Good food, long wait. Came here on a Saturday night and we couldn't get a table, so we ordered out instead. It still took an hour to get our food, but it was pretty good. People seem to come from all over to have dinner here. People working here are pretty nice. There's self-service water outside in the patio and there was a live band playing. The corn bread was delicious! Sample dinner menu items: Catfish Po'boy $12 Fried whitefish muffuletta $14 Shrimp alfredo $21 Beef brisket $22 Jambalaya $20 Southern fried chicken $16 Etouffee $21 They have a gravel parking lot. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) read more

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Food and service was great. Great Mardi Gras deco throughout the place adds to the experience. If you are looking for Louisiana cuisine up north this is the place. read more

Food ok but service terrible. Person at front desk had terrible attitude. Waitress forgot to come back. I had to get up and go find her to get check. It was my wife's choice for her birthday meal. Very disappointed. Will never come back. read more

Wished I had taken a picture of our food. We really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as we did because we don't usually like spicy foods. We got cajun, Ribeye pork steaks and Beef brisket. It was a bit spicy but really great flavor. Highly recommend. The service was great. We were seated quickly and the waitress served our drinks and gave us time to enjoy them before our meal arrived. Everything was perfectly timed. read more

I have been to Nawlens and the only thing Cajun about Pearl's was the name of the food items on the menu. I had the smallest piece of blackened (really?) catfish I have ever seen. Sorry. I was very disappointed. read more

Outstanding authentic Creole and Cajun food, very cute decor, and attentive, cheerful service. How much more can you ask for?

I was excited to try Pearl's based on all of the hype. It was such a disappointment. I love all things Cajun/creole/nola but this missed the mark terribly. Service at the bar was great, however. read more

Best Cajun food we've had in a long time. We had shrimp & grits and shrimp gumbo and both were great. So much to choose from - we'll be back! read more

Love some soul food and this didn't disappoint. Tastes are next level. Would recommend 100%

A good place to meet friends for drinks. The food is nowhere New Orleans quality if you have ever been to NOLA. Neat atmosphere and the staff is usually friendly. read more

Completely marginal. Server was great. I'm a bit of a food snob, but seems to me that they rely on their starchy sides with cheese sauce to make the meal. Fish. Was fishy. Veg was not even sautéed with spice/butter/oil. Unremarkable. read more

reservations are strongly recommended-even on a week night. Excellent food and the wait staff were great too. My catfish was breaded and fried to crispy perfection and the hush puppies were the best I've had. A must see are the murals in the ladies bathroom. Instagram pic worthy! I assume the mens room has murals too but I doubt they'd snap selfies! Parking is a bit of a nightmare. read more

Food quality dropped drastically. My order came over loaded and overcooked. Will not return. read more

Worst service I've had in a long time. Serve took our drink and appetizer order then disappeared for half an hour. Finally found another server to ask about our order. Gave them 5 minutes to figure it out, then walked after no one showed up. On the way out I spoke to the manager and to her credit she replied "I'm sorry I just got here, I'll take care of the drinks and apps." Unfortunately it was too much too late to salvage our visit. Unfortunately we didn't even get to try the food but the table next to us didn't seemed too pleased with there's. All of this mid week at 2:30 in the afternoon. Don't bother. read more

Great food loved the shrimp and grits, which could have had a little thicker or more flavorful sauce, as the flavor didn't soak into the shrimp as well as it could have. That's the only knock, the ingredients were delicious and I look forward to trying this place again! read more

It was disappointing to be honest, really not super great. We both ordered off of the vegetarian menu (vegan) and found the food to be on the bland side, which, was unexpected for Cajun food. Ultimately our dishes were lightly seasoned diced vegetables on top of a large serving of white rice. It wasn't awful or anything, but, it didn't live up to the hype. I'm sure some of the non vegan dishes do - but - that's the perspective I'm writing this review from. At a minimum it wasn't worth an hour wait to be seated and I can't imagine ever going back or recommending it. Service was amazing though, our waitress was great! I will give them credit there. read more

Pearl’s - Vegetarian/Vegan Menu - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Elk Rapids, Michigan

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Another fun meal in total New Orleans atmosphere, starting with gator bites and selecting shrimp entree.. Friends had tender, sweet whitefish .. Opened at 11 and we arrived Wednesday at 11:30 with few patrons and excellent service. Fun mural in restroom .. A must-do, as we'll return. read more

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The service at the bar is awful. We ordered a bread basket ans appetizer.....and the bartender just stood there and let our dirty dishes just stack up. Our meals finally come and only then did she take our empty trays.The bar wasn't crowded and she simply walked by us over and over. Food is terrific. Service sucks. Update: we have been waiting 35 minutes for our entrees and they still arent here. You know what still is here? Our bread basket and empty appetizer trays. Not once did the bartender stop to clean our area. Stay away. Theres places with equal food and better service. read more

We love Pearl's! Definitely get the gumbo and a moonshine - make it a strawberry moonshine if you want to switch it up!

