West Midtown Restaurant Week
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The Optimist

Photograph: courtesy The Optimist.

Seafood · American · $$$

The Optimist

The Optimist brings a coastal fish camp experience to Atlanta with sustainable seafood, fresh local ingredients and an ever-changing menu from chef-owner Ford Fry.

The essentials
Cuisine
Seafood · American
Neighbourhood
West Midtown, Atlanta
Price
$$$Upscale
Restaurant website & regular menu
theoptimistrestaurant.com/atlanta ↗
The Optimist brings a seaside fish camp experience to landlocked Atlantans. The ever-changing menu features high-quality, sustainable seafood masterfully paired with fresh, local ingredients. From sophisticated, daily-catch dishes to crudos and beachside classics, chef-owner Ford Fry’s The Optimist transports guests to their favorite coastal haunts.
Interior of The Optimist
Photograph: placeholder.
ReserveBook on opentable →
Hours
Daily
Monday - Thursday5 Pm - 10 PM
Friday5 Pm - 11 PM
Saturday3 PM - 11 PM
Sunday3 PM - 10 PM

@theoptimistatl

Restaurant Week

September 20 – September 26, 2026

For West Midtown Restaurant Week, The Optimist is featuring a $20 Tuna Crudo with Szechuan peanuts, citrus and nuoc cham, alongside the $12 Opti Mai Tai, made with white rum, dark rum, dry curaçao, orgeat and lime juice. The pairing brings together the restaurant’s seafood-focused menu with a bright, tropical cocktail.

Walkers, a cyclist and a stroller filling a car-free Howell Mill Road, vendor tents lining both sides
In the neighborhood · Westside Stride

Bike, walk, scoot, stroll.

On Sunday, November 8, Howell Mill Road closes to cars and opens to everyone — an afternoon of food, music and family-friendly fun from the Upper Westside Improvement District. A few weeks after the last Restaurant Week table is cleared, the same neighborhood is worth a second trip.

See the route →

Westside Stride is presented by the Upper Westside Improvement District, Sunday, November 8, 2026 on Howell Mill Road. Route and programming to be announced.