Reviews of The Pearl Café (Restaurant)

Chris Delaney-Haynes

Outstanding personable service! I had the wild mushroom crepes, a special of the evening, and loved every bite. Desserts were excellent. Lovely atmosphere, too. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Carol Vartian

Nice ambiance, great food. A gem in downtown Missoula.

Tonia Phelps

The duckling and trout that we ordered were both awful! Expected so much better for those prices. I’ve had much better trout at Cracker Barrel. Very disappointed.

Patrice Patterson

This is the kind of place that has all the right touches for a truly memorable dining experience: The atmosphere is warm and intimate; Tasteful background music that doesn’t overwhelm quiet conversation; Heavy silver cutlery; Cloth napkins; Courteous, respectful service (which is dying out these days); and Delicious original food that is perfectly cooked and presented with a balance of flavours and textures. This is the kind of place where one can pretend one is of the upper crust (without going broke), and where one wants to use one’s best table manners wink.

Sara Hines

Delicious, and the service/atmosphere is divine

Rick K

A very nice place. They take very good care of you. Food and drinks just great. The only thing is that it's a little pricey.

John Doe

Amazing eats and staff.

Troy Savage

Picking your favorite restaurant in Missoula is like picking your favorite child, it really isn't something you can do. But we have a lot of returning customers at Blossom's who put the Pearl Cafe on their "must" list for every visit. It is truly a "Fine Dining" experience.

Robert Bissett

All was delish. Would recommend .

Nancy Myers

Casual elegance. They made a special evening extra special!

Jon Aitken

Good fine dining.

Kim Hulla

The Pearl is simply the best restaurant in Missoula. The original rustic building with seating upstairs or downstairs by the fireplace is cozy & European feeling. The wait staff are professional, attentive & informed. The food is eye rollingly wonderful. Homemade bread, unique starters, everything is fresh & special. I had halibut & risotto with asparagus & a sauce that was out of this world. Their wine list is well thought out. Desserts are beautiful. And the price point is reasonable. Did I say this is my favorite restaurant?

Roy Wills

Great food, Great service

Chau Pham

Good food s and good services!

Dean Hunt

What a great restaurant, had a great supper with awesome service.

Giedre T

Very good food. Went there for the first time with a group of friends. Excellent service, food was incredible. I can’t wait to go back.

Alyosha Sønju

Excellent staff; rarely a wait tho it's good to make reservations. The rabbit is kind of amazing, & the duck is excellent; tho this is damning the seafood & (limited) vegetarian dishes with faint praise. Very traditional fare, using mostly local ingredients. Huge wine selection, your server will be happy to help.

Carole Jensen

Beautiful food, excellent service. The scallop appe was fantastic!

stacie bernard

Wow, the food was phenomenal! I will 100% come back here every time I visit Missoula!

George Deaton

Birthday for our daughter & son- in- law

Wuri Kusumastuti

Nice and Cozy environment... it is nice for family dinner or even candle light dinner

Lee Brown

Always wonderful, very good food, lovely atmosphere. Best of Missoula.

Colleen Windell

The food is fantastic and the portions are just right. Impeccable service.

Bridgett Gardner

Start to finish delicious!

Ginnie Morey

Yummy! My favorite "special" place. I've never had a bad meal or service here.

Laurie Cassidy

Love pearl,best food and help ever

Maggie Williams

Great restaurant with many selections! A little pricey but with it for the awesome food

Vann Hasty

The ambiance is great. The wine list is reasonably curated. The service was one and done. Our glasses were empty through dinner. The tomato bisque shocking similar to Campbells soup. My steak was utility grade at best. What a shame.

Bitumen Bailey

One of the best meals in Missoula. Excellent food and service was great. The waitstaff was very knowledgeable and courteous. Thanks.

Bobby Miklos

Amazing. Everything, seriously.

Mark Wilson

One of the best places in town for intimate dining

Amanda Kelly

Excellent food and service

Lisa Pilato

THE. BEST. MEAL in town!

