The Optimist Review

Those are all MINE, 2 Baker's Dozen. I confess, I have been hitting their Oyster Happy Hour more times than I care to admit in the last several months. Yes, they are awesome to say the least. I want to give a special thanks to the Assist GM for helping with a special request the Mrs (my wife) had during our last visit. He made it happen. Because of his help, my wife once again had a lovely experience there (she doesn't eat Oysters) and the other food was great.

Update: 4/1/17 We had another stellar visit. My wife surprised me, her idea, by us celebrating our anniversary here. Everything was wonderful. Thank you :)))))

It's extremely overpriced for the food. A very casual atmosphere for the expense.

Food is delicious and the service is always excellent.

Our server DANIEL could NOT have been more AMAZING. Talked us through almost every item on the menu and gave an honest opinion of the items. The food is fantastic and obviously passionately prepared. We will be back, and we ll ask for Daniel:)

P.S. eat the rolls. Just do it.

I have a friend who really know oysters. Brought me here for an education. I ate oysters and they were pretty good. He says they are the best in town here, but I need more experience to say. Great energy in this restaurant, next time I'll try the crab soup which I hear is great.

We celebrated my daughter's birthday here. The food and waitress were great. I'm on a special diet that requires no salt, butter or oils; only aromatic spices. My sea bass and brussel sprouts were cooked to perfection. My daughter was won over with the cajun shrimp appetizer dish.

This is our go to special occasion restaurant. Valet parking is reasonably priced. Staff has never failed to be friendly, knowledgeable, and good at their jobs. The whole GA shrimp a la plancha is a delicious mess. This is the place to go for Fish and Chips. I also am a fan of the chowder and the lobster roll. Everything here is good however.

I can not describe how delicious this place is. So I won t. Just know it s incredible and you ll love anything you get here.

What an amazing space with incredible, creative seafood and an exceptionally knowledgeable staff. What's not to love about The Optimist! #besthushpuppiesever

Calamari appetizer delicious. Lobster Maine roll was good. Bread was sweet. Would be better on a nice baguette. Fish and chips was excellent. However, would try other Atlanta options before returning.

Interesting cocktails, oysters from every coast, attentive staff and a delicious menu. Definitely worth a visit.

Business lunch there yielded delightful results, not in small part to the delicious she crab soup (that fried toast, tho), kale caesars with my favorite sausage in the world - chorizo, and the swordfish reubens. This is my go-to seafood spot for entertaining on the North side of Atlanta.

This place takes seafood to a whole different level! The whole shrimp a la plancha is to die for! The lobster roll was perfection, the bun couldn't have been toasted better. The entire experience was absolutely wonderful.

Great experience. Been here 4 or 5 times. The craft cocktails are sublime. The attention to detail on the seafood - preparation, and spices are the best there is in Atlanta.

Came for an early dinner and had a great meal. Everything was super fresh and tasted amazing. Due to my food allergies the staff was able to help me find options that were gluten free and dairy free. We got the octopus and seafood player. Highly recommend to go if you love seafood. Great atmosphere and the restaurant is a lot larger than you'd think.

Absolute perfection! Pleasant & knowledgeable service coupled with exquisitely prepared quality food. What more can be asked for? My father and I both agreed that our meal was well worth it's cost and that the service and caliber of his meal (and my company, of course) made his Father's Day truly exceptional!

Brittany was amazing. Everything was perfect. She was super knowledgeable about the menu and her recommendations were on point with our specifications. She killed our date! This is the perfect spot for someone who is seafood savvy in a non casual way. If you come here expect class, great food, and amazing drinks. The bar alone is worth the wait.

The shrimp a la plancha was incredible. So many big flavours but somehow doesn't overpower. The gumbo and blackened fish sandwich were great too but the shrimp was the winner. Go go go!

Really cool environment I really liked the little putting green area they had outside!

Horrible waiter and even worse valet service. The damaged our brand new car. Took 3.5 hrs for a party or four. About broke my tooth on something hard inside fried oysters. Only thing good was the put put golf oh and the chocolate cake. Would not recommend

One word will describe everything about The Optimist... WOW!
The atmosphere is fantastic! The staff is amazing! The food is Fan FN Tastic!
If you've never been, GO! Like right now! Seriously people, you will not be disappointed!

Great great food, fun place. I dream about the Shrimp a la Plancha.

Best seafood I've had in Atlanta. Oysters are fantastic.

Loved this amazing oyster bar! They do happy hour on Saturday's from 3-5p where you can get fresh raw oysters but also have the option to get fresh boiled shrimp and an amazing kale salad! I got mine without the cold sliced chorizo that usually comes with it but the salad dressing was still quite spicy even without the sausage. The seafood restaurant portion opens at 5pm where you can enjoy fine dining in a casual but trendy modern setting. Please go and enjoy!!!

