Photo courtesy of The Optimist
Hours: Lunch: M-F 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Dinner: Su.-Th. 5-10 p.m., F-Sa. 5-11 p.m.; Oyster Bar: M-F opens at 5 p.m., Sa.-Su. opens at 3 p.m.
Open Table: Reserve A Table
Price: $$ = Entrees $11-$30
Payment Options: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Type: Seafood
A newer addition to Atlanta’s booming restaurant scene, The Optimist has built a reputation around its dazzling seafood menu and glitzy-meets-industrial design. Chef-owner Ford Fry, the man behind nearby JCT Kitchen & Bar and No. 246 in Decatur, Georgia, is sharing his love for sustainable seafood, bringing landlocked Atlantans the freshest fish around. The menu’s beach food classics include peel-and-eat Georgia shrimp, fried clam rolls and charred octopus with spiced Greek yogurt. There’s also a killer line up of wood-hearth roasted fish (think duck-fat poached swordfish or a garlic-and-ginger infused crispy whole black fish).