Dennis Harsell

A lovely place to have a birthday second year in a row.

Don St. Peter

Great food, good service

Emily Miller

Came here for my birthday dinner. Disrespectful staff. Our entrees were terrible. We ordered the Seafood Blanquette with orange and saffron. It was a heavy butter sauce that had the orange flavor of the pillsbury orange frosting cinnamon rolls. The bread was also very buttery. It was very bland and was hard to eat. I was served a closed mussel which was one of the three on the entire entree. The best part of the meal was the glass of wine I ordered. The server did comp one of our meals, but we will never go back.

Wendy Hassell

Can't say enough about this restaurant!! Great, great, great!!!

Christopher Sommerhoff

An enjoyable place for a romantic dinner, however is very expensive. Be prepared to spend around $150 for two, and it was worth it. Would go more often if I could afford it.

Julie Howard

Amazing food and service, for special occasions. Reservations are a must.

Leslie Lemon

Thank you for the beautiful food and service.....very enjoyable!

Billy Brownard

No Gluten-Free options at this restaurant! Look elsewhere if you have allergies as they are NOT allergen friendly!

Maria Bishop-Carns

This is where we go for a special occasion.

Haley Gabel

Awesome food and great price for high a quality meal and excellent service! One of my favorites in missoula!

Laura Hayden

Salmon!

Jordanne Starkel

Best place to eat in Missoula

Tim McGuire

We've gone here for our anniversary each of the past three years, and a few other times, too. Pearl never disappoints. Always a good meal. Expensive, but excellent food. Wait staff are wonderful. It is a gem in Missoula.

Gordon Lemon

Splendid food, outstanding service!

Kile Jungst

Just the best in every dang way.

James Fye

Service was great, food was delicious even tried to please my kids questionable food choices

Ryan Watson

Favorite fancy restaurant in town. Great stake and seafood. Never been disappointed.

Amelia Carrier

Very good! I had the coconut curry while I was there, it was the only vegan option, but it was amazing!

Greg Wilson

Great meal...excellent presentation...and a bottle of Caymus made it perfect!

Frank Charboneau

Great food and experience.

Angie Gilbert

The food is the best Missoula has to offer

Marcus Ordane

The food was awesome and our hostess was amazing but our server was not. The moment we came in he stated that the section was unavailable and then we sat in his section. He gave off the vibe as being a homophobe so very displeasing.

Desera Towle

Bring flashlight.

sagerat1963

Favorite for a nice evening. Everything is done right. Food, service, everything!

Brent Gyuricza

One of the best restaurants in Missoula and the best priced for the quality. Could use a little more ambiance.

Sarah Whitlatch

We ordered the seafood blanquette and it wasn't very flavorful. My husband said, "I dropped $120 and left hungry and sober." We felt like it was okay, but certainly not what we expected from the number-one rated restaurant in town.

Diane Clarke

Great fine dining experience

Tana Rehbein

Excellent food, always fresh. Try the trout! Clean and comfortable environment in one of Missoula's old but updated buildings.

Thomas Hrdina

Our favorite restaurant in Missoula. Innovative creations from the kitchen, an elaborate wine list, and a relaxing atmosphere.

melissa brickhaus

Incredible! Best food I've ever had!!!

David Strong

Our second visit. A lovely experience again.

zach berman

I'm from Dallas, Texas. I have enough cowboy steak restaurants to high end chef driven steakhouses in this town. The Pearl was by far one the best prepared steaks I've ever had, period.

Molly Bradford

Great service, awesome food, lovely atmosphere, worth the price.

Matt Krempely

Fantastic food and service! I had the special, a 3 course selection with french onion soup, a pork tenderloin with cider reduction, and chocolate mousse. It was amazing, and I very highly recommend it.

Brent Campbell

Amazing service and cuisine. Pearl is a master. Highly recomended.

