to go and it was 2:41PM when we placed our order but we didn't get the order until 3:15PM. The wait was long and to add insult to injury we had gotten back to the car loaded up and were about to head back to the north side of Chicago (my friend was going to Waukegan) when I noticed that our peach cobbler wasn't in the bag. We caught it just in time (before we drove off) and we were able to get the missing dessert without any problems. The wait and the missing dessert were the only things I feel you should be aware of when you go. Be prepared to wait if you order take-out and make sure you check to see that you have everything you ordered before leaving the restaurant. All in all, I will be back. The food was top knotch and I have to say that the peach cobbler was better from here than my other favorite spot "MacArthur's." Give Pearl's Place a try. You really won't be disappointed! read more

Finally went here after a friend recommended it. Valentine's day, party of 2 was under 35 minutes wait time. The place could use a renovation and update, and the ambiance is no frills at all. However, we were satisfied with the service. We were seated and a host told us how the ordering worked when we asked. My fiance and I had the brunch buffet. However, at 2 p.m. we chose not to wait in the slow line for any breakfast because no one was there cooking it anyway. The breakfast set-up looked like it needed to be cleaned because it had spilled food strewn all other where it was supposed to be prepared. Anywho, the line for food was extra slow. Once I finally made my way to get served, I noticed that some of the bean side dishes were dried out (red beans, and blackeye peas). Good thing I didn't want any anyway, so I passed on it. Immediately, they sent out a small serving of cornbread that me and my hubby shared. I did get 2 pieces of fried chicken, a small taste of jerk chicken and turkey, a smothered pork chop, dressing, greens, macaroni and cheese, fried corn, catfish nuggets, rib tips and candied yams. I loved the fried corn! The chicken was decent and seasoned but, one piece could've been a little crispier. The catfish was ok, with a light crisp batter. I needed a little salt. The macaroni was decent with salt and pepper, nice and cheesey and browned on the top like I like it, you can taste the butter in it. The yams were good but, a tad too sweet for me but, good with nice flavoring. Greens were just ok, seasoned with sugar, which is not my personal preference. Rib tips, tasted baked with bbq sauce on top. Jerk chicken and turkey tasted baked too with a little jerk sauce, not really impressed. My pork chop was small and a little on the dry side with a thin gravy and no onions. The dressing was a real disappointment for me. I really was hoping it would shine. It needed some help in the flavor department, it was bland. It needed sage, bell pepper, celery, salt, and onions and mine also had a crust that made it too hard to eat if I wanted to. Cornbread was, just ok. It has corn kernels in it but, I like mine a little sweeter. I left feeling full from fried chicken, macaroni, and fried corn. The buffet was $19, no drink or dessert included. They could use a better system of getting people served food faster. Food is cooked in smaller batches and you don't fix your own plate, it's kinda cafeteria style. A lot of food wasn't brought out that our server mentioned that was supposed to be there.They are a waste not, want not kind of establishment. Staff was friendly enough but, in general the place could use some improving in some areas. Free parking in the cheap motel next door that they share. However, I'd go back for the food but, not too soon. read more

OMG. Just simply delicious soul food! There is really no other way to put it. My dad and step mom were in town and wanted to have soul food after church on Sunday. Since it was Mother's Day I explained to them that it would be packed out, so they could expect to wait. My dad being the stickler that he is decides he wanted to wait the hour they'd given him.. I was a little weary because I had only been there one other time and though I was impressed with the food, there was a snafu with the customer service. Anyway, we decided to wait and we were not disappointed. Despite the crowd and the remodeling, everything at the buffet was readily available. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable of the menu as well as very hospitable. The host/manager was personable and friendly. Overall it was a good experience and once we begin eating we soon forgot the hour long wait. Me being a bread lover, I wish they gave you more of those rolls. I could buy a slew of them just to take home. Amazingly, ALL of the dishes were appetizing but my personal favorites were the Mac & cheese, the sweet potatoes and the potato salad. The pound cake was also quite tasty. I can't wait to go back and I am excited about what seems to be the makings of a full bar. read more

I went there yesterday and got the worst food and overall service ever. I've been there on several different occasions and it was ok, i've reccommended this restaurant to others, so when i can in yesterday and was not only have to deal with the trash food that literally made me sick to my stomach we was harrased by management leaving the restauraunt, due to us paying a $70 meal and not leaving a tip. I'm big on tipping, but based upon the lack of service we got i was in no one about to leave a tip. At the open buffet no one could cleary identify the food, our server was not attentive,we asked several times for napkins seeing as though we had children with messy hands we never got napkins we lefts the left overs as well because she never came back around with a take out tray after we asked twice we waited and got nothing, so i decided to pay the bill and leave, but the management proceeded to follow us out the door demanding an explanation as to why we did'nt tip he was extremely aggressive and actually made us nervous walking into our personal space. I told him that he could'nt demand us to vive him an explanation and just accept the $70 bill we just gave him, another man came up behind him and was clearly upset as well seeing as it became a shouting match after the aggressive bully told us if we wanted to be cheap not to come back to his establisment to go down the street to Mc Donalds instead. I would typically let this go but seeing as i still have a stomach ache since i've left their establishment. Overall the mangement was rude, obnoxious, and extremely disrespectful...i will never go there or reccomend anyone again ever. read more

The food here is good, but unfortunately I can't say the same about the service. They have a pretty good variety of soul food, they even have jerk chicken. Everything taste fresh and has plenty of flavor.. came in for a celebration with family and had awful service. There is no way the man was a waiter for a living, he just did not have a clue. We also were not made aware whie making reservations that certain items on the menu would be restricted yet we paid the same buffet price as everyone else dining on that day. After being told upon arrival that everyone had to get peach cobbler yet some in our group do not eat peach cobbler. We were insulted with a hard stale cake was offered as an alternative. On a separate occasion we received excellent service from a young lady but having your nephew who never waited tables before serve a large group is not acceptable. It was embarrassing and ruined the experience. read more

First time and was worth it. Both the service and food were excellent. Items made from scratch with no MSG used. Definitely a hidden gem.

