The food was wonderful and the service was excellent. I went for an early Mother's Day dinner on a Saturday night and there were people at the bar having their own good time, but the space is set up well and it didn't impede on our dinner. Great for any vibe
Cliver
The food is excellent- the mussels were the stand out. Wine by the bottle is half price on Wednesday which is tremendous value. I asked if I could get the fish bites off the bar menu but they would not do that which was disappointing.
The food here was absolutely phenomenal. We ate just about everything possible and everything was simply amazing. The people at the bar were extremely loud so that's kind of a down side but besides that it was amazing
What a great spot. We sat at the bar. Phil is the man. He had great recommendations and so we went with the mussels, an assortment of oysters, and their shrimp cocktail which is unique to this place. It is clear the staff love working at Pearl Dive and that makes all the difference for the customers' experience. If you want a quiet, douchey place go elsewhere. This place was vibrant and fun for everyone. We will be back.
Susie
met my daughter for happy hour at the bar before dinner. Great happy hour prices for drinks and a nice selection of eats.  we had the mussels which were delicious. We then moved to the dining room and we each had the seafood gumbo with the added sausage and it was awesome.
Hercules
Yummmm! We tried ALL of the hot oyster plates and they were excellent! The drinks were spot on! I am GF and we were able to get good info from our waiter about what we could have or alter. (Chef there is no reason cornmeal fries oysters need flour too) We will be back!
The food and service were great. The drinks tasted awesome. Clam chowder is a must. One very minor issue was the bench seating where your back is facing the front of the restaurant is significantly shorter than the chair across from me which lead to a weird height difference between me and the person I was eating with (they were like a foot taller than me. Felt like the bench seating is too short for the table.
EatAllTheFoods
This is a great find in the middle of DC. So glad we picked here to celebrate my best friend's birthday. Staff here are super attentive and the food was top notch- we had Oysters Rockefeller, ponchartrain eggs Benedict, and bloody Mary's. Everything was seasoned perfectly and portioned perfectly. 10/10 would recommend.
GaryC
We live on the coast in NC, but we've never found a restaurant to compare to Pearl Dive for oyster selection and quality. So every time we visit DC, a meal at Pearl Dive is a MUST!!! Beyond the oysters, the chef and the servers are amazing!!! Tried their brunch today and it delivered. LOVE this place.
lawdawg
Pearl Dive never disappoints! Olivia took great care of us—had birthday cocktails, baked oysters—all fabulous—wine, gumbo, key lime pie. What's not to love? Don't miss if you're an oyster lover!
We had another great diner at Pearl Dive. We were a party of six, my husband and I had been there twice before and really hoped it was still as good as we remembered since it was our idea to go there. It was wonderful! the oysters Tchoupitoulas were amazing, I gave everyone a taste and all agreed they would get it next time, even a non oyster lover! The oysters Rockefeller were delicious and so were the wood grilled oysters. Still, the Tchoupitoulas were the best. Two of us had shrimp and grits and loved it, so delicious. The cats dreams was a dream according to my husband and the Paella and gumbos were given high praise by the others. The ceasar was very good too as per the couple who ordered it. The noise level was loud, really the only complaint, but it was a happy kind of loud. Our waitstaff were all excellent and attentive without over doing it. Great dinner all around and we will be back.
RayBuckeye
The entire experience with Pearl Dive was awesome. I had a reservation. Once I arrived, I was immediately seated. The server provided water and took our orders immediately. The foot tasted great. And most important, the espresso martinis were amazing. Best in the district. The bartenders were awesome too!
Adam Adam
Came in for some food I ordered a spicy margarita Rockefeller oysters and steak.We got the Rockefeller came over something that look like grits, but it turn out to be salt I took a bite out of it, and I felt sick instantly I would’ve thought that they would let me know as soon as they drop off the plate that’s not edible it’s salt, instead everyone treated me like I was an idiot we didn’t even get acknowledged by the manager. And on top of it all, on our way out, one of the servers made some comments towards my lady and here is what he said,( we will be waiting on you next week. Beautiful), and was looking up and down on her.The place has a lot to offer, but it lacks leader shipOur server was friendly.
