Probably the best oysters in Atlanta, The Optimist delivers quality foodstuffs and delicious craft cocktails. This fairly upscale venue house prices that we consider to be reasonable for the level of quality. Definitely try all their appetizers. The daily happy hour featuring dollar oysters is a must if you're looking for delicious bivalve mollusks. I've also never been disappointed by their bar and strangely enough the house espresso is also quite good. Overall I think my favorite item on the menu is the octopus which is just about perfect. There is valet parking on site.
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Great atmosphere great service! Chef tried too hard to elevate entree's. Too much stuff on one entree' and I do not mean quantity. Some items are okay such as the seafood tower, however the shrimp on it is way over seasoned and they give you the smallest oysters they have. The Sword fish is in a bed of short ribs and a bunch of other veggies, just too much going on and if you don't mention the way you want the fish cooked is is very much over cooked . The bread would be delicious if it did not have the salt on it. These are my opinions
Celebrated my birthday here, hadn't been out in a while. Chose this restaurant simply based on the name and LOVED IT. I enjoy seafood so this was the perfect place for me. I appreciate restaurants with an open kitchen and the recycled wine bottles as glasses added a resourceful touch...however they printed their menus daily hopefully on recycled paper. I loved the presentation of the meals. The food, ambiance, and staff all made my visit a pleasurable one. The waiter suggested my entree/beverage and I more than enjoyed everything that I ordered thanks AJ ;-). I will definitely return to this restaurant until I have tried everything at least once and have already told others about it.
Service was outstanding! Food was great! Presentation of the dishes, the ambiance and overall experience was great. I had almost every oyster on the menu, ordered the only steak which i was questioning. I was highly impressed and was more than happy to depart with my money. If the menu was 25% cheaper i would of definitely gave 5 stars.
We leave in Miami and traveled to Atlanta for the memorial weekend, and had the privilege of experiencing southern hospitality at its best at The Optimist, we enjoyed every minute of it from the location to the amazing staff, and the food. We enjoyed the great oyster selection, and the octopus appetizer "as estated on most reviews you must try the octopus." with their well curated wine selection. I had the George Bank scallops with leek and almonds, they were cooked to perfection and tasted great. Thank you to all the staff of The Optimist for they service and taking care of my family like it was yours. We were reminded of what great food is paired with great unpretentious service.
If you like seafood and fish, this place mats for a great choice. The prices are certainly higher, ($15 appetizers, $30 for entree). The menu changes based on the fish they caught and what the chef thought of. I ordered the swordfish entree that they had that week. It tasted very good. About $34. I ordered a specially cocktail, about $10. I would recommend for a dinner date location if you want to impress the person sitting on the other side of the table
We had the daily fish and the lobster roll, which were both uninspired and very bland. The kale salad was drenched in mayonnaise-based dressing. The crab soup and pineapple cake dessert were above average. The staff is kind and the atmosphere is nice, but the quality of food simply does not justify the price.
My husband and I went on a date a couple weeks ago to The Optimist, and I loved it! The atmosphere is super chic but relaxed. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. The food was very, very good.
Here's what we had: Shell on GA shrimp a la plancha for our appetizer. This was amazing. Garlicy, creamy, seafoody sauce over succulent shrimps and perfect toast. How do they get it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside?!
My husband got the fish and chips with hushpuppies as a side. He didn't like how thick the fish's batter was, but I thought it was okay. I like the faint scent of beer you got right before biting in. Hushpuppies aren't usually my thing. These ones were sweet, which was cool.
I got the NC flounder with a side of assorted mushrooms. I enjoyed it all, but by the time I was getting full, the mushroomy taste and the fishy tastes started to overwhelm me. I guess that meant it was time to stop stuffing myself!
I'm looking forward to visiting again, and then I think I'll have a better idea of the Optimist. I'm suspicious that the chefs might be trying too hard with some of their dishes, but then again, I'm not terribly familiar with fine dining. Keeping with some of the simpler recipes might be a good idea for me next time, except for that shrimp a la plancha! Can't go wrong with that!
The restaurant was quite loud. There were many interesting looking people, and I enjoyed surveying the room looking at the groups at the bar, the bachelorette parties, and the couples on dates. This would be an excellent place for a classy night out with a date or a group.
