Does and done to heaven. Their Thursday oyster happy hour special is delicious. Handcrafted cocktails will not disappoint. Service is ok as it is extremely busy during dinner. You don't get a ton of attention. However, I feel that the quality of the food makes up for it.
Joel C.
We went during happy hour on a Tuesday at 5:30. There were only a handful of patrons there at the time. I had the cowboy stew and my wife had the short ribs with risotto. The meals were truly delicious. We eat out often and we both agreed it was the best meal we had in quite some time. We couldn't wait for dessert. Unfortunately, the dessert was disappointing, especially after enjoying such wonderful entrees. We shared the bread pudding. It was served with a scoop of caramel ice cream. The ice cream was tasty, but the cold bread pudding Had no flavor whatsoever. I would highly recommend this restaurant, just avoid the bread pudding.
F Villanueva
Really good place to eat at
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charred Octopus, Oysters on the Half Shell
Robert ..
While looking for a Seafood place while camping at Santee Lakes, we are very pleased to report that Oyster & Pearl Bar Restaurant did not disappoint! The Oyster shooters with Pepper Vodka were DELICIOUS! Plus, Thursday's offer $1 oysters (not shooters) so we ordered a dozen cold water oysters as well as the $9 shooters. My wife enjoyed the pasta & clams for dinner, while I thoroughly enjoyed the Cioppino with pasta. Our server Sara was very attentive & responsive. We dined fireside out doors. All in all, I highly recommend this fine dining establishment!
C F
To start our server was an absolute gem, he was super attentive and had such a great personality. The first cocktail was full of passion fruit puree it looked ro be a Call Finest Passionfruit you could just see the overly orange pulp floating in the drink no balanced at all and extremely sweet. The mojitos were good though. My entree however was just inedible, my partner ate the noodles but the balsamic was so strong the acid was just killing your taste buds. I politely did not eat and grabbed food on the way home!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Elianna Vasquez
Love the restaurant! Great food and service!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lam B.
Despite oyster being part of the name, I found everything else to be more impressive. Oyster & Pearl Bar had great happy hour deals but the food wasn't mind blowing. While they preferred reservations, it wasn't too crowded at opening. There were happy hour deals every day of the week, which included a discount on cocktails, oysters, appetizers and salads. Drinks came out quickly followed by oysters and appetizers. Hot dishes noticeably took a longer time. Our server was great and consistently came to check on us. There was a 3.5% discount for all bills paid in cash. =ORDERED= *Oysters: these were $2 each during happy hour. They were rather small yet very briny. Instead of the classic cocktail sauce, vinegar or mignonette, we were served three Asian inspired sauces. The sauces were watery and lacked substantial flavor. The oysters weren't sandy but each one had residual shell. *Roasted Beets and Wild Arugula: true to its name in regards to ingredients. I opted out of the goat cheese but I didn't see any scallions or herbs amidst the leafy arugula. The beets were sweet and tender although I would have loved to see a greater char. Refreshing albeit simple. *Yukon Gold Fries: perfectly golden and crispy. Strong mustiness from the truffle oil and saltiness from the Parmesan. The portion was generous and would be easily shared amongst 2-3 people. *Sweet Corn Bisque with Baja Stone Crab: hearty serving with a decent amount of crab. The bisque was thick, salty and sweet. Once again the herbs seemed nonexistent and I would have liked a complimentary herbaceous topping or oil to offset the sweetness. *Tangerine Mojito: heavier on the rum hence a weaker citrus profile. Would have loved for some more mint to make this drink more refreshing. *Champagne 95: similar champagne forward with minimal pineapple flavor. Not bad if you want a simple taste but I wouldn't get this again. Overall I was satisfied with my meal during happy hour but I wouldn't pay full price for anything. The fries were the most memorable while the seafood and drinks felt underwhelming. The $2 oysters were lacking especially when other restaurants have superior $1 specials for better quality. Okay happy hour location but nothing more.
Kim T.
This is definitely a "cozy neighborhood spot" where you can come solo, on a date, or with a group of family/friends. My husband and I were able to sit at the bar area on a weekday night without any reservations. We mostly ordered from the appetizers section because it was our first time and we wanted to try multiple dishes. The seafood was super fresh and cooked so well! The oysters are a must try and I loved the octopus - incredibly tender. The drinks were sweeter than I'd like but still tasted great with the food. It's definitely a nice dinner option but I'll definitely be back to try other menu options. It was a little cold when we went but the patio area looked cozy and surrounding fire was a nice touc
Robin Dohrn-Simpson
This neighborhood restaurant is a real gem. The food is upscale. The wine list is pretty good. We visited for Restaurant Week and the price was very good $35.00 for 3 courses.Parking: Parking is right in front of the restaurant
My friends and I recently visited this restaurant, excited for a promising meal. Unfortunately, our experience was underwhelming. After being seated, we faced an unexpected hour-long wait for our food, despite the restaurant not being overly busy. When our meals finally arrived, the portion sizes were disappointingly small, not aligning with our expectations or the menu descriptions. The insufficiency of the meal led us to seek additional food at another restaurant, overshadowing what was supposed to be a pleasant dining experience. Although the setting and menu initially seemed promising, the long wait and inadequate portions were major letdowns.
