We had a wonderful dinner at Pearlz Oyster Bar this past Friday evening to celebrate our mother, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations. We were seated in a lovely booth by the window, and from the moment we arrived, everything felt just right. The food was absolutely delicious--we enjoyed the oyster Rockefeller, amberjack with tomato risotto topped with a crab and cucumber salad (it was one of the specials), crab cakes, egg rolls, and corn fritters with maple butter. We even took home several desserts to enjoy later! What truly made the evening exceptional, though, was our server, Savannah. She was cheerful, attentive, friendly, and simply fantastic. Her warm, engaging personality made us feel so welcomed, and we loved learning that she's currently in school to become an RN--she is clearly destined for great things. We first visited Pearlz several years ago, and that memorable experience is what brought us back. This visit only reinforced how special this place is. We will definitely return--and next time, we'll be sure to ask for Savannah! read more

Popped in for some quick oysters and it did not disappoint. Warm buttery and just to fill up my little tummy. Of course we got sold on the calamari with just the right balance with the marinara sauce paired with some cocktails for the win. Waitress was amazing and fast and was able to keep us intrigued with the menu selections of how to pair what with a different cocktail. Very good and parking was actually easy across the street in the bank lot which is normally packed. Definitely will be back to visit! read more

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Our server Savannah was incredible, quick and had a great attitude. We ordered a dozen market varietal oysters, seafood pasta, and low country carbonara. We were impressed by the quality of the oysters for the price, the seafood pasta was tasty and the broth was great although I've had better. The crab in the carbonara was incredible, and the pasta was great. The hostess was accommodating, we brought our very chill very well traveled 4 month old and found the place to be friendly (no changing table tho which we expected). Loved the vibe and decor, music seemed out of touch with the ambiance. read more

Celebrated my birthday here with family! Seafood and oysters are always on point. The service was great too. Until next time. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Found this spot while going through Yelp and it wasn't far from my hotel. One of the best finds of my trip. They have great specials during happy hour that I will try next time. This visit I got the crab cakes and the red drum grilled. It is my understanding that the fish is a daily selection. It was cooked to perfection and tasted so good. I could have been happy with just that. The potatoes side was good and the rice was ok but lots of big onion pieces in it. The crab cakes were also good but I wish they had more crab than filler. I will revisit. Service was great and didn't take long. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Pearlz was a fun time, and definitely exceeded my expectations! I loved the overall ambiance of the restaurant; it felt old-school yet modernized at the same time, and I absolutely loved the oyster-themed artwork on the walls. I sat at the bar and got a well-made whiskey sour. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my bill, as I expected it to cost much more than it actually did. I also went on one of the nights where they had a live DJ in the Upstairz Lounge, which was kind of cool. It wasn't exactly "jumping", but I did go early in the evening, so it may have picked up later. All-in-all, Pearlz was a fun stop; I'll probably be back in the future, and I'd recommend that anyone stop in to at least grab a drink and soak in the atmosphere! read more

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we went during restaurant week and it was okay. The food was okay but the waitress was definitely top notch. I had a lemon drop and a salmon dish that I was not a fan of read more

01.26. Missed this place from when I stayed in Columbia. The staff was great, the food was greater! They were doing their oyster happy hour which made me happy . I'm not gonna tell you how many I ate. The desert Cafe is still attached. I had the blueberry Cobbler and was delicious! read more

Nice selection of Oysters, other shellfish and seafood are available here despite the name. The sampler trio appetizer allows you to taste 3 different dishes and share them with others. Very tasty and highly recommended. The dishes were cooked to order and came out in a reasonable amount of time. The server was pleasant, offered great advice on what to try and was knowledgeable about the menu. read more

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It's rustic looking and casual they hostess met us immediately. The waitress, Nicole, was very sweet. She explained all the dishes we asked about. The food came out quickly and was tasty. Decent size portions. The prices weren't bad. They have a LOT of deserts. Come hungry. The manager came by to check on us. They were all nice. read more

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Found this place walking around looking for a later dinner spot. Glad we did! The restaurant is large and accommodating for any size group or just a couple sitting at the bar. We were greeted and seated as soon as we opened the door. All the seafood was fresh! Shrimp cooked perfectly and not chewy at all. Lobster roll had large pieces and filled us up. The mussels were so flavorful and the sauce was great for dipping. So delicious and a great atmosphere. Our server was exceptionally attentive and just overall a great dinner! read more

