The Pearl Diner - Laurel

We entered the diner and was met by a very rude employee. Felt like a herd of cattle vs being treated as a valued customer....so we left. Where was that southern hospitality? Definitely not at Pearl's Diner. I asked many local shop owners where to eat after the fact and all turned up their nose when Pearls was mentioned. Pearls WAS on top of our list of places to visit while in Laurel.....so disappointed! Pearl's....you can do so much better!!!!

We never even made it to the counter to order. We were sooooo looking forward to eating here and when we entered the diner we were told to get in line. Not a problem, however, my husband has Parkinson's. We asked if he could be seated while I ordered our food. We were told he could sit but there was no guarantee that we would be seated at that table. The man was not kind, caring or courteous. We left. As we shared our experience with locals we were told the staff is not concerned about return guests since the tourist are frequenting the diner. They want you in, eat, pay and go. So sad.

As a kid my grandparents had a small farm in Florida where they grew collard greens, black eyed peas, things the South is known for, but since that time growing up as a kid I have never had collard greens like my granny, until Pearl's! OMG! They were perfect, beyond perfection! There was a place in Charlotte, NC (Merts) who used to be my favorite, but Pearl's took collard greens to another level! And if that's no enough, her cornbread was to die for on so many different levels. Texture, taste, ingredients, again just like being back at my grannies house as a little kid. My only slight would be the black eyed peas, there were too salty, however the butter beans were to die for, so I'm glad my wife got those, because neither one of us were able to eat the black eyed peas. The sweet potato was a sweet potato, nothing remarkable with that. Now my wife said her fried chicken was the best she had ever had! She also got the Mac and Cheese which she said was the best ever! Over all the food, the service and being able to sit outside and enjoy Laurel was a real treat. I'd play for free the rest of my life to eat her collard greens! I didn't get to meet Pearl, although my wife said she saw her in the kitchen, I'd have to say her song would be...More and More from my album, Better Than. I'd want More and More collard greens forever! Vegetarian options: There were plenty of veggie options, but I'm sure there was some animal fats in there, but hey it's the South!

They were very busy and we still got our food quickly and it was so good!! Ms Pearl even signed a cookbook for us!! She was awesome Service: Dine in Meal type: Lunch Price per person: $20–30 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Banana Pudding, Catfish Fried Chicken Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas

Maybe the prices were raised because of the Loblolly festival but our lunch was 44.00. We haven’t paid those prices for 2 plates since visiting Disney! We each had a meat and 2 veggies and my husband got a tea to drink plus a “banana” pudding (it was cookies and store bought whipped cream basically). I hate to be the one to say it but the food was just so so. The service was great and everyone was friendly, and I would like to try it again just not when its one of the largest events of the year. Today was just not that great for us.