Pearl’s Oyster Bar

If you like good food and you haven’t eaten at Pearls you are truly missing out. Who knew this Kansas City gem was hidden in the darkened hallway of a dank casino.
Oysters and the boil. Try it with shrimp, crawfish and/​or crab legs.
*sit at the bar by the wall to get the best service directly from the cook.

*updated* OLD — Not much to say that was good about our visit. Started off with the service being slow and ended with the food being underwhelming for the value they place on it. It looked as if they had a couple of waiters that would have offered a much better dining experience but the one we had definitely was not one of them. If we eat at Ameristar in the future it will most certainly be at one of the different establishments.
NEW — After being in touch with management we returned and had a completely different experience. Management was quick to respond to our review and went out of their way to make things right. The meal started off on a much better foot as the pre-​meal bread was so much better this time around. We chose a couple of different entrees this time and they definitely were worth the price. Everything from the service to the food was head and shoulders above our last experience. I commend management for taking the high road and trying to make up for our last visit — which they did and they showed that they want to make sure everyone has a quality visit.

The hubby and I arrived early for a show at Ameristar so that we could check out Pearl’s since the hubby loves oysters. When we arrived, there was a wait, so we got on the list. It took about 20 minutes to get a table, but when we did, it was a major disappointment. The tables are all arranged in such a way that there are no walls between you and the smoke of the casino, and the smoke is pretty overwhelming. It really detracts from your dining experience and that certainly factored into the 2 star review, but there are other major misses as well.
Service was unbearably slow. The oysters the hubby ordered only took about 15 minutes to arrive (they’re raw, so how long can it take to prepare?). It took over an hour to get a burger for the hubby and a salad for me. The hubby had mentioned to our waiter that he has a dairy allergy, but his burger showed up with cheese, even though cheese was not mentioned in the menu. So after waiting for far too long for his burger, it had to go back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, I had received one of the worst salads I have ever tasted. It was a Seafood Louie salad that consisted of thawed pre-​cooked flavorless shrimp, and what was supposed to be crab meat, but it was clearly some sort of shredded white fish that was far past its prime. Yuck. This junk was served atop some romaine lettuce (mostly yellow leaves) and the salad also had some cucumber and mealy tomato slices. The dressing was pretty much inedible so I was glad it was served on the side. The hubby finally received a burger he could eat about twenty minutes after the cheeseburger was sent back, but at this point, we had been waiting so long for it, that he had to gulp it down so we could make it to the show on time. He said it was «edible, but just ok» mentioning that it was dry and a bit flavorless. He liked his side of sweet potato fries.
While we were waiting for our food, we ordered some cocktails and they were ok with a reasonable amount of alcohol, but I would recommend against the Key Lime Martini which was relatively flavorless and the graham cracker rim on the glass was gloppy and gross.
They comped my hubby’s burger, but this wasn’t enough to make up for a pretty rotten experience. Had they not comped the burger, this would be a 1 star review. As it stands, I’d give them 1.5 stars if I could.
Edit 3.14.15: A representative of Ameristar did reach out to me and I appreciate their attempt to make it right. They offered $ 100 towards a meal at the steakhouse in the casino. While a generous offer, it didn’t feel right to take them up on it and I really can’t get excited about walking through the overly smoky casino again. I am glad that they read their reviews and I hope they’ll consider my feedback.

