Pearl's Pizza

We could not rave enough about the food! The fresh ingredients and unique flavor combinations made for an amazing dinner, and now I'm that much more curious about their bagel menu. Also, I could bathe in the ranch that they serve 😂 We enjoyed dinner outside, on a surprisingly cooler and quieter summer evening. The service was the only thing we had an issue with. Though seemingly nice, both the staff members that helped us were short with their answers and not attentive to our table. Also our table of 5 was squeezed around a small square table, which we said we would make work (as the other option was to sit at 2 different tables, we weren't allowed to pull them together). It just didn't make sense that the bigger tables were held for parties of 2.

A hidden gem! I just went to try bagels and they were tasty. Quick service, not too crowded, affordable, and probably the cutest/coziest spot I’ve been to in Lexington! Excited to try the pizzas sometime.

Great dinner at Pearl’s after a busy hike weekend! Our server was fantastic and food delish. Definitely a great find on our trip home. Cocktails were creative and delicious!

We ordered two pizzas to go around 7:30 on Saturday night. It took over an hour for the pizzas to be ready. Pizza was unique and good (not great), but overpriced for what it is. And the kicker that is making me leave this review is that Pearl’s surcharges 20% on take-out orders (which totaled an extra $8.50), calling it a service fee, which is highly uncommon in the US. Was not happy. Do not recommend.

What a great little surprise, the bagel and eggs were spot on. I'd definitely go back. Small place, so it may be hard to find a seat.

Fantastic place. Bagels in the am, pizza & more at night. Today I had a salmon roe bagel, which wow. Never seen this anywhere before. It was amazing. I love the pizzas too. Highly recommended.

I've been coming from the country to Lexington to run errands and eat good food for 5 years, and only discovered pearls about a year ago. I grieve the years I've came to the city without knowing about this place. The pizza options are innovative, thoughtful and seasonal. Freaking love the kale salad AND best oysters I've ever had (perfectly ocean-y and not too fishy tasting) Cocktails are always on point and wait staff are attentive and laid back all at the same time. If you're pissed about the 20% added gratuity your an A-hole because it is well deserved and I'm happy to pay it every time.

This is the best pizza in Lexington! Hands down! There is no competition. The staff ate so nice and fun. They are caring and truly want to make it the best experience you've ever had! Get a bread stick and the purls pick!

I got a salt bagel with the cinnamon honey cream cheese. I liked the cream cheese, but the bagel wasn't very salty or chewy which I normally expect. You can order online, but they added a 20% service charge. I don't know if they would have added that if I ordered in person, but it's pretty absurd when I'm taking it to go.

Definitely a 4 star. The pizza while very good was not great, and so if you're known for pizza then it'd better be great to get a 5 star. That being said it's a nice little restaurant and my family had a wonderful time there. Pearl's is a small, narrow restaurant but it was warm and cozy and surprisingly didn't feel cramped. There's a short bar at the back of the restaurant and there's a few tables on the side walk out front, perfect seating on this cool fall night. I took note of the poor reviews about their service when looking up Pearls on Yelp, though I found them pleasant enough. Except for the dour looking fellow at the entrance, the staff was friendly and service came at a nice pace. We started off with some cocktails and Peroni, my wife found her glass of natural wine (air quotes and sarcasm) to taste "weird" and switched to purl pink marg. We got the half dozen oysters, Thai mussels and wood fired sardines. The oysters were small (west coast or Japanese, they didn't say) and fresh and delicious. It was served with the kim chee mignonette rather than classic, we're Asian so they guessed kim chee, I assume. I'd prefer the classic. The mussels were good too and the coconut lemongrass broth was savory and great for dipping the accompanying bread. Tinned sardines are a common in the land of small plates (Spain) and a comfort food in Portugal, but this isn't Spain so I was surprised it was on the menu and a bit intrigued. One bite and my hopes that this would be transformative were dashed. The green/pickled onions added a bit of novel flavor but the tinned sardines are much like sardines you get from Kroger. The four of us shared the No 1(margherita), the hellbabe, and the scream queen. These wood fired "artisan" pizzas are small to medium in size. Other than the margherita, these were not your classics but unlike a lot of "artisan" pizzas the flavors worked well and these were each very good in their own way. They weren't great because the crust was a little too chewy or rubbery. Their inflated prices also bring it down a notch, I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for 3 pizzas, some drinks and a tin of sardines. Oh, wood fired tin of sardines. Plus they tack on that 20% gratuity that yelpers have criticized. I'm fine with it, but seriously for takeout. Rubbish. I really appreciated the owners response to customers questioning this practice, "gratuity is distributed among our employees on top of the livable wage..." Hahaha, right?! That's the whole reason for this uniquely American custom of tipping, because we are led to believe that you don't pay staff a livable wage and we have to augment their paltry salary. Anyway, nice cozy little pizza joint with pretty good pizza and cocktails.

