Pearl Street Grill And Brewery

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -11.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Visited before and after the Buffalo Brewfest. Absolutely huge bar with lots of patio space (even if some of them overlook the I-90 or whatever the hell its called). Fairly decent atmosphere, and I bet it gets rammed on gameday due to its proximity to the baseball stadium and the HSBC arena. The beers I had were pretty mediocre, and for that reason I doubt I'll ever go back next time I swing through town. They were all lacking a little something, although the best of the bunch was the (Canal) Street Brawler stout, which was passable. I ordered the smoked gouda soup, and it made a pleasing lunch. The rest of the menu looks like regular bar fare. Service was good and friendly, so no complaints there, although when I tried to order the IIPA from the chalkboard it turned out it had not been on tap for 4 days, but you know how hard it is to wipe chalk off a board... Prices seemed to be inline with what I expected.

Why do I keep coming back here? Perhaps its because its so close to the bus station and makes a good place to kill time? I've had two subsequent visits. Its still not a real beer destination, falling between two stools, with all the beer being better than macro, but worse than your average craft. Pales in comparison to Buffalo's other beer bars.

07-28-2009 17:14:05 | More by bobsy

strengthdoc

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

I stopped by here for lunch on a recent business trip to Buffalo. The atmosphere was very good, but I was fairly disappointed after that. I had the filet mignon sandwich which was chewy and over cooked, but I got the gouda soup instead of the fries and it was excellent. I tried the sampler of 10 - 2 ouce beers and they were OK at best. I wanted to like the Saber's Edge DIPA, but it was below average. The best beer I tried was probably the Don Cherry and I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. I asked about the growler prices out of curiosity and seemed to confuse the bartender. Once she recovered and found the prices they were very high. They had a big display with several items to buy and since I usually purchase a pint glass when I visit a new brew pub on the way out I asked the hostess about getting a pint glass and she seem very confused about the process and didn't know what I should do. I ended up leaving without a pint glass or a satifying beer.

06-18-2012 03:03:44 | More by strengthdoc

vonnegut21

New York

3.23/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Pearl Street Grill and Brewery is located in a beautiful building in downtown Buffalo. The atmosphere is excellent and is by far the biggest selling point of this place.

The beers are average at best. I'm not sure I had one of their beers that I thought was "good." Street Brawler stout was fine, but nothing special. The selection is varied, so there are a lot of options to find a good beer. I just wasn't able to.

The service was pretty good, which is impressive because they're generally very busy. The food is good, typical brewpub fare, but a bit pricey.

Overall, an OK option if you're friends/family want to get food and a beer, but by no means worth making a special trip to go here.

05-18-2012 01:33:32 | More by vonnegut21

alexkeil

New York

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

The repurposed building this brewpub is in is the coolest part of the experience here. An old manufacturing building, they kept some of the old equipment to make an interesting ceiling fan system. The original hard wood floors and brick walls give a historic and tough look that is decidedly Buffalo. There are many floors to explore or have parties or different functions in: there is a basement bar, banquet facilities, several levels of patio space. The food is what you would expect for a brewpub, especially one in Buffalo: wings, roast beef, burgers, sandwiches, fish fry. The beer is well made: one of the flagships is a german altbeer which is excellent. There is always a good selection of in house beers and there is really no reason to order anything that isn't made there. They also occasionally host a homebrew competition with the winner's recipe served on tap. The location is also great: within walking distance of the First Niagara Center and Coca Cola Field.

11-13-2011 01:15:58 | More by alexkeil

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.6/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been here a few times in the last couple of years. The atmosphere is always a good time, especially for pre-game and post-game during the hockey season. The place is usually packed, but Pearl Street is so expansive that you can usually get a drink and be seated within 20 mins.

The beers are decent, but nothing special. The summer seasonals are probably the better of the offerings. If your a beer freak/geek than this isn't the place for you. I've been to worse brew pubs and I've been to better. The food is good, but it's just standard American eats and their aren't too many stand-out dishes.

If you're planning a fun night in downtown Buffalo and you want to grab a bite and a beer, this isn't the worst place you could choose. But don't plan on making Pearl Street your one and only destination.

