Walking into Pearl's Place is like walking into an unfamiliar family's dining room during Thanksgiving dinner. The community's history is depicted on the walls (in the form of photos of Bronzeville's best and brightest), as well as in the jubilant spirit of Pearl's patrons. A full menu of Southern soul fare features authentic candied sweet potatoes, collard greens, fried chicken (cooked to order), catfish and macaroni and cheese. During brunch the place swells with generations of locals in their Sunday best. The laid-out buffet is full of Southern classics prepared as grandma would make them. Though the restaurant's exterior is drab and its decor reminiscent of a hotel lobby, there's so much joy overflowing from the tables and fabulous smells wafting from the buffet that Pearl’s is a not-to-be missed Bronzeville experience.

Centerstage Reviewer: Freda Moon