Great service. Great food. Was at the chef table and everything was just yummy.

Food and service were excellent! Seafood fresh, great oyster selection. Will try the steak next visit. Wife loved the she crab soup and redfish, I had the scallops which melt in your mouth. We tried 6 different oysters that were all delicious for different reasons. Worth the visit, note that it can add up to be a pricey meal for two with apps, alcohol, main course and dessert.

this is a cool spot and very laid back with some of the best seafood in the city. i will definitely return.

Great Customer, but a bit over rated & priced.But food was great

The optiburger is the best burger I've had in Atlanta, very impressed.

Nice happy hour specials. Service is great and the atmosphere is comfortable. Great place for an informal client meeting or networking conversation after work.

Incredible experience! The food, the drinks, the service! A bit noisy but highly recommended!

Best dinner experience we ve had in a long time! We had dinner at The Optimist last night for the first time and it was unbelievable. Amazing seafood - we got the Tilefish, Duck Fat Poached Swordfish and the Grilled Whole Branzino. So flavorful and cooked perfectly. We also started with some unique, delicious appetizers.. Tuna Crudo, Octopus and Calamari. Best octopus we ve ever had!!! Not chewy, really tender and tasty. Dessert was amazing too.. Chocolate Chess Pie and Strawberry Cheesecake. This place is top notch! The restaurant is really cute too.. nice vibe. Trendy, clean, cute! Our waiter, JR, made the evening even more enjoyable. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful! We will most definitely be back!

Amazing. Our party was impressed with the service and selection. Cheers.

What an amazing dining experience! Everything from the service, to the decor, to the restrooms, to the food -- this place is 5 stars! Some of the must-haves: GA shrimp a la plancha (it has a kick, but use the bread), the octopus, fingerling potatoes, corn milk hushpuppies (the butter is amazing), pork chop, and the brown sugar cake. Honestly, you will not be disappointed.

The place offered both great food and atmosphere. I enjoyed the evening.

Place was great. We had a big family style meal. The hush puppies, hanger steak, fingerling potatoes were great. Shrimp and grits was the best.

The Optimist is well worth your time and money. It's the best seafood you can get in a land locked city like Atlanta! I'd recommend going during happy hour; they have a yummy house punch & great deals on the raw bar. The fried octopus is a must-try for your dinner! The service is outstanding.

I look forward to my next visit.

That gumbo was thick and absolutely disgusting. I spent $20 on 2 servings && just threw it away. I would rather drive all the way to Louisiana for good authentic gumbo than keep spending my money on this fake wanna be gumbo in Atlanta. Yuck. Nobody properly greeted me when I came in either. They looked at me as if I wasn't supposed to be there

Being from Boston I wasnt sure about seafood this far inland. Well I couldnt have been more wrong!

What a special day I spend today with my family, we ate a THE REFUGE and a THE STARVING MAN, uff that something richer and delicious.
the attention was very pleasant, I'll be back soon for more

The food was great quality. I ended up getting the $55 platter. Nice portions, oysters were extremely clean, service was good.

This place has the best seafood in Atlanta in my opinion other than Florida for a long time and this place rivals most

One of my favorite date spots. Sitting at the bar sipping prosecco and slurping oysters...

Superb seafood! The Spanish grilled octopus was heaven... it was just the right texture and the flavors were wonderful. That dish is HIGHLY recommended. The service was also amazing.

This place is great for a nice date!

Excellent food and great servers! Thank you for making my Valentine Dinner so special! We will be back!

It was interesting. There was a wait. You need to try the fresh seafood.

Showed up for dinner with reservations and was told there was a preset menu for the night. Was not told that when the reservation was made. If you happen to like what's on the preset menu, I guess that's no big deal, but we weren't fans of half our meal. Half was good, half was really bad. Here's the rub; $230 + tip for 2 people when you only like half of what you're served is a risk for ANY restaurant to take when pigeon holing customers into things a limited meal.
The Good: The 1st round Shecrab soup, tuna, and garlic bread were good. The pre-meal second Apps were not good, at all. The calamari chili sauce did have some kick. Scallops were seared and flipped and seared again, but jelly and uncooked in the middle.
The actual entrees were not worth the price charged by a LONG shot. I think maybe the steak would have been a better option, but it's supposed to be a seafood-ish place so I got the Halibut. It was fairly flavorless and served on what looked to be a pad of mayonnaise (tartar sauce without the tartar? lol), but whatever the sauce was, it was flavorless too. My date had the shrimp which were served in a very fancy way (with the heads on crawfish style), yet again it was style over flavor. Not too mention unnecessarily messy to decapitate your 4 wet floating in a bowl shrimp in fancy attire/fanfare settings on a date. I guess that really summarizes our dinner, way too much emphasis on style over flavor. I'll pay very good money for food done right, but I'll take a low country boil with a paper plate at $20 over $100 of flavorless entrees.
Ordered a pinot grigio & was brought a light rose wine? Waiter said, "I don't know, that's what they poured me". At this price, your wait staff needs to know their wine. Also got a final bill with other people's food added to ours. Took 20 minutes to clear that up?
Too expensive to risk trying this place again, and the filet at Rays comes with the wine you order.

