Pearl Tavern, opened by local restaurateurs Andy Lock and Domhnall Molloy in 2018, aims to deliver fresh seafood to land-locked Lee’s Summit.
“It is so unusual to find quality fresh seafood in the Midwest and we wanted to bring fresh, quality seafood at an affordable price to Lee’s Summit,” Lock says. “We learned a lot about the seafood business over the past decade and felt it could translate well to our new concept.”
Lock and Molloy both worked at McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood for a decade before opening their first restaurant in 2012, Summit Grill (also in Lee’s Summit). After opening five more restaurants in the following five years, Pearl Tavern was a natural next step.
“After opening a handful of restaurants, we determined there was a need for a casual, approachable seafood restaurant in Lee’s Summit,” Lock says. “It made a lot of sense to open Pearl Tavern. We made sure to offer other menu items aside from seafood to appeal to all.”
The menu offers variety from beginning to end with starters like calamari and char-grilled oysters to entrees like lobster mac n’ cheese and king crab legs. Their fish is sourced from both coasts, the gulf and the Great Lakes. It’s delivered fresh daily from a company in Chicago.
“We have a very diverse menu from not only an offering standpoint but from a price point as well,” Lock explains. “You can come in and have $1 oysters during lunch and happy hour or live lobster for a dinner celebration.”
If not a seafood lover—no problem. Lock notes fish-free choices such as the Tavern cheeseburger, andouille sausage sandwich, Romano chicken pasta as well as a selection of homemade pies for dessert by pastry chef Nikki.
What makes the cut on the menu starts with a simple question: would they love to eat it?
“Many factors come into play as we make decisions on what to place on the menu, but first and most importantly we ask ourselves, ‘Would we love to eat it?!’” Lock says.
Visit Pearl Tavern at 1672 NW Chipman Road.
