Hot damn and Hell's bells!!! What an amazing evening! Anita was phenomenal! The kitchen staff is killing it! Valentino is awesome! It had been a minute since our last visit but we will stop by more often! Much love to a great place and a memorable experience with our Germantown fam!!! One love, T-roy and Lee
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mason Shepherd
Top tier oysters but the portions for everything else were small. It was the Valentine's day menu so maybe it's not normally like that but... It definitely shouldn't be for an event like that right?
Great cocktails and service though. I'd be more content to just have drinks and oysters here than dinner though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Meghan Olesen
Woke up this morning still thinking about this meal! Met with some coworkers after a full day of travel and hosting trainings nearby. Capping off some long hours with our dining experience fully unwound the day, which was more than we could ask for. Not only was all of the food fantastically prepared (we had the skate wing, halibut, chips, english peas, shrimp a la plancha and kale salad) the oysters were incredibly fresh, and the martinis perfectly chilled - we also had excellent service courtesy of Dale. Dale was attentive while still giving us room for conversation, thoughtful and conscious of our allergy-diner every step of the way, and most importantly - looked like they just enjoyed themselves despite being very busy. 5 stars all around. Thank you again Dale and The Optimist Nash!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley Eglaus
Go see Zachary! He provided amazing service, took his time explaining the menu. Hes an expert on wine, he's never wrong about what pairs well together. 25/10 will be back, food was amazing, Zack was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terri Smith
Not enough space for all the good things to say. Food is incredibly good. Extra fresh and perfectly prepared. Atmosphere is kinda posh but still very friendly. Makes you feel like you are doing something special. The service is next level. Prompt, knowledge and professional while still warm and welcoming. Can't wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karen Falconer
We loved our meal at the optimist. We tried so many things on the menu and everything was fabulous! I highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zachary Ruth
Went out on a date night with the wife and we had Taylor as our server, he was extremely professional and was able to answer all the questions we had. Absolutely outstanding service. Thank you so much for an awesome night out! We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Roll
Lars S.
My wife and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary at The Optimist. The food, atmosphere and service was outstanding. Noah, our server was incredible. Thank you again for making our night special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on Half Shell, Spanish Octopus
Alex Brockob
Great atmosphere and the food was delicious! Our server Taylor was a hoot and very knowledgeable. Would recommend to a friend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Josh Shields
I got the bass which was over $40. It was gummy and came in watery cilantro that they called “salsa verde”. The mocktails were good.
*Parking Announcement First* Do NOT park in the Metropolis paid lot. They overcharge and you have to file a claim to get it corrected. There is an open lawsuit against them as of February 2026. Use the PMC gravel lot right beside it. Now about the food, because that’s the real story here! I’m not a raw oyster person but The Optimist has converted me. I tried two of the options and both were fantastic. By contrast, the wood roasted gulf oysters were good but not better than their raw counterparts. Some of the outstanding dishes included the spanish octopus (I could eat that dish everyday and never get tired), grilled swordfish, and prime cut skirt steak. We do not usually entertain skirt steak but this was quality steak. The only real miss of the evening was the cavatelli and it was not a bad dish but it did not stand up to the others to be memorable. I would be remiss not to mention the hush puppies. They were excellent beignets but they were not hush puppies. Beignet style is code for beignets. And it was a lovely beignet. Cocktails and desserts were consistently good. Service was fantastic! Our server and the management staff were helpful and attentive. All of the suggestions were spot on! The Yards is an up-and-coming area of Nashville with The Optimist located right in the middle. It is absolutely worth the visit!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arsalan Mehmood
Lovely newish restaurant exuding a posh and hip vibe. The food is on point but they are a little too full of themselves. The focus seems to be on the look and feel more so than the food itself. They are good, but they could be better. The grilled shrimp and crab appetizers were well crafted and the seafood stew was a standout entree.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Music City Food Critic
Love this seafood place in town! I go several times a year and never disappoints.
