One of our favorite restaurants in Nashville, and our most favorite spot for oysters. We always have the best experience! Incredible service, fantastic food, and always the freshest oysters and seafood. Thanks for being our go-to date night spot again and again.
Carl
Wonderful seafood and ambiance. Every dish was a delight. We tried four or five of the “deep search” and appetizer plates along with our entrees and left stuffed and happy!!
Jenny
The Optomist is always yummy and a local hotspot. I absolutely love coming back over and over again. The Octopus is my absolute favorite. Always great service.
Mat
Dined for our wedding night together. Beautifully clean open kitchen, brilliant service, delicious food. The staff, practically all of them, went out of their way to make our evening so special. If you are eating out only once in Nashville, this is the restaurant to choose.
Emily
This restaurant is super cute with such a relaxing ambience. The oysters were 10/10, and they had a great selection. We also had deviled eggs which were good. I ordered the flounder which was delicious, but still had a few bones even after our server filleted it. My absolute favorite thing I ate was the roasted mushrooms, I could not get enough of those! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Flounder, Deviled Eggs
Taylor Eickenhorst
Oyster, ceviche and heirloom tomato dish was amazing! My favorite was the white fish ceviche with Serrano peppers, amazing flavor. Great oysters too, very fresh
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ken
We love the optimist, and usually have rave reviews. We arrived on time for our reservation and were immediately seated. We waited for 15 min before our server made it to our table. Drinks and oysters came out quickly, but then a long delay for the rest of the meal. When we were done, another long wait for the check. Probably a one off issue, but it made for a bit of a bummer experience.
Stacey Andrews
Lovely quiet patio and friendly service. The chicken dish was the absolute highlight—perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and great for sharing. Fresh oysters, excellent squash side, and unforgettable desserts (especially the coconut pie) made for a fantastic meal. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Josh Begley
Great meal and excellent service. Highly recommend. One of the better experiences we’ve had for an anniversary dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sorcha Lowe
I can’t say enough good things about The Optimist. We came in to celebrate what would have been my grandpa’s birthday, and the team went above and beyond to make it so special. They reserved a seat with a tag in his honor and even stamped the menu with a birthday message—it was such a thoughtful touch that meant the world to us.
Our waitress, Amy, was wonderful too—warm, attentive, and as a sweet coincidence, she had lived in England, just like the relatives I was dining with. It felt like everything aligned to make the night extra memorable!
The food and drinks were fantastic, but what really stood out was the heart and care this staff put into the experience. Thank you for helping us celebrate my grandpa’s memory in such a beautiful way.
We came in about an hour and a half before closing, and the service was nothing short of AMAZING. Caleb welcomed us right away and made us feel like we were dining with a friend. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the redfish, ceviche, wood grilled oysters and, yellowfin tuna…all delicious! We’ve dined at The Optimist before and always loved the food and service, but this visit was on another level. Caleb’s attentiveness, energy, and genuine hospitality truly elevated the night. The food was outstanding, but Caleb made the experience unforgettable. Highly recommend asking for him if you want your evening to feel extra special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hannah Fitzgerald
We absolutely loved it here. The food was unreal and the people were so so kind. It’s hard to come by that these days. Our waiter was named James and he was AMAZING! We came for our anniversary and he gave us a complimentary glass of champagne and sorbet as a dessert at the end of the night. He explained the menu so beautifully and made great recommendations. We will absolutely be back. Thank you for making our evening!! - Hannah + Alex
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Holly Picano
Great vibes as far as the atmosphere, interior decorating and lighting. The food was beautifully presented, but most of the dishes were over salted. The She Crab soup was very fishy, over salted, and too much Sherry. However, the chicken and dates dish was fantastic. I asked the server to put in our drink order at the beginning of the meal, but we sat without drinks for half the meal. When I inquired about the drinks, he said he just put the drink order in. Overall, I love the atmosphere, but my experience fell short on the taste and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
J.D. Murgolo
Great food and worth the price. Felt like I was unwelcome because I was sitting at the bar and not drinking but eating. Otherwise, friendly bartenders at least to my friends who were drinking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Lee Minju
Food is good, service is good, Atmosphere is good, but food can be super heavy and greasy
One of our favorite restaurants in Nashville, and our most favorite spot for oysters. We always have the best experience! Incredible service, fantastic food, and always the freshest oysters and seafood. Thanks for being our go-to date night spot again and again.
