In Albany a lot on business. Â By the time I get done with work and back to the hotel it's after 8:00 PM. Of the collection of places open late within walking distance of the hotel, Pearl Street Pub is my choice. Â It's my choice because of the food and the staff. Â Friendly efficient staff, know what I typically order and have it at the table when I sit down. Â Nice diverse menu of fresh foods. Â For me the Buffalo wings are the stand-out item. Â And in terms of price it's a real value
Review Source:In town for business, and with some time to kill before getting dinner, I decided to stop in for a beer after the end of the work day. Â The first place I went to was cash only because the credit card machine was down (might go there tomorrow if it works), so I have no issue admitting that this was my second choice. Â From the outside it looked like a typical dive bar in the middle of a downtown environment, so that's why I was going to pass on it the first time. Â When I walked in to Pearl Street Pub I did a double take and thought that surely they were closed. Â There was one guy sitting at the bar nursing a beer, an attractive girl behind the bar cleaning, and a guy who I think was the cook (but who I think is now the owner from reading other reviews) chatting in the corner of the bar. Â Otherwise, empty. Â I made the fourth, and saddled up to a stool and asked for a Sam Summer. Â $3.50 for a draft beer was a nice change of pace from $5.50 for the same beer in Boston.
The only real problem with this place was the atmosphere. Â It was dead. Â I mean, there was nobody but me and the two employees (the barfly left about five minutes in) for about an hour. Â I chatted with the bartender for a few minutes, mostly on the subject of, "Is Albany one of those dead towns downtown after 5 PM?" Â I was assured this was an anomaly, and that it would be packed by 5:30. Â Well, from arrival at 5 PM to departure at 6 PM, I was the only person in the bar. Â On a normal day, this is probably a three star establishment. Â But for me it gets two, because my experience was such that, "Meh, I've experienced better." Â I don't recall any televisions on in the bar, but if there were any they were turned off. Â The girl behind the bar had a radio playing when I walked in, but abruptly turned it off after about ten minutes and left us with silence. Â After chatting with the bartender for a few minutes, she went off to finish whatever bar chores she had, leaving me at the bar with a beer and my thoughts. Â My thoughts kept drifting between, "this is ridiculously boring," and, "Maybe everyone is staying away from this bar for a reason no one bothered to share with out of town visitors." Â I really hope it's not the latter, but it was definitely the former.
The owner got a hold of me, apologized for the service, and offered to give me a gift certificate if I agreed to give him my address. Here is the message I received:
"I am so sorry about your experience. I am ashamed of what happened to you at Pearlpalooza. Â There is no excuse. If you will send me a address I would like to send you a gift certificate. I will speak with Sara, the bartender who did that, abouth this. It is inexcusable. Please try us again..
Chris Pratt"
I thought it was nice of him to get a hold of me, he didn't have to do that. I sent a reply here on yelp, but a month later, nothing. I don't feel entitled to a free anything, but if you make me an offer unsolicited, and manage to fail at it, I can only imagine it was the disarray at the Pearl Street Pub which caused it.
So, I'm still not going back, and I'm warning everyone who suggests going there about my experience. I was just downtown this past weekend with friends, I went to McGeary's, Merry Monk, (skipped past Pearl Street Pub), City Beer Hall, and Albany Pump Station. Chris could gain something if he would emulate the service of those restaurants.
The incident from my past review wasn't the only time I noticed mediocre service at Pearl Street Pub, but it was the worst I had received to that date. Service is half the reason people go out. I could just as easily stay home with a 30 rack of whatever Pearl Street has on tap, serve myself, and save some $$. They need to stop hiring people because of their looks alone. I'd settle for service from an ugly girl with a good disposition, over a pretty girl who acts like she's doing you a favor by just being present.
Unlike my last review, in which I was very P.O.ed, I really hope the place gets it's act together. Pearl Street is changing, it will not be the domain of college kids who only care about getting f-ed up, with no regard for quality. Best of Luck.
Went here for a party a month ago. The party was alright, but I was ordering drinks  I kept track of how much I was charged (which I always do, because I work hard for my money). Later that night when we were talking at home, my friends were commenting about how great the drink special was... Bud Light (for $2.50). I then commented that I had repeatedly been charged $4.50 for it by the bartender and then gave a dollar tip. I am pretty annoyed that I gave a tip at all considering she was stealing the cash I was giving her.  It is not worth my time to go back and fight for it. They didn't give me a receipt. I won't be back again, EVER.
