On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Loading...
Pear Street Bistro is great for Happy Hour with $5 appetizers & $3 well drinks, beers & $5 featured wine.. runs everyday from 4 - 7PM but also has an all day happy hour $3 cocktail menu depending on the day..
Better than average decor & tends to attract the more trendy, younger crowd around the area but also is sprinkled with some middle to older aged folks.. It gets pretty loud and busy in here but never really stopped me from coming.. The bartenders & owner are friendly & always make it a priority to make sure you'll doing alright..
It's pretty pricey especially considering the small portions & lack of selection of their menu & you usually have to come here early if you want to get a spot at the bar area since it gets packed pretty fast..
The few times I've eaten here, their servers have been fast, attentive & actually made for good conversation..
Great spot to meet up with friends for happy hour.. I give em kudos for being so close to home since there's not really any place like it around.. glad they've been around for as long as they have been..
People thought this was:
This place has seriously gone downhill over the last few years.
I came here the other night and ordered the same thing I have order for years - mixed green salad and the crab cakes. The salad was bland and the crab cakes were inedible. My friend's steak and potato dish was also disappointing, and it's damn near impossible to disappoint me when it comes to steak and potatoes.
One star for the friendly service and another for the decent Happy Hour.
People thought this was:
I'm down with Pear St, it's a cute place in my old stomping grounds of Pinole/Hercules. It's good for a nice night out, i've been here mostly for special occasions. Last night was little sis' graduation, so we came here for some fancy-ish apps. The fish tacos were delish, the chicken wings were great, the Fritto Misto (prawns and calamari) was so-so but the wasabi aoli it came with was exciting. The Quesadillas were the highlight, i've never had such a pleasant experience with a quesadilla! Super crispy and fresh.
My mom told the server it was my birthday (which it is, soon) and they brought out a free scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (gelato?) which was fantastic. We also tried the pear creme brulee (not so great) and the mini peach pie (hella yum dude).
All in all, a fine experience. Pear St is reliable in my book!
People thought this was:
cool place to go out with the gals for happy hour. I had my first Vodka martini here and have loved them ever since. I like the daily happy hour drinks. The servers are nice, especially if you get to know them.
People thought this was:
I hadn't been to PSB for six months or so, but decided to check out one of their $9.00 dinner specials last month. It was the best meal under $10 I've ever had. Since then I've been back three times to try other nightly $9.00 specials & they've all been great. If you're there during Happy Hour (4-7), it's a win-win situation. Start off with the nightly special drink, Well Drink or beer for $3.00 and then have the $9.00 dinner - you will not be disappointed. PSB has a friendly staff and nice bar to meet friends without dropping a load of cash.
I have gone to many different restaurants all over the US and outside the US and I know about food and good restaurant service. The food here is very good, the service is GREAT, and Gary the owner is very nice and down to earth. I totally recommend Pear Street Bistro!
I just love this place cause there's happy hour every day of the damn week. I mostly come down on Saturday's with my man for their Apple Martini Day. It's really inexpensive and I love the relaxing environment. $20.00 bucks guarantees a good buzz and I have become very fond of there Bruschetta and other items on the dinner menu. Can't wait to get back for a nice stiff drink that's light on the wallet.
People thought this was:
This place is cute and fun. It's often packed with sophisticated crowds who come to enjoy the… Read more »
I officially have no real complaints about this place. I'm in my 20's, yes.. It is popular with the "younger" crowd of Pinole, but I see a lot of the "mature" crowd, too. It isn't true that only old people hang out here, nor is it trying to be big city.
The servers are great, and usually super busy. They could use larger bar tables (replace the neon ones with BIGGER neon ones!! =) especially when the rest of the bar seating is packed, there's nowhere to put my purse =(
I have eaten in the dining room and the bar and have had exceptional service in both. It's ALWAYS clean, as are the bathrooms.
The food is always fresh and comes out quickly. I would recommend the fries (pommes frites), the quesadilla, the pear salad, the chocolate cake, and their margaritas- of course without salt.. My friends and fiance like the wings and chips and guacamole.
