Another amazing meal at Perla last night! We couldn't stop talking about how lucky we are to have…read morethis amazing restaurant just 10 mins down the road from us. The food is so creative, fresh, and delicious, the service is attentive and knowledgeable and consistent (not the norm in the suburbs), and we love the ambiance. It was a gorgeous night to sit outside, but we opted for our favorite - bar seats to watch the action. It's hard to find this level of consistency and creativity even in NYC, but to have it right here in Maplewood is so wonderful. So many restaurants in the suburbs rely on frozen, pre-made items from large restaurant supply chains that finding innovative cooking completely from scratch is a real challenge. In a sea of mediocre restaurants, Perla lives up to its name: a true gem! We have been so impressed by the daily specials this summer. We started out with a scallop crudo with yuzu, jalapeno, and shallots that is my favorite crudo right now. We followed that with the new shrimp tostada and I'm only sorry we didn't order two. Later in our meal, I spied a couple at the other end of the bar who did it right: the wife took one bite and immediately ordered a second one so that she wouldn't have to share. This is the second time we've had the tomato salad with olives, shiso, and white balsamic and I can't get over the flavor combination - it's so unexpected and addictive. We can't pass up the broiled oysters with garlic butter, Calabrian chili, and crispy shallots - a dish I was obsessed with the moment I tried it at a pop-up event before the restaurant even existed. Then we had the broiled branzino with lemon, capers, and a watercress salad - again, the only mistake was not ordering two! We were actually down the shore yesterday, but came home because we were craving this dish. We finished off our meal with anchovy toast, which our favorite dessert paired with a crisp Txakolina. It's four pieces of toasted baguette with a generous spread of really good butter topped with one piece of salt-cured anchovy and one boqueron (a pickled anchovy). I can't recommend this dish highly enough, it is perfectly balanced! We love a BYOB, but it is such a luxury that we can order right from our phones at the restaurant from a local wine shop (Lum's Cellars). It's a curated list that has some really fantastic options that all go so well with the cuisine. We started with an Alberiño and then ordered the Txakolina. No notes! We can't wait for our next meal at Perla.

Perla is a small corner venue on a Main Street in Maplewood. The parking situation is crappy, but…read moreit is free when you find it. They are BYOB with high top seating, "bar area" seating, & some regular tables in the back. Service was friendly & knowledgeable. A great experience all around. We had the Oysters Kilpatrick (a current special), Oysters on the 1/2 shell which we upgraded to one of the seasonal specials, the Broiled, & Shrimp Cocktail. Grades: Oysters Kilpatrick: A+ Oysters on the 1/2 shell (Brined & Shine): A Broiled: A+ Shrimp Cocktail: A

I went with my two closest friends, and from the moment we walked in, the vibe was amazing. The…read morecocktails were creative, beautifully presented, and tasted just as good as they looked. The Lioness was my favorite! The food did not disappoint either. The steak was cooked perfectly and came with flavorful chimichurri, the salmon was tender and well-seasoned, the lamb chops were delicious, and even the truffle Parmesan fries were addictive. We finished with the tres leches cake, and it was hands down the best I've ever had. It was so good it was practically orgasmic. The atmosphere was stylish without feeling pretentious, the service was attentive, and it was the perfect place to catch up with friends over great food and drinks. I'll definitely be back!

Pretty cool vibes with cool decor. Service was decent and the drink I ordered was pretty strong,…read morebut the menu items are limited and a bit pricey for what you seem to get. Ended up moving to the bar a block over for food + more drinks, which ended up being so much more fun. I would recommend coming by with a group of friends + a fuller stomach if you plan to stay here a while!

Food was great, highly recommend to stop by for lunch. It can get quite busy on occasions which…read moreleads to slow service. Overall the vibes were great, we came to watch the World Cup game and they had great deals during the matches.