Review Source:Dont' step foot in here unless you are at least a 6 on the Drunkter Scale.
Expect really drunk bitches and overly inflated egos on the dudes. Â Bouncers will punch you, male and female alike and cops are often found outside arresting ppl who are too disorderly.
The front bar has the stickiest floor i have ever met and i've been stuck on it enough times that i've almost lost my stilettos. Â The owner (if its still the same dude) will most likely be found at the end of the bar, shit-faced, giving out shots straight from the bottle and blasting random 80's tunes by request. Â He's a cool bro though.
Back bar is ultra moleste city. Uber dark, often questionable odors, and jam packed dance floor on a Saturday night. Â The bartenders in the back bar are nicer and will juice up your drinks if you tell them its not strong enough. Holla. Â Also, the most eager men are found back here so if you want drinks on the house, scope up here.
I don't recommend using credit cards
The coat check has "lost" plenty of coats over the years and the lines can get pretty ridic for this place for absolutely no reason at all.
Make friends with the bouncers and they let you skip the line  ;]
Sometimes I miss my college days
Was dragged here with a medium-sized crowd a week ago by my boyfriend's friend's girlfriend for her birthday. I'd never been here before. Don't know why she wanted to go here, but I do know the next time that happens I'll be bracing myself across the doorway rather than go inside.
Where do I start? My boyfriend went to the end of the bar and ordered a round of Patron shots for everyone and a jägerbomb for me, and I think two or three red bull and vodkas. The total for that one round was $150. And I don't know if the bartender could have been any more of a bitch. When she was setting the tequila shots on the counter one of them tipped over and spilled--all over the front of my brand new Alice + Olivia dress, I might add, which means I smelled like tequila for the rest of the night and I HATE tequila--and when my boyfriend quite politely said, "Oops, one of them spilled," she snaps at him, "I saw it."  Picked up my jägerbomb for the birthday toast--shot it back--and then discovered what was supposed to be a jägerbomb was in fact just straight jäger. I nearly spit it all over the bar.
I really don't know what was wrong with this bartender--a middle-aged blonde woman with a nasty attitude--but that wasn't the only thing she fucked up. A bit later I ordered a few Irish Car Bombs, and what she sets down in front of me is like two fingers of Guinness in each cup--the shot glass of Jameson and Baileys was taller than the amount of Guinness, which means we had to pour it in instead of dropping it in. So that sucked. And then a few minutes later I observe her getting quite nasty with a customer for no reason I can see, then going to lean against the wall and bitch to some other employee about how much she hates her job. If she hates her job so much, she needs to get another one.
Other than that, I have to say that there were a TON of bouncers there--like two by every doorway, one along every wall, a couple patrolling the room--and as the place was pretty damn empty, I got really nervous. Why exactly do they need so many bouncers? What exactly are they expecting to happen?
When someone finally said, "let's get out of here and go to Cafe Hollywood," I was like, "oh, thank god." Definitely never ever going here again.
Inconsistent prices on drinks, rude bartenders who snub you purposely (blonde old person in her 40's), and bouncers who thinks its a NYC night club (wouldn't let my friend in because he was wearing gym shorts) We pulled chairs and tables out that was easily accessible outside to sit (because they were displayed the night before) but the bouncer made us take it away because they expect a bigger crowd. Â How ridiculous to treat your customers with such disregard. Â With this service, I wouldn't expect a large crowd on any given day. Â Shameful, left my beer and left
Review Source:was in Albany for a wedding so went here with a few friends for Sunday brunch before the trip back to civilization. Â First off, the food sucked. Â Nothing special and nothing to dignify the $8...the service was mediocre...food was bland...my poached eggs were given to me after it had fallen apart in a big yolk mess...will not be going back there...i would rather get a $2 balance bar for lunch then eat at that place again. Gave 2 stars b/c the service was decent.