Their bagels are excellent. I really enjoyed the Trout Bagel and next time I really want to try the brisket bagel -I hear that it is amazing as well!

Our new favorite pizza place in town, with a bonus that the atmosphere and service are both excellent. I also appreciate the unique and thoughtful wine list.

First off I've never had their pizza so I can't talk too much about that buuuuut I'm here to talk about how amazing their bagels. These bagels are incredible! Run and go get some!

We ordered take-out for two pizzas. We must have called at rush hour, because it took over an hour to fulfill the order. One pizza tasted good, the other was ok. Pearl's charges a 20% service fee on take-out orders, which amounted to an extra $8.50 to our bill. I asked why there was a service charge, and they said they add it to all orders, even take-out. Was not happy. Do not recommend for this business practice alone.

Had breakfast here this morning while staying in downtown Lexington. The restaurant is small and very nicely decorated with plants and other fun stuff. There was one lady working this morning- she was friendly and helpful. There is both outdoor and indoor seating - we chose indoor because it was just noisy downtown traffic this morning. I had a sesame bagel with olive/herb cream cheese spread. My dining partner went for the BLT on a sesame bagel - it was huge and messy to eat; but, the bacon was out-of-this-world delicious. I'd definitely have breakfast here next time in town.

We stopped in for a breakfast bagel in the morning during our trip to Lexington. My boyfriend ordered the smoked trout bagel, and I ordered the bacon, egg, and cheese. The bagels were delicious, and they were the perfect start to our day. It gets very busy in the morning, so just be aware. The line is worth the wait!

Had a great time! We went for pizza and it was delicious the ambience was great. Beautiful place

Not charging a fee extra gratuity, leave it up to the customer. Must not have much faith in food if you can't trust the customer to do the right thing. This is why Great American bagel looses customers too! We are paying for employee vacations!

Cute place, friendly staff, yummy breakfast. Inside or patio seating. Appreciated the vegan cream cheese.

Lexington's best pizza, service & ambience! Don't miss the magic of this city staple! Perfect spot for date nights, lady dinners or take it to go! Great downtown location! BEST RANCH DRESSING ON THE PLANET!

We order from Pearl's a decent bit for takeout, because it can sometimes be a gamble to try to get a seat on weekends. This time our takeout was a miss. The estimated time for my takeout was 2 hours, which, you'd have to ask if it'd take that long if I was sitting in a seat. Indeed, they took all 2 hours to hand me my order (I did show up 20 minutes early!). The pizza was cold, overdone (charred throughout) on the crust and undercooked on the bottom (had to air fry to get crispy). For having an automatic service charge with each takeout order, and then requesting a tip, you'd expect the delivery on the product to be consistently better than their competitors, especially if you take 4x as long. Kale salad is still great.

Beautiful restaurant. So cute inside and service was amazing. Bagels were unlike any I've had before - fresh, salty, airy dough. Went 4 times on my 2 day trip. Wish I had one near me!!

This place is so cute! Cocktails were great and pizza was amazing. Service was quick and friendly.