Excellent food, great happy hour prices. My favorite is the burrata tomato and olive salad. Ill go back just for that. MAKE A RESERVATION. Seating is limited
Charles M.
We were extremely disappointed. We went during restaurant week. Our first course was oysters, they were the smallest oysters we have ever seen. Our next course was the seafood stew, San Francisco style. It consisted of two pieces of shrimp, mussles, calamari, and one piece of fish, in a bowl of thin sauce, with large pieces of sourdough bread. Not what we expected. Dessert was sorbet served completely frozen, it resembled chunks of ice cubes. We have dined out hundreds of times and this meal ranks as one of the worst. Needless to say we will not return to that restaurant. Charles M.
Tony C.
Went there for Restaurant Week special menu. Still one of our favorite boutique restaurants in East County.
Janine K.
We went on a Tuesday evening. The drinks took a long time and both of the cocktails we had were a bit watered down. We ordered 18 oysters that were all tiny, which was super disappointing. In all fairness, the server warned us that they were extra small that night... I did not even know that oysters came that tiny, they were a literally about the size of a dime! The Chioppino was delicious, the fries were a large portion, and the chowder was great. We liked the atmosphere too. I know a lot of people that love this place so we would go back and try it again, but hopefully the cocktails and oysters will be better next time.
Aubrie K.
Unfortunate as it is, food was amazing but service was seriously lacking. I'm not one to write bad reviews but I think it needs to be brought to a manager's attention. When we first arrived, there was a mix up with the reservation as the hostess that took our reservation over the phone failed to put our reservation in the system. It happens, it's fine really, but having four hostesses or servers claiming that "Beverly was a new host and doesn't know how to do her job right, we NEED to speak with her" to the guests is what rubbed us the wrong way. We get that stuff happens, we didn't really need to know all the details the first five minutes we were in the restaurant. We get that it's restaurant week and it gets busy, again, not an issue at all we definitely expected delays but our server failed to visit our table and we constantly had to flag anyone else down for utensils or even napkins (I mean they gave us a single napkin for three of us). After a while, we attempted to flag down a manager to prevent us from having to write this review but they again, failed to aid. As it's not the customer's job to mention to the server the difference between professionalism and transparency, it really sucked that we were put in the position to do so. For a place that has really good food and even apparently shares a sister restaurant next door, it would just be highly suggested that they need to better explain to their staff how to properly communicate with guests. Apparently it isn't anything new as reviews below have similar suggestions.
Does and done to heaven. Their Thursday oyster happy hour special is delicious. Handcrafted cocktails will not disappoint. Service is ok as it is extremely busy during dinner. You don't get a ton of attention. However, I feel that the quality of the food makes up for it.
We went during happy hour on a Tuesday at 5:30. There were only a handful of patrons there at the time. I had the cowboy stew and my wife had the short ribs with risotto. The meals were truly delicious. We eat out often and we both agreed it was the best meal we had in quite some time. We couldn't wait for dessert. Unfortunately, the dessert was disappointing, especially after enjoying such wonderful entrees. We shared the bread pudding. It was served with a scoop of caramel ice cream. The ice cream was tasty, but the cold bread pudding Had no flavor whatsoever. I would highly recommend this restaurant, just avoid the bread pudding.
Really good place to eat at
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charred Octopus, Oysters on the Half Shell
While looking for a Seafood place while camping at Santee Lakes, we are very pleased to report that Oyster & Pearl Bar Restaurant did not disappoint! The Oyster shooters with Pepper Vodka were DELICIOUS! Plus, Thursday's offer $1 oysters (not shooters) so we ordered a dozen cold water oysters as well as the $9 shooters. My wife enjoyed the pasta & clams for dinner, while I thoroughly enjoyed the Cioppino with pasta. Our server Sara was very attentive & responsive. We dined fireside out doors. All in all, I highly recommend this fine dining establishment!