Presentation of the food is on point, and the decor is decent and not too much. Think Asian and Californian!
So I grew up in Pinole and there's nothing comparable in town. I love going for happy hour with… Read more »
...took wifey here for dinner shortly after moving to the East Bay from the City. Modern n' urban ambiance w/ a young professional crowd in the middle of Pinole....PERFECT!! I ordered the Jambalaya which was ok...but nicely portioned. I dont remember what the Wifey ordered (sorry!)...but I do believe that she was satisified. Prices on the menu were decently priced compared to what I'm used to in the City. The suburbia crowd may believe the prices are expensive though, so be warned (Wifey's co-worker recommended this place...she warned it was VERY pricey)!
The average food gets 3 stars... BUT Im going to bump 'em up to 4 for having the balls to open a restaurant like this in the middle of suburbia=) A definite GEM in the middle of Pinole!
People thought this was:
Update 5/2009:
Well, the tornado of dust surrounding Gary and the City of Pinole has settled down, and there has been a few changes here and there. While the prices are still kinda on the high end of the scale, it's still as close to fine dining as you can get in Pinole.
I will say this - $5 all you can drink mimosas with brunch is a damned good deal if you ask me.
Don't get me wrong, GREAT food. Walter(the exec chef) and his staff knows what he is doing. But a… Read more »
I have been here once with my family for dinner and twice with friends for their happy hour, and every time I have just thought the place was ok. Their food is pretty decent, but for the other restaurants in the Pinole and El Sobrante area, it's a little pricey and the quality isn't totally great.
Happy hour is an excellent deal, although their mixed drinks can be overly sweet. I think I went once when they had Appletinis on special, and boy were those so sweet! I only drank one and then switched to beer.
However, if you are looking for a place to go that has a generally younger crowd, this is probably the place to be. I live in El Sobrante, and the bars I've been to out there serve patrons mostly in their 40s and 50s. Everyone is friendly, but when you're only 23 and you step into that kind of bar, you can't help but feel slightly out of place. Pear Street Bistro has a nice modern look to it (I think they overdid it a bit with the neon lights, but that's ok) and is a good place to go if you want a younger crowd without having to go out to Berkeley or San Francisco.
Be warned though, that this place closes early, I think around 10pm (it's a restaurant after all). I thought that their bar stayed open later so we arrived around 9pm to find out we only had an hour left.
People thought this was:
I'll admit that Pinole doesn't have much but if we have ANY gems, this is one of them. Happy hour is definitely the only time I can sit comfortably within my price range here and it definitely gets crowded during this time.
You definitely pay for what you get though; the food is presentable and yummy and the decor is not hella old school or ugly like other places in Pinole.
People thought this was:
Went here for my cousins birthday dinner, and to be honest with you I didn't even know this place existed. We took a look at the menu and it seemed like a pretty healthy place considering we were surrounded by relatively unhealthy restaurants. The prices we're decent, a bit high for some things though ($21 for Jambalaya? You've got to be kidding me). When the food came I was shocked to see how greasy it was, when I was ordering I thought I was getting a light meal, oh how I was wrong.
Tips and Pointers:
-Drinks are made well
-Prices are steep for some "Middle" items
-Calamari and Shrimp are really good
-Crab and artichoke dip was really "crabby", like really "crabby"
-Easy to get seated, no big crowd for a Saturday night
[APPROVED]
People thought this was:
This is a great place for locals to come by and enjoy happy hour with friends. I enjoy the hot wings, though it doesn't come with hot sauce. Their bread is really good, served hot and with butter. Not a fan of the bruschetta; it just looks like they slapped tomato and cheese on a piece of bread.
It's a great place though to enjoy $3 drinks, depending on the day and $5 appetizers though.
The lunch/dinner menus don't have much as far as variety and I miss the lobster bisque soup they used to serve.
Service is great.
I don't like Pear Street Bistro at all. They charge city prices in the suburbs for really, really mediocre food. I had the famous $21 jambalaya. I have been served jambalaya on an airplane, and it was better than Pear Street's. The portion was hideously, comically large--why not serve half, and charge less? I would have shared it with my friends, but I want to keep them. Everyone else was okay with what they ordered, but it was very expensive for what and where it was.
