The Optimist Reviews

One of my favorite spots in Atlanta. Excellent and fresh seafood.

Fantastic Oysters, lots of great gin and scotch selections!

All around great experience. Delicious food, great service, tasty drinks.

We finally got reservations to the Optimist over the holiday season. They have a bar that you can sit at and order food and drinks. We had a drink here before the dining room opened. Once inside, service was excellent. We ordered one course at a time and had a leisurely meal. Fresh oysters, She crab soup were good. Lobster roll had too much dill for me to recommend it. Our entrees were snapper, swordfish, and steak. They were all good but not exceptional. Nice wine list, a lot of French wines. The open dining room had a lot of energy. I would go back for a special occasion.

It was beautiful... The staff were professional and friendly.

Fantastic food. There are options for both seafood lovers and those who dont. Everything we tasted was fantastic. The swordfish is incredible and so is the Iberico ham. The waitstaff it outstanding as well.

The food and drinks here are beyond spot on. I had an array of oysters, salmon crudo, crab soup, and the blue corn grits. I'm glad this was my first stop to my visit in Atlanta. Highly recommend!

Terrific food, wonderful menu, great atmosphere, excellent service -- all-round terrific choice for our birthday celebration dinner! (Special thanks to Lala for fitting us in!) Especially loved the round table for a group celebration, too. Some stellar dishes!

Very good food if you are visiting Atlanta highly reccomend it. Food for anybody not just seafood lovers. They have a great burger and a nice atmosphere. They have putting area outside the restaurant which was nice if there is a long wait

Everything was good except the oyster I think I got food poisoning or something . I been feeling under the weather for two days now, been going restroom

Excellent food and service in a very cool setting. Not much on the menu if you dont like seafood.

I've eaten all over Atlanta, and the Optimist is my favorite place so far. I'd recommend to anyone looking for delicious seafood.

Service, ambience and variety. The oysters are fresh and a wide variety is available. They have an oyster happy hour during the week and weekend. $1 an oyster is unbeatable.

The ambiance was unique. The food was great, they gave a cute little birthday gift bag and our waiter Bret was awesome. Do try the oysters and be sure to mix them up.

The octopus is amazing! It's so soft and delicious... nothing like the usual chewy versions from so many other restaurants. The only octopus that I've tried that compares came from Herringbone..sooo good! Nevertheless, this place was nice. The only downside was that it was ridiculously packed. I went on a Friday night and it was way too crowded

seafood and the feeling at this place is super good. food was so delish. the place has a great feel to it.

Food to pricey not to offer sides with the meal. $20 got me one piece of chicken and that's it ...come on now. But the waitress was fabulous. .with her short cute haircut. ..

A dinning experience to remember. From the service to the meal, at the optimist it is an indulging kind of restaurant experience that you will not soon forget. They have curated and created one of the most unique, on-trend, and premium dining venue in Atlanta. If you find yourself here, certainly stop by and indulge yourself.

Went for lunch and had the burger, picture attached. Really good!

The starter bread melts in your mouth, and the meal just keeps better from there. Exquisite!

i've been about 10 times since the optimist has opened and i haven't had anything less than an amazing experience yet.

the optimist is hands down one of the best restaurants in ATL, and according to Esquire, is one of the best new restaurants in the US.

the vibe of the restaurant is awesome. a wonderfully open space with high ceilings, a beautiful bar, and a combination of big and small tables give this space an airy feel while maintaining an intimate feel.

now the important part -- the food. i've done everything from giant multiple course meals to ordering all the sides and sharing them tapas-style. genuinely everything is good here. the dishes are so well-executed but delicious and not overdone. it's high quality comfort food at its finest. and the raw oysters are of course sourced well.

must trys: the punches, spicy octopus, black bass, speckled trout, and ALL of the sides -- 'specially the beignet style hushpuppies and potato puree.

Very good and very fresh fish. Friendly service that gave all the time to relax and socialize during dinner

There can t be any better oysters in Atlanta. The scallops were the best I ve ever had. Incredibly satisfying dessert. A stunning array of tastes. A beautiful outdoor setting for a romantic date. This place is top notch; one of Atlanta s finest.

Best sea food in Atlanta, had low expectations being greek but fish was as fresh and tasty as in Mediterranean Sea! Highly recommend.

Matt the bartender is the best! My wife and I go in and look for MATT and he makes our experience worth wild every time. We love him and look forward to seeing him every time we go. Which is a lot LOL. Anyone would be lucky to get him as your bartender !

Not only does this restaurant have excellent food and cocktails, but the service is exceptional! Our waiter last night was super helpful, friendly, and guided us to great food selections. This obviously comes from the top. We ate early on our way to a concert, and when I realized that I needed a parking pass printed out (and I had no way to do so prior to getting to the concert) the restaurant manager was super helpful and printed out the pass for us. This was our second time to this restaurant and it won t be our last. It is top of our list whenever we are visiting from out of town.