Holly Fry

I had been here once previously and found the service and food lacking for the price. I thought perhaps I should give them a second chance; everyone has off days. I brought my sweetheart here for a intimate romantic meal, and this is the second time I've been disappointed. We were crammed in a table very near the door, so we were chilled most of the meal. The waitperson insisted my spouse's request to have his bison be well-done was ill advised, and he acquiesed to her recommendation. After delivering the meals, we barely saw her. The bison was extremely undercooked to the point where there was barely even a sear on the outside. By the time we finally caught her attention, my meat was cold, and she disdainfully took the bison back to the kitchen. For a $120 tab, this went in my top 3 worst dining experiences ever. I will be taking my business for a splurge meal to others from now on.

Deborah Neulander

Good, really good. But the touches to push it over the top needed work. Veggies were way undercooked and the Roquefort on the filet overpowered everything else. Should have been a butter topping. For the cost, the little things make a difference. Nothing too wrong to prevent us from returning though.

Janet Morgan

Wonderful and romantic!

Joel Lipscombe

Great food friendly staff good wine seletion.

Roy Allen

Great food missoula feel

Elias bell

Fanciest place in town. You can also go next door to the brew pub next door and order the door there. Its a bit more casual

Mary Anne Moseley

To the one who said"no gluten free," many things are. You just have to ask the server. I'm GF, and just ask. This is my favorite restaurant in Missoula. Best food, best service, best wine!

Josh Barba

Pretentious atmosphere, rude and pretentious staff. I had only heard nice things about the Pearl for years and decided to take my girlfriend there for her birthday dinner. I had made reservations earlier in the day. When we arrived early, the host at the front ignored us and seated others without acknowledging us. Then he returned and said "this way". We followed him upstairs and were seated. Our server arrived and she took our drink orders. It was very apparent that she did not want to be there and was very unanimated. We each ordered a seafood entre which was absolutely horrible. It was extremely buttery, and sugary, and my girlfriends plate had an unopened mussel on it. To their credit, they took her meal off the bill. I would never recommend this "fine dining" restaurant unless you like a pretentious atmosphere with sub par food.

ed bolton

Excellent food, and the atmosphere and staff are top notch. We had the duck, which was amazing, and the rabbit special which was equally good. Both can be challenging meats, the preparation and texture of each dish was exactly right.

Michael Mettler

I really enjoyed my food and service here on my last visit to Missoula. The wine list was pretty decent for Montana as well. Check it out soon!

Judy Maxwell

Always consistent and nice atmosphere.

Sandy Mclean

We couldn't be more pleased. This restaurant never disappoints.

Scott Dolan

Hands down still the best restaurant in town!!!

Rick Wetmore

Excellent filet mignon

Philippe Leiritz

Great service. Cassis (black current) sorbet is delicious. Reminds me of France.

David V. Gray

Very good rabbit

Lisa O' Brien

Absolutely amazing food and ambience. A great date night out place. Will definitely visit again.

Diane Monsibais Rivera

Dinner was great, owner very friendly, server on point, we enjoyed our first dinner at the Pearl Cafe. Thank you

Fletcher Gales

All around awesome

Thomas Schiff

Delicious wonderful service...will go back for sure.

James Mapledoram

One of my biggest issues with more expensive restaurants are the small portions. This place is NOT that way! Some other things I hate are tiny selection options. Again, this place breaks from the norm there as well. The quality of the food is wonderful! They have some unique selections like Rabbit and water fowl as well as the more typical ones. The wine menu is vast! The service is very quick, attentive and super polite. I Atmosphere is mostly quite but not to the point you feel uncomfortable speaking. One of the better restaurants in Missoula! And though it is a little spendy (about $50 a person including desert, wine etc), it's really not outrageous. They could raise their prices a good 10% - 20% without loss of business.

Benjamin Thomas

Visited the Pearl for the first time tonight on the recommendation of many friends, they were correct in their praise! The food was excellent and the attention to detail was highly appreciated. Thank you Jonathan!!!

Mark Friedman

Excellent menu; our waitress was excellent... she paced the various food orders..appetizers, etc, perfectly. Nice ambiance. Great value.