My search for a good pizza in Lexington finally led me here, when I saw a special I couldn't resist. I did takeout, and they quoted a long-ish wait time, and when I arrived early they said it would be until exactly the quoted time, which is well enough. The pizza wasn't quite piping hot, though, so I wonder if they were waiting on the other dishes? Anyway, I suspect eating in is better. Their style is the sort of Neapolitan-ish personal pizza with fairly New Age-y ingredients. This is, notably, a very vegan friendly restaurant, and while my saag paneer pizza was definitely not vegan, I did try some non-dairy ranch sauce with my delightfully charred breadstick. As far as weird fusion pizzas go, the saag paneer delivered all I could have expected, with ample spinach, rich cheese, and a dusting of toasted whole spices on top that really took it to another level. The crust was much like the breadstick, soft on the inside with a bit of char outside. A vegan caesar salad (the traditional caesar has Worstershire dressing which has some fish in it), was lively, and I liked the caesar dressing more than the ranch (the latter looked oddly greenish to me and was watery and not especially tasty). It was in total a salty meal. It's a pricey place, which is expected given the locale, and I would note that when I looked to tip on my takeout order, a generous service charge had already been added. This is the sort of thing that was not the standard before the pandemic, but now represents more a sign of the economic times than anything specific about this business. Anyway, it was more interesting than any other pizza I've had in the area.

Pearls is a hidden Gem downtown, their pizza is delicious and their bagels are even better! We love ordering to go and walking around down town when the weather is nice, service and staff are great No complaints and will definitely be back.

This place is SO CUTE. I really enjoy how unique the design and branding are - it really helps give this restaurant a personality. The pizza is fabulous! Their togo boxes are also cute.

I've been several times and each time it's been amazing. First I went for lunch and got the Hellbabe. Crust is great, toppings were so good! Highly recommend. Today I went for breakfast. I didn't thing it could get better than the pizza but the Smoked Brisket Sandwich was SO good. Lots of toppings. Wish I lived in town so I could eat it more! Love that they use amazing ingredients and support Black Soil KY. Service was quick and friendly!

I'd seen raves about Pearl's vegan options online and decided to stop by on my way back to Louisville this weekend. It's a small, bright space downtown. Not sure how easy/difficult parking might be during the week or a weekend night, but we found a spot right away this Sunday morning. Pearl's offers a brunch menu on weekend mornings/early afternoons that features their house-made bagels. By 11:45 am, they were out of two kinds including everything but still had the bialys. I ordered two - one with vegan scallion cream cheese and one with plain vegan cream cheese. They're $4.50 each with a gratuity of 20% added to all checks including carry out. The staff was very friendly but seemed stretched a bit thin. The restaurant was fairly full so my wait was about 10 minutes. The bialy were warm and chewy, good crust. The vegan cream cheese may be the best I've ever had, the texture was very smooth. Overall, the reviews were right. Pearl's has some delicious vegan offerings. Next time, I'll try them for dinner and have a gourmet pizza as the price was a bit high for a bagel and cream cheese eaten on the road.

I came here after looking for a new bagel place to try in Lexington. Based on other reviews and menu posts, we decided to call ahead to make sure they had them. Around 9:30am on a Sunday, they told us they were getting some fresh ones off the line and that they still had all their flavors. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was very calm and I enjoyed the decor. I thought I saw a host stand, but you seat yourself and order at the bar in the back. The workers were helpful and we ordered three bagels and a coffee. They add gratuity to the bill and said it was "just a little bit". They told us the total but kind of strange how they didn't offer a receipt. My boyfriend decided to tip cash in the jar as well as we didn't know how much was added. (?) Overall, I was satisfied with the food here. I really appreciated that the coffee was given to me in a mug and bagel on a plate-- this in itself sets this place apart from other bagel joints in the area. It's much more of a sit-down brunch than a quick bite. Regardless, the food didn't take too long and was served hot. I thought the bagels were a little thin, but liked how they toasted them to be crunchy. I was hesitant about the garlic aioli but it was great! I would like to come back again to try their pizza. My only recommendation to them would be to reconsider their automatic gratuity/no receipt policy.

