The Optimist Reviews

very classy. everyone here smiled and spoke. they have a wonderful bar selection and great food. love the atmosphere here.

Ambiance was great! Server was knowledgeable ! Food was fantastic and some of the best seafood I've ever had!

A preferred location for quality Seafood. The service here is above par. This place has a good design.

We had the lobster salad, gumbo, and lobster roll, and fried oysters. It all came out looking pretty, but the oysters were the only thing that had a great flavor. Guess we're just used to Cajun seafood.

It's a very nice seafood restaurant with a putting green outside. Couldn't tell you what I had to eat if that tells you anything. Make sure you go on your payday.its on the pricey side.

The best seafood joint in ATL! Oyster selection and quality is always fantastic and exceeds expectations. The Redfish was done to perfection! We'll be back again for certain.

Oysters were great. Server was disinterested. Other food was just okay. Just the wife and I, $200 later and I feel kinda robbed. Too many better options in Atlanta.

Edit: I checked back at some other reviews and I see people recommending the Lobster Roll. DO NOT ORDER the Lobster Roll. Tasted like lobster held together with mayonnaise on a giant hoagie.

The food was great. I dine on July 1st of 2017. I was just billed yesterday on September 8th for our meal.

I was very disappointed
Ordered half a dozen west coast oysters and Steelhead trout
Waited good 40 minutes for my food and the fish came out cold
I was very hungry so just ate it
$50 is steep for this kind of food and service
I sat at the bar and the bartender never even asked me how my food is
Would not recommend

Attractive restaurant and bar. My shrimp po'boy was disappointing but the rest of the group liked their meals.

The Optimist is another successful Ford Fry restaurant. Great seafood selections, with a great oyster variety. The Drinks are even better! Perfect ambiance for a date night!

Never heard someone say they didn't like this place. An Atlanta staple and so fun to bring out of town friends. Do be prepared to drop some cash to truly experience all it's glory!

I've only tried it once, and that is a travesty in itself. Amazing fresh seafood choices delivered in new ways Try the Oyster Bar!

Great service, food and drinks was excellent, very clean, safe environment. Will definitely refer to others and go back!

Absolutely loved it! my husband and I went there on a datenight. Service was incredible, all orders came in right and in a timely manner. Food incredible, wine was great as were the cocktails.
Even my (very critical) husband couldn't find one thing wrong!!

We'll be back!

If you are lookind for a healthy and tasty seafood at a good price then go, check out this place. Friendly staff and friendly service. No one can match their qualtiy of food and their pricing. Also, decor of the place was outstanding. My eyes mesmerized after seeing the beauty of this place.

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

Landlocked Atlanta may seem like an unlikely home to one of the country's most buzzed-about seafood joints, but once you set foot in chef-owner Ford Fry and executive chef Adam Evans' establishment outfitted with a putt-putt course, live More

Fresh ingredients, awesome food. I highly recommend the elusive lobster rolls- only available while supplies last.The atmosphere is great for any occasion.

First of all, it took me 4 tries before I found the right door to enter . The restaurant has a really nice ambiance and great service. I think as others said, the food is a bit over priced. I tried the she crab soup which was good but a bit thin. I think the biscuit they serve on the side of it was amazing (stole the show from the soup). I tried the swordfish which was cooked perfectly. There was almost nothing on else on the plate though. I think you would have to order a lot of different items in order to really get a full meal here.

Absolutely amazing food and great service! I love the atmosphere!

A preferred place for tasty seafood. Super place to meet and chat with coworkers. Atmosphere is like a restaurant in Fort Worth I loved.

Excellent seafood with really good execution. Fun to sit in the dining room, but even better at the oyster bar for happy hour. Order a dozen oysters and a lobster roll, you will not be sad. Only downside is that it can get a little pricey.

I've been coming here for 2 years strong. Great atmosphere, great food & drinks. Most importantly the servers/bartenders are friendly and know the menu well in detail.

One of my very favorite restaurants in ATL. Never disappoints!

Chealsea was a fantastic server!