Always love the oysters and kale salad is the best in town! Have never been disappointed with any of the cooked fish. Highly suggest the whole branzino when it’s on the menu. The sword fish with short ribs is also to die for! 🤤
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
p.r. newman
Germantown, alone, is worth a night out if you haven’t been there in a while. So much has changed in all the best ways. There’s a real vibe there that you can feel.
We celebrated my 14 year-old‘s birthday at the Optimist. He has the lobster roll as an entrée and locked it. I have a striped bass and it was perfect. Great service. Very nice drink from the bar.
Honestly, five stars across the board. Take your family or friends there. It won’t disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley
2/15/2026 I’m very observant when it comes to service, and during my visit there was a noticeable delay when I requested change. After I said I needed it, the staff member went to one register and then another in the bar area, and several minutes passed before I received it. The wait made me uncomfortable and gave the impression that my time — and money — weren’t being prioritized. That said, the food is generally good and the service throughout the rest of the visit was attentive and professional.
Update: I love this establishment! Shout out to Travis and the staff for making this visit top notch! No matter who was our server everyone pitched in to help assist us by making the service more efficient. The second batch of scallops *chef’s kiss* 🔥😋😃
Fresh, tasty and delicious food! The bread was good and crusty. The tenderness of the octopus and smoked fish fried rice was amazing. Not a fan of the Red Grouper I thought it was a bit bland. The whole flounder was so good with the accompaniment of the brown butter and roasted pecans. Fresh seafood, well made drinks and an abundance of restrooms. It was busy so it wasn’t much parking on the side of the road, didn’t see anyone for valet but managed to find parking in a lot close to the railroad tracks. Overall, I’d recommend this establishment for the quality, vibe and friendly service.
Update 3/2: Made a reservation for my birthday and unfortunately got there a few minutes late to no hostess available but it didn’t stop us from sitting at the bar and offered drinks. The atmosphere is so cool though. Overall, I’m so glad to have been able to eat here twice and look forward to the summertime weather to enjoy it outside!
The newer photos are the updated version of the last meal my companion and I had. We were told the menu changes daily. THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
The Grilled Octopus, Oysters were bomb, Redfish and Whole Flounder all delightfully tasty.
Hot damn and Hell's bells!!! What an amazing evening! Anita was phenomenal! The kitchen staff is killing it! Valentino is awesome! It had been a minute since our last visit but we will stop by more often! Much love to a great place and a memorable experience with our Germantown fam!!! One love, T-roy and Lee
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Top tier oysters but the portions for everything else were small. It was the Valentine's day menu so maybe it's not normally like that but... It definitely shouldn't be for an event like that right?
Great cocktails and service though. I'd be more content to just have drinks and oysters here than dinner though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Woke up this morning still thinking about this meal! Met with some coworkers after a full day of travel and hosting trainings nearby. Capping off some long hours with our dining experience fully unwound the day, which was more than we could ask for.
Not only was all of the food fantastically prepared (we had the skate wing, halibut, chips, english peas, shrimp a la plancha and kale salad) the oysters were incredibly fresh, and the martinis perfectly chilled - we also had excellent service courtesy of Dale.
Dale was attentive while still giving us room for conversation, thoughtful and conscious of our allergy-diner every step of the way, and most importantly - looked like they just enjoyed themselves despite being very busy. 5 stars all around. Thank you again Dale and The Optimist Nash!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Go see Zachary! He provided amazing service, took his time explaining the menu. Hes an expert on wine, he's never wrong about what pairs well together. 25/10 will be back, food was amazing, Zack was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not enough space for all the good things to say. Food is incredibly good. Extra fresh and perfectly prepared. Atmosphere is kinda posh but still very friendly. Makes you feel like you are doing something special. The service is next level. Prompt, knowledge and professional while still warm and welcoming. Can't wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We loved our meal at the optimist. We tried so many things on the menu and everything was fabulous! I highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went out on a date night with the wife and we had Taylor as our server, he was extremely professional and was able to answer all the questions we had. Absolutely outstanding service. Thank you so much for an awesome night out! We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Roll
My wife and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary at The Optimist. The food, atmosphere and service was outstanding. Noah, our server was incredible. Thank you again for making our night special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on Half Shell, Spanish Octopus
Great atmosphere and the food was delicious! Our server Taylor was a hoot and very knowledgeable. Would recommend to a friend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the bass which was over $40. It was gummy and came in watery cilantro that they called “salsa verde”. The mocktails were good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
*Parking Announcement First* Do NOT park in the Metropolis paid lot. They overcharge and you have to file a claim to get it corrected. There is an open lawsuit against them as of February 2026. Use the PMC gravel lot right beside it.
