SORRY to say I have never been inside the Pearl Diner #212 Pearl at Fletcher Street, as I usually don’t find myself in the crowded Financial District during the week. The last time I passed by it was too close to their Saturday closing time of 2 PM to admit me, and it closes at 4 PM on weekdays. Some day, I suppose. Yelp has indoor and food photos.
The Pearl has occupied the space here since 1962, when it was assembled on Maiden Lane and moved to this spot. It’s a prefabricated Kullman Dining Car Company model. Since Kullmans are usually metallic in appearance, what you see here is probably siding atop the original metallic surface. It has had two owners in over 62 years, with Steve Pritsos in charge since 2009. That neon vertical sign may be the original, though I don’t have older photos. The corner looked much different in 1940, when a brick warehouse faced an elevated train.
If you want to start the day someplace very low-key, get breakfast at Pearl Diner. Between the swivel stools, booths with rips covered in duct tape, and regulars screaming across the room about their coffee and tuna fish sandwich to go, it feels like things probably haven’t changed much since this old-school diner opened more than 50 years ago. The huge menu ranges from omelettes and pancakes to triple decker sandwiches and shrimp marinara. If you come in the morning, try the big, fluffy Belgian waffles with eggs and bacon that costs about $8, and for lunch, get one of the more than 40 types of burgers, like the one with ideal proportions of ham, mushroom, and fried onions. [The Infatuation]
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
7/17/25
7 comments
I had breakfast there a couple of years ago, when it was surrounded by scaffolding. Felt a little cramped inside. Decent breakfast for a reasonable price. Good service. They sell nice T-shirts.
I believe it is one of only a very few locations with addresses on ‘our’ street…
Judging by the one above,maybe a diner will be successful if it doesnt
look like the typical American diner.
Memories of eating at diners on truck route 22 in New Jersey back in
the 60s with the condom machines in the rest rooms.
Where was Howard Johnsons when we needed them?
It’s interesting to have an actual looking dinner in the Financial District when most Manhattan diners are usually incorporated into buildings.
Can’t quite get a handle on something here, and maybe one of the heavy hitter, NYC-historian-types here can lend some commentary. AFAICT the 1940 photo shows the same angle as the one here on Kevin’s site, facing north on Pearl. (The fire hydrant is even there!) But that warehouse seemed to take up the entirety of whatever the lot was; its nearest edge is completely parallel and rather close to Fletcher. On the other hand, the current high-rise is set back further from Fletcher, as one can see in the view looking to the right, FROM Pearl. In other words, even to avoid building in an irregular shape, the “rectangle” of the high-rise could have simply been a little wider (along the NE-SW axis), thus shoving itself all the way out into the spot that the diner now rests upon. Seems like the developers left a little bit of scarce / valuable real estate on the table? Why might this have been?
I’ll admit, I used to work on Maiden Lane and never been there despite it being so close back in the early 2010’s. I used to walk past it on the way to the South Street Seaport mall. In person, it feels small, and unassuming despite being such an odd duck for the area.
I think I’m more surprised than anything that the diner is still there. The land is worth more than the business times over. There is no shortage of food options in the area. You can easily stroll any direction on Pearl street and have food options for whatever time of day you are around.
Used to work right next door on the 2nd floor, only are there once it was ok.
We saw Robert Pattinson come out one afternoon after filming a scene for one of his movies, can’t remember which.