The Pearl Diner

Oh-em-gee! The food at Pearl's Diner was fantastic! I am a native of the area and have lived away for nearly 25 years. I consider myself a connoisseur of southern cooking and this was some of the best southern food I've had (except for my mother and mother-in law's food). The fried chicken was seasoned perfectly. Crispy on the outside. Juicy on the inside. My mom and I had a variety of sides. Everything was fresh and hot. We went for lunch on a Monday and the restaurant was not crowded at all. The service was great. One of the chefs came over to our table to chat!! That was the highlight of our visit.We will definitely be back!

This joint was the real deal! If you like fired chicken and all the southern fixin's, then you'll LOVE the food here! Only open for lunch and expect to wait but you will not regret it! You order at the counter in the back and seat yourself, so make sure someone in your party finds a table while waiting in lline!

We were super stoked to go to Laurel, Mississippi on our way home to Northwest Arkansas from Florida this week. We wanted to go because of the show Hometown on HGTV, it really is such a cute little town, we enjoyed exploring for sure! Lots of shops and good places to eat it looked like. This was a well rated restaurant for the area so we couldn't wait to try it! It was worth going to! This place was AMAZING!! Southern cooking at it's finest! The hospitality, the food and the atmosphere in downtown Laurel, Mississippi is exactly what I was expecting and so much more! The food was DELICIOUS! Me and my daughter got the baked chicken and my husband and son got the fried chicken, all of it was flavored perfectly, just like grandma used to make! You could tell everything was homemade- the macaroni and cheese was SO GOOD!!! The mashed potatoes and gravy, the green beans, the rice... just so yummy! Our son has special needs and is nonverbal, he was a little fussy and let out a yell. A man from behind the counter brought him a banana pudding and said that's what he was mad about and couldn't wait to eat it! It was so sweet of him and my son LOVES sweets so he was very excited! It was a special treat he thoroughly enjoyed. The staff at the desk and the girls bussing the tables, everyone was just very nice and welcoming!

Absolutely worth the visit! Yes, we are touristy folks who hit all the Hometown stops in Laurel. Pearl's was one of the best! The fried chicken was FANTASTIC, and the pork chops were great as well. For my sides I got a delicious piece of jalapeño cornbread, rice with brown onion gravy that is TO DIE FOR, comforting mac & cheese, and the ONLY let down were the somewhat bland green beans. Thankfully there was plenty of Louisiana hot sauce to liven up the lazy legumes! This was a FANTASTIC meal and the price was fair. Seriously... get the fried chicken. Do it now! I would get there early. We showed up at about 10:35 am on a Thursday and we were 3rd in line when they opened at 11am. The line was down the street when they let us in. Enjoy!