This is close to a 2 star review, but not quite. A buddy and I ate at Pearls on Thursday around 9:00. They close at 10:00, so we just made it. The menu is sparse, I was expecting more to be honest. We were promptly approached by our server, which was to be expected because there were only 2 other tables seated. She took our drink orders and another server brought us gratis bread. The bread was basic sourdough, but it was good.
To eat, like I said, the menu isn’t large. We went with jalapeño hushpuppies for an appetizer. These were small and came around 6 – 8 to an order. But, they were good. Moist inside, very crunchy exterior you expect from a hushpuppy. There was a hint of heat, but they certainly weren’t spicy. They were served with a creamy spicier dipping sauce that I really liked. I would order this dish again. Based on this, I was looking forward to dinner.
For dinner, I went with the fried seafood combo of catfish and shrimp. This is served with 2 sides; I went with sweet potato fries and cole slaw. My buddy went with one of the Asian inspired dishes on the menu. It was some chicken dish, but I can’t recall which one. The food took some time, over 15 minutes, but it was hot when it arrived. Mine was served without cocktail sauce, so I asked the gentlemen that brought us the bread (not our regular server, just a helper guy of some sort) to bring me some. He didn’t understand English very well, and brought me tartar sauce. He then brought me some more of the sauce the hushpuppies were served with. Finally I made him understand that I wanted red sauce, and he brought cocktail sauce.
I am not mad that he didn’t know English. Our country is a melting pot of cultures and people. But, I think management should have at least taught him what «cocktail sauce» is if he is going to be helping diners with their meals. This is a very basic item for a seafood place, particularly one that serves shrimp. It’s not his fault he didn’t know what I wanted and had to make 3 trips, it’s the fault of whomever trained him. Okay, rant over.
The meal was average. It was all cooked fresh, so that was good. The catfish was thin in spots and too dry, but the breading (standard cornmeal) was good. The shrimp was a little overcooked, but it was fine. Nothing blew me away, it was all just really average fried seafood. The sweet potato fries were severely lacking in salt. Once I seasoned them, they were pretty good. The cole slaw was as plain as that dish can be.
My one visit here was not memorable at all, other than the guy that didn’t know what cocktail sauce was. Everyone was friendly, the food was okay, nothing went horribly wrong. But, it was just… bluh. I’d return, but only if I didn’t have any other options.

My favorite restaurant. Love the shrimp creole I’ve had creole other places this is absolutely the best. It’s so good that it’s addictive. The portions are huge and it’s reasonably priced.

Was expecting the food to be better considering the prices on the menu. Also, the service was horrible. My date and I waited 10 minutes before we even got our menus and we were already seated.
The waiters brought the bread and butter out first and we were so hungry we destroyed the whole thing and waited another 10 minutes before our food came out.

I’ve been here 1 time, and that was enough for me. The staff wasn’t very accommodating, they didn’t seem to understand English very well, and their product knowledge on anything they offer was non-​existent. The prices were way over inflated for the obvious lack of quality we would have received if we dared to order food here.
We met some friends here before going to a concert at another casino. We ordered a round of drinks, cashed out, and left. The initial impression was that bad.
When I can get mammoth oysters and good service at El Patron or Jazz on 39^th, why would I lower my standards and suffer through an overpriced subpar experience here? I couldn’t answer that question either… that’s why we left. This place did nothing for me and I’m certain I’ll never stumble back in here for food, drinks, directions, or anything else.

Pearl’s is definitely a destination for me. I will gladly make the trek to Ameristar for this pearl, even if it means I have to give up some moolah at the blackjack tables. YUM… this place is so good. There is almost always a wait, so if you have to resort to a seat at the bar — take it! You’ll get up close and personal with the bartender and have the added benefit of watching some of the items being cooked. The service is outstanding and there isn’t an item I’ve ordered that hasn’t been amazing. I love the idea of combining Cajun food with some Asian inspired items. Makes for a ton of deliciously spicy seafood items. Oh, and they always have a nice selection of rotating items so you’ll never get bored with this menu. Give Pearl’s a try… you will not regret it!

Odd to find a cajun place in the casino but we went with it and ended up happy we did. I was too afraid to try the oysters after my last experience (see last review) but I will be on the coast in less then three weeks so I had options.
There was a large menu from fish to shell fish to sausage. Someting for everyone. I initially thought the prices were a bit high but you did get a lot of food and we were able to bring some home for lunch the next day. All in all not to bad although every once in awhile you would get a wiff of smoke from the nearby slotts, that was slightly annoying.

ORDERED: Half dozen raw oysters on the half shell
RECEIVED: Seven oysters on the half shell. Waitress thought my oysters seemed small. (Insert joke here) She gave me a bonus oyster.
QUALITY: Oysters were milky, not shiny and translucent. In my opinion they were long ago dead, kept on ice and served anyway.
VALUE: $ 9.99 for six (seven in my case) isn’t a good value for the quality of Pearl’s oysters.
LESSON: Don’t order oysters 2,000 miles inland.

Terrible service, but really good seafood, especially for the Midwest. When we saw our waitress, she was friendly. But the meals took well over 30 minutes to be prepared and brought out to us, while another one of us had to wait an additional 15 for the side of fries that came with the meal (even though other people who also had fries with their meal got their complete entrée after 30 minutes).