When entered this cozy neighborhood place on a frigid Sunday afternoon. Greeted warmly by the…read morebartender and took seats at the bar. The place is small with a bar that seats a dozen or so people and some tables against the wall. Also another small dining room that looks like it was added on to the building at some point. I ordered a blue moon from approx two dozen tap choices and wifey ordered a red sangria that she liked. We ordered nachos grande and "street corn smashburger tacos" which were hefty and delicious! Most patrons at the bar seemed to be regulars but everyone was friendly and engaging. The bartender was efficient and very friendly, she made an excellent old fashion for me! We'll be back!

New food service flips this place from night to day. Total 180. Everything we tried was great and…read moreeverything we saw served to other customers looked good. Time to go there and check it out.

This has been a regular visit the past couple days due to it being a convenient place to meet up…read morewith friend while in town. Everything in my previous review still stands - it's still an interesting hybrid of family restaurant, sport bar and lounge. Since my previous review I've had some of the food and it's as expected - average to a bit below average fitting for how I viewed the place before having food. I've managed to try a burger here and was disappointed. I asked for medium-well, it was beyond well done. Dry and not very well seasoned at that. The fries were unacceptable. Plentiful but I'm almost positive these are Ore-Ida frozen fries. The bar pie was also pretty sad. It's about 4 medium slices of thin crust pizza with average sauce flavor. It seemed a bit burnt. I also got a plate of buffalo wings to share with my buddies. Again average. It wouldn't be so bad but the prices are pretty high. All of the things I've tried were $15+ and they ranged from not good to average. The bartenders do put a lot of effort in interacting with you and do well keeping drinks going but the food and the experience is a bit dicey. The locals that frequent here are friendly and have resulted in conversations which help the experience here.

Came here yesterday for brunch with my friend. First time here. First, I want to commend the…read morewaitstaff Catherine. She is an absolute gem! Very, very helpful and my friend and I were kind of a pain as we were asking a lot of questions and I could not decided on what I wanted. The brunch menu is extensive and I wanted everything. I left her a 25% tip, but after I left I felt she deserved more. Speaking of tips, their suggested tip at bottom of receipt is based the check price after taxes. This is stated on the check... The drinks: We decided to start with drinks. My friend had the Moscow mule and I had the Bloody Mary. My bloody Mary was very good and strong and came with 3 huge olives. The olives tasted fresh. I've had weird tasting olives in other places. I liked it so much, I had another. Big mistake... My friend liked her Moscow Mule. The food: I had the turkey burger with bacon and avocado and truffle fries. The burger was cooked to perfection. It was not dry, but juicy without being under cooked. The bacon was perfect and the slices of avocado were fresh. My friend ordered the Ham Benedict. I didn't taste it but she said it was very good. The eggs looked perfectly done. That came with a side of potatoes. I think this will be my new brunch spot when I come to visit North Jersey. I recommend them.

Came there last night for the first time. Met some friends at the bar. The lady bartenders were…read moresurly, inattentive, and just plain mean. Not sure what's up, but these girls are clearly not happy to be there. Hospitality is not their specialty. In contrast, the guys offered kindness, smiles, and friendly banter. Same night, same time, same bar. When I inquired with the host staff, they exchanged knowing glances, smiled, and said, "We hear you." I'm going to guess I'm not the first person to render this opinion. It's a nice place, with a pleasant ambiance, but I don't know how long people will overlook this problem before deciding to stop coming.

First of all' Wow where do I start! Right from the Door it was impressive, You can view the Dining…read morearea where it looked like everyone was enjoying their meal. The Hostess seated us, right away and She has well was impressive with Her Casual Dressy Appearance, which is a nice requirement for this restaurant, which was another quality I liked when making this choice for a Birthday Celebration. Now let's get to the food, A definite'10! I had the Red Snapper and my Friend had the Oxtails, cooked to perfection, and the Sides, were, Jollof Rice and it was Delicious as well! Drinks were good, you could taste the alcohol! There also was a DJ, of course, Saturday night! Waitress was awesome, She had Patience and checked on us frequently and the place was buzzing, and know I know why!‍ I recommend you guys get a Chance To go, Run! Definitely worth the trip!