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I went this past fall with my daughter. We ordered a few of the appetizers to share (crab dip, oysters Rockefeller, and the peel and eat shrimp). The shrimp was amazing, the oysters were STUFFED, the crab dip was just okay to us. read more

Sunday Funday with the Mrs... she wanted seafood and never been to Pearlz so here ewe are. We were greeted upon entry. I can appreciate the natural light from the windows in the front and the dim lights throughout the restaurant ... we started off with the calamari ... came out piping hot. Fried perfectly and drizzled with Lemon Basil Aioli sauce that added a nice little flare to the taste .. Fo my entree I went with the Fresh Catch Swordfish .., pan seared.. with asparagus and a house salad.. Disclaimer the salad is huge lol ... and the ranch OMG was amazing . The swordfish was also good. I personally added a little salt but it was fresh and moist. Being that swordfish is a "tougher" fish it was cooked to where I didn't need my knife. The asparagus was also very delicious . This was nice outing DT Columbia in the Vista ... s/o to Ashley our waitress .. and the kitchen for getting our food out quickly ... Till next read more

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Good food, but service needs improvement. I had made a reservation in advance for our party of 7. Resy would only let me book a table for 4, so I called the restaurant to add more people, which wasn't a problem. I received multiple confirmation texts and emails, as well. However, when we arrived on Friday evening, the hostess informed my friend that they had no reservation for us in their system. I walked over and pointed out my first and last name on her tablet, and without apologizing, she said there would be a 20 minute wait. The entire interaction wasn't particularly friendly. After 20 minutes, we were seated at a comfortable booth. The interior featured a mural on the exposed brick wall, and a large bar. We made it in time for happy hour, which included PBR, House Wines, House Liquors, Champagne, and select food items. I ordered the On Dry Land mocktail, which was just okay - too sweet for me. For food, I got a half dozen Charbroiled Oysters, Southern Fried Oysters, and some Raw Oysters to share with my friends. The Charbroiled Oysters were very good, and I liked how cheesy they were. I'd never tried Fried Oysters before, and they were almost similar to Fried Calamari. The oyster itself didn't have a strong flavor, but I liked the buffalo and blue cheese dipping sauces. The Raw Oysters were decent, but far from the best I've had, and their mignonette sauce was basically just vinegar. We did enjoy the Crab Dip we ordered for the table, as well as the Peel & Eat Jumbo Shrimp. Service was quick, but consistently lukewarm. Our main server was relatively friendly, but some of the food runners were oddly snippy, and it took away from our overall experience. read more

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My husband and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner here of oysters, Cabo, shrimp and grits, etc. service was perfect. I'd never had a bad experience prior and this one was the best to date read more

New to the area, so we're checking out restaurants and found this spot. The service was nice, organized & timely, and our server was very helpful. The food came out in a decent amount of time, and I enjoyed my food (esp the calamari!) Joel said his shrimp pasta was just okay, not creamy enough, and needed more shrimp. But we'll definitely return to try other options. read more

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I just got back in from eating at Pearlz. I ordered the oysters Rockefeller, half a dozen house raw, and the crab cake sandwich with a side of brussels sprouts. The oysters Rockefeller were truly the winner. The house were also good. My crabcake sandwich was not quite as good as what I've had at other seafood places and the brussels sprouts were still just a little undercooked. The service was good. They were very attentive. The bartender made me a good spring break drink. It was pretty quiet for Mother's Day weekend. When I go have oysters, I will typically go back if I really am happy with what I've had. Tomorrow I will probably try another place read more

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Pearlz is always a great place to try varietial oysters. They are consistently fresh very plump juicy not overly fishy, but everything you want in a fresh raw oyster! They can lightly steam them if you need a little more texture. But they also have great appetizers that are even better when they're discounted on haptic hour!!! read more

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Love coming here for oysters and beers! My daughter raves about the clam chowder, but the wife and I stick to the oysters . They have a decent brew selection. The service is good for how busy it can get in there, and the ambiance is exactly what you would expect, sports on the tv's, booth seating or bar. If you tend to run cold bring a sweater the a/c is very efficient. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

The atmosphere here is super laid back. Good vibes. The witness was amazing super helpful, checked on us often, and gave great recommendations. The oysters here are super tasty, and really fresh. The seafood gumbo had more sausage than seafood, but it was still pretty tasty. The drinks here are also amazing. Will definitely be back. read more