Wonderful seafood and ambiance. Every dish was a delight. We tried four or five of the “deep search” and appetizer plates along with our entrees and left stuffed and happy!!
The Optomist is always yummy and a local hotspot. I absolutely love coming back over and over again. The Octopus is my absolute favorite. Always great service.
Dined for our wedding night together. Beautifully clean open kitchen, brilliant service, delicious food. The staff, practically all of them, went out of their way to make our evening so special. If you are eating out only once in Nashville, this is the restaurant to choose.
This restaurant is super cute with such a relaxing ambience. The oysters were 10/10, and they had a great selection. We also had deviled eggs which were good. I ordered the flounder which was delicious, but still had a few bones even after our server filleted it. My absolute favorite thing I ate was the roasted mushrooms, I could not get enough of those! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Flounder, Deviled Eggs
Oyster, ceviche and heirloom tomato dish was amazing! My favorite was the white fish ceviche with Serrano peppers, amazing flavor. Great oysters too, very fresh
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love the optimist, and usually have rave reviews. We arrived on time for our reservation and were immediately seated. We waited for 15 min before our server made it to our table. Drinks and oysters came out quickly, but then a long delay for the rest of the meal. When we were done, another long wait for the check. Probably a one off issue, but it made for a bit of a bummer experience.
Lovely quiet patio and friendly service. The chicken dish was the absolute highlight—perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and great for sharing. Fresh oysters, excellent squash side, and unforgettable desserts (especially the coconut pie) made for a fantastic meal. We’ll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great meal and excellent service. Highly recommend. One of the better experiences we’ve had for an anniversary dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I can’t say enough good things about The Optimist. We came in to celebrate what would have been my grandpa’s birthday, and the team went above and beyond to make it so special. They reserved a seat with a tag in his honor and even stamped the menu with a birthday message—it was such a thoughtful touch that meant the world to us.
Our waitress, Amy, was wonderful too—warm, attentive, and as a sweet coincidence, she had lived in England, just like the relatives I was dining with. It felt like everything aligned to make the night extra memorable!
The food and drinks were fantastic, but what really stood out was the heart and care this staff put into the experience. Thank you for helping us celebrate my grandpa’s memory in such a beautiful way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We came in about an hour and a half before closing, and the service was nothing short of AMAZING. Caleb welcomed us right away and made us feel like we were dining with a friend. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the redfish, ceviche, wood grilled oysters and, yellowfin tuna…all delicious! We’ve dined at The Optimist before and always loved the food and service, but this visit was on another level. Caleb’s attentiveness, energy, and genuine hospitality truly elevated the night. The food was outstanding, but Caleb made the experience unforgettable. Highly recommend asking for him if you want your evening to feel extra special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We absolutely loved it here. The food was unreal and the people were so so kind. It’s hard to come by that these days. Our waiter was named James and he was AMAZING! We came for our anniversary and he gave us a complimentary glass of champagne and sorbet as a dessert at the end of the night. He explained the menu so beautifully and made great recommendations. We will absolutely be back. Thank you for making our evening!! - Hannah + Alex
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great vibes as far as the atmosphere, interior decorating and lighting. The food was beautifully presented, but most of the dishes were over salted. The She Crab soup was very fishy, over salted, and too much Sherry. However, the chicken and dates dish was fantastic. I asked the server to put in our drink order at the beginning of the meal, but we sat without drinks for half the meal. When I inquired about the drinks, he said he just put the drink order in. Overall, I love the atmosphere, but my experience fell short on the taste and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Great food and worth the price. Felt like I was unwelcome because I was sitting at the bar and not drinking but eating. Otherwise, friendly bartenders at least to my friends who were drinking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Food is good, service is good,
Atmosphere is good, but food can be super heavy and greasy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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