I have ALWAYS loved this place. We were long overdue for a date night and finally got the nerve to get dressed up and get out ( with everything that is going on). We got there a little early, waited for our table, and got seated about ten minutes after. As we were ordering our server informed us that they were out of rice( I literally got sad because this is what I came for). We ordered other things and was waiting for a little while l, a manager by the name of Robert came to apologize for them not having any chicken( another item we drove over 45 minutes for). He then said they were on their way to pick up some more chicken and they took care of us while we wait. It was a little wait but we got our chicken and to our surprise, we got our rice!!!! This made me so happy!! I would thank the managers ( Robert and the other one name I forgot ) and our server Leslie. I love this restaurant, their food, and their service, we will be back in a couple of weeks.
The positives: Fantastic Interior and Fresh Seafood.
The negatives: Extremely Overpriced! Food was NOT amazing at all. We had the soups (Gumbo and Crab Bisque) and Lobster Roll. There is better bisque in Atlanta. The lobster roll was forgettable. You spend a fortune for a loud environment, overpriced food, slow service.
Yes, it looks very trendy. But there are such better options for seafood in Midtown or the the Highlands.
Service was outstanding. The best service I have experienced at a restaurant in 5 years. I believe my waitress name was Dottie? It is a shame i cannot remember. A rare overall 5 star for me and maybe my new favorite restaurant. Had oyster, octopus ceviche, calamari, butter poached swordfish, and lobster roll. Everything was great except the lobster roll; for the price ATL Fish market definitively has a better one imo. Wine list is extensive and server had great knowledge of the drinks and food offered. Love the ambience and decor as well, feels very open and bright. Im not too much of a fan of dim/dark restaurants.
AMAZING!!! Food was incredible and our server, Stormy, was absolutely the best. He was very attentive, but not overly so. He explained everything and was very helpful, made the night even better!!! Tries to tell the Manager, but she came to our table and removed some dishes, NEVER introduced herself or anything even though I had asked to talk to the manager. She needs to learn a few things bout communication and customer service!!!! Poor management, but incredible staff. Definitely worth more visits.
I've heard many good things about The Optimist. They were right! The food was amazing, of course. The drinks were impressive. The customer service blew me away. Everyone was fantastic. Special thanks to our server, Gary. He's really good at what he does
Literally my favorite in Atlanta I always go there for special occasions and never have been disappointed. Their menu always rotates so you can always try new stuff! I really recommend this place in Atlanta to me it is the best.
The Optimist is a great, modern, seafood restaurant - sister to the Beetlecat, also a great restaurant. Fresh oysters on the halfshell, amazing blowfish tails, duck is to die for, and a perfect whole dorrade. Nice wines, great service. Can't wait to return to this restaurant next time in Atlanta.
From start to finish our experience was delightful. We had a great waiter named Daniel we were served by. He served us very quickly and promptly and we had great conversation with him. His recommendations for dinner were spot on. We had More
SO GOOD!! Went here and my husband ordered the oysters said it was the best he's ever eaten. Loved the atmosphere. I had never been here before but I appreciated the overall effort of the staff and dining experience!
Everything about this place was phenomenal. There was a group of five of us, and our food was spectacular. Service and ambience was awesome as well. Can't say enough good things about this place. Go here!
This was an incredible experience. The food was superb, the staff was wonderful, and the atmosphere was both relaxing and beautiful. I personally got the octopus and scallops, which was excellent, and everything I tried off my friends dishes was just as good. As well, one of my friends is a vegetarian and the staff took wonderful care of him and made an off-menu dish that I was quite jealous of.
