The Optimist Review

Pretty good spot and quite tasty. Expensive for the quantity you get but overall, pretty decent.

drove across three states for their incredible seafood tower oysters are fresh! scallops, poke, smoked fish dip and lobster roll are all to die for

Consistently excellent. Great cocktails and delicious entrees. Highly recommend.

We started with the rolls melt in your mouth don t even need butter! Next had the appalachie oyster were fantastic. Then we did grouper and red snapper were both stellar! Would give this place a BIG 5 ! The best seafood experience anyone could hope for in Atlanta, and one of the best around the world! From the get-go, the setting strikes you almost as though you were entering one of those amazing lighthouses we see in movies.

Visited the oyster bar. The food, while pricey, was well worth it. The lobster roll is a must have!

Everything about this restaurant is a 10/10. Every time we have an out of town guest we bring them here. Couldn t recommend more highly.

I have eaten here before, when they first opened. My opinion is that they have become comfortable in what they make and there was nothing exceptional like the first time. I had the octopus, grits, green beans, halibut all were tasty but somewhat muted.

The food was really good overall...especially the sides! I wouldn't change anything about the sides. I would only recommend that the fish be prepared with more flavor.

The food is always great, but the service is always slow, sometimes painfully slow.

Outstanding! Well worth the price! Blueberry dessert is the best I've ever had! Amazing!

Great Healthy food from farm to Table. Will certainty be going back. Great service $3.00 Vallet parking lived it

Atmosphere 4 out of 5, service 2 out of 5, food depends what you get. For a seafood restaurant, I expected the snapper to be outstanding, not bland with boring plating. I could cook it better myself for less than half the price. The fish and chips were the star of the dinner that night. I sent the snapper back and split the fish & chips with my daughter-in-law. My son liked his steak o.k. For a seafood restaurant, you can't complain about the steak, I guess. They loved their oysters, and I loved the peel and eat shrimp. Guess I'm getting jaded by all the average restaurants out there getting such great reviews. I suppose if you just hate to cook and have money to burn, dining out at these places is fine. For me, I get more value and better food at pubs and ethnic restaurants. Plus, I don't have to deal with snobby servers.

Superb by all measures. Fantastic ambiance and pleasurable staff.

I was thrown off by the amount of food I received. I am a large man and I walked away stuffed for a good price. This atmosphere was amazing and the service was superb! I will definitely be back for a nice relaxing dinner!

One of my top favorite places to eat in atlanta. We go here for fun, for date night for valentine day and we also bring our coworkers from out of town here. This place is amazing. Great place, great staff and fabulous food and drinks 100%

I went looking for work & ended up having a burger and a few brews... It was great

Delicious seafood! I loved the mussles!! Also, the upside down cake was amazing as well!

I totally didn't mind this restaurant, the food is amazing, and also the brooms were not bad. It was a little chilly inside, definatly was not the best. The host is excellent as well. I will absolutely consider returning again if I get the possibility. Me as well as my buddy purchased the pizza as well as we were not dissatisfied. My one pointer is to keep the chilly outside. Thank you!

The food was amazing! We started with a sampling of oysters which were wonderfully selected and the waitier was able to explain the varieties in detail. Grilled spanish octopus is an exceptional way to start the meal as well it was dense yet tender with a well rounded flavor. The bengiet hush puppies were also a treat. For dinner we had duck fat poached swordfish which was perfectly cooked and melt in your mouth delightful plus it comes with the most delightful piece of perfectly cooked short rib. The mahi mahi was far from your average. Suprisingly for a mainly seafood restaurant their rib eye was outstanding and perfectly cooked. The brussel sprouts were out of this world, the grits were creamy and perfectly cooked and the baby carrots were uniquely flavored. All in all a wonderful dinning experience from start to finish. I would recommend this as an Atlanta destination!

One of my favorite seafood spots in Atlanta. They host fun events (crawfish boil, anyone?), have a pretty good lobster roll (not as good as Beetle Cat, but that's a high bar), and they have a killer oyster happy hour. The lobster is available ala carte, even if it's not posted on the menu; just ask. Valet parking can be added to your bill, and the valets usually accept Venmo tips so no cash is required.

Amazing service. Food was perfect. A little more upscale but definitely worth a visit

Great drinks, excellent burger, customer service was awesome. The ambiance was very cool great for a date.