Now about the food, because that’s the real story here! I’m not a raw oyster person but The Optimist has converted me. I tried two of the options and both were fantastic. By contrast, the wood roasted gulf oysters were good but not better than their raw counterparts.
Some of the outstanding dishes included the spanish octopus (I could eat that dish everyday and never get tired), grilled swordfish, and prime cut skirt steak. We do not usually entertain skirt steak but this was quality steak. The only real miss of the evening was the cavatelli and it was not a bad dish but it did not stand up to the others to be memorable. I would be remiss not to mention the hush puppies. They were excellent beignets but they were not hush puppies. Beignet style is code for beignets. And it was a lovely beignet.
Cocktails and desserts were consistently good. Service was fantastic! Our server and the management staff were helpful and attentive. All of the suggestions were spot on! The Yards is an up-and-coming area of Nashville with The Optimist located right in the middle. It is absolutely worth the visit!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lovely newish restaurant exuding a posh and hip vibe. The food is on point but they are a little too full of themselves. The focus seems to be on the look and feel more so than the food itself. They are good, but they could be better. The grilled shrimp and crab appetizers were well crafted and the seafood stew was a standout entree.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Love this seafood place in town! I go several times a year and never disappoints.
Always love the oysters and kale salad is the best in town! Have never been disappointed with any of the cooked fish. Highly suggest the whole branzino when it’s on the menu. The sword fish with short ribs is also to die for! 🤤
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Germantown, alone, is worth a night out if you haven’t been there in a while. So much has changed in all the best ways. There’s a real vibe there that you can feel.
We celebrated my 14 year-old‘s birthday at the Optimist. He has the lobster roll as an entrée and locked it. I have a striped bass and it was perfect. Great service. Very nice drink from the bar.
Honestly, five stars across the board. Take your family or friends there. It won’t disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
2/15/2026 I’m very observant when it comes to service, and during my visit there was a noticeable delay when I requested change. After I said I needed it, the staff member went to one register and then another in the bar area, and several minutes passed before I received it. The wait made me uncomfortable and gave the impression that my time — and money — weren’t being prioritized.
That said, the food is generally good and the service throughout the rest of the visit was attentive and professional.
Update: I love this establishment! Shout out to Travis and the staff for making this visit top notch! No matter who was our server everyone pitched in to help assist us by making the service more efficient. The second batch of scallops *chef’s kiss* 🔥😋😃
Fresh, tasty and delicious food! The bread was good and crusty. The tenderness of the octopus and smoked fish fried rice was amazing. Not a fan of the Red Grouper I thought it was a bit bland. The whole flounder was so good with the accompaniment of the brown butter and roasted pecans. Fresh seafood, well made drinks and an abundance of restrooms. It was busy so it wasn’t much parking on the side of the road, didn’t see anyone for valet but managed to find parking in a lot close to the railroad tracks. Overall, I’d recommend this establishment for the quality, vibe and friendly service.
Update 3/2: Made a reservation for my birthday and unfortunately got there a few minutes late to no hostess available but it didn’t stop us from sitting at the bar and offered drinks. The atmosphere is so cool though. Overall, I’m so glad to have been able to eat here twice and look forward to the summertime weather to enjoy it outside!
The newer photos are the updated version of the last meal my companion and I had. We were told the menu changes daily. THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
The Grilled Octopus, Oysters were bomb, Redfish and Whole Flounder all delightfully tasty.
The restroom doors are to be pushed IN 😉
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Oysters on Half Shell, Grilled Octopus, Whole Flounder, Scallops
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