Also--not to sound snobby--but anyone who writes that these crab cakes are the best they've ever had must never have had crab cakes anywhere else. PSB's crab cakes are acceptable, but (pardon me) if you think that they are one jot above "acceptable" you must have been raised chained up in the basement of a kosher household and now be finding yourself in the joyous third act of the Bildungsroman movie of the week. For what one order of these crab cakes costs, go to the supermarket, get a refrigerated can of real crab meat and some panko breadcrumbs, and make your own.
I would go on about the food, but I refuse to relive it. As you will see if you scan some of the other reviews, the only positive comments treat PSB as a bar, not a restaurant, and I suppose that it's fine if you think of it that way. It's dark, it's ridiculously over-decorated, and it's louder than a jet engine factory. Go there for a drink, then go anywhere else to eat.
Pear St. Bistro is a great place to go for brunch and happy hour. Sunday brunch is from 11-3 and they have $5 endless Mimosas. Sweet deal! The breakfast food is pretty good too although dont expect to see hashbrowns on their menu because they dont make them!
Happy hour can be fun as well. Well drinks are $3 and the appetizers are $5. You can choose from buffalo wings, fries, a crab cake, quesidillas, etc...
Another good thing about this place is that they have a daily drink special. Sundays are $3 Bloody Mary days and on Saturdays its $3 Apple Martinis. I am not sure what the drink specials are during the week. Great place if you are a drinker and not much of a eater.
As for dinner. Its ok. Not much to choose from on the menu and I think that they are a touch overpriced.
All in all drinks and brunch at this place is pretty awesome. Make sure to stop by on a Sunday for an endless Mimosa : D
I dined here earlier today for brunch, and it was pretty good.
The homemade biscuits with jam and butter were quite delicious. I had to restrain myself after eating just one.
I ordered the steak benedict, medium, which was really good. It pretty much looked like a loco moco, but instead of hamburger, it was steak. The hollandaise cabernet sauce that topped the steak benedict was pretty tasty, as well.
My friend had the salmon benedict, which is actually what I would have preferred ordering. It was lighter and more traditional with the regular hollandaise sauce.
I wanted to try dessert, however, I was stuffed after eating (most of) my steak benedict.
I would go back here. I am intrigued about the brunch menu.
Also, endless mimosas for $5! I only drank one. :(
People thought this was:
I'll knock it if I want to. Pear Street gives me the "suburbian big city wannabe" vibe. It seems to want to try really, really, really hard to be hip but sorry, you're in DOWNTOWN PINOLE and RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM ANTLERS. And you close at 11pm on weekends.
I've stopped by many times since approx. 2005ish and the food is way overpriced and so are the drinks. $21 for a martini and shot of vodka? $10+ for a chicken quesadilla appetizer? And to be honest, THEIR FOOD TASTES LIKE APPLEBEE'S OR SOME OTHER CRAPPY CHAIN RESTAURANT.
You get a lot of the PVH faculty hanging out heretoo. Great. Makes me think what kind of people write these reviews about this spot being so cool and fun. Oh yeah - the middle aged old foggies (AKA cougars and drunk balding men).
People thought this was:
Oh Pinole, you're so cute.
Back when I thought all of Pinole was the megaplex parking lot of Best Buy, In and Out, and all the other crap food one could ever desire jammed together.
How could I have never seen down-town Pinole?
I mean, it's probably a block and a half long!
Seriously though, Pear Street is an adorable refuge in a veritable wasteland of dining options. And I mean that.
People thought this was:
Cute place, good food, reasonable prices. Perfect for hanging out.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am friends with the owner.
My eighth grade English teacher once told me that she'd rather teach material that was difficult for the smartest student in the class than teach material that was easy to the least intelligent student in the class. How can you improve if you're not challenged?
Pear Street Bistro is a challenge to the city of Pinole. Maybe it is a little too hip for this tiny downtown, but how will things ever improve and get hipper without someplace to lead the way?