To start our server was an absolute gem, he was super attentive and had such a great personality. The first cocktail was full of passion fruit puree it looked ro be a Call Finest Passionfruit you could just see the overly orange pulp floating in the drink no balanced at all and extremely sweet. The mojitos were good though. My entree however was just inedible, my partner ate the noodles but the balsamic was so strong the acid was just killing your taste buds. I politely did not eat and grabbed food on the way home!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Love the restaurant! Great food and service!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Despite oyster being part of the name, I found everything else to be more impressive. Oyster & Pearl Bar had great happy hour deals but the food wasn't mind blowing. While they preferred reservations, it wasn't too crowded at opening. There were happy hour deals every day of the week, which included a discount on cocktails, oysters, appetizers and salads. Drinks came out quickly followed by oysters and appetizers. Hot dishes noticeably took a longer time. Our server was great and consistently came to check on us. There was a 3.5% discount for all bills paid in cash. =ORDERED= *Oysters: these were $2 each during happy hour. They were rather small yet very briny. Instead of the classic cocktail sauce, vinegar or mignonette, we were served three Asian inspired sauces. The sauces were watery and lacked substantial flavor. The oysters weren't sandy but each one had residual shell. *Roasted Beets and Wild Arugula: true to its name in regards to ingredients. I opted out of the goat cheese but I didn't see any scallions or herbs amidst the leafy arugula. The beets were sweet and tender although I would have loved to see a greater char. Refreshing albeit simple. *Yukon Gold Fries: perfectly golden and crispy. Strong mustiness from the truffle oil and saltiness from the Parmesan. The portion was generous and would be easily shared amongst 2-3 people. *Sweet Corn Bisque with Baja Stone Crab: hearty serving with a decent amount of crab. The bisque was thick, salty and sweet. Once again the herbs seemed nonexistent and I would have liked a complimentary herbaceous topping or oil to offset the sweetness. *Tangerine Mojito: heavier on the rum hence a weaker citrus profile. Would have loved for some more mint to make this drink more refreshing. *Champagne 95: similar champagne forward with minimal pineapple flavor. Not bad if you want a simple taste but I wouldn't get this again. Overall I was satisfied with my meal during happy hour but I wouldn't pay full price for anything. The fries were the most memorable while the seafood and drinks felt underwhelming. The $2 oysters were lacking especially when other restaurants have superior $1 specials for better quality. Okay happy hour location but nothing more.
This is definitely a "cozy neighborhood spot" where you can come solo, on a date, or with a group of family/friends. My husband and I were able to sit at the bar area on a weekday night without any reservations. We mostly ordered from the appetizers section because it was our first time and we wanted to try multiple dishes. The seafood was super fresh and cooked so well! The oysters are a must try and I loved the octopus - incredibly tender. The drinks were sweeter than I'd like but still tasted great with the food. It's definitely a nice dinner option but I'll definitely be back to try other menu options. It was a little cold when we went but the patio area looked cozy and surrounding fire was a nice touc
This neighborhood restaurant is a real gem. The food is upscale. The wine list is pretty good. We visited for Restaurant Week and the price was very good $35.00 for 3 courses.Parking: Parking is right in front of the restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cioppino, Truffle Fries, Bread Pudding, Butternut Squash Ravioli
My friends and I recently visited this restaurant, excited for a promising meal. Unfortunately, our experience was underwhelming. After being seated, we faced an unexpected hour-long wait for our food, despite the restaurant not being overly busy. When our meals finally arrived, the portion sizes were disappointingly small, not aligning with our expectations or the menu descriptions. The insufficiency of the meal led us to seek additional food at another restaurant, overshadowing what was supposed to be a pleasant dining experience. Although the setting and menu initially seemed promising, the long wait and inadequate portions were major letdowns.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent food, great happy hour prices. My favorite is the burrata tomato and olive salad. Ill go back just for that. MAKE A RESERVATION. Seating is limited
We were extremely disappointed. We went during restaurant week. Our first course was oysters, they were the smallest oysters we have ever seen. Our next course was the seafood stew, San Francisco style. It consisted of two pieces of shrimp, mussles, calamari, and one piece of fish, in a bowl of thin sauce, with large pieces of sourdough bread. Not what we expected. Dessert was sorbet served completely frozen, it resembled chunks of ice cubes. We have dined out hundreds of times and this meal ranks as one of the worst. Needless to say we will not return to that restaurant. Charles M.
Went there for Restaurant Week special menu. Still one of our favorite boutique restaurants in East County.
We went on a Tuesday evening. The drinks took a long time and both of the cocktails we had were a bit watered down. We ordered 18 oysters that were all tiny, which was super disappointing. In all fairness, the server warned us that they were extra small that night... I did not even know that oysters came that tiny, they were a literally about the size of a dime! The Chioppino was delicious, the fries were a large portion, and the chowder was great. We liked the atmosphere too. I know a lot of people that love this place so we would go back and try it again, but hopefully the cocktails and oysters will be better next time.
Unfortunate as it is, food was amazing but service was seriously lacking. I'm not one to write bad reviews but I think it needs to be brought to a manager's attention. When we first arrived, there was a mix up with the reservation as the hostess that took our reservation over the phone failed to put our reservation in the system. It happens, it's fine really, but having four hostesses or servers claiming that "Beverly was a new host and doesn't know how to do her job right, we NEED to speak with her" to the guests is what rubbed us the wrong way. We get that stuff happens, we didn't really need to know all the details the first five minutes we were in the restaurant. We get that it's restaurant week and it gets busy, again, not an issue at all we definitely expected delays but our server failed to visit our table and we constantly had to flag anyone else down for utensils or even napkins (I mean they gave us a single napkin for three of us). After a while, we attempted to flag down a manager to prevent us from having to write this review but they again, failed to aid. As it's not the customer's job to mention to the server the difference between professionalism and transparency, it really sucked that we were put in the position to do so. For a place that has really good food and even apparently shares a sister restaurant next door, it would just be highly suggested that they need to better explain to their staff how to properly communicate with guests. Apparently it isn't anything new as reviews below have similar suggestions.