Queens Tribune

45-30 Bell Boulevard
Bayside
(718) 423-0006
Cuisine: Nuevo-Diner
Hours: Open 24 hours Fri and Sat, 7 to 2 a.m. Sun-Thurs
Parking: Street
Credit Card: Yes
Take Out and Delivery: Yes

If you haven’t already, take a walk on Bayside’s Bell Boulevard.

Already a self sustaining strip, the street alone is enough to relocate to Bayside, raise your family and forget you live in New York City.

The restaurants on the boulevard cater to an adventurous crowd used to fusion tastes and unique design concepts.
Driving there, most will take the Clearview Expressway north to Northern Boulevard, which intersects with Bell only a couple blocks away. Making a right on Bell and one of the first restaurants to catch the eye is Pearl with its contrasting black and white façade. If you’re lucky you will find some close parking and dine there.

Inside, there are two bars, one for coffee and one in the more traditional sense. There is a comfortable lounge area in the middle of the restaurant to sip coffees or fancy martinis surrounded by tables and booths on two raised platforms.

The atmosphere is young. The staff is young and attractive, the lighting is chic neon and the music choice is thumping techno. There is an air of Nuevo-Greek. Pearl is a take on the traditional Greek diner which has really taken off in places like Astoria.

It’s a cool place to take a friend used to the bohemian, make-shift diners of Brooklyn. The euro-class is the antithesis of the vintage, unkempt appearance of the hipster scene. The guys in Pearl wear cologne and the girls take pride in looking feminine.

Wherever you choose to sit, the first question is what you would like to drink. This is an important decision in a place like pearl which offers a variety of mixed cocktails like a Pearl Pom containing Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka with POM Juice or a Peach Cosmo with Absolut Apeach, Patron Citronge, fresh lime juice and a splash of cranberry.
Or maybe you want a nice Greek coffer or a frappe or an espresso. Pearl also offers smoothies, milkshakes and soft drinks. The choice is yours.

So while you sip the next decision is what to eat. With a large selection of sandwiches, wraps, paninis, Angus burgers, personal pizzas, salads and pastas, as well as, broiled steaks and salmon, there’s bound to be something that satisfies a hunger.

Just save room for dessert. Pearl has some of the best Crepes made just like they do in Europe. If you’re hanging out for a while get the fondu with fresh strawberries, marshmallows, banana, pretzels and brownies to dunk in hot Belgian chocolate.

Then take a long walk and check out the rest of Bell Boulevard to digest the great meal you just had.