18 Cornelia St.
New York, NY 10014
212.691.8211
Lunch: Tues.-Sat. 12--2:30pm
Dinner: Tue., Wed. & Thurs. 5:30--10pm
Fri. & Sat. 5:30--10:30pm
The Restaurant
Rebecca’s take on New England seafood was a tribute to her family – specifically her grandmother Pearle – who began summering in Kennebunk, Maine in 1917.
Pearl Oyster Bar began as a 22-seat bar with a single table, doubling in size in 2003 when it expanded into the space next door. The same year, Rebecca’s memoir cookbook, Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie: Three Generations of Recipes and Stories from Summers on the Coast of Maine, was published by Harper Collins.
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The Chef
A native New Yorker, Chef Rebecca Charles began working in kitchens at age 20. After a decade of cooking in New York, she moved to Kennebunk, Maine where she gained 4-stars for the White Barn Inn and a restaurant of her own design, Café 74, before heading back to NYC.
Back in New York, Rebecca worked at Anne Rosenzweig‘s legendary Arcadia before opening Pearl.
As soon as the door opened, Pearl received a steady stream of accolades, which continues to this day.
In 2016, Rebecca realized her dream and opened a restaurant in Maine, Pearl Kennebunk Beach and Spat Oyster Cellar. They closed in September 2021 due to the pandemic.
Rebecca has appeared on numerous television
shows including Martha Stewart, Regis & Kelly, The Today Show, and Food Network.
The Food
Press
“If any one event marked the dawn of this kind of oyster house, it was the opening of Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village. Rebecca Charles, its founder and chef…
inspired a new school of raw bars.”
--- The New York Times
"When Rebecca Charles opened up Pearl (Oyster Bar, NYC) nobody was eating
lobster rolls. Then suddenly they were all over the place."
--- Ruth Reichl, Downeast Magazine
"For most of the 20th Century, a smattering of New England restaurateurs hawked the dish in relative obscurity. Then, at the tail end of the 90s, a tiny restaurant in Manhattan, Pearl Oyster Bar, transformed the once humble lobster roll into a culinary obsession -- and a fleet of eager chefs, hyper-productive Maine fishermen, and savvy New York editors took over from there."
"Taken together ... [Pearl Kennebunk and Spat Oyster Cellar] marry the formula that made Charles a culinary star with her ambition to expand her culinary range. And although she’s certainly not the first chef to attempt to bring a restaurant concept from the city to small-town Maine, here, she’s evolving that concept, not just replicating it. Plus, she has a leg up on others who’ve made similar moves. It’s evident in her smoky clam chowder, mussels simmered in mustard and cream, and that famous lobster roll: she’s already been cooking like a Mainer for decades."
As seen on ...
The Cookbook
Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie
“The cookbook doesn’t just have the best title we’ve ever heard…Charles’ new cookbook-cum-memoir, Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie is packed with Maine lore, family memories, and recipes for local delicacies, and it will remind you of the best summers you ever had.”
--- O Magazine, Deep Dish
“Charles is a pleasure to read… you’ll have this book plastered open on your kitchen counter all summer.”
--- New York Times Book Review
“If heaven exists on a dinnerplate, this is it…The result is a homespun travelogue that’s breezy, practical and likely to charm even armchair gourmands not particular to the beach.”
--- LA Times News Service
Regan Books/HarperCollins, $21.99
Signed copies available at the restaurant
Covid Protocols
We keep current on Covid protocols and will be adhering to CDC and state recommendations.
Location & Hours
18 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
212.691.8211
Lunch Hours:
Tues. -- Sat. 12:00--2:30pm
Dinner Hours:
Tues. -- Thurs. 5:30--10:00pm
Fri. & Sat. 5:30--10:30pm
Indoor, Outdoor, & Curbside Pick-Up
Walk-ins only. We are currently not accepting reservations.
Contact us at pearloysterbar@gmail.com | We are always accepting resumes.