Pear Street has a gorgeous interior, a charming staff, and delicious food. The bar serves fabulous drinks and Gary is always around checking in on customers and smiling and being lovely.
I respect a challenge, and I thoroughly enjoy Pear Street Bistro (plus, mimosas at sunday brunch are never-ending!)
People thought this was:
All my friends speak highly of this place. I had a bad experience there many years ago, but decided to give it another shot last week. I went for happy hour. The food was expensive for how little you got, it didnt taste great, and the drinks were expensive. I may have even been able to endure all that, except our waitress was in a seriously foul mood, and it was a bear to try and ever get her to come back to order another drink or appetizer. My friend (who normally loves the place till this visit) and I left with barely dropping a tip.
Great place for lunch and for when friends visit and you want to show them all Pinole has to offer. Great menu for lunch. I had not been in for a while and was very pleasantly surprised both in quality and price recently during lunch.
Great bar and bartenders.
Stopped at Pear Street Bistro for lunch. Tuna melt and coffee. The tuna melt came with a wonderful red-leaf salad. The coffee was delicious...came with a little pitcher of cream and a dish with chunks for brown and white sugar. The tuna melt was good although a bit too much tuna salad so the roll got a bit soggy. But this is a nice clean stop with friendly staff and clean bathroom. Plenty of delish food, plenty of coffee...friendly folks among both the staff and other customers. Bill came to $13. Left a tip and departed the restaurant feeling mighty satisfied.
4 hours later, still feeling good...that's the acid test
first visit to Pear Street.
All of the food was excellent.
I was impressed that the crab and artichoke dip was loaded with real crab. The wait staff was pleasant. My drink was excellent and generous.
I had the fried chicken - it was pretty good - the white meat was a little overcooked, the dark meat excellent. Sides were excellent. Others had a burger, and the cheese ravioli in pesto sauce looked great.
Started with lots of appetizers to sample everything. Good bread on the table.
Only misses were screaming kiddies in the back room. And, the place seems to be a combination of incongruous elements - the bar up front is all neon and noise, while the dining room is comfortable and laid back. These didn't deter from enjoying the experience. I'd definitely go back.
I like this place... bad first impression, but it's come a long way for me. I love the drinks and since I go there often - I know the secrets on the menu. :)
I would have put five stars but they've changed their menu. I'd like to see more choices. I feel you need a good steak Ribeye or filet. Salads are always great, but not always enough.
This place certainly addresses the need for a lively, younger place in Pinole. The mixed drinks are really pretty good, and the scene is a little less comatose than other local establishments. The food and the service, however, are mediocre.
My pear salad was really over-dressed and kind of soggy. I only ate about a fourth of it. The burger I ordered was greasy, even by burger standards, and the condiments weren't very tasty. Additionally, the entrees came out about 5 minutes after our salads, so everything was crammed onto the table at once, and we basically had to ignore our salads so that our entrees wouldn't get cold. The server seemed really flustered, but he also looked about 16 years old, so I'll cut him a little slack. On the upside, my mom's flank stead was good.
The crowd is pretty lively here, so it's hard not to have a good time, but I think it might be better as a happy hour destination rather than a dinner destination.
Pinole is a little far North of my usual South Bay-centered orbit. But I was up there last Sunday helping Glo, my Mother-in-law (who has just moved to the Bay Area from SoCal), put some finishing touches to her new digs in Hercules.
After a busy afternoon of us hanging mirrors and pictures and clocks to Gloria Price's exacting standards and tastes, she took me to one of her new found favorite spots in the area.. The Pear Street Bistro. I supped on their wonderful cream of mushroom soup and because we probably had pear on our mind shared orders of their pear salad and their pear pizza. Wonderful stuff... and, looking at the other items on the menu, and comparing them in my head to what I would be paying for this stuff in San Jo, I must say the prices are very reasonable.
Glo reports also treating her niece (wife of an extravagant gourmand), her niece's daughter, her son, and his wife, to dinner or lunch here and so far among the relatives approval of the food and the service has been unanimous.