Come here hungry - seriously hungry. The food is soooooo good and the portions are HUGE.... like feed your whole family huge lol. The restaurant itself has a interesting vibe but is fun and just works. My only regret here was munching on the bread basket because I should have saved that room for more food! Lol read more

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Fun ambiance and big portions! Service was also very quick and friendly! Would definitely eat there again.

Funky place walls lined with hot sauces from about the globe. Easy place to hang out. We had lunch Gwen was our server. Gwen was great knew the menu, daily specials and had great insight to the menu. We split the daily lunch special blackened salmon (awesome) with their Jambalaya (great) all at Gwens suggestion. Great meal better service. read more

All in all the best restaurant in the area. Great Cajun food. Reasonably priced and super service. Best managed restaurant I've ever been to. Customer is number one. read more

Pearl's was highly recommended and it didn't disappoint! Mallory (make onions cry) and Sean are Amazing bartenders, totally made this an enjoyable experience. I was told I have the "can laugh", which was a funny conversation. The low chairs at the bar are eye level with the bartenders. It has that "Cheers" feel. Shrimp Po'boy, Brisket Po'boy, cheddar mashed potatoes, hush puppies, laughs and conversations are all fantastic. (Was excited about the food didn't get a photo) read more

Wait staff is great. While not the same food you'd get on NOLA, is pretty close! Great Decor in the dining room, also great selection of beers and other bar items. read more

Wonderful atmosphere and overall great choices. They miss out on five stars as I didn't particularly care for their mint Julip . Also I ordered a celiac option taste testing, for a soon to be visiting friend who needs that option, which had no taste. Wonderful apps and the shrimp and grits are my favorite. read more

Update: An employee was awaiting testing and came to work the day we were there. This place is very unsafe. The food was fine though! I feel awful rating any restaurant poorly during a time when the entire industry is struggling. However, my experience at Pearls warranted a very bad review. I placed an order for curbside pickup and was told that the food would be ready in 30 minutes. I then drove forty minutes to the restaurant, only to wait another forty minutes for the food to be ready. There was no communication from the restaurant that we would have to wait, they said to just park and wait until our name was called. While waiting in the curbside pickup spot, I observed both clientele and staff not observing social distancing rules. I'll update after I eat. But I doubt I will ever come back. read more

Pearl of northern Michigan, food was fast and absolutely amazing. From the first bite of the complimentary dish, I just knew that this was it. Keep up the good work! read more

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

Pearls is a gem, with a small flaw. My husband ordered the jambalaya and said it was awesome. I'm vegan and they offered fried green tomatoes on top of broth with creole spices, tomatoes and celery, very good! Here's where it goes wrong, I ordered the vegan jambalaya and it was so disappointing as there was no spices, none just white rice, celery and tomatoes, did someone forget? We will go back but I'm hoping chef adds spices to the vegan jambalaya. read more

This is THE place to eat while in Elk Rapids. Where else (in northern Michigan) can you eat with a gator on the ceiling and mari gras beads hanging from its teeth? Or a dragon/gator crawling out of the wall? Or Mardi Gras masks hanging from the ceiling? Or get beads on your cocktail? I've been here many times and never been disappointed by the food. Whenever my family is in town, we all go out to dinner here. All 20 of us. And the service is always great and nothing has ever been incorrect or needed to be sent back. My family loves this place so much that we all got matching shirts. The cocktails are delicious. The food scrumptious. The service friendly. And the bathrooms clean. What more could you ask for? A patio? Well, surprise! They have a great one of those too! You can just about see the golf course from their patio, which can make for an exciting lunch if someone hits a stray ball towards the road. read more

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Had the catfish sandwich and it was okay but too much bread and not very much fish. Sweet potato fries came out cold. Long wait on a Friday night but enjoyable to sit on the patio, sip a drink from the bar and listen to the live music outside. Fun place but food seemed just okay read more

their dirty martinis are fantastic. their corn bread is to die for, overall this is a fine rest. the owners know how to run a rest.