The food was wonderful and the service was excellent. I went for an early Mother's Day dinner on a Saturday night and there were people at the bar having their own good time, but the space is set up well and it didn't impede on our dinner. Great for any vibe
The food is excellent- the mussels were the stand out. Wine by the bottle is half price on Wednesday which is tremendous value. I asked if I could get the fish bites off the bar menu but they would not do that which was disappointing.
The food here was absolutely phenomenal. We ate just about everything possible and everything was simply amazing. The people at the bar were extremely loud so that's kind of a down side but besides that it was amazing
What a great spot. We sat at the bar. Phil is the man. He had great recommendations and so we went with the mussels, an assortment of oysters, and their shrimp cocktail which is unique to this place. It is clear the staff love working at Pearl Dive and that makes all the difference for the customers' experience. If you want a quiet, douchey place go elsewhere. This place was vibrant and fun for everyone. We will be back.
met my daughter for happy hour at the bar before dinner. Great happy hour prices for drinks and a nice selection of eats.  we had the mussels which were delicious. We then moved to the dining room and we each had the seafood gumbo with the added sausage and it was awesome.
Yummmm! We tried ALL of the hot oyster plates and they were excellent! The drinks were spot on! I am GF and we were able to get good info from our waiter about what we could have or alter. (Chef there is no reason cornmeal fries oysters need flour too) We will be back!
The food and service were great. The drinks tasted awesome. Clam chowder is a must. One very minor issue was the bench seating where your back is facing the front of the restaurant is significantly shorter than the chair across from me which lead to a weird height difference between me and the person I was eating with (they were like a foot taller than me. Felt like the bench seating is too short for the table.
This is a great find in the middle of DC. So glad we picked here to celebrate my best friend's birthday. Staff here are super attentive and the food was top notch- we had Oysters Rockefeller, ponchartrain eggs Benedict, and bloody Mary's. Everything was seasoned perfectly and portioned perfectly. 10/10 would recommend.
We live on the coast in NC, but we've never found a restaurant to compare to Pearl Dive for oyster selection and quality. So every time we visit DC, a meal at Pearl Dive is a MUST!!! Beyond the oysters, the chef and the servers are amazing!!! Tried their brunch today and it delivered. LOVE this place.
Pearl Dive never disappoints! Olivia took great care of us—had birthday cocktails, baked oysters—all fabulous—wine, gumbo, key lime pie. What's not to love? Don't miss if you're an oyster lover!
Restaurantji Recommends
We had another great diner at Pearl Dive. We were a party of six, my husband and I had been there twice before and really hoped it was still as good as we remembered since it was our idea to go there. It was wonderful! the oysters Tchoupitoulas were amazing, I gave everyone a taste and all agreed they would get it next time, even a non oyster lover! The oysters Rockefeller were delicious and so were the wood grilled oysters. Still, the Tchoupitoulas were the best. Two of us had shrimp and grits and loved it, so delicious. The cats dreams was a dream according to my husband and the Paella and gumbos were given high praise by the others. The ceasar was very good too as per the couple who ordered it. The noise level was loud, really the only complaint, but it was a happy kind of loud. Our waitstaff were all excellent and attentive without over doing it. Great dinner all around and we will be back.
The entire experience with Pearl Dive was awesome. I had a reservation. Once I arrived, I was immediately seated. The server provided water and took our orders immediately. The foot tasted great. And most important, the espresso martinis were amazing. Best in the district. The bartenders were awesome too!
Came in for some food I ordered a spicy margarita Rockefeller oysters and steak.We got the Rockefeller came over something that look like grits, but it turn out to be salt I took a bite out of it, and I felt sick instantly I would’ve thought that they would let me know as soon as they drop off the plate that’s not edible it’s salt, instead everyone treated me like I was an idiot we didn’t even get acknowledged by the manager. And on top of it all, on our way out, one of the servers made some comments towards my lady and here is what he said,( we will be waiting on you next week. Beautiful), and was looking up and down on her.The place has a lot to offer, but it lacks leader shipOur server was friendly.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Food was outstanding and service was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Happy hour deals are great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters