A Pearl Of A Pub
Pearl Street Brew Pub is cool. Since opening in November of '97, this establishment has undergone huge transformations that any city would bend over backwards to have. When the place first opened, the operation consisted of the cellar, the first two floors and no deck/patios. Today Pearl Street boasts a cellar, three functioning floors, 10,000 sq.' of decks, and they are in the process of converting the 10,000 sq.' fourth floor into a reproduction of the speakeasy that it once hosted. And to think that a media personality (at the opening celebration) gave the brewpub two years before it would close.
Earl Ketry, Managing Partner of the brewpub, told me that he has huge aspirations for the business. "I have set a goal," he said. "That by the year 2010 Pearl Street will be the largest brew pub in the world." That's a pretty bold statement, but if you have been paying attention to the growth of the establishment, the indoor square footage will be reaching 60,000 with the build-out of the fourth floor. Then, add in the patios... "We do great business when there is an event in downtown Buffalo," Earl said. "And there are a lot of events year 'round that support our business. In turn, we support Buffalo businesses. We work with McCullagh Coffee, Latina Foods and besides our in-house brewed beer, the only other beer that we carry is Labatt's. Our goal is to put downtown Buffalo on the map."
One of the things that I like about Pearl Street is their want to reinvest into their business. Patios aside, the team is about to affix an enormous tap onto gigantic brackets already mounted to the corner of the building. This tap, featuring the 'Lake Effect Man' will broadcast to the entire Inner Harbor that a brewpub is not far away (see top image). There will be a contest to name the figure on the tap in coming weeks. There are also plans to incorporate a 'Gone With The Wind'-style spiral staircase to the building's facade that will lead people up to the patios. The upper patios will feature Niagara Falls viewfinders where customers will be able to look out onto the Inner Harbor (and someday the skateplaza). The brew-masters are also in the process of introducing three new beers to the menu - Street Brawler Stout, Farting Mule Seasonal and Wild Ox Wheat. The pub now boasts seven fermenters and 28 serving vessels. There are plans to incorporate a wrap-around bar on the first floor, with built-in carving stations... Earl and his crew are busy pulling together all of these things right now.
Finally. Pearl Street Brew Pub has offered to host a massive fundraiser for the neighboring future skateplaza. The date has yet to be announced, but Jay 'Micropark' McCarthy has signed off on the event. The plan is to hold live skateboard and BMX demonstrations with accompanying bands supplying the tunes. Stay tuned for future announcements pertaining to dates and line-ups.
Pearl Street Grill and Brewery is located at 76 Pearl Street near the beautifully renovated Webb Building. The phone is 716.856.2337.
Let's hope that the neighboring parking ramp eyesores are cleaned up in the future and the owners are held accountable for presentation. Hello city codes? With all of the investments going on, it's time for the rest of the property owners to step it up... more to come on that in a future post.
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Hoss
Post the Skateplaza fundraiser date as soon as it's known. I'll be there. And I'll drag a posse with me.
I went into this pub the first time last month before a hockey game. It had a really great vibe. I was quite impressed. I can't wait to spend some quality time on the patios when things get a bit warmer.
A friend said that he often has lunch there when interviewing residents, and that the place has a pretty solid lunch crowd, and the food/service are consistently good.
Best of luck on the expansion. Sounds awesome.
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carlmalone
The article should also mention the hell Tim Tielman and the Presevation Baord put these business owners over their awnings and terraces. they went through hell and highwater to achieve completion. The work stoppages and voting down of various aspects of the project where mind numbing. I guess normal business for Buffalo, but so sad.
It is great too see they've overcome these obstacles from these progress blockers to achieve a great looking building which also does good business. It serves as a good lesson when Tim says no, just say go!
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icecreamsub
love this place in the summer. hanging out on the patio makes me feel like I'm on vacation in another city. you wouldn't think a view of the expressway on a warm evening is charming but it really is...
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STEEL
These buildings only exist because of People like Tielman
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BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME
oh steel u have to throw ur shots in... No thus building exists because of people like my father and his partners who renovated it from scraps to become Garcias Irish Pub...NOT tim tielman. Get a clue buddy!
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gaustad
Tim Tielman is a counter-productive human being. I am still trying to figure out how someone from Chicago has a say in any of this.
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buffaloed
Awesome! I love this place for a good beer after a Sabres game or just when I'm feeling like it. I have loved seeing the terraces grow, one on top of the other, constantly.
This giant beer tap on the outside, should I bring my giant beer mug?
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BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME
giant beer tap? I smell a lawsuit coming from tielman lippes and assoc.
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distas
man, if the skyway and 190 are ever downgraded then you will actually be able to see the waterfront and naval park from pearl streets awesome patios! i would be there every week if that happens!!
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platt4
Isn't there a point where enough is enough for the outside of this place? What next, a farting mule on the roof?
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RaChaCha
Great day for an article about Pearl Street - their beer & cheese soup is a heavenly concoction, a perfect warmup to cope with these single-digit wind chills.
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tonyarmani
pearl st pub = best place to eat wings, drink beer bongs, and hit on hot chicks all while watchin a sabres game....can't beat that
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BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME
Also best place to wear sabres zubas, Phil Housley jersey, gold wig, tinfoil Stanley cup hat, and hit on a girl who doesnt wax her bikini line all winter long, all while watching a sabre game
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BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME
Also best place to wear sabres zubas, Phil Housley jersey, gold wig, tinfoil Stanley cup hat, and hit on a girl who doesnt wax her bikini line all winter long, all while watching a sabre game
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BetterThanDetroit
-Best place to drop e-bombers on Sunday nights in the summer while wiggling it, just a lil but to DJ 3PO. Whoooooaaaaa -- flashback!!
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bridgepro
Had a party on the third floor once and it was the greatest party experience I ever had. Great people to work with and very accommodating. Highly recommended to anyone planning a wedding.
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Martin
perfect example of you need to "spend" money to make it. these guys believe in their bar, buffalo and their patrons. if more owners would of continued to of invested in their property's like this over the years we would not see so many run down properties/businesses in buffalo. a larger example is paul snyder letting the hyatt go to hell to the tune of 14 million, smaller scale is a busy place like gabriels with a patched up ceiling for years in the lower dining area, never changing light bulbs and a really tired lookin patio. some people have pride in their business, others just take, take, take...
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NSphere
I love Pearl St. and have to agree with Rachacha on their absolutely amazing beer and cheese soup. Also have a fantastic fish fry served all week long. The dolly and me plan on having our wedding reception there too (definitely not the ceremony though).
I'm glad to see this business has survived and thrived. I'm not old enough to remember any struggle with Tielman, but based on what I've seen him do I can easily believe it.
The only negative I can through at the place is I think the new tap is kind of ugly and overbearing to an otherwise beautiful building. Just my two cents though... I'm not going to go ragging on a successful business that has clearly shown they know how to handle their own business. We can all have our opinion, but too many (ahem; Tielman) try to drastically limit what business people can do with THEIR property in this area. A LITTLE planning can go long way, but we still live in a free country.
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SLEEPL8
I love Pearl St. It is a great place to drink awesome draughts, play darts, eat good food, and watch the Sabres. The crowd is usually very laid back and fun, not pretentions like many other bars in downtown. Don Cherry and Blue Eyed Blonde are my favorite Pearl St. brews. The quesadillas are really good and i think the combanation of Don Cherry and Quesadillas actually make you better at darts. Try it! I give credit to the owners, they have done a great job. I am looking forward to the speakeasy. Pearl St. is hands down my favorite bar/restaurant in Buffalo.
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BuffaloRox
Giant tap outside brings to mind the longstanding giant tea kettle affixed to the outside of a historic building in Boston's Government Center (although not to the same oversized scale). The tea kettle would would have steam coming out of it. Really neat and lots of Bostonians and tourists loved it. I think the tap could be a great addition.
I went to a catered lunch event on the second floor in the past year. The food was good and the location is really impressive. However, I hope they have improved their lunch service because after multiple trips over several years the service was so slow that you needed 1 1/2 hrs for lunch (not great if you have to get back to work). Despite working nearby nobody I know goes there for lunch due to this reason. Last time I checked, they also did not have a children's menu, which is extremely unusual (and very disappointing) for a casual dining restaurant. Improve the service and add a children's menu and this place will be even more dynamic.
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Geomike
PS has a great thing going here. They put on a fantastic wedding, the beer is outstanding (though I was sad to see the scotch ale % aclohol come down from 11 to 6 ......). Hopefully with the larger office component nearby, steady sports crowd and burgeoning "whatever is eventually coming to the site of the old Aud", this will keep going in a positive direction. And I do remember when it was Gracias, so thanks to your family Brokeepsblockingme, for starting off something good.
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vgs
What a great corporate citizen Pearl St has become. Although I have not always been a fan of the food I gotta hand it to them, they have created a great highly visible place in downtown. I'll give the food another shot. martin you nailed it on Gabriels, "yuck" If Tielman gave the railings a tough go what is he going to think of the giant tap?
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magnum
I love those wrought iron balconies. I been saying this for years, if Chippewa was lined with balconies like this, we would have our own French Quater. Jus think of all the PR that would recieve.
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rb66
Pearl Street Brewery Rocks! I'll be their this weekend for the soup. :)
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sally
Terrific, simply terrifi:)
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