Wow! This was some of, if not the best seafood I have ever had! I was impressed when the waitress immediately asked as if we had any dietary restrictions, to which I informed her that I was gluten free. She made suggestions and helped guide me in my ordering. They have an extensive oyster menu. It was my first time trying raw oysters, and I was a little bit worried, but they were actually pretty good. I've had cooked oysters that had a fishy taste to them before, but there was none of that here! The raw ones were good, but the roasted ones were amazingly delicious! The roasted ones come with bread crumbs, but our waitress made sure to split the order with some without breadcrumbs for my gluten-free request. the roasted oysters were so good, we ordered a second round of them, and the chef forgot to remove the bread crumbs from half, so we ended up getting three more essentially on the house. And then...the fish was to die for! My husband had the red snapper, and he found it to be amazing. I had the duck fat poached swordfish, and it was absolutely amazing served atop a bed of juicy, slow-cooked shredded short rib meat and a puree of celeriac. The swordfish itself was so succulent, juicy, meaty and flavorful. My husband had a side of roasted cauliflower and romanesco, which he said was very delicious as well. We also had the fried oysters, which were good as well. The hot sauce is made in house and is very tasty and delicious, it looks like your typical red hot sauce, but it definitely packs a more flavorful punch then your average. We were so impressed with it that we asked our waitress about it and she sent us home with a container full. My husband had a cocktail that he actually could not finish because he said it was too strong (imagine that). I had a glass of Cabernet Franc, which I had never had before, but it was definitely delicious and smooth. an extremely high-quality establishment and a five-star dining experience. It is definitely expensive, plan to open your wallet wide when going there. But absolutely worth it!
The food was good, not amazing or spectacular. The service was friendly and attentive. The restaurant is fairly dark though. Overall it was very overpriced for the portions and food offered. Our party of 3 enjoyed the restaurant and the atmosphere but unfortunately the food didn't live up to the ratings and hype.
Great seafood and oyster restaurant. It is valet only for $3.00 before a tip. The service was friendly and the food was great! The fish was fresh and high quality. The setting was fun and trendy. The drinks were just ok.
Simply put this is my favorite seafood restaurant in Atlanta. Killer vibe and look in the dining room, great staff, tasty drinks, and damn good food. Try the gumbo and thank me later.
I live on the beach and have never had seafood like this. All their dishes have a unique flavor that had a cajun-like feel (in my opinion). Definitely a great place for a seafood lover.
My best friend and I went there last night for her birthday and everything was delicious! We ve both already been, so knew we loved the food (hello scallops), but the service at the bar from Justin was even beyond the high expectations we already knew the servers there meet. Great drinks and service. Thank you!
Stormy, Brittany, everyone behind the oyster bar and actually the entire staff of The Optimist was on point . They all give 5 star service and they help give this restaurant to be in my opinion the best in Atlanta. They are AWESOME!!!
Best selection of oysters and seafood North or West of any any ocean. A bit pricey but it's worth it and you won't be disappointed. Killer cocktail and beer selection. They make awesome cocktails for sitting outside any winding down from any mindset
Great ambiance. The seafood is fresh & creatively prepared. Do yourself a favor and order the Spanish Octopus as an appetizer, you will not be disappointed.
We went last night with friends and loved it! It s a nice place and the food is really good *especially the bread. Oh man, I m pretty sure all the bread is homemade and it s delicious. My cocktail was really tasty and smooth (Oceanside). All that saying I m glad we went but for the prices being so high I don t need to go back. My husband and I got the calamari and lobster roll. The calamari was crunchy and perfectly cooked, I do wish there was a little more sauce to dip them in though. The lobster rolls were packed with lobster and of course the bread was divine. Our service was excellent. We had a couple in our party who arrived late and somehow all of our food came out at the same time. Just know you re going to spend $$$
Excellent menu items and great service. My suggestion is the gumbo, the lobster roll or the hamburger. The hamburger is outstanding. The restaurant has a great atmosphere in a very open environment.
Great food, music was much too loud, even after repeated asking to turn down. I understand that they want to create the right atmosphere but it doesn't help if you can't talk to each other over the dinner table.
The atmosphere of the place is super nice and chill! The service is amazing! The food is great but the plates are kinda small and expensive. The photo is of the halibut!
Fabulous food, portions sized perfectly, lovely ambiance. Order the beet salad and brussels to share and the redfish for yourself. The flavors are elegant and sumptuous and provide an effortless blend of savory and sweet. Fish is priced competitively for the midtown environment.
Some of the best seafood in Atlanta. Full stop. My wife treats me to this every year for my birthday, and occasionally I will invent another occasion to visit. It's a tad bit trendy and crowded during prime time. But the food and service are all five star.
theoptimistrestaurant.com
