The Optimist

I was in town for a music festival and wanted to meet with my friend to celebrate our birthdays. She had this restaurant on her must try list and I happily obliged. Very intimate decor and very popular place, we were seated quickly and the staff was extremely helpful in with guiding recommendations. The biscuits that are given are complementary and some of the best I've had. The quality of the oysters was amazing, the octopus was cooked beautifully, and the scallops where divine although the portion was a bit small. The staff was kind enough to provide us with customized menus which displayed our respective birthdays and I greatly appreciate the touch as the days leading up we're fairly difficult. Nothing negative to say about this experience

Took my seafood loving mom here for her birthday. The food was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! Our server was super sweet and attentive. She had great food recommendations and surprised my mom with the house rose’ sorbet with a candle at the end of the meal. I had the scallops with our server’s recommendation and was so happy I did! The sauce! Even the accompanying garnishes and asparagus were yummy. The valet parking is a plus, especially since it was raining when we went.

We recently visited The Optimist in Atlanta, drawn by the promise of their advertised “ dollar oyster” happy hour from 5-6. Upon arrival, however, we were surprised to find the price was actually $1.75 per oyster. Not a huge difference at first glance, but it felt misleading, given they prominently list the deal at a dollar both online and on the menu. Despite already feeling misled, we decided to give it chance since we paid for valet parking. We ordered 2 dozen oysters. Unfortunately, the oysters themselves were a letdown- not only were they thin and small, but they didn’t seam particularly fresh or flavorful. For what ended up being a $50-$60 tab with just water we expected a far better experience. While the service was adequate, the overall experience left a bad taste. It felt like a bait-and-switch to get patrons in the door and spending more than anticipated. We won’t be back

I was really looking forward to celebrating my birthday at The Optomist, but the experience was unfortunately disappointing from the moment we arrived. We had made a reservation for my birthday dinner with family, but when we showed up with one extra person, the host (at the front, I believe his name is Sid), refused to accommodate us, even after we explained it was a special occasion. Instead of seating us inside the main restaurant, we were placed at the oyster bar area, which felt like a significant downgrade. While our waiter was friendly and attentive, the food and drinks left a lot to be desired. The dishes were poorly prepared, tasted terrible and the drinks tasted off. It’s really unfortunate because we had high expectations for this dinner (as I & many others I know frequently eat here) but the poor food quality and unwelcoming attitude at the front cast a shadow on what should have been a celebratory evening. I appreciate the service from our waiter, but the overall experience was disappointing. It’s not a place I would recommend for special occasions based on this visit and I will be sure to alert others that I know.