Anyway, over the years, I've learned to trust Glo's strongly stated opinions on most things. Her pronouncement on Pear Street: "I know there are other places around here that I should try... but I think I've already found *my* favorite spot.."
I understand this place is in a bit of financial trouble.. all the commercial traffic seems to be going to the other side of the HWY 80. Some people would apparently like to see this place close down. Glo would not be at all happy if this were to happen... You really wouldn't want to experience that.
People thought this was:
I'd say 3.75.
Good place for drinks after work with a few friends. It's nice to have a place like this in such a small town.
Food is tasty. I had the "Bistro Steak Frites" = fancy for steak w/fries, which was okay. I sampled my friend's "Risotto with Mushrooms" which I must say, was very flavorful. The pre-entree bread is good, no need for appetizers UNLESS you get the crabcakes. = winner.
The only reason I'm not ranting and raving... the atmosphere was supposed to be "chill" but there was some music playing really loud and I had to yell to have a conversation with my companions.
People thought this was:
I came here for a business dinner. It's got a trendy, casual vibe with low lights and some pictures of pears and stuff. There's a bar up-front and an alluring patio out-back.
The owners are young and they chill there a lot. If you visit often they make an effort to get to know you, and the waiters follow suit. That's always a nice touch.
You could dress up if you wanted, but you'll feel equally at home if you're wearing some nice jeans.
The food is well-made and the seafood is fresh (I ate oysters - could've eaten all twelve if they weren't on my companion's plate). Steak was juicy, not-overcooked. Dessert: A+.
People thought this was:
This place is really great. I really enjoyed the food and the atmoshpere is fun. The place is really laid back with an upscale feel. If you like the Paragon Bar and Grill at the Claremont, you will like this place too.
I had the paella which had a lot of seafood in it. Others in my party had the jambalaya, crab cake and short ribs and they all liked their food.
The drinks are pricey but well worth it as I was tipsy from my champagne martini after two sips!
People thought this was:
Of all the places to eat in Pinole, this is one of them. That's about all i can say about this place. The food is not bad (although pricey) and the environment is okay.
There are not a lot of good places to eat in Pinole, so if you're in the area this is the best you'll be able to do (unless you want to eat Fast Food, in which case Pinole is your Mecca).
It was a Friday night and we wanted to go out but didn't feel like making the usual drive to Berkeley, Oakland, or the city for a decent drink and good food. I thought, "How about we try the Pear Street Bistro in Pinole?"
Next time we'll suck it up and make the drive.
Upon entering we were greeted with what could only be described as (loud? tacky? bad?) lounge music and a bar lovingly adorned with purple neon. Okay, we thought... so it's kinda funny but maybe the food will be good...
We were seated with menus (with entree's ranging from $13 -22) and $10 cocktails. The waited came over and immediately said, "Okay, so now we're doing something different here. We've moved to serving small plates and we suggest one and a half to two plates per person." "At this price?", I asked. Yes...
So, you would think that the food would be really excellent, right? I mean, a salmon and mashed potato small plate for $14 has got to be good, right? I could have made better salmon at home in a more relaxed environment any day of the week.
We paid nearly $50 (including tips, two small plates, and a glass of wine each) and had a HORRIBLE experience.
People thought this was:
It's 4 stars FOR PINOLE. This area used to be dead, and this keeps the area from being depressing. This is a nice little spot, with just enough shi-shi foo foo decor to justify a tab of $45 for 2 lemon drops, 2 Manhattans and some crab cakes. FYI, when I see crab cakes on the menu, there should be more than 2 on the plate. WTF?????
The service was decent. Our waitress did not seem well acquainted with their alcohol selection, but checked on us regularly and brought more booze as demanded. It's not worth a special trip, but if you know someone in the area, it's a decent meeting spot. Also, they have a nice TV above the bar, so you can watch some sports while you people watch.
People thought this was:
I really enjoy eating here for the following reasons:
- it's very clean.
- service is excellent, attentive, not too pushy, correctly paced (especially the tall dude, he's great)
- bar has a great selection of good alcohol, creative cocktails and they're not stingy with their pours.