Bagels aren't bad but when you pay $40+ for two bagels and 2 orange juice and checking the receipt seeing %20 surcharge is BAD business , won't be going back

Neglected to write a review after my first visit - a trip for pizza and salad. Now I have been back for a bagel sandwich lunch and have to speak up. Sooo good on both fronts! Pizza was thin crust - crispy and light but still substantive. Toppings were in perfect ratio and all extremely fresh. Also ordered the vegan caesar salad and was very impressed. Yummy and held up well for leftovers the next day Bagel sandwiches were some of the best I've had. Highly recommend the salmon on bialy. Tastes more like a wheat bun but still gives bagel vibes. The space is quaint but cool. Perfectly lit for a great date night. Please visit this fab little spot so we don't lose it!

I finally made it here for breakfast. When I walked in there was a gentleman sitting waiting for his to go order and that was the only other person sitting. The woman at the counter was super friendly and very welcoming. I ordered a plain bagel with scallion cream cheese. I have to say the cream cheese was nice and soft and the bagel was pretty tasty to. I love the blue wooden chairs &the indoor decor is lovely . You do have the option of sitting outside at picnic tables and had it been warmer I would have . I want to come back for the pizza !

The bagels were good, not New York good, but still flavorful. The cream cheese options were great! Loved the horseradish one, just different. The scallion one didn't have much flavor unfortunately. The cost for the sides of cream cheese was...expensive for what you got. Service staff was very friendly. The vibe on the inside of the restaurant was everything you could want. The bacon egg and cheese bagel was pretty dang good. Aside from the small cream cheese sides, my biggest annoyance was the 20% service charge they tack on top and EVERY SINGLE ORDER. They try to play it off, but it was just a really tacky way imo to either pay their employees a mandatory tip and then not pay them minimum wage or a way to force every patron whether carrying in or out to pay service staff. Either way, I was not a fan of that. Just add it to your prices and don't try to justify nickel and diming your customers.

Went for breakfast bagels - slow service (took 20 minutes for our 2 bagel sandwiches) but absolutely delicious. Wish I would have gotten the horseradish cream cheese with my egg and bacon breakfast sandwich. Cold brew is hella strong but really good.

I am still dreaming of the wedge salad and the ten eighty!! The trip to Lexington was an early birthday gift to my husband. We arrived Friday evening, and well, Friday nights are for pizza. We found Pearl's and had about an hour wait. It was we'll worth it. Our server recommended a wine, and my mister said he would try it, and he LOVED IT!! (He is NOT a wine drinker) We had leftover pizza that we took back to our hotel and had AMAZING "COLD" pizza. It was even better the second day! WOW!! We will be back even if it's just for the pizza.

Very sad although mostly my fault. Got there at 11 on a Saturday (so I should've known better I guess) but they were sold out of bagels by the time I was there. So they are obviously awesome wish I could've tried one so if you want a bagel on a weekend get there early.

Pearl's has been on my list to try for a few years now as I've heard great things about their pizza- & it did not disappoint! Tucked right behind Corto Lima on North Lime, there is no designated parking, just downtown street parking availability. At 5:30 on a Friday, 2 of us were able to be seated right away. The hostess told us that the menus were scannable, and to order and pay at the bar. When you order, 20% gratuity is added to your bill- honestly nice that it takes that extra step out after your dinner, you can just pick up your things and walk out. The service was great throughout our meal, hosts came around to clear dishes we were no longer using, and bring more water as needed. We both ordered a vegan ceasar salad that was delicious and split the marinara pizza that had kalamata olives, capers, and roasted garlic- all of which I love. If you aren't a fan of any of those, I'd say skip it, because the pizza is loaded with all 3. The space is pretty small, and it was full by 6. I noticed lots of people coming in for carry out orders. Pearl's is a great spot for downtown pizza!

