The Optimist sits on Adams Street in East Germantown, the Nashville half of a two-city operation that also runs in Atlanta under Rocket Farm Restaurants. The raw bar anchors the menu, with oysters served straight alongside a seafood lineup that regularly brings reviewers back for the flounder and red snapper.
Hush puppies and dinner rolls show up often among what people order, and a coconut pie has built its own following as the dish diners mention on the way out. The bar program draws its own praise — bartenders and cocktails get called out as consistently strong rather than an afterthought to the seafood.
Service and atmosphere both draw steady mentions, with regulars describing the room as cozy despite its scale and returning often enough to make repeat visits part of the restaurant's identity. StarChefs named The Optimist's Nashville kitchen to its 2022 Rising Stars class.
Hush puppies and dinner rolls show up often among what people order, and a coconut pie has built its own following as the dish diners mention on the way out. The bar program draws its own praise — bartenders and cocktails get called out as consistently strong rather than an afterthought to the seafood.
Service and atmosphere both draw steady mentions, with regulars describing the room as cozy despite its scale and returning often enough to make repeat visits part of the restaurant's identity. StarChefs named The Optimist's Nashville kitchen to its 2022 Rising Stars class.