Went here for my wife and I 5 year anniversary. Shared a bottle of wine, oysters, octopus appetizer, sword fish, and halibut. Hands down one of the best seafood places we have been to in Atlanta. Thanks Mike for the excellent service we received. Bossa Nova cocktail is 2 thumbs up!

Love love love! Food, service, atmosphere, everything was perfect. I can't wait to go back!

Nice upscale casual eatery. Tables are really a bit too small to hold drinks, apps and a plate. Great service and nice drinks.

Never considered myself a foodie but this place may change my mind. Couldn't pick a favorite dish because of the 6-8 we had all were terrific.

The choices at lunch were quite limited, surprisingly. I had lunch with 2 friends today, and we had difficulty deciding what to order. It appeared we had a choice of 5 or 6 entrees (one of which was skirt steak and we came for seafood). We ended up choosing basically appetizers and salads even though we were looking for heartier fare. The mussels were good, and had a bit of a kick to them. I then had the fish and chips which were too heavily breaded. I peeled away the breading, which was a bit messy. My friends had salads with chicken and avocado. The service was cheerful and accommodating, but forgot to bring things we requested and she let our drinks get empty repeatedly. The espresso at the end of the meal was terrible, but everything else tasted ok. Sadly, nothing was amazing and my expectations were high. I had eaten here once before (for dinner) and recalled it being quite good. Today removed it from my list of good spots. Fortunately, there are many other good lunch choices nearby.

Would surely recommend trying this spot. Excellent character, tasty food, fantastic customer service. They never disappoint.

My wife and I were here to celebrate her birthday. I made reservations and while they were fast on seating us, the server took awhile to greet us. It was fairly busy that night so maybe they were short-staffed. The server was great overall with a good attitude and knowledge of the menu. Highlights from menu included the Spanish Octopus which offers a spicy, sweet, and addictive experience in taste and the Smoked Fish Chowder which is heaven in a bowl. My only critique is that the prices don't match the portion sizes or maybe they do...hmm. I wouldn't say that this was my favorite seafood place in Atlanta but overall I would try the Optimist again.

Fresh Oyster. Server was great as always.. love this place.

We visiting ATL and we have ate tremendously delicious food but The Optimist was not it. The portion were very small, I found the gumbo to be subpar, the shrimps and cocktail sauce was salty. I was not impressed for the price point even thou it was highly recommended by a local.

I'm not much into fish, but this was one of the better fish places I have been. There things specifically that were unique and amazing were the bread, the hush puppies, and their ice cream dessert. All three were completely unique and remarkable. I had the red snapper but I liked the tuna better. All of it was tasty.

I find The Optimist nearly perfect. It's hard for me to write much beyond that. The menu is interesting and diverse yet the actual food exceeds expectations from the menu. The bar is great not only with their own cocktail menu but also in making classics. My only critique if that I wish the seating had a little more space for comfort - all-in-all super minor.

The Optimist was very good, but a bit too salty for me. I think I enjoyed my last meal there better. Service was incredible. Christian was amazing!

Amazing, our server was absolutely great, food on par and please, please get the octopus. Best I ve ever have!

seafood... super satisfying. You will not be disappointed in the menu and service.

Probably the best seafood in Atlanta. Hands down. Even if you're normally not a fan, I definitely advise to try to octopus. It's AMAZING!!!!!

Excellent service, fresh & seasonal menu, simplistic yet outstandingly flavorful dishes. One of my favorite seafood restaurants. They also have a fantastic oyster happy hour.

Great atmosphere, great food, great service! The bread is too good. Clarified butter and sea salt - yes! The octopus is perfectly cooked. The oysters are excellent. And their signature swordfish entree is excellent! Mahi-mahi was good, but get the swordfish!

It was good but not great. The appetizers and cocktails we had were good but my scallops entree was very salty and buttery, overwhelmingly so, although they were cooked perfectly. We got the tuna crudo which was good but not sashimi grade good, the beet salad was very tasty and the Spanish octopus was amazingly tender. I left with a full belly and enjoyed my meal but I wouldn t rush back.

Great shellfish; oysters and crab on point. Fish & Chips is where it's at as well as basmati fried rice rice. Grilled fish is hit or miss. Been here a dozen times and way too inconsistent to trust their grill or saute methods on any fish. Staff is always amazing though. And cocktails are worth the trip alone.

The atmosphere and service were wonderful. Everything we ate was delicious including the free bread. It was a little pricey but worth it if you are looking to splurge for the night.

The appetizers are amazing. The fish is cooked excellently, and the service was incredible

I wanted to stop by, on behalf of myself and my Fiance, to THANK Robert, the Manager for his EXCEPTIONAL response to our concerns. We were pleasantly surprised and delightfully pleased.

We will surely go back to try other options on the menu. Thank You Robert for your service last Saturday, 6|27|20.