I went here to try their bagels... they were great! Although they were great they were not very filling. I would suggest getting a starter with your bagel. We also waited around 45 minutes for 2 bagels. One was bacon egg and cheese and the other was steak egg and cheese. I understand that there can be problems in the kitchen and lots of places are understaffed, but I would have appreciated a heads up. Being more transparent about wait times makes people more forgiving. Overall it was a good experience, I would come back to try more items.

Great Food. Weak Service. 20% Gratuity automatic...I am a food service guy, and worked in Restaurants and have served for 2 decades. I am a low maintenance person, am polite to a fault. Was there on 1/26/24...The waiter was lazy, and effectively non attentive...Weak sauce. The salads, pizza's and drinks were awesome. Please-try harder for your front of house folks they seem bothered to provide anything over the canned minimal effort-I don't need to be wowed, or over helped-just be present and try not to act so bored.

Just coming back for my monthly update of a 5-star review & new photo for Pearl's. Literally they can do no wrong.

Pearls is 10/10 amazing. The atmosphere is so laid back and cute. The staff is so attentive. It was recommended to us by a local and it did not disappoint. The food is really good, everything tastes homemade! Amazing food and drinks! So good!! I highly recommend!!

Adding gratuity automatically to every check during brunch seems like something employees here use as an excuse to ignore guests. They didn't tell us gratuity was added, so we ended up tipping twice. Also, why were we required to tip 20% when there are no servers? Who does that money go to? Tables aren't cleaned between guests. They didn't give us our drinks so we had to go back up to the cashier and ask for them. 3 employees ignored me for a couple minutes when I went back up to ask for those drinks. Also quite noisy inside when it's busy. The veggie bagel with an egg was good, but I wouldn't come back.

One of my all time favorites! I always order the wedge salad, old no 1, and hellbabe. Their homemade ranch is a must have side for any pizza!! Their sidewalk seating is always a good vibe on a sunny day in Lex. Can't wait to go back and get their bagels in the morning

Incredible pizzas that rotate frequently so you're never bored of the selection. It's a small place and can get pretty loud. Good beer selection. Waitstaff are decent but must have too many tables. They are always hustling but not the most responsive - hey, if you want someone to hover - go somewhere else. They have a limited number of oysters but when you can get them they are awesome.

First trip to Lexington for work and my hotel is close by. I used Yelp often while traveling and I searched vegan food close to my hotel and Pearls quickly came up. I walked here and so happy I found this place! The vegan Caesar is outstanding -very fresh and delish! My server recommended Purl's pick and customized vegan and spicy. The pizza was fresh and delicious.

TRY HARD FOOD-HOW BOUT DAT. When prompted for a check I was told 20% gratuity was added by default. For a large party I understand but for a table of one I feel this was presumptive. When I mentioned this I was met with the question of" do you have a problem." The attitude was so spiteful I felt if I said yes the staff member was going to reply with "cash me outside." 2 star food 1 star service An uppity staff serving below average food. I really wanted to be surprised..... and I was in a negative fashion. Don't go, save the money and hit up "Rat pizza and child casino" also known as Chucky Cheese.

True Italian style pizza that's perfect for 1-2 people dependent on how hungry you are. Probably the better pizza place in Lexington although Lexington really lacks the Pizza talent. If you're looking for a great place with a cool atmosphere, this would be the best pizza place downtown. GoodFellas is obviously the go-to pizza, but very average and one way ticket to the bathroom.

