The Pearl Diner - Menu

Fried chicken to dream about!! Wonderful hometown atmosphere with excellent service. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

Chicken tenders was good but Mac and cheese not good the banana pudding had only one little slice of banana rest was vanilla wafers the staff was nice and the place was clean I tried it once and don't expect to go back but at least I can say I ate there. Meal type: Lunch Price per person: $10–20

Today my daughter and I had lunch from Ms.Pearl’s food truck. We both had the Cajun beans and rice. Oh my goodness this is a good meal! Plenty of sausage and tastes like my mother would have made if she knew how to cook Cajun food! The spicy cornbread was melt in your mouth good! Thanks to Ms. Pearl and her very nice crew for the great lunch experience. Service: Take out View menu

We had a fantastic dining experience despite the restaurant being extremely busy. Our food arrived quickly, and it was delicious! Ms. Pearl even took the time to sign a cookbook for us, which was a wonderful touch. The service, food quality, and atmosphere all earned a perfect score of 5. For lunch, we highly recommend trying the Banana Pudding, Catfish, Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, and Black Eyed Peas. The meal cost us around $20–30 per person.

We walked into the diner and were greeted by a very rude employee. It felt more like being treated as a herd of cattle than as valued customers, so we decided to leave. Where was the southern hospitality? It was definitely absent at Pearl's Diner. After that experience, I asked several local shop owners for dining recommendations, and they all turned their noses up at the mention of Pearl's. It had been at the top of our list of places to try while in Laurel, and we were so disappointed! Pearl's, you can definitely do better!

It’s possible that the prices were increased due to the Loblolly Festival, but our lunch cost us $44. We haven’t paid those prices for two plates since our Disney visit! We each had a meat and two vegetables, and my husband ordered tea along with a dessert described as "banana pudding" (which turned out to be just cookies and store-bought whipped cream). I hate to say it, but the food was only mediocre. On the plus side, the service was excellent and the staff was very friendly. I would like to give it another try, but I’ll avoid visiting during one of the year's biggest events. Unfortunately, today just wasn’t a great experience for us. View menu

Wow! The food at Pearl's Diner was absolutely amazing! As a local resident for nearly 25 years, I consider myself a connoisseur of Southern cooking, and I can confidently say that this was some of the best Southern food I've ever had (aside from my mother’s and mother-in-law’s cooking). The fried chicken was seasoned to perfection—crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. My mother and I tried several dishes, and everything was fresh and served hot. We visited for lunch on a Monday, and the restaurant was quite empty, which was nice. The service was excellent, and one of the chefs even came over to chat with us, which was the highlight of our visit. We will definitely be back!

We didn’t even get the chance to place our order. We were really excited about dining here, but when we entered the diner, we were instructed to get in line. That was fine, but my husband has Parkinson's disease. We asked if he could be seated while I went to order our food. We were told he could sit, but there was no guarantee we'd be seated at that table afterward. The staff member was not kind, caring, or courteous. So, we decided to leave. As we shared our experience with locals, we learned that the staff doesn’t prioritize returning guests, as they focus on the frequent tourists. Their approach seems to be just to have you come in, eat, pay, and leave. It’s really disappointing.

And if that wasn't enough, the cornbread was simply divine in every aspect—texture, flavor, and ingredients—reminding me of the wonderful meals at my granny's house as a child. The only downside was the black-eyed peas, which were a bit too salty for our taste. However, the butter beans were phenomenal, and I'm glad my wife ordered those since neither of us could finish the black-eyed peas. The sweet potato was just your typical sweet potato—nothing extraordinary. My wife, on the other hand, raved about her fried chicken, claiming it was the best she had ever tasted! She also enjoyed the Mac and Cheese, declaring it the best as well! Overall, the combination of delicious food, excellent ser... View menu