Super solid spot. Great oysters, octopus, she crab soup, and the shrimp a la plancha are staples. Constantly changing cocktail menu and who doesn't love some putting on the green.

Great food and great service. Glad to hear they are opening soon in Nashville.

The best seafood in Atlanta and probably the best overall restaurant. Highly recommended!

Fantastic restaurant with great service, a menu that s updated daily with fresh, delicious seafood. The gold standard for restaurants in Atlanta. Very creative menu options and inviting atmosphere. Our waiter was awesome. Food delivered very quickly. Highly recommended!

First time visit, phenomenal service and phenomenal food.

Liked it very much. Couple dishes were slightly over seasoned. Overall very good.

Come for the oysters and the octopus. Stop after that. Their famous Lobster roll is served on a hot dog bun with a few chips. For $28 dollars, I expected a little more. Scallops had so much garlic that my wife will keep vampires away for a year. Staff is awesome and very friendly!!!!

Thank you Paul, Chefs, and Gary for awesome experience. This place is awesome. Great choice of oysters. Sweet Lobster Roll. Nice prices. I went for happy hour. If their happy hour is this great, I am really excited to try their dinner. Challenging golf course too. Thank you Atlantis.

I had my first dining experience at The Optimist last night. It's a very nice place with a trendy crowd. The she-crab soup was amazing and highly recommended. The yellowtail tuna was delicious, but someone in the kitchen had a heavy hand with the salt shaker, and most of the food was too salty. Unfortunately, we had to send back the crispy fingerling potatoes because they were inedible due to over-salting. The replacement was delicious though. My only major complaint was the bill.

Great food and great service. I ate at the bar with a colleague for a business discussion. Not loud and noisy.

Great food and excellent drinks selection!

However, if you want to have a conversation please go somewhere else. The place is very noisy and set in a warehouse like facility.

Everything else is good.

Probably some of the best food I've had in the city ever.

Wow! Been here several times now. One of my wife and I's favorite places

Cocktails and oysters for happy hour are hard to beat, except by the octopus....you really just need to try it.

heard about how good the food is here, however I didn't have anything i would run back for. to be fair, i barely scraped the extensive menu, which definitely warrants a return visit. the menu changes daily so you may have a different experience than I. first of all the room is fantastic. large converted warehouse with a great bar. good selection of raw oysters. had the basmati rice. was the best thing i had there. really impactful flavors to this side dish. had the steak tartar with oysters. was just ok. had the shrimp a la plancha that were just ok. the cold peel and eat shrimp were great.

Been here already four times. Their seafood is always fresh. They know how to cook/prepare them so well. Service and ambience are great, too. Nothing to complain about! We will be definitely back again.

The seafood is good, but we were rushed throughout the meal. The grouper and oysters tasted fresh. We were pleased with the soup. We wanted something sweet, but we were rushed and decided to go elsewhere.

The end of every Optimist visit I've ever had: "Wow that was good. We really need to come back soon". A neighborhood treasure. Great for lunch, great for dinner, great for drinks.

Now my favorite to go Seafood restaurant Westside! We had the most charming sweet informative waiter. He was Welsh! I'm British so it was fun. Perfect for a 1st date for your suitor to impress! Ambience warm

This place has literally changed my life. I was absolutely blown away by the meal I had. Oysters on the half shell. The vinegar and horseradish was a great compliment to the bright flavors. I order the Octopus appetizer and my eyes were smiling. The most amazing flavors from the pickled okra. Thank you Gary for your excellent service.

The Optimist is a wonder restaurant. Great food awesome customer service. Our waiter was very knowledgeable of all the food served. Valet parking is available as well.

Beautiful, urban dining with excellent service. Lobster roll, ceviche, halibut, superb vegetables....heavenly!

Amazing lobster roll. I m a bit more of a fan of Beetlecat s but this one was also fire. The dining room is very elegant and trendy; the perfect place for a first date or low-key anniversary. Probably the best seafood restaurant in West Midtown.

The refugees is not recommended, but other things are really good!

The food was excellent. Really enjoyed the side dishes. The ambient is very nice and the service was great. No complaints.

Excellently prepared seafood. Perfect service, great drinks. Oysters were fresh as could be. A bit expensive, but well worth it.

Great food and drinks are well balanced. Fried oysters were excellent. Great place for fresh oysters from various sources.

