Pearlz Oyster Bar is one of the Homegrown Hospitality Group's concepts with four locations across the Carolinas, and the two in Charleston - the original on East Bay Street in the French Quarter and the West Ashley one on Magnolia Road - both run the same playbook: a fun, eclectic room built around a raw bar that carries a real selection of Lowcountry and Gulf oysters, plus specialty oysters and fresh seasonal shellfish on the board. It's centrally located enough that The Infatuation calls it the place to go when you want a dozen oysters, a beer, and a break from walking around, and the happy hour is good enough that people build their afternoon around it.
The food is fresh seafood done in a Lowcountry style - oysters prepared a few different ways, local catches, and a solid non-seafood menu for the people who came with someone who doesn't want shellfish. The draft beer is brewed specifically for the restaurant by New South Brewing, which is a nice touch, and the full bar keeps the rest of the drinks flowing. It's a walk-in, no-reservations kind of place, so the crowd is casual and local, and the price is reasonable for what's on the ice. It's not the most interesting oyster bar in town, but it's consistently good, which is what matters at 6 p.m. on a Friday.