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I've always enjoyed Pearlz, but today, I got grilled Wahoo (catch of the day) with fingerling potatoes and asparagus with a Virgin Mary. The wahoo and asparagus were both overcooked and tough. The garnish on the VM was the most edible part of the meal, but the VM mix itself was so salty it was undrinkable. I couldn't finish it. I was terribly disappointed. Hopefully today was just a bad day for the cook, but way too expensive for a meal of inedible food. read more

As we passed through Columbia; we stopped at this oyster place. The prices were okay, the atmosphere was nice other than being seated in a distracting area when the entire restaurant was open. The oysters that were recommended were amazing, the shrimp "on" the grits were the best part but although the dish was extremely flavorful, the grits were undercooked, and dry. The gumbo was good but nothing to come back for and the rice was good but bland. If we lived in town, we might come back here for the oysters but we probably won't be stopping back by when passing through the area. The waiting staff was amazing, even a manager came and checked on us, but from the time we sat down, it took us almost and hour and 45 minutes - and there were only 4 tables being sat in the restaurant (that we could see). read more

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I celebrated my bday in Columbia. We went to three spots. This was by far the best. We had Calamari and Oyster Rockefeller. We also had the oyster shooters. We ventured on the wild side with those, but they weren't bad! read more

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Me and my boyfriend had walked in to get drinks and oysters before our dinner reservation. They had scanned our GOVERNMENT IDS and told us they were fake. The one girl bartender with brown hair told us they would not scan and proceeded to get her manager to check them. We were told they were fake when we both are over 21? I had asked why we could not be served and they would not tell us and just shakes their heads no. I could not believe how rude the manager was to us when we were so nice to them and were just trying to get drinks before dinner. I would never go here again and absolutely screw that manager read more

Really enjoyed our meal, I went with this lovely guy named Ben that I've known for seven hours, I ordered the shrimp and grits, which is one of my favorite dishes. It was great, but it didn't knock my socks off. Sat right by the window, allowing us to see the wonderful views of Gervais Street. The service was good, nothing spectacular but nothing that would stop me from coming back again. Kaminsky's right next-door is a treat. read more

We stopped in after visiting the riverwalk. The bartender was amazing and very attentive, and the apps we ordered were delish! They also had a special, 1/2 off bottles of wine, which we took advantage of. Highly recommend and will definitely be back! read more

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I love the seafood tacos there. Always go and get some premium oysters The Clam Chowder.... My favorite!! read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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We have been to Pearlz a few times and I honestly haven't been disappointed yet.. we got there around 10:40 and sat at the bar. Kitchen closed at 11 so we had to hurry up and pick what we wanted to eat. We ordered some appetizers as we just needed some food to drink with. We got fried oysters, fried shrimp and crab dip. Our bartender recommended the punch because it was a fruity drink (can't remember the exact name) but it was really good. The bartender was also making oyster shots for other customers and I just thought the process was so cool. Before I review the food, I will say our bartender started off very attentive but into our service , she started slacking. But onto the food.. the crab dip was so creamy and had the perfect amount of crab flavor. It paired perfectly with crostinis.. the shrimp was perfectly fried and seasoned and the tartar sauce it came with was so good. It was the right amount of tang and spice. The prize of the night was the fried oysters.. they were also fried perfectly and I think they are best eaten at the restaurant as soon as they come out. They were pretty good size and very flavorful. After we ate we went upstairs to the bar/lounge and it was so live! So many people dancing and vibing just having a great time. We had a few shots and drinks and ended the night. I'd give it a 7/10 read more

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I've been to the upstairs lounge plenty of times but this was my first time trying the restaurant. The food was pretty solid, nothing too exciting. I enjoyed the burger. It was juicy with fresh ingredients. Also the fries were nice and crunchy. The calamari was a little chewy and not super flavorful but was fried nicely and not too oily. I would definitely come back to enjoy the happy hour specials and enjoy a few drinks. Also super convenient that Kamisky's is attached and you can order after you enjoy your meal. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Pearlz Signature Burger - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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First time here, what a great place to eat . Service was great our waitress was spot on . We never had to ask for anything. The restaurant was clean , staff was friendly. They took all the 6 ft social distancing requirements. The Rockefeller oysters appetizer was delicious! I had gotten the fish and chips, delicious the best I've ever had! The fish was lightly breaded very good! We will certainly have to come back! Prices are good, food is delicious. Let's just say you won't be disappointed! read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Rockefeller's oysters appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Poor presentation of food just thrown around and majority of the menu is pre-mixed or has bacon in it. The bathrooms are clean, but they hold no soap. The servers are nice, but forgetful and write nothing down. If you decide to come here, be patient if you have to repeat yourself. read more