If the MCU(Kevin Feige, RDJ and the Russo Brothers come here and Love it. I love it too. I hope to one day go down here and check this place out. I'm seeing silly or bad reviews on here probably from competitive chefs or just haters (probably DC fans). Talk about conflict of interest. I will say that the food looks incredible and Chef Ford looks like a solid.guy.

Mark was so awesome. Thanks so much for making my boyfriends birthday dinner so special. His out of town family was so impressed with the concept. Redfish, grouper, and swordfish all cooked to perfection! Thanks to Paul for checking in and making sure we had everything we need. Great time.

Excellent food and service. I usually eat here for lunch but tonight it was dinner. Red fish with mussels was delicious.

Great drinks and seafood selections. Not one complaint. Love knowledgeable wait staff.

Love the atmosphere, food was excellent would recommend.

One of my favorite restaurants in the ATL. Best raw oysters out of all of the restaurants in the ATL. Perfect place for a business dinner or a date night. Always GREAT service and terrific fare.

Got us in quickly for a 4 top. Food was spectacular!! We had the swordfish, fish and chips, peal and eat shrimp and the Mahi Mahi, cleaned our plates! Our sides were sweet potatoes and Brocolini, they were good- but the entrees were the best! The service was top notch, the manager visited our table just checking on us and fit right into our speedy conversation with hand movements. When visiting Atlanta, we ll return to the optimist!! Well done guys!!

Great bartenders and fantastic seafood in a very trendy setting. The oyster bar is a little pricey but what do you expect? Casual attitude and a putting green outside while you wait. This is one of Atlanta's better places for a fun couples dinner or business meal.

Excellent food, great atmosphere, friendly staff. I came for lunch and had the blackened fish sandwich. Was an excellent choice. There is no parking, but valet service is available just outside.

Always enjoy our meals here! Service is exemplary and the food is outstanding. Make sure you save room for the hush puppies...

Hands down the best oyster bar around. The staff was awesome and they gave us a couple samples for free!! That's the way to run a restaurant.

The restaurant a very good place to visit. Our server, Amy, is very personable and very knowledgeable about the menu. The service is fast and pleasant. The simple salad was very fresh. I had cod and my friend had haddock. Both were seasoned perfectly. The restaurant is clean and has a very charming ambiance. Our server was knowledgeable about the history of the building. I highly recommend this establishment for your dining experience.

I Been here the first time on a Date and we havs a really good time. The Price is High but justified on food And Service. I personally Love the Oysters, all the other part of the Menu is too elaborate ( like the octopus plate) i coming back two more time on the Happy hours and i love it.
1$ for an Oyster is the Best deal ever and they taste so fresh.
You definitely need to try this place

The Optimist is by far one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to fresh seafood here is your spot. Reservations are highly recommended unless you would like to sit at the oyster bar. However regardless of location you will love this restaurant.

Last night was our anniversary and my wife wanted to take us out to dinner. This was our first Ford Fry restaurant and I had heard lots of good things so I was excited to go. Gorgeous restaurant, great service, really nice cocktails. Food was excellent and beautifully executed. Service and kitchen staff (from what I could see) alike were among the most efficient, organized and professional that I've seen. The small details are what made our experience here so very good.

P.S. The Optimist, I will sell you my soul if you can give me the recipe/method for those dill pickles that came with the fried oysters... Contact me!!

Beautiful space, the service was very nice, and the food was delicious. Would have had a better experience if managment would have done something about the unbelievably loud table next to us. Really put a damper on our meal. I know it's not an easy conversation to have, but as a restaurant owner you have to address the situation as it effected all the tables around us.

Favorite place to eat in Atlanta, great bar and really amazing kitchen.

Give me the shrimp a la plancha, raw oysters, craft cocktails, and whichever seasonal version of scallops are being done up and I'm in a serene state of bliss that can only be found in the consumption of ocean critters ^.^

Oh and the bread?!! Like, seriously, have you guys tried the bread??

Service is always 5 stars well deserved, too... Whether for Valentine's day dinner or a random Tuesday lunch.

You can thank Jack Black for this 5 star review. That man is a saint and the next time im in GA this will be the first place I stop. Looking forward to it.

Everything thing was spot on. The servers, the food, and atmosphere. The food makes you think you are on a tropical island. It is so fresh with a very clean finish...

Unseasoned seafood. Scallops tasteless, Mahi Mahi same, branzino too tasteless just nice sides around it. Drinks were well made that's about it. Nice environment for drinks