Review Source:You know what, Pearl Street Pub? Â You impressed me. Â
We entered just before 7pm on a Saturday night and it was empty. Â The bartender was friendly and obliged when we requested a certain game on the tv at our end of the bar. Â We ordered appetizers and a few rounds of draft beer (New Castle and Sam Summer) with plans to watch a period of hockey and then find somewhere else. Â We ended up staying for the whole game, and beyond. Â
Appetizers:
- Irish Spring Rolls (or something or other): SO good. Chopped corned beef, sauerkraut, and russian dressing to dip them in. Â
- Mozzarella Sticks: Impressive as they didn't seem like the cheap, frozen kind you usually get at a bar
After being impressed with the first round of food, we decided to order dinner. Â I went with French Onion Soup and a small side salad. Â The salad was kind of wilty and the soup was HUGE and very good buy waaaaaay too salty. Though I do have to thank these guys for my lack of a hangover seeing as it resulted in me retaining tons of water. Â My company ordered a burger and was impressed. Â
The atmosphere is fine...seems like it might get a bit clubby at night. Â There's outdoor seating, too, which is nice.
As the evening went by the crowd filled in, though I was, no joke, the only female in the bar aside from the staff for most of the night...And there were a good 25-30+ people there when we left. Â
The best part of the evening, besides the good food, good service, and good beer, was the bill. Â For hours of drinking (15 beers total), appetizers, and dinner, we walked out for under $100. Â Maybe I'm just used to NYC prices but that seemed ca-RAZY!
On a recent trip to Albany from Schenectady to do some exploring, I came upon {earl Street Pub, and decided to give it a shot. I'll admit that at first, I was a little unsure if they were open for lunch, as there wasn't much indication from the outside.
However, I gave it a shot and walked in. I found a high top table in the center of the restaurant, and was soon greeted by an upbeat and friendly waitress.
It was a Monday afternoon, and I was thrilled to not only find a terrific selection of beers on tap, but when I was told that all draft beers (except the Guiness), were $2, I was downright thrilled!
I ordered a Cuban sandwich with fries and coleslaw- which was around $8. I was able to sit quietly and read my Kindle and drink my beer as I waited for my meal. My server made regular stops at my table to make sure my beer glass didn't go empty. The food was great, and the beer was cold. I liked it. I am looking forward to going back again and checking out the scene at night.
We went there after work last night for Trivia. Our Waitress was by far the absolute worst I have ever had. Ever. Besides taking forever to get anything, she was extremely rude the entire time. Also, she gave me a glass that had lipstick on it. When I asked if I could get a new glass she acted like I had inconvienced her.
Next, we ordered food, 30 minutes later when it came out, she threw down my food and left. Said nothing of my fiancee's food. 10 minutes later, I managed to flag her down and asked about my fiancee's Sandwich, which she replied "It's coming out now." 10 minutes after that, she walked out of the Kitchen with egg rolls...Not the Sandwich she ordered. When my fiancee told her that wasn't what she ordered, the waitress rudely said "Yes it is." My fiancee said No, and she said it was. After 3 rounds of this, the waitress angrily pulled out her pad and flipped through until she found our order. She then said "Oh, I will put it now, it will be 10 minutes." No apology, nothing. We had already finished eating, and my fiancee told her that it was OK, don't fire the order.
One of the other people we were with left the table and spoke with Chris Pratt (Owner) who said he would comp our meal, and then came over and apologized. Knowing Chris as it is Smallbany I said, that its OK, I get it, and he didn't have to do it, but I appreciated it.
Then the waitress stepped up her cranky/rudeness level and came over and said "I guess he is going to take off your food." And continued to make no apology for her mistake to not put the order in, or put the wrong one in.
This was the final straw in rudeness by the waitress. After paying in cash (Trying to avoid a situation that happened before from reappearing when they fraudulently overcharged my credit card) I gave her a 15 cent tip and told her that it was indicative of her attitude and service last night. As an aside, I routinely give 25-30 percent tips for good service, the lowest I have ever given a waitress is 15 percent. The service was that bad.
After that, the waitress yelled at me to not come back because she would not serve me nor would anyone else. I told her calmly that after the service I had received and previous experiences I probably wouldn't be.