Went for happy hour. Got two bakers dozen oysters (13 oysters for 12 dollars) and a pitcher of the happy hour drink. I wish I had paired a good glass of white wine with the oysters instead of the pitcher personally. The chefs pick of oysters was a great choice and we will be back.

This place was superb. With a couple of exceptions it was a purely fish restaurant. The service was attentive but a little slow by American standards. However that suited me just fine as in most US restaurants all the service although attentive and polite is a little on the speedy side so usually you are out the door an hour after arriving. The place was packed but as said loved the speed of our service even if the server apologised and gave us free dessert by way of recompense. Would recommend to anyone one of the best places I have ever dined in.

Delicious menu!! You have to try this place. Great atmosphere too!

Amazing atmosphere and great service. Only thing is when we arrived there was no host (ess) to seat us and we had a reservation. The food was great although I ordered something I'd never had b4 and it was ok...don't know if it was just not my preference or how it was prepared, I got the Branzino. The rice was good and the fried oysters

Think oceanside dining but triple the price and cooked chef or gourmet style. Oysters are amazing but personally i'd rather just go to steamhouse. Have $100 with you when you go here. Definitely worth the money but to fancy for my taste.

Our waitress, Meka, was Superb! The food & drinks were great!

The Optimist provides a bright, enjoyable setting and plenty of interesting approaches to seafood. We had a large group and the service was excellent. Clearly the waitstaff cares about providing a wonderful dining experience and they are well supported by management. Fresh oysters were presented well, and included one of the better hot sauces we've had in that it was a really round but sharp sauce. Each diner who had a fish dish commented on the excellent presentation. Two diners who had grouper did mention it was a little dry. The She Crab soup was excellent, very flavorful and not heavy or cloying. Hush puppies, which are often an afterthought at many seafood places, were quite a surprise in how well they were done. It's nice to see a chef really dial in every offering on the menu. Overall, a fun experience, atmosphere, and consistent menu presentation. The hostess was great as well, as we had our group arrive in dribs and drabs and she was very gracious in getting everyone to our table.

Used to live in Atlanta and loved coming to this midtown gem for their fresh seafood. Never disappoints and have been back countless times on my return trips. The spicy kale salad, she crab soup, and shrimp a la plancha are not to be missed.

Incredible food and prices to match. I love coming here but reserve it for special occasions because the cost of a meal can get out of hand quickly. I would definitely say one of the top seafood spots in the city if asked for a recommendation. That said, better food overall can be had for the price but it's worth visiting if you've never been.

The Optimist is one of the "must-go-to" restaurants in Atlanta. Very reliable, great service, a classic Ford Fry establishment. Known for their sea food, they do cater to the meat eaters. In the summer they have live music on their patio.

Get the beef tartar and the she crab soup. Amazing flavors, environment and staff. I had an amazing time and will visit again.

Pricey but oh so good. Absolutely worth every penny.

Lobster we great and very filling, and she crab soup was delicious as well!

Probably the best seafood I have had in a long time!

We had two business meals in one week and much to our enjoyment. Both evenings The Optimist was hopping with no empty tables and no intimate tables of two. The place is vibrant, lively, and alive and fun. Our meals both evenings were delicious and everyone at our tables agreed. My best advice is to communicate to your server as to your taste. Try anything on the menu and be adventurous. One item I do remember is another diner and myself shared a larger seafood stew and the kitchen automatically served it on two plates. Nice!

This weekend I visited the Optimist for the 3rd time since moving to Atlanta. It is at the top of our list of contenders when choosing where to go to celebrate a special occasion. Our first two visits were top-notch and absolutely something to write home about.
Unfortunately, this was not the case this past visit. Everything went smoothly at first with our ordering of oysters and some octopus to start. When our main plates came, I was extremely displeased to find my shrimp extremely overcooked and mushy. Sorry, but I am not paying $30+ per plate at a place that specializes in seafood to be served overcooked shrimp.
Our server was extremely off the ball. It took over 25 minutes for us to receive a cocktail that was ordered prior to our entrees. He was absent for long gaps of time where his table presence was needed. He did not check in post-meal delivery, I was served red wine in a white wine glass, and at the end of our meal it took nearly 20 minutes to receive our checks (sitting right near the POS, may I add). As a party of 2 couples, we asked for the check to be split for each couple, which should not have been complicated since we did not split anything. However, the waiter still did not split the check properly. We decided to settle the differences outside of the restaurant instead of wait any longer to have the checks corrected.
Overall, I will give the Optimist 3 stars for the times I have dined there and been really pleased with my experience. Unfortunately I will not be returning to dine here because, like I said, I am not paying $30+ per plate for sub-par service and overcooked shrimp.