Brandi McDonald

Always always amazing. My favorite place to dine in Missoula. The service is top notch. After we leave we cannot wait to go back. They care not only about the taste but the presentation. All the fine details make this the best place to dine in Missoula.

Lori Erickson

This has become one of our favorite restaurants. I think they've kept improving over the years so it's now consistently delicious and the wait staff is excellent. I love places where the staff do not interrupt the diners, but wait until there is a good moment for checking with the individuals at the table. The mixed seafood grill is divine. Great place for special occasions.

Jennifer Carpenter

Loved the ambience there and enjoyed the delicious dinner!

Kinder Kowalski

Hands down absolute favorite restaurant in Missoula. The Good is amazing and ambiance can't be beat..

D&L N

We love to eat here once in a while because of the atmosphere and the food is amazing! My favorite food that I've ever eaten there was Buffalo medallions with a huckleberry sauce. Their chocolate cake is very delicious especially when you pair it with their coffee.

Jordan Eschler

I had a wonderful meal at The Pearl Cafe. The staff are all very welcoming, and the food was excellent. Don't pass up the specials; this is a place where the daily menu is worth your attention. I thought the wine selection was nicely curated and the ambiance was very calming (I ate quietly by myself, as a single woman, and it wasn't weird like some places can be). I was visiting on business, but would happily come back for date night next time I'm in Missoula.

Alicia Novak

Really, really good food!! But the older waiter seemed uninterested in us because we weren't buying high end wines. Wasn't very busy but took over 2 hours to eat.

Michelle McLinden

How have I never reviewed The Pearl???? It is one of our favorite places to dine. GET THE SMOKED TROUT.....I'll say it again..... GET THE SMOKED TROUT! Their food is absolutely delicious (no matter what you get) and the service is like no other! Bravo to The Pearl!! Thank you for our many years of dining!! We will always choose The Pearl. Very romantic setting and the wine selection is superb!

Sue Bergman

Perfect from start to finish. Excellent food and staff. Best meal hands down.

scott wade

Great French wines. Best cheese plate I've had in Missoula. Steaks where amazing. The dark German chocolate dessert was out of this world. Go have a great dinner and evening

Laurie rumball

Food is AMAZING!

Jennifer Roberts

Always a wonderful meal and great service!!!

Nate Radebaugh

Romantic dinner for my wife and my anniversary. Loved the trout and crab dish.

Mr S

The evening was wonderful.

TheSin OfMan

Amazing food great service very cozy

Arnold Cohen

Exceptional experience...great food and even better service in an elegant but relaxed space. Nothing pretentious about this place. Highly recommened!

Drew Rieker

Best fine dining in Missoula!

Allan Somberg

The food was great as always, and the service was great as well.

Chris R

We had dinner for my wife's birthday. It was great! Great food. Great service. Not a surprise that this is the top rated restaurant in Missoula.

Jerry OConnell

My wife and I both consider this Missoula's best restaurant. We've eaten here at least a dozen times and have never left disappointed. It's a touch on the pricey side but the atmosphere and professional staff make it worth every penny. And we LOVE their homemade butterscotch pudding for dessert!