Chris Pratt (Part Owner) came over and said to me "I know you are mad, but you shouldn't take it out on the waitress." This would be a valid statement if it was a singular kitchen issue, I get it. I told Chris that it was based on the service, and she was horrible, then outlined everything that had happened, and the completely rudeness and lack of ownership or responsibility of the waitress. He then started yelling at me that everytime I am there there is an issue, which I replied you are right. Like I had said, I have been there 3 or 4 times and every time is an issue and explained them including most troubling last time when they overcharged my card, which took 2 weeks and a dozen emails/contacts to resolve. He then kept saying "Oh, so we suck then." which I tried to explain to him all the things that have happened when I have gone there. He didn't care, so when he said "So we suck then," I said "Chris, you said it." He then said "Don't come back here again, take your free shit somewhere else." I asked him what he meant by "free shit" which he had no response. He then said again to not come back which I told him I could see 6 more bars from his window, I doubt I would be hurting.
I've been to this place 5 or so times now since moving within walking distance. Most of the time I'm just there for lunch or dinner, and it has an awesome selection of high quality bar food. There 3 topping pizzas that you would struggle (even as a big man) to finish by yourself are around $8! The staff are friendly, the place is clean, and the food is yummy.. in fact, i'm going tonight which is what reminded me that I had to write a review!
I did end up going one Saturday night to see what the night partying/ dancing situation was like, and I had a good time with my friends. Â The crowd wasn't overly friendly, but I wasn't trying to meet anyone new, so I wasn't disappointed. The space set up is a little weird and the lighting wasn't awesome, but the music was kept up beat and fun. Not too much hip hop, which is a shame in my mind because that's the stuff I like to dance to the most, but what can I say it's more of a bar than a club. I will try to go again sometime in the future on a Friday instead of Saturday night, because bars and clubs are different depending on what day you go (in my experience).
Bottom line: inexpensive and delicious bar food. Pizzas are highly recommended - they have some kind of garlic powder mix in a shaker that is amazing.
Full disclosure: I'm not one to frequent sports bars, so maybe I'm just the wrong person to ask about these kind of places. But it's one of the more visible bar-restaurants on Pearl Street (which was the main reason we stopped in 'cause we were so hungry), but I could care less for such places.
The portions are large and the food relatively cheap for the amount. It wasn't bad, it wasn't spectacular. But what do you really expect from a sports bar-type place? (I certainly didn't expect much.) It was a weekday afternoon when I went and the patrons were half professionals and half sports fans - they seemed to be getting along just fine, so I played nice as well. It's suffice to say that even for a non sports fan, it was aight.
The Pearl Street Pub is a bar in downtown Albany that is split into multiple different parts: Â There's the main entrance where there is a bar and some TVs and a big open floor with some seating, a bar in the back near the dance floor, the dance floor, the upstairs, the VIP room, the outside standing space, and I believe there might even be another section, but I'm not 100% sure. Â The bar is fairly big.
The Pearl is more geared toward the younger dancing crowd with mostly college-aged students and a mixture of techno and hip-hop music. Â It's a decent place to go with a group of people to hang out, but there aren't many places to sit or settle. Â There are also usually more guys than girls here, so keep that in mind if you and 5 of your guy friends are looking to meet girls. Â Drinks are moderately priced, there is a dance floor for those who dance, and the music is alright. Â I don't listen to techno/hip-hop so it might be better for those who do listen to it.
On special occasions like Halloween, they are packed out. Â Otherwise, the crowd is generally not jam-packed. Â The size of the crowd all depends on what day it is, what time it is, and what bars have been raided that night. Â Personally, I don't really like the place that much, but I also don't hate it. Â It's a place to go when my buddies and I just want to hang around and the other bars aren't offering much for the night.
I'm more of a City Beer Hall or Biergarten person.
Went here on a Wednesday night, early evening. 1st time in Albany, so I don't know the scene. The Pearl St. Pub seems like a good enough bar/pub. Light business. Seemed like an after work crowd.
I had the smoked meatloaf sandwich and it was pretty darn good. The rest of the menu looked good as well and the other food I saw seems appealing.
The wait staff was nice and friendly.
Beer selection was limited. About 7 beers on tap (nothing but the standards and no local micros) and they didn't have much of anything in a bottle. Not sure what the deal is there. Looked like a standard selection of liquor.
It's basically the pearl without that whole faux sense of importance. Â I'll always give an extra star for that!!