ambiance Upon…read moreentering the restaurant, they have the check in podium right there along with a back drop of the restaurant name adorned with flowers along the rim for photo opportunities and also a small tucked away private dining area for parties i'm assuming. The main part of the restaurant is cozy and compact. There's a small bar with seating for roughly 10 people at quick glance . Various tables throughout the restaurant along with upstairs loft like tables for a more private experience. lighting was low and the restaurant played music as well ( a mix of hip hop n rnb) overall, it was a vibe . service no complaints at all with service. However, some of the dishes i tried order were already sold out and we were a 730 reservation so i was surprised about that . Food I ordered their " Rasta Pasta w/ Salmon " i was expecting it to be actually spicy and it was devoid of spice. pasta was cooked good though and the veggies were also cooked well. The salmon though was a bit dry for my liking but it wasn't too bad that it was inedible. Overall, i'm glad i tried this spot , however i think the ambience outshines the food here. I'm willing to try other things though to see what else is on their menu and i did see they do have brunch.

Treated us like family!…read more We stepped in to this place with one of my friends who is a local hero in the town. The owners son hosted us at the bar and took great care of us treating us like family and engaging us in conversation all night even staying open a little later as we finished up our evening. We enjoyed some drinks which he excelled with and then tried the chefs special which was a chicken Parmesan sandwich. The sandwich was great and exactly what we needed in that moment. We will definitely be back to check out their brick oven pizzas. Highly recommend for a night out with girls/guys or even a nice date as intimate setting as well.

The food was so eh. It was so much better a few years ago but the menu changed. Maybe the chef?…read moreWill not be going back even though I do like the variety of beers. Maybe eat somewhere else and then come to drink here?

Visited for the first time since they rebranded. The dining room was extremely warm so we moved to…read morea high top in the bar area where it was much cooler. The service was very good. We ordered a bunch of tapas and everything was good. Margherita pinsa, skirt steak skewers, garlic shrimp, chicken lollipops, short rib Mac & Cheese. Then had an espresso martini and an espresso old fashioned. Se definitely plan to return when it is cool enough to sit outside, but it is very pricey so not somewhere we would go frequently unfortunately.

Came here on a friday evening. Sat inside. They had an option to sit outside as well. We got two…read moremocktails. A pineapple one and a lychee one. Both were good but very sweet. I got the tuscan salmon and my sister got the chicken sandwich. The food took a while to come out and the place was not busy. My sister didnt like the chicken sandwich and the fries were undercooked. The salmon was ok with the mash. The spinach was way too salty. We got two desserts to try to salvage the meal. Creme brulee and churros. Both were just ok. Service was subpar as well with it not being busy.

The service did not meet expectations due to inadequate customer support and subpar cleanliness and…read morepresentation. Food-wise, despite the 3pm serving time, the limited options of wing dings and fries did not meet our expectations. The wing dings which were not served as whole wings lacked the necessary seasoning and flavor profile resulting in a mediocre dining experience. There is room for improvement and we will reassess our decision to return.

Good food, excellent service, ambiance is on point! I'm here at least twice out of the month and I…read moretravel to get here. Definitely a go-to spot. Don't let the negative reviews influence your decision to come here. Employees are attentive, even on busy nights. This is definitely a working class establishment! Black owned and serving all!

This is my second time here but first review. We went to…read morecelebrate my daughter getting into the nursing program. We were seated quickly. I had the chicken enchiladas. They were wonderful and tasteful. I haven't enchiladas like that in a long time. I had churros for dessert. Loved that they gave a bowl of chocolate with them as an option to dip. The decor is spectacular. From pictures of musicians on the wall and the waiting area has two benches one with musician mug shot and the other with the last supper with musicians who passed on.

Good restaurant with good food and service. I've been here a few times with family and friends and…read moreenjoyed the food and the drinks. Would recommend for an evening or night out on a date. Good atmosphere as well.