Thank You Brett/Brent our Server...

Emy&Denny

Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly. The only thing missing for a 5 star rating was a little bit more creativity and excitement.

We were visiting for a conference and the staff and facilities were excellent! The spa is beautiful and coupled with a nice steam room that all people who are hotel guests can use. Jonathan was incredibly helpful with giving us advice on what to do and we couldn't believe that we had our own personal driver within a 5 k...

Wow! Wow! Wow! This was one of the most amazing lunch experiences I ve ever had!

The location and decor is amazing! The place has some pricy food items but the quality makes up for it.

Great atmosphere and a putting green and great food!

Total meltdown. Ordered a dozen oysters, got six. Waited 20 minutes for main courses, ordered redfish, got Branzino. At no time did anyone mention wrong orders. My dates scallops were over cooked and service was non existent. Dinner at St Cecilia s on Thursday. I ve been preaching Ford Fry since moving here a year ago from DC. Hope I m not crazy.

We have eaten at The Optimist several times. It is expensive but always seems to be worth the money. This past weekend we showed up and had several issues.
1. The valet starts asking for a tip before we can get out of our car. They make it clear that management charges 3 dollars for parking and they only work on tips. They hint that you can give them that tip now if you d like. 3 stars.. Just relax a little.
2. We initially got seated directly in front of a serving station. We asked to be moved. They did accommodate us. 4 stars to the hostess!

4. Most of our food was good. However, my daughter s chicken was under cooked(she doesn t eat fish). My swordfish was very over cooked. 2 Stars

We don t eat out like this often. I m sure every place has an off night. When we are spending this type of money, I expect much better overall. Very disappointing. BTW this is the first review I ve ever written about a place. That is how disappointed I was with everything!

Quality Meals, excellent. Everyone at our table was enjoying everything. Quick and friendly service. It has a cool atmosphere. I see why this place has so many good reviews.

Fantastic. Oyster were great and they have a happy hour where you can get 13 oysters for $12. But let me tell you, if you like soups get the She Crab. You'll want a bowl rather than a cup because it's so good! Very rich and the side of shrimp puree on toast was incredible. Fun date night for seafood lovers!

All around the best dining experience we have ever had in Atlanta. From the warm courteous welcome at the front desk from Annie and the other ladies to our server Christian. The food served is only as good as the people holding up the four walls and I can honestly say it was excellent. The cocktails, starters and main course we had were an actual gastronomic experience. Thanks to everyone in the kitchen we look forward to going back.

Love the oyster bar and outside area. Especially with live music. A bit pricey and the interior area is more ordinary. Valet is convenient. Make reservations if you even plan to get a table.

I love them, very professional and great oysters i had the Bakers Dozen( even tho you get 13 oysters) now round 2 andddd you get a warm towel and lemon to get that smell off your hands. Good job guys!!!

Just go. You're welcome! Octo tentacle appetizer. Superb! Best scallops I've ever eaten. Excellent experience.

Saturday happy hour from 3-5 is not to be missed! They have a selection of $1 oysters and $12 baker's dozens. They also have a daily punch for only $5 a glass or $20 a pitcher. It's different every weekend, but always delicious. You really can't find a better deal on this high quality of oysters! Also, the cocktail sauce is house made and really delicious.

Rated best seafood in Atlanta!!!! Absolutely agree if you live anywhere near here or are visiting near Atlanta you must go!!! I took my wife here for her birthday, the host Jim graciously wished her a happy birthday as we walked in and stamped a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! On her menu, that we got to keep! We ate a lot and still wish we had more stomachs to fill up;)
They have complimentary rolls with melted butter and fleur de Sel on top, soft and airy delicious perfect rolls, the best I've ever had!

We had shared next the calamari, I don't order calamari normally because I don't like greasy rubber bands! However with the rave reviews of the restaurant and the garnishes listed on the menu(I Love Aji Amarillo) I had to try. The calamari was super tender on the inside with a crispy not greasy really well seasoned flour outside. Served with an Aji Amarillo creme fraiche sauce, toasted peanuts and fresh cilantro to garnish was great!
Next we enjoyed the octopus man was it good! It was glazed in a spiced honey which to me felt real southern and I loved how the salty caper remoulade, with the pickled carrots, and mustard seeds really brought the whole dish to a successful composition. They finished the tender glazed octopus with fresh parsley which added a very needed herbal fresh component to the strong and assertive flavors on the plate!
As far as entrees go I was extremely intrigued when I read "DUCK FAT POACHED SWORDFISH, short rib, kohlrabi, horseradish"
Honestly I hate swordfish, and I've tried it many times because I didn't think suck a magnificent looking creature could taste so bland and dry all the freaking time. But until tonight that has been an absolute truth, unfortunately!

The best pan seared calamari!! Great oyster bar and amazing menu....can't go wrong with with what you choose.