PHLReview
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Pearl & Mary Oyster Bar
Included In
Pearl & Mary is from the team behind Double Knot, Alpen Rose, and Prunella—other midtown village restaurants frequented by 20-somethings in pleather pants taking pictures for their “followers.” This New Orleans-esque raw bar is also a bit of a scene, but it’s a warm and inviting one, and a great place to share inventive small plates and towers of seafood with a date or group or friends.
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
It has the ambiance of a craft cocktail bar, complete with an oyster shucking station, exposed brick, and floor-to-ceiling windows that connect the indoor and outdoor dining areas. If you’re dining solo or with one other person, snag seats at the bar and watch the fastest oyster shuckers this side of Broad Street work their magic. If you’re with a group, though, you’ll want the cushy leather banquette anchored at the back of the restaurant, ideal for watching tipsy couples slurp oysters and friends pass plates of clams casino and tuna tataki.
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
They have the right idea: when it comes to the menu, your best bet is sticking to the raw bar, small plates, and crudo sections. The Grand Tower is a great way to cover all raw bar bases and the octopus al pastor, oysters Rockefeller, and clams casino are all standout shareables, so while the mains are perfectly fine—the buttery lobster roll is a winner—we suggest skipping the larger options and just sharing more crudos and oysters instead.
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
The Schulson Collective never shies away from a theme, and it can leave their restaurants feeling soulless. But Pearl & Mary is as buzzy and chic as it is comfortable and satisfying, and that's no schtick. It’s just a really good restaurant.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
The Grand Tower
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Octopus ‘Al Pastor’
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Oysters Rockefeller
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Red Snapper Crudo
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Hamachi Crudo