The Optimist - Nashville

The Optimist - Nashville reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. N

   Nelson

   Los Angeles1 review

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a fantastic restaurant, from start to finish - not just for Nashville, it ranks at near top of my list of restaurants from around the world. Highly recommend you give it a try.
   

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2. V

   Virgil

   Charlotte5 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I had high hopes for this spot. Cool location and nice ambiance. The service was good, our server was a bit of a talker and let's just say he spent more time talking about himself rather than taking care of our order. The bright spot was the apps and the ceviche. It was my wife's birthday and she loves seafood especially oysters. But of course she didn't order any as I expected her to. We had the ceviche, the deviled eggs, fava beans, and fish & chips. The portions were particularly small when it came to the deviled eggs and the fava beans but they both were delicious (maybe that was why I thought the serving size was too small). The ceviche was excellent; having recently visited Panama, I've become a bit snooty about my ceviche. It was top notch. The fish and chips was what I was looking forward to; it was mid at best. I had high hopes but I will definitely stick to the oysters next time in town.
   

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3. S

   Sidney

   Nashville1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   Honestly disappointed with The Optimist. I came in excited to try the raved-about lobster, but it was full of shells and hard to enjoy. Portions were shockingly small for the price. The best part of the meal? The bread. Definitely not worth the hype or the bill.
   

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4. A

   Alex

   New York City2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It was a fantastic evening and everything was perfect
   

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5. L

   Leah

   Los Angeles1 review

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We completely enjoyed our dining experience from easy valet through dessert. We had oysters that were super fresh. We grazed through the appetizers including Alabama blue crab, red beets with ricotta, and gulf shrimp a la plancha. It was all delicious! I also loved the scuttlebutt drink. Music was perfect. Our server was excellent. So thankful this was our last dinner in Nashville during our vacation.
   

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6. J

   Jeri VIP

   Detroit47 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   Very disappointing. We had the octopus, smoke house oysters, and fava beans. The octopus was chewy, the oysters tasteless- missing flavor and the fava beans needed more seasoning. The bread was good and the service was excellent. We will not return for another try.
   

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7. E

   Elodia

   Houston1 review

   5.0

   Dined on May 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food was tooooo salty… drinks were meh…dessert was boxed pie with some crème fresh…
   

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8. A

   Anastasia VIP

   Nashville38 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 19, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We dine at the Optimist frequently and always love it! We definitely miss the scallops on the menu, but everything we got was as fabulous as always.
   

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9. J

   Joey

   San Diego6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 17, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Our food was exceptional from the oysters to start; the yellow fin small plate; the salad and she crab soup to the red fish and swordfish entrees. The chocolate dessert was a nice ending to the experience. The ambiance also made a nice contribution to our evening’s enjoyment.
   

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10. J

    Jen

    Nashville13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    We had a great experience returning to Optimist and sharing a meal with family who were first time guests. Our server was super friendly and walked us through the menu, providing great recommendations. Everything from cocktails, to appetizers, mains, and desserts was delicious. Unpopular opinion: we don't think the beignets are as good as the hush puppies! We love how each visit there are new menu items to try though. Some favorite bites included the Japanese Amberjack, beet and strawberry salad, fish and chips, Arctic char, and pineapple upside down cake!
    

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