Went there for breakfast. The food was great (I had pancakes, eggs, sausage and potatoes). It was seasoned well and very tasty. The service was mediocre, it could have been better but maybe the server was having a bad day. Will go again. read more

Amazing breakfast buffet. I have not had salmon croquettes in years and the ones here did not disappoint. Great atmosphere great food definitely a soul food gem read more

Our server Ms. Lisa, treated my wife, daughter and I wonderfully and graciously! Our food was amazing, served fresh and piping hot, from shrimp, to catfish, to pancakes!! The biscuits and cornbread was everything we had hoped for! They were a tasty start to our meal before we even ordered. We will DEFINITELY be back and cannot WAIT TO DO SO!!! read more

My meal was pretty okay, not bad, not amazing. I did not go to the buffet, but ordered my food off of the menu. I had fried catfish with lemon pepper and yams and macaroni and cheese as the sides. It came with cornbread. The cornbread was served before the meal came and it was disappointing. I'm used to a sweeter and more flavorful taste and it just lacked that. Plus it has actual corn in it, which I prefer my cornbread not to have. The chef apparently forgot to put lemon pepper on my catfish, so I had to get it on the side (which is just not the ssme). I expect fried catfish to be crispy/crunchy, but it was not, the skin was very soft from how super hot it was (assuming). Definitely would've liked it fried harder. I enjoyed the sides the most, even though at times the yams had a funny taste. Lastly, the stand out at this place is the staff! My waitress who's name I cannot recall, but is a young black woman with braids, was the sweetest!!! I enjoyed her personality and conversation. She had great instincts and knew I wanted the rest of my food to go without me telling her. She brought a to go box before I could even ask which was excellent! The rest of the staff was friendly and welcoming. I can see myself trying it again on my future visits to the south side. read more

Went to this restaurant today thinking that the food would be great,but to my surprise it was horrible,not seasoned,food was bland,not good at all!!!! read more

Out of towners looking for great food and we discovered Pearl's Place. We were not disappointed. We arrived late enough for breakfast buffet and early enough that the lunch buffet was fresh and hot. Best of both worlds. The food was amazing! Cook to order omelets and choice of toppings, check! We didn't want to fill up on breakfast so that we'd have room for lunch. And boy did we need room. So many choices. All so very good. My absolute 5 star favorites were the candied yams and macaroni and cheese. But seriously everything we sampled was to our satisfaction. My only gripe was that our waitress/service was a little slow; we had to ask for silverware, syrup and drink refills. Overall, the restaurant was clean (even though they were doing a little remodeling), the neighborhood was nice/safe and easy to locate. We would definitely go back. Ps- shout out to one of the buffet servers who accommodated my every time, I said I just wanted a dab/spoonful of something, just so I could taste it. lol read more

Yes, yes and more yes. Best biscuits I have ever had. Great pancakes and French toast. Great coffee. Excellent service. Omelets are average. Free parking at the attaches motel. read more

My nephew included Pearl's Place in our itinerary on a recent weekend pleasure trip to Chi-Town with my siblings. There were 7 of us and am I glad we had reservations on Monday morning for breakfast because it filled up fast. We got the buffet and extras, such as, Shrimp and Grits (wow). The grits and biscuits are melt in your mouth delicious. Miss Betty's (the baker) biscuits are so light you have to hold them down to keep them from flying off the table. The chef prepared my soft-scrambled eggs to perfection. We ordered more biscuits to take back home to Ohio, along with Miss Betty's Bread Pudding. Next time in Chicago we'll try Pearl's lunch and/or dinner buffet also. There aren't many Soul Food restaurants left with real "from scratch" cooking. So glad my nephew Yelped and found Pearl's. read more

My family came in town from mississippi and really wanted to check out Pearl's place. I've never been to this place at all and was really excited to check the place out. My boyfriend decided to get the buffet but I was still unsure What to eat. My boyfriend suggest I taste a piece of meat off his chicken to decide if I wanted the chicken dinner. The manager then rushes over with a very rude attitude and says Ma'am I have to charge you 20 dollars for taking a piece of meat off his plate. My boyfriend then explains the situation and the manager decides to curse us out and says if i dont pay for tasting a piece of meat then he will call the police.I would never in my life go to this restaurant again plus my family thought the food was garbage read more

Slow service. I ordered the breakfast. I was in the late afternoon. They serve breakfast anytime. The food was good. Had a egg white omelet, and pancakes. My companion had the buffet. He enjoyed the food from the buffet. Ordered cake for dessert that was not fresh. Only come here about once a year. Find it to be okay, not great. read more