Their jambalaya was the best I've ever had. My husband got the chicken sandwich and it was also the best and it was huge!! Pearls has great food. One of my favorite restaurants. read more

This was an excellent meal. The cornbread in the bread basket was fantastic. We had some specials. The drunken pretzel bites were great. The bbq shrimp were great. The stroganoff was fantastic. The jambalaya was amazing. The pork ribeye was terrific. Highly recommend and will definitely be back. read more

Great Cajun style food, fast service, reasonable prices. Always busy. Outdoor patio seating during warmer weather. Parking on roadside if lot is full. read more

If you find yourself up in the Elk Rapids area this is a MUST!!! This is one of my favorite places in the Elk Rapids area. It's an awesome New Orleans feel as soon as you walk in. From the rows and rows of hot sauce on the wall to the bright colors throughout its a very Mardi Gras themed. One thing that's a must when coming here is the Crawfish Corn Chowder. It is packed with flavor! A hearty soup with the perfect blend of creole seasonings, crawfish, potatoes, onions, bacon, and other goodies! Another starter that comes out hot and fresh is the jalapeño cornbread that's on the house. Served with butter this a great little side that comes with a little heat. The Smoked Turkey Club Muffuletta is AMAZING. Smoked turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, olive salad, and a spicy mayo make up this delicious sandwich. It's served hot with a side of chips or upgrade to fries. The Olive Salad really makes this sandwich it's a perfect blend of spices, olives, and capers. I will continue to recommend this place to anyone and everyone that's looking for a little taste of Nola here in the North! read more

Pearl’s - Smoked Turkey Club Muffuletta! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Elk Rapids, Michigan

Had the jambalaya and my wife had the shrimp and grits. Both were very tasty. Jambalaya was a bit on the spicy side, I enjoyed it. Sauce along side the grits was a bit tomatoey grits and shrimp was very good We will return. read more

Only in the area for 2 nights . will definitely return on our next visit. Love Cajun food and New Orleans but wasn't expecting to find good Cajun in Michigan. Liked the décor, food and drinks .. and great service. Really good bar .. but the female bathroom décor is WRONG .. clowns looking down on me while I pee ... just wrong. read more

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I had a great surprise tonight for dinner. Torch Lake just north of Traverse City, MI has been my vacation location since Friday. Finally tonight we got to Pearl's New Orleans Kitchen. All I can say is, "Wow!" I generally take a brief look at the bar for possibilities..... my eyes popped when I saw the bourbon selection! The food was outstanding too. If you get to TVC I suggest a trip up to Elk Rapids and a visit to Pearl's. My ettoufee with blackened shrimp and andouille was top notch and as good as my cup of gumbo prior. The Cajun crawfish enchiladas were enjoyed by one of my party but the ladies didn't enjoy their pork prime rib specials as they came out tough. Desert was shared with four spoons and was a highlight. Blackberry sour mash cobbler with ice cream was to die for. The bourbon selection and prices are a highlight. This is an Elk River must see. read more

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

Nola is my 2nd home so I'm picky when it comes to Cajun food. While the food is not traditional Cajun or Creole, I'm happy to give Pearl's 4 stars for the variety, atmosphere & service. From the photos, this is obviously a casual & lively kind of place. Came here for dinner on a Sunday night & although we waited until 8pm hoping to avoid some of the dinner rush, we didn't. The wait was 1.5 hours & they were out of buzzers. The hostesses directed us to come back in 20 min for a buzzer. Wow- there was a wait to wait. They do not take reservations. To some, this may be a strike against a restaurant. Nope, it's 1. Reality (like it or not) & 2. A good sign that I'm in store for some good food. Went to the bar to kill time & 3 seats miraculously opened so we decided to eat there. They offer vegan & gluten free options; 3 specials were written on a board; there's a patio; they offer 4 different types of hot sauce on the table. Our bartender was the best! Very nice & fun to talk to. Food: bread basket was jalapeño cornbread & soft French bread (again, not traditional). Ordered a cup of gumbo to start. Did not like it. Mostly okra & the base of it was just heat - not flavor (& I love spicy). A few bits of andouille & chicken. Main: blackened catfish with mashed potatoes & fried okra. The catfish was spicy & covered w/a crawfish cream sauce. The okra was great as well as the mashed potatoes which were covered in a cheesy sauce. I was so happy but could only eat about half - pretty large portions. BF ordered the whitefish (again, more regional than Cajun). It was ok to me- the rice & spinach mix was buttery. This is more Southern type cooking w/a Cajun flare. If they took reservations, I would definitely come back. Prices were reasonable & service was on point. Lively & fun place! read more