Been here several times and it never disappoints. Really good selection of seafood. And really good selection of drinks. We try and make it to The Optimist anytime we are on that side of town. Would highly recommend.

The prices are quite steep, but the quality of the food is without question. We opted to sit outside next to the putting greens (what a great idea for make waiting for a table more enjoyable!) the staff was friendly, and the beer selection seemed well curated even though rather small. The octopus civiche was our favorite dish.

Amazing food, environment, bar and wait staff. Always excellent. Recommend the fish and chips and ice cream sandwich .

Rich buttery perfectly cooked fish and amazing oyster happiness hour

I wasn't good. They got my order all wrong. Didn't eat anything but the rolls. Overrated

Let me start out by saying my wife and I were a little disappointed to meet our hero. After watching the Chef show on Netflix we had to go. This is going to sound so trivial but there were consistency issues within the same plate, and other items seemed "off balance" on their flavor profiles to the point they were underwhelming. We shared a octopus that was cooked perfectly, amazing color, texture, and presentation. But the 2 pieces tasted completely different. Where one piece was perfectly balanced, the other was too tangy and spicy. We had the same experience with the shrimp and toast, as if the sauce was missing a fat that would have rounded it of perfectly. One of our sides were the fingerling potatoes with a saffron aoli made with chicken broth, and all I could think of was how good just a hint of salt and garlic would have set it off. Instead we found ourselves avoiding them for the most part. What absolutely made this experience for us was not only the atmosphere but the service. Somehow they have mastered how to make 5 star service unpretentious. The entire time we were having a blast with our server learning more about the menu, and admiring every exacting details of our surroundings. Every dish was perfectly prepared, cooked, and plated. Despite our complaints we had the time of our lives, and recommend everyone go at least once. The freshness of the ingredients alone made the dinner memorable, and the dessert provided evidence of perfection, and left our imagination whirling with possibilities of the next time.

Great food!! Great customer service!! A true winner

The food here was sublime. Some of the best seafood I have ever had and a really fun and light atmosphere. Fantastic drink selection as well which just helped round out the experience. If you are with a larger group (8+) I would seriously suggest "The Starving Man" starter. You get to try a little bit of everything and it's all family style. We had great service throughout the evening. It is definitely a can't miss spot in Atlanta so book a reservation!

Fabulous drinks, oysters, and lobster dish that had tender chunks of lobster plus claws, sauteed with mushrooms, plus another perfect lobster grilled and split open to facilitate the eating experience.

We started our meal with a few drinks, 2 each of the daily fresh oysters (always great), and the grilled calamari (also great!). The hush puppies were added next, and they complemented our meals.

My wife and her sister shared the watermelon salad and the Opti Burger. Talk about a surprise mix of complementary flavors! The nuts & scallions in the watermelon provided that perfect umami, fresh sensation which in turn balanced the rich and savoriness of the burger.

I ordered the monkfish, which was perfectly cooked, moist & tender, with baby onions that enhanced the flavor of the monkfish without overpowering the natural flavor of the fish. Remember the hush puppies? They were perfect to sop up the broth of the dish.

We thought we couldn't eat desert, but we were wrong. The key lime pie and chocolate tart were mmm, mmm good! I was so surprised that the chocolate tart was so light and not overly sweet to overpower you.

The Optimist has always been one of our favorite restaurants, and everytime they prove why we love and recommend them to friends and strangers alike.

Kudos to The Optimist Team!

Cheers!

