Why You Need to Have Happy Hour at The Black Pearl

Now that the weather in Ann Arbor is finally decent, my friends and I have made it a goal to check out as many happy hours on Main Street as possible. The first stop on our happy hour bucket list was The Black Pearl, a “seafood and martinis restaurant” because 1) we had never been before and 2) fish tacos.

Photo by Adam Weiss

The Black Pearl has ideal happy hours: 5 to 6 pm, Monday through Friday. Because it’s a little more expensive, we used the happy hour as our dinner, which is definitely the move since the food is so filling. We were lucky to snag a table outside (Main Street has amazing people watching, heads up) and started out with some drinks. Most of us opted for wine (they have a special white and a special red for $6), but the menu also features some of their signature martinis for $6-7, like their “The Black Pearl” martini, which is Pearl blueberry vodka, Elderflower, and apple cider.

Although we were excited about the drink deals, the real star of the meal was the food. The fish tacos are insane, and easily the best fish tacos I have ever had in Michigan (and upon further reflection, probably in the entire world). The menu is set up so you can order many of the items by piece…aka you can order as many fish tacos as you want. The tacos were on corn tortillas with crispy, breaded tilapia, a cabbage slaw with a kick, chipotle mayo, pico de gallo, and lime. There is really no way to describe the experience except that it felt like all of the ideal flavors you would want in a taco combined perfectly in your mouth. Most importantly, these tacos were loaded with ingredients, making them really filling; I only got two and I was stuffed…which was shocking.

Photo by Adam Weiss

Other notable menu items include the French fries, which come with the restaurant’s homemade, spicy ketchup and the crab rangoon, which were loaded with quality crab meat. Because The Black Pearl is a pricier restaurant, going for happy hour and treating it like dinner is the move. Not only is the food delicious and filling, but the menu allows you to try a bunch of different things…and order as many fish tacos as you need.