- the food is very good. I always get the pear salad and the salmon is really good too. Pear Sorbet is great. My husband use to love the ribs but I think they've taken those off of the menu.
They often have events there which are lots of fun and usually for good causes/charities which I like to attend to contribute to.
People thought this was:
Alan read recent Yelp reviews that were more positive and, an added incentive, they now have fried chicken. We went tonight and the vibe was more like it was when the place first opened. The bar was crowded and pulsing w/ energy and noise. The dining room was also crowded and the noise level was pretty high, but not intolerable, although there was a woman about our age at the adjacent four top who was so obnoxiously loud she needed choking. But, moving on...
Alan and I shared an appetizer of fried calamari and shrimp. It was served in a cone shaped metal basket lined w/ paper. Thinly sliced fried onion strings topped it and a wasabi aoli dipping sauce accompanied it. It was top notch. We shared their signature pear and romaine salad, which was subtly different from the way they used to make it, but still good. Bread was a tasty focaccia w/ a great texture. It's served w/ butter rather than olive oil and balsamic vinegar as before. I had a dirty martini which was very good, and inexpensive because we happened to hit the end of happy hour. I had the fried chicken and Alan had the seared salmon salad. The salmon was a huge fillet and was tasty. The fried chicken was accompanied by a very nice coleslaw that I liked better than T-Rex's and lumpy mashed potatoes w/ skins mixed in, in other words, among the best restaurant mashed potatoes I've had. The fried chicken was almost as good as at T-Rex. Gary Wong still owns the restaurant though he no longer owns the building and it seems to have benefited from his presumably increased attention. The waiter was young and sweet, if a little unpolished. The busboy was attentive to keeping water glasses filled and, as at T-Rex, took ownership, asking how our meal was, etc. I like that.
People thought this was:
I don't like to kick a guy when he's down, but Pear Street Bistro isn't what it was when it opened,… Read more »
A nice place to go for locals who wants to feel a little San Franciscan with the lighted floor, proper waiters, cute little tables surround a full bar. Chic environment. The food however was a little pricey. Even though it had a great presentation, the taste did not deliver. Boring and little bland. Happy hour I highly recommend. Dining maybe it's best to find another place.
Overall I am a local. And for all the Herculean/Pinole locals out there, nothing beats a five minute drive to enjoy happy hour in a chic place that provides a little San Francisco feel. It's a great alternative than actually driving alllll the way to San Francisco.
For out of towners looking for an excuse to come to Pinole (c'mon! y'know ya wanna...!) this is it.
This place has got great food. My friend and I came here for dinner and went crazy on the appetizers alone. We wound up ordering the fries and the pear salad, which were both so good. We also had the mac and cheese, but I wasn't too into it. By the time our dinners rolled around, we couldn't have another bite! I got about a few bites into my burger and then had to call it quits. But that didn't mean I had to say no to dessert. We had the bread pudding with the pumpkin gelato - it was good, but I am still more biased towards the appetizer and salad. Probably because it came first and spoiled it for the rest. By the way, I had the burger the next day, and I thought it was good.
The owner of the restaurant will come out and great his guests, which is a nice and friendly touch.
And you may want to know what is up with the decor. Actually, so would I. All in all, not too bad. And if you say, not too bad for Pinole ... why I otta... !
People thought this was:
-the $10 salads are big, fresh, and tasty
-fries: a big 'basket' of thin cut fries tossed with crispy fried parsley served with creamy aioli
-service: our waitress was really sweet, even talked to management about changing an error in our bill that was supposedly a misunderstanding on our part.
a good and fun experience overall in a very quaint neighborhood. would go back for salad and wings again :) was very surprised the restaurant owner did not stiff us for a few bucks--very admirable for a small business.
Pinole, CA
Category: Restaurants
Pinole, CA
Category: Restaurants
Pinole, CA
Category: Chinese
Pinole, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Pinole, CA
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Here are my reviews of places you'll find in San…
The indefatigable search for the perfectly…
Places i've checked out on 'other' side of the…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Here's a few restaruants I visit on a regular…
I'd rather staple my ass than return to these…
OK. I eat. I'm just not a very discriminating…