07-09-2011 17:48:30 | More by trxxpaxxs

southsider

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

My better half and I planned on visiting this brewpub at noon while seeing Niagara Falls in the summer of 10.
Downtown street parking was a little iffy. The building was huge with several levels nicely decorated. We sat at the bar and were well treated by the staff as well as one of the assistant brewers that chatted with me about brewing for 15 minutes or so.
The food was very good,my wife having the fish and chips paired with a nice oatmeal stout and I had the pot roast which was braised with their excellent german amber,a glass of which I had with my meal. After lunch I had their IPA which I found to be only so-so. The real finds were the chocolate and rasberry stouts that we really enjoyed. Nice to see three kinds of stout in one place especially in the summer.
The meal,drinks and growler to go were a little pricey but the quality of food and service we recieved made it well worth it.

01-03-2011 22:24:37 | More by southsider

excalibur

Kentucky

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

It is a large place but still has a lot of wood and seemed cozy. I enjoyed a sabre beer and thought it was great with high gravity, nice color and good complex flavor. My wife had a double IPA which was also very good and hoppy. We stopped for lunch and had stuffed peppers and gouda soup which were very nice. Our waiter was very attentive and even showed us around the place, as it was slow. We enjoyed our visit here and would recommend it to other thirsty travelers, especially during their off hours.

09-29-2010 00:19:04 | More by excalibur

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.3/5  rDev +15.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

My wife and I spent one day in Buffalo and stopped at several beer places in the city. Pearl Street was within walking distance of our hotel in downtown, so we gave it a try on a Friday night at 1am. They were about to close but still up for a couple of beers.

The place is huge! But we just hung out at the bar. Nice chalkboard with all the available beers on tap. Good service despite being last call, attentive bartender. Didn't try food but enjoyed the beers.

Had the Billy Bonka Chocolate Stout, which was alright but not great; the Lake Effect IPA, which we really enjoyed, and the Sabres Edge Double IPA- very good! I've read some reviews that say the beers are only average. Maybe, but they're more than good enough! And not many brewpubs have DIPA's on tap, so I'm all for it.

All in all, we enjoyed our late-night visit to Pearl Street and will most definitely go back when we're back in Buffalo.

08-03-2010 03:14:21 | More by DoubleSimcoe

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This place is HUGE with 4 (?) floors and a couple of huge balconies. Their beer is not excellent (in general terms) but is very good and this is a worthwhile stop if heading to or through Buffalo. I tried the 2 oz tasters of their entire draft board and also had a few pints. The Oatmeal Stout was definitely my favourite and the seasonal Raspberry Stout and Double IPA were both very good too. I would stay away from the Chocolate Stout though, unless you like the taste of chocolate syrup poured in to a stout.

Their wings were also very good - comparable to Anchor Bar.

The atmosphere is really great both inside and on the balcony. And the prices are very reasonable. Most pints are just over $4, including the DIPA.

I will be heading back there soon I'm sure...

07-04-2010 15:24:32 | More by TheSevenDuffs

AVDeuph

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I was in Buffalo for an audition and someone at the hotel front desk recommended this place, so there I am:

Cool looking bar area, with the old style, pulley-run ceiling fans. A big beer board, I always like those.

Service was slow and slightly annoying, but not bad really. My girlfriend and I got the 9-beer sampler. I have a complaint here - yeah it was only $7.50, but the samples we got were not more than an 1.5 ounces (it was supposed to be 2 ounces). I prefer to pay a little more for 9 5oz samples or something like that, because between two people we really only got a sip each of the beers.

That said, some of the beers were really bland, and some were actually very good. The DIPA was nice and I would order it if I was there again. Actually their "flavored" styles were probably the most successful. The raspberry, blueberry, and chocolate beers were VERY true to taste. Actually the blueberry (wheat if I remember correctly) was probably the best blueberry beer I've had. Chocolate stout tasted like a tootsie roll, which I love.

Our food was actually very good. I had the open-faced pot roast and my girlfriend had one of the cheese-pasta things, both were very tasty.

If I lived in Buffalo, this would be a common stop for me. Not the best brewpub I've been to by any means, but definitely worth stopping by.

03-09-2010 18:57:20 | More by AVDeuph