Chris Fritter

After reading many good reviews on this place I was excited about going with my girlfriend for a romantic night out but I ended up leaving very disappointed. The night ended up having too many errors. I think nothing annoys me more than a restaurant that charges for 4 star prices but has 1 star service. It started with the appetizer. I got a chef special of a mix plate of different things. The 2 main being buffalo and duckling. It took 30 minutes to bring out. Then when it comes to our table there is no duckling. I am told they are out. They try to give me cut of cold meat instead. How are you out of your daily special? After seeing how unhappy I was our waitress Julie said she got get a deep fried duck leg. Even though it was a nice gesture I thought my app should have been cut down a bit. The app was $16 maybe to $10. I never asked for this reduction but I didn’t get what I ordered so I think it should of been. You can’t pass off cold cut for duckling. The next issue was the time. Took 30 minutes to get the app. 1 hour for soup and salad and 1 hour and 20 minutes for main entree. We ended up being there for 2 plus hours. By that time we had no interest in desert. The last thing was the service. Julie wasn't a very good waitress in my opinion. After the appetizer issue and the long waits she could tell that we were less than thrilled with our experience but she never did anything to make it better but the substitute. I saw the bus boy more to give us refills on water then her. He also gave us our desert menus which we declined and I thought was strange. Julie dropped off the check in a rush. Then after I paid, she dropped it off again with a super fast thank you. Never asked how our experience was. I hope you come back. Nothing!! This is also the first time at a restaurant I wish I saw a manger walking around but I never did. The food was okay. I had rabbit and my girlfriend had trout but when you are doing $30 a plate on top of a $16 appetizer that wasn't what you said it was on top of poor service from someone who seemed like they were too embarrassed to be around us left me and my girlfriend very disappointed on our date night.

Laura Lee

Way too pricey.

Aeravi

Delicious, though quite expensive.

Sheila Callahan

Great company is the special sauce for dinner anywhere and we had that with Carolyn and Ben...but the seafood banquette was incredible!

Robin Mason

Great food,! Save room for the desserts, they are fabulous! The perfect place for a memorable night out.

Melodie Fontaine

Good service, and some of the best food I've ever eaten.

Hunter McGee

Delish

Randall Biehl

Great food and service

Montana Moments

Huge portions of exquisite meals fit for a King or Queen. Everything is very fairly priced and the service is ummatched. You will see business people dressed well, tourists and regular Missoulians in hats and dirty work clothes after a long day. Don't worry about dressing up, just go get some awesome food!

Jonah V

Expensive and worth it. The best of Missoula fine dining.

Lee Hardin

This was my 1st trip to this place because I was told so many good things about it but I couldn't have been more disappointed. I live in Texas and wanted to surprise my girl friend who lives in this town so for Valentines day I had prided myself to the fact that I had wisely made reservations at this place months ahead of time for an 8:15pm reservation to surprise my girlfriend and flew in town as part of the Valentine surprise. We had dressed up very nice for what I planed on being a romantic evening but it was anything but that due to are experience here. We walked in at 8:10 and was hardly greeted, told our table wasn't ready then placed at what I would call a "bar table" by the hostess stand and front door where all the people were coming and going, (very noisy), then we were left and forgotten about. We ended up leaving and eating elsewhere, (we couldn't even get someone to go get my Girl friends cost they had taken when we arrived)! I will NEVER go back here again. Very none attentiveness staff for what is suppose to be an up scale establishment. I agree with other comments about the staff being quite. Didn't feel very welcome here. Must of been the "out of towner" syndrome. My GF was actually going to surprise me with dinner here the following evening but we will cancel and spend our money elsewhere. By the way only beer and wine, (not much of an upscale wine list), are served here no other alcohol.

Amanda Schweiger

I eat here every time I’m in town for work. I get the same thing every time (salmon with mustard and house salad). I haven’t had a bad server or experience. I look forward to my Missoula trips every time because of the Pearl Cafe!

eleanor rigby

Romantic, cozy ambiance on the second floor loft, just as we asked for in our online reservation. The combination of fairy lights and candles in their French country decor made for a magical evening. Very courteous and friendly staff. New to French cuisine so unable to give adequate review on authenticity of our meal, but I can say it was delicious. My husband had the Prime Fillet Mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The steak was cooked to his exact preference (medium rare), very tasty, very tender. The mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy. The only complaint from him was the small portion of the potatoes, but he rationed it would leave more room for dessert! I ordered the Seafood Blanquette and enjoyed it very much. The creamy orange sauce was perfectly suited to the crab, shrimp, scallions, mussels and asparagus. I would definitely order it again, as would my husband of the fillet mignon. Our desserts we're tres magnific! German Chocolate Cake with brown sugar ice cream, and the Flourless Dark Chocolate Torte with mint ice cream we're as decadent as could be imagined and the perfect end to our beautiful evening!