For those who never went to the Pearl, good for you! The Pearl Street Pub feels like a nicer more upscale bar/restaurant without the self importance and conspicuous consumption of a place like the Pearl. The main dining hall is lined with HD tvs but, the tables, chairs, window counter, and bar itself almost seem too nice for a simple pub...that's because they are all just remnants of the Pearl, which the Pearl Street Pub has inherited.
I've been here for lunch several times and after work for happy hour several more. The menu is your standard pub fair and is slightly above par in respect to it's quality when compared to the other bar restaurants on the street(i.e. Jillians/Bayou). If you stick with the spinach artichoke dips, the nachos, wings, burgers, basic salads etc type of items on the menu you shaln't be disappointed. Small eat munchie appetizer foods that you can split between your coworkers/friends works best. What am I saying?!? You've been to bar restaurants before you know what to expect!
The best...besttt part of this restaurant is that it's made for the downtown happy hour crowd. From 11-7 they serve $2 pints (except for Guinness). The waitstaff and bartenders are quick, attentive, friendly/talkative and will help you relax and unwind from the daily grind. That's what makes a great pub! The service! Â (For those of you that are slightly more wallet conscience no other place on Pearl St currently offers $2 pints. (They've all gone up to $2.50 or more. 50 cents is 50 cents, I'm just saying!)
I've been here at night only once and the crowd is your usual Pearl Street hooligans. Ya know, broken glass, spilled drink and stickiness on the floors, dirty bathrooms and buffoonery abound. Of course I had a good time though! The music was really good, the service at the bars was quick. The large dance floor area in the back, (with another larger back bar), is a lot of fun, not super crowed and you have the ability to sorta leave the loud music/crowd in the back and come out front where it's slightly more quiet(i.o. you can hear someone talk). Oh yea and there's no cover charge to get in! Big bonus!!
BOTTOM LINE: The Pearl st Pub is good mix of economy pricing and a nice environment. The wait staff and bartenders are great and the food isn't bad either as long as you stick with the standard pub fair. If you haven't been here, you should probably check it out!
So we decided to have dinner here with my husband's parents for his birthday. Â Awesome! Â We'd been here a few times before - Restaurant Week, dontcha know!
First, they have a cute drink menu and I'm a sucker for those. Â But of course, Â I'm picky so I Â *had* to ask if they could change it up a bit. Â Drives my husband CRAZY!! Â Anyway... the very pretty, very young, very tan, Â almost fully dressed chick behind the bar was happy to oblige and surprisingly, Â made a very yummy drink! Â
We were seated immediately and while our waiter was a little scarce - this place is cavernous and if not busy, you can feel a tad abandoned - but he was efficient and friendly.   He was even very helpful when I asked if I could change the sauce on one of the dishes  (see the above picky reference!).  He scurried away to ask the chef and returned to tell me it wouldn't be a problem!
I had the "Crab crusted swordfish" which came with risotto. Â I think on the menu it had a spicy remoulade on top and I asked for the lemon buerre blanc instead. Â This dish is fantastic!!!!!!!! Â Â The crab mixture on top is sweet and crunchy and amazing in contrast to the firm, perfectly cooked fish beneath. Â Â The risotto was a very nice addition, but was sooooo out shined by the fish!
My husband had a steak the size of his head! Â It came with a carmelized onion mixture and some weird cilantro oil (thankfully he asked for it on the side). Â Now I'm a cilantro lover, but this was just a little strange! Â The steak, on the other hand, was terrific! Â Cooked exactly to order, as fatty as a steak should be, but not overly so, Â and flavorful! Â A steak should be beefy and this one was!
My in-laws both had scallops, one in a citrus ginger cream sauce over thin pasta and the other with a mango salsa over pilaf. Â They didn't comment either way, but both dishes looked really nice and both plates were practically licked clean by the end of the meal.
Overall, a wonderful meal. Â With one tiny minor exception.... apparently the Steuben Athletic Club is upstairs from Pearl. Â The racquetball court was right over our table... sounded like a herd of mating elephants with one occasionally falling down. Â Ever had really horrible upstairs neighbors who vacuum at 3am? Â This is alot like that. Â We were still able to carry on a normal conversation, but occasionally it got a little loud up there!
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