The Optimist

Everything was excellent and our waiter Bret was AWESOME, his attention to detail and service was incredible. We came from Charlotte to Atlanta to celebrate my wife's birthday and it was a trip worth taking.

Great selection at the oyster bar and very fresh. Red snapper and Halibut were fantastic and our waiter was attentive without being ever-present. Great experience overall.

Really good food , will definitely go back

The food is amazing and the service is excellent. We'll be back again!

First time dining at the optimist, heard so may great reviews.
Dinner started great with smoked fish dip, and went downhill from there. both fish dishes we had were dry. we tried 6 cocktails and they were all below average. for the price of $18 per cocktail you would think it would be amazing. dishes were heavy handed on oils... had the almond cake for dessert, skip it... it is unmemorable... think a pound cake you have at home with ice cream. Disappointed to say the least.

A fantastic date night! We split a tower of fresh cold seafood with a side of blistered shishitos and it was perfect. Excellent service and social distancing was a breeze. Top shelf!

Outstanding service

We chose the Optimist for our Anniversary dinner and it was wonderful!! Remi, our server, was amazing!! The lobster meal exceeded my expectations! It was a lovely evening!

We went for our anniversary and they made it very special. Our menu had Happy Anniversary on it, we got complimentary glass of champagne...very high class token there. The server was very cool, friendly, knowledge on my gluten preference on the menu. Could be helpful to add a GF next to the menu items that are GF but that is a personal preference. The ambiance is very cool. It can get loud because it is all wide open and the sun shined in bright right on our table and there werent any window shades. Again, I am reaching here but just some feedback. I had the Redfish. It was pretty good. The skin was on and burnt to a nice crispy bite. You could opt to eat it or not. Without it, the fish was just pretty good. Blackened would have been nice. My wife had the scallops and were outstanding. We got the rice as a side and it was pretty good nothing spectacular. As an app, we had the octopus which was great and the fish gumbo was very good also. The bad would be a VERY bad selection on desert(3 items). We had the cake and it was excellent but slim pickings for such a high end restaraunt to have a very vague desert option. Coffee was very good, drinks choices very good. Also the sides were slim pickings. Nothing of a green vegetable was offered. Would go back, but not in a huge hurry

What happened to my beloved restaurant. The grouper was dry and flavorless. My friend didn’t eat her scallops, I didn’t bother to ask why.

It was an anniversary dinner and we really enjoyed the food, service and the whole evening. Got in just before the rain and got out just after. If you thought you didn't like seafood, you should definitely try try this. We will be back soon.

Even in these troubling times, the service was outstanding. I’ve eaten food all over the world, and I would rank the scallops in the top 5 best I’ve ever had. Our waiter Greg was absolutely fantastic (5 stars)!!! Great place to dine.

Those prawns and that sauce!! Made sure I ordered more bread to soak it up. Will be back

Loved it! The food and atmosphere were A++++

The food is really good but it is not a beautiful place.. Staff is friendly. Don’t expect something fancy. It is very casual and noisy.

My wife and i went recently for her Bday dinner! . We had several friends tell us it was the best seafood, oyster bar in the city... The Optimist didn't disappoint!! Loved our first visit. Hopefully we can make it back soon.

Food was delicious. Ordered Maine Lobster Roll, crispy oyster starter and tuna crudo - all exceptional! Our server gave excellent suggestions and provided wonderful service.

Went for oyster happy hour. The oysters were a great price. And they were fresh and tasty!

happy hour oysters were fresh and a good selection available

We had a great date night. The oysters were AMAZING along with our cocktails and entrees. We can’t wait to go back!

Great food and excellent service. Highly recommend the grilled calamari and scallops.

Loved the oysters! The bread was perfect and the scallops were perfect.

We had a wonderful time celebrating my husband’s birthday! As usual the service and food did not disappoint and was great! In the midst of the pandemic they maintained all of the proper protocols ensuring each guest was comfortable in the environment.

We had a great meal and our server, Alex, was awesome! We love when servers are engaging and thoughtful and he was great! The other staff was also kind, but Alex really stood out to us with great recommendations, some stories, insight on the menu. He also felt like he recognized us! We’ll be back soon to make statement true!

The parking can feel a little shady next to the building but the service and the food was great! Fair prices and they make great old fashions.

We had the most wonderful early Sunday dinner on the patio to celebrate my husband’s birthday with family and friends. Our server, Matthew, was exceptional.

Amazing great food great place

Amazing place my husband and I love dining here!

The service, menu, and atmosphere was amazing. Plus the tables were over 6ft apart!

food was ok way to loud as it is a concrete box with loud thumping music

Another excellent experience at The Optimist! My favorite spot in Atlanta.

Great atmosphere, limited 🍨 menu, overall 👌 but money 💰

Lighting too low for menu search. Don’t call me Shirley drink was so good! Waiter was friendly.

It was amazing and Danny was awesome as usual!! The hostess were very pleasant and nice upon arrival too.

We are sure to dine at the Optimist every time we visit Atlanta.

Great food and service

This was my first time at the Optimist, and it was fantastic! A friend and I had a wonderful experience, but the highlights for us were:
- Kyla, our server!
- the eggplant, shrimp a la plancha, and roasted redfish!
- the coconut tart!!!

I love the Optimist. The staff is very friendly and the food is outstanding and fresh.

Visited from out of town on a weekend birthday trip to Atlanta. Husband and I were looking for a chic seafood restaurant in Midtown and decided to give The Optimist a try, and so glad we did!

Bottom Line:

Food was fantastic, space was incredible, and customer experience with our server Brett was even better! Highly Recommend!

Excellent service, waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and provided very helpful recommendations. Flavor of food was delicious but was lukewarm in temperature. Decor is beautiful but our table sat right behind the espresso machine of which was very loud when operating.