The restaurant opened in 1997 and closed in 2022.[3][1] Pearl Oyster Bar was founded and run by Rebecca Charles.[3] The restaurant was forced to close temporarily due to 9/11 in 2001 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.[4] The restaurant served takeout and had outdoor dining in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The restaurant closed temporarily after a server contracted COVID-19 in 2021.[4]
Pearl Oyster Bar's final day in operation was 29 October 2022.[5] Charles attributed the closure to rising expenses.[5] The restaurant Figure Eight now occupies Pearl Oyster Bar's former space.[6]
Pearl Oyster Bar has been credited with re-popularizing oyster bars in New York City.[7][3]
The restaurant was referenced by the character Tony Soprano in "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh", a 2006 episode of the show The Sopranos.[8] James Gandolfini, the actor who portrayed Tony Soprano, ate at Pearl Oyster Bar after the episode aired.[1] Charles referenced the show's mention of the restaurant to Gandolfini, but Gandolfini did not remember the line.[1]