I was blown away by my bagel! I got the veggie on a plain bagel with scallion cream cheese and it was incredible. I love other local bagel places and this was above and beyond the rest. Definitely recommend!

this weekend i joined some friends at a burger place on the same block as pearl's. as a vegetarian, the burger joint didn't have many options for me so i ran down the street to pearl's to get a pizza. i was told to come back in 20 minutes, so i set a timer on my phone. well i guess my pizza was done early... so they walked it down to the block to me! truly the definition of going above and beyond. i couldn't believe they remembered where i was and delivered to me so i could eat my pizza while it was hot!! i've been a pearl's patron for years and will remain a loyal customer for years to come. my pizza was incredible per usual. love their bagels, too!! a great restaurant with even better staff :)

I feel like I've been duped. The bagel was fine, but way overpriced for both size and cream cheese put on it. Also, do not get tacos, embarrassing how small it was for the cost. On top of that there is an automatic 20% gratuity tacked on regardless of it being to go. $18 for undersized bagel and taco is robbery. I will not be back.

Great spot in Lexington! I go every time I'm in town for bagels or pizza. Great for carry out too.

My favorite downtown Lexington restaurant. Great pizza, great wine, great service -- what more do you need?

If it wasn't for the bad service I would have given them four stars because the pizza was really good but to add maybe two sliced mushrooms to my pizza they charged me $4. There was probably one mushroom slice on each piece of pizza. They asked me if I wanted bacon on my wedge salad. Because it was a vegan type restaurant. I understand them asking. Bet they charged me for bacon to go on a wedge salad. Doesn't a wedge salad always have bacon?? Every restaurant I've ever had one at it had bacon. This place is teeny tiny and I sit straight across from the bar where the girl hung out talking to the bartender so I had to wave at her to get her attention. When my tea was empty I had to wait forever to get her attention. I explained I was traveling and I needed to get back on the road so needed my bill once my food was brought up. She went in the bathroom and was in there forever and I had to have the bartender put my pizza in a box and ring up my bill. The next problem is they add a 20% charge to everyone's bill where there is a large party or a person of one and then they have a place for additional tip. When I get s***** service I only give 10%. When I get excellent service I give 25% . Now if you have time to waste and don't care about the service, the food is very good

Food: going to give pizza abt a 4/5, bc thatsxwhat we had, service: 1st person who sat us not friendly but two others who took care of us were warm, friendly. Ambience is cool, busy, outdoor seating available. I recommend trying the place out! Nice casual spot

I went to Pearls for the first time last night and have to say it has taken my number #1 place for pizza in Lexington! To start off, the atmosphere is very cozy as the restaurant is pretty small and tables are also close together. This made the experience feel more intimate, along with the servers being very polite and attentive. We started off with the buffalo cauliflower wings, which weren't like wings at all, but tasted delicious. However, if you are sensitive to heat, I would skip these because they were pretty hot! The pizza we ordered was the "Hellbabe", which includes fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, red onion, pepperonchini, and hot honey. I was weary that this would have my mouth on fire because of the heat on the cauliflower and the name, but I was proven wrong! Their pizzas are wood fired which is my favorite style because of the smokiness and crunchiness of the crust. All of the flavors paired perfectly together and I loved every bite. I'd say one pizza is perfect for two to share, as my boyfriend and I had two slices leftover, but could've finished it the two of us. They automatically add a 20% tip to your bill, which they made us aware of prior to bringing our check. I can't wait to come back and try more items!

This has to be THE BEST VEGAN PIZZA IN THE CITY!! From the vegan cheese to the vegan sausage was so delicious!! The sauce that was used was also amazing. it's so hard to find a restaurant that can provide a great vegan pizza and tailor it to you. And pearl's is the place that will let you customize any of their pizzas and make it vegan. And I want to say thank you for making us feel welcoming. And not like it's a hassle.

Good service, very cold in the restaurant. Caesar was good, but croutons do contain seeds and don't list on menu in case of allergy. Always a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, and it is the *worst* I've ever had- super sweet and more like a moscato, do NOT order if you don't LOVE sweet wine. Hellbabe pizza with Serrano peppers instead of pepperoncini- great with the hot honey. 8 small-ish slices per pizza. Not the best pizza I've ever had, but still good. Light sauce, if you like sauce ask for extra. Vibes of the place are cool, would be good for a first date because it's somewhat loud.