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Oh wow. I ordered a smorgasbord of seafood! Only took a pic of like one thing as I forgot! I ordered a dozen steamed oysters! Were awesome! Then I ordered lump crab cakes. Were soso. Then iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese & bacon. My sat fat portion! Lol. Last I ordered peel and eat cocktail shrimp. Were delish! Ambiance quiet. Service on time! I felt pearlz is.a.bit over rated and prices are high but I give them a 5 star! Thx. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - View from my table haha - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I'm just glad they have a spot dedicated to oysters in Columbia. Came on a Saturday when it's just open. Really quiet but the menu is extensive. The venue is large and I think it should be vibrant when it's set up. Will be back to try others again read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - House oysters - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We picked this place after walking around trying to decide where to go. It was a very hot day and the menu looked like we could find something. My martini was served in a plastic martini glass, which just wasn't the same and kind of ruined it for me. He wasn't a fan of his drink either. He said it tasted and smelled like a cleaning product... fabulosa lol My mussels were on point. The broth that they were cooked in was super yummy and they served them with garlic buttered bread for dipping, which is a must! Clam chowder was also great. Not too thick, and it had a lot of clam chunks in it. The oyster dinner was ok. Oysters were good, but it would have been better to order them separate and skip the potato chips and corn fritters. Lastly, service was slow. Seemed like they must have been understaffed. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Mussles, clam chowder and dirty martini - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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First time here! Our bartender/waitress was the sweetest! I didn't get her name but she made our experience pleasant. They were pretty packed so we sat at the bar. I ordered a lemon drop. It was honestly one the best I've EVER had. It was the perfect balance of sweet from the sugar rim and tangy. I also ordered the oyster Rockefeller. I've had many variations of this and I can't say I was a fan of the way it was made here. I felt like the oyster was lost in all of the toppings. I also had a grilled mahi taco. I loved the flavor combo of the fish and cabbage. We briefly went upstairs to the lounge area. It was nice. It had a club type of vibe. All in all, I will be back. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - GRILLED MAHI TACO and Lemon Drop - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Food was not good. Calamari was overcooked and rubbery. Shrimp and Grits were served cold...twice! Service was just barely adequate. Ambience was ok, but food usually makes up for it; but not this time read more

The seafood itself needs to improve. I had more shells than seafood and had to pay for basically shells. I could've went to the beach and got them for free. And the audacity that the waitress asked me if everything was okay. I had to smile and say yes because she just works there. read more

Our first time visiting the area and we were very pleased with this place. We ordered the fried oyster and got a dozen of the house oysters . The fried oysters were some of the best that I've had, the crispy flavor filled batter coated the oyster perfectly . There are times when fried oysters can become significantly over cooked and chewy, but this was not the case for these delights. They were cooked perfectly and priced really well. The raw oysters were on happy hour which was definitely a plus. The service was prompt and the parking was convenient. We will definitely return if we are in the area . ~FOODis£0¥€ For a more in depth view of this place and others be sure to check out AtlFoodGoals on IG and TikTok. read more

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What a delightful place. I went and sat at the bar and they have a great happy hour that runs until 7 PM. Who does that? People that want customers come in consistently. That's it. And I had to happy hour margaritas ( five dollars each ) The corn fritters with maple butter ($6), and a dozen raw oysters for $18! The steps behind the bar was super attentive and even shut the oysters in front of me. Will definitely be coming back to this place for good eats on the cheap. read more

Pearlz Oyster Bar - Delicious oysters and corn fritters. - Seafood Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We went last weekend. Our waitress came and took our drink order. We received them right away. We placed an order for oysters and waited and waited. We could see a dozen oysters sitting up on the back bar. We noticed all the raw bar workers on their phones and then looked over to see all wait staff on their phones. We were not going to eat those oysters after watching them sit for so long. We finally got our waitress's attention and paid our drink order and left. So very disappointed as we were really looking forward to a nice dinner. read more