We got stuck in traffic on our way over for a Valentine s Day dinner, tried calling but no one answered, and left a message saying we would be about 15 minutes late. We ended up getting there 20 minutes late and being told that they have a strict 15 minute cancellation policy and that our table was gone. That s totally understandable but pretty annoying to not have found that out before wasting our time driving over because they were understaffed. We sat at a first come, first serve table near the bar.

The fixed menu was pretty good but nothing really stood out as amazing or remarkable, which of course, is what you re paying for here. I was told about how amazing The Optimist is, so maybe it was just an off night, but I wouldn t recommend it. For the money, I would recommend Chops Lobster Bar, Umi, or somewhere different.

Came after watching the Chef Show and was not disappointed. Service was great, lovely ambiance. Food was amazing, the oysters were my favorite part. Will absolutely come back.

Great environment. Everyone was very pleasant. Food was good

The ambiance is very suiting for a nice evening with your significant other. I highly recommend the oysters, hush puppies, fried rice and lobster roll. Enjoy!

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Not a big fan. I went in pretty hungry and was disappointed in the strip steak portion which came already sliced up. My friend ordered scallops. He said it was okay (getting 4 scallops for dinner) cause he had eaten earlier in the day, lol. The food tasted very good and the wait staff were great. The bartender made an excellent old fashioned, but don't ask for a light-beer, cause there isn't any.

Great atmosphere and service was attentive and on point. Dinner portions were quite generous!

Fantastic food and drinks. The staff was also incredibly nice.

Great staff and great food. Cant go wrong with anything you order...lobster roll, gumbo, oysters, all were well prepared and delicious!

Super yummy and fancy place in Atlanta. Went with a group of 6 and everything we ordered was absolutely fantastic. If I am back in Atlanta I will be stopping in again.

After years of hearing high praise from friends and family, we had to give The Optimist a try. What a treat! Everything was outstanding; oysters were definitely among the freshest in town. You re in close quarters with other guests at a 2-top, but the guests we sat near were all very gracious and friendly. Server Eli was phenom, and treated us to an extra dessert when we had trouble deciding on just one.

Wonderful fresh selection of seafood exquisitely prepared with a knowledgeable and courteous staff that will guide you through a tasting experience you will love

Excellent food, great atmosphere, wonderful dining experience.

Cant.say enough, great food, atmosphere and service

I live 50 miles south , and I just watched a video of Hack Black eating here or at least I think it was here. The food looked lovely and the atmosphere seemed very family oriented, was wondering would this be a nice place to celebrate my 23 wedding anniversary?

Very. Nice lunch. The place is inviting. We ordered blackened fish with she crab soup. Food was very hot which was a pleasure. Fish was fresh and the soup was superb. The lobster roll was very tasty. Basically herbs with NO mayo. That suited me fine.

Celebrated my mother in-laws birthday at the Optimist and what a wonderful experience. Our service was top notch! The food came out quickly, everything was absolutely extremely well presented but what is more important is just how mind blowing good everything was. Definitely a meal to remember, would not hesitate to visit again or recommend, check them out!

Not amazing but certainly not bad. Maybe would go again in the future but not anytime soon. The atmosphere is very nice and spacious.

Man, this place has nailed customer service. My wife and I went for our anniversary and the staff made us feel like royalty (and we ordered a very modest amount of food). Our waitress was beyond knowledgeable on their cuisine and good pairings, the food was fantastic (we recommend the duck and oysters), and when the night was over the whole staff gave us special menus that they signed and some complimentary champagne. We even thought the evening was gonna be spoiled when we left to find our car had been unjustly booted in the nearby parking deck due to some machine error with the parking meter, but incredibly, the Optimist general manager came out to the parking deck to check on us and make sure the whole thing was settled.
These cats are working hard to maintain an excellent level of customer service and I can't recommend this place enough.

Great opening night! Service was great and food was delicious. Pricey but worth it. Decor was nice and played good music.

Had a great time party of 8. Food was good, i wanted it to be great. Service i must admit was slow. We waited at least 30 min or more for our food. To the point that everyone at the table noticed. My friend ordered a dirty martini which she had to send back because it didnt look or taste dirty. I will try to make my way back, but its not at this time at the top of the list.