Pricey, but great shellfish (amazing selection of oysters) and first rate wine.

Absolutely astounding food and service. Worth every penny. If you like Seafood, this is a must try in the city.

Amazing seafood and cool atmosphere. Service could not be better!! Uncomfortable chairs unless you have a booth. Overall a favorite spot for cold seafood.

I had the swordfish , Duck , and Scallop. Each one was absolutely phenomenal. The swordfish was so tender and sweet short rib under it paired so well. The scallop had a wonderful texture and the flavor was very good. Now the duck, was easily the best duck I've ever had. I recommend the Spanish octopus as a starter, but no matter what you get im sure it will be phenomenal.

The Optimist has a health inspection score of something like 86. Totally not acceptable for a seafood restaurant with a $$$ menu. Atlanta Westside needs to demand more of our food establishments.

Ask for waiter Gary! He is amazing and very information on the menu to explain any questions you may have.This place is not just an oyster bar, they have other fantastic dishes that change up daily to the chefs fit for each catch brought to your plate.

My favorite spot for tasty Seafood. I look forward to a return visit. Atmosphere is similar to a place in Columbus I loved.

Great service. I'm not normally an oyster eater, but they have the best in town.

Good for people who loves seafood, very few options for other people.

Not cheap, but the quality is worth the price.
Try the hot sauce :)

B E A U T I F U L spot with friendly staff, worth the hype. Get the octopus. Seriously. Get the octopus. Wow. One of the best things I have ever eaten.

Service was fantastic and knowledgeable, cocktails were just the right strength and paired excellent. Had the monkfish, swordfish, oysters and shrimp, all highly reccomend.

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. I've been multiple times with various colleagues. Favorite dishes are the scallops and the Octopus. If you're not a big Octopus fan - this is the place that will change your mind. The Lobster Roll is a signature dish, and it's good but warning it's served chilled versus heated (I prefer mine heated so I pass). The drinks are fantastic too. They have their own take on an Old Fashion/Manhattan that is one of the best drinks I've had. Ambiance is great, service is always excellent.

The service was great. The food was amazing. The best swordfish I've ever had

The Optimist is an outstanding restaurant for seafood lovers who also enjoy a Southern regional touch. Everything on the menu is creative, beautifull prepared and presented. Highly recommended.

Very nicely lit large space. Beautiful! Great menu and service is amazing!

Amazing oysters and lobster rolls. Don't sleep on the himachi! Can you say hush puppies?

Fantastic food. Great service. Amazing and comfortable atmosphere

What a wonderful and amazing dinner we had. We made reservations to host a handful of coworkers and friends. Ray (GM) and our server (Gary) were such phenomenal host and were very tentative. We couldn t have asked for a better meal, better service and a better evening. Thank you such a great night of food and fun. We can t wait for many more.

Authentic Moroccan food, we had the Dinner Special w/several courses and left happily stuffed! Try the drink with the Fig liqueur...Yum! Belly dancer was nice, but not very good and out of shape. Good and friendly service, if slightly uneven. Love the feel and decor. We will return when in town

I'm always impressed with my meal and service at The Optimist. The shrimp toast that accompanies their She Crab Soup is exquisite, and their Smoked Fish Chowder is a must-try as well. Fish and Chips here involve a fillet that is perfectly moist and cooked encompassed by a perfectly seasoned batter that is thin and crispy without too much oil saturation.

The Shrimp Burger is like the best crab cake you've had, but shrimp. On it, the crispy shallots bring forth a good variance in texture and the squeeze of lemon sets off all the flavors. A potentially overlooked side, the fried rice, is a playground for your tongue. It's made of an intelligent mix of ingredients to deliver a variety of textures to your mouth with a delightful marriage of seasonings.

I've yet to be disappointed with any choices I've made here! Lunch provides a less-expensive opportunity to try some of this delicious food in a trendy industrial space.