Westside · Atlanta · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed February 15, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Optimist’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A thick, leather-bound list that feels like it belongs in a restaurant twice this price point. Organized by style rather than region, which immediately signals that someone here actually thinks about how people choose wine with food. Over 200 selections with a by-the-glass program that rotates weekly.
This is where The Optimist earns its Gold badge. The list goes deep on coastal whites you'd expect with seafood (Albariño, Muscadet, Vermentino) but also surprises with a serious Burgundy section and a half-page of Greek wines that pair brilliantly with the raw bar. The buyer clearly has a point of view and isn't afraid to stock bottles you won't find at the table next door.
Twelve pours that change weekly. On our visit, the lineup included a Txakoli from Basque Country and a skin-contact white from Georgia (the country). This is not a by-the-glass program running on autopilot. Every pour felt intentional.
Domaine de la Pépiere Muscadet Sèvre et Maine — $14/glass
Bone-dry, saline, and built for oysters. At $14 a glass, this is one of the best seafood wine values in Atlanta.
Assyrtiko from Santorini (Sigalas)
Buried in the Greek section that most diners skip. Volcanic minerality that makes the grilled octopus sing. Ask your server about it.
The entry-level Sancerre
Not a bad wine, but at $18/glass it's the most overpriced pour on the list. The Muscadet is better with seafood and costs $4 less.
Sigalas Assyrtiko + Grilled Octopus
The volcanic mineral character of the wine mirrors the char on the octopus. Salt meets smoke. This is why you came here.
The Bottom Line
The Optimist isn't just a great seafood restaurant with a wine list. It's a wine destination that happens to serve incredible fish. Trust this restaurant to choose your wine for you.
1 wine lover checked in
Brookhaven · Atlanta · New American/Southern
Roc South is a genuinely fun restaurant — the food sounds great and the vibe is undeniable — but the wine program doesn't give us enough to work with or get excited about. Until there's a verifiable list with real producers and fair pricing, let the bartender guide your evening instead.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American/Southern
Park 82 has a wine list in the same way a gas station has a wine selection — technically present, practically limiting. If you're a Pinot Noir devotee who doesn't mind paying restaurant markup for bottles you've seen at Kroger, you'll survive. Everyone else should probably lead with cocktails and ask what's on tap.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Asian
Tabla's wine list punches above its weight for an Asian restaurant in Atlanta. The white-heavy, aromatic-focused selection makes genuine sense with the food, pricing at the entry level is fair, and the BTG depth is real. We'd send a friend here for wine without hesitation — just order the Grüner first.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Other
MCK isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a bar and restaurant with a list built for toasting and crowd comfort. The sparkling program punches above the list's weight, the by-the-glass selection is generous, and the markups on still wines are steep but not outrageous. Send a friend here if they want Champagne and something easy to sip; send them somewhere else if they're chasing a wine experience.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Gastropub/Tavern
Blue Moon Brewery & Grill is a beer bar first, second, and third — the wine list exists so your friend who doesn't drink beer doesn't feel stranded. If that's the situation, the Cava at $9 or the Elouan Rosé at $10 are perfectly fine. But if wine is the reason you're going out, go somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Thai
Pink Lotus has built a wine list that takes its cues from the food — acid-forward, bubbles-heavy, and genuinely curious — which is more than most Thai spots in town bother to do. Markups are fair, the by-the-glass selection is wide, and there are real finds here if you look past the Dom Pérignon showpiece bottles at the top. If you're eating Thai in Atlanta and you want something interesting in your glass, this list deserves your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Flowery Branch · Seafood
Fish Tales is on Lake Lanier, which should be a natural setting for a thoughtful selection of cold, crisp whites. Instead, the wine program is a single bottle of heavily buttered California Chardonnay. We'd recommend sticking to whatever's on tap and revisiting the wine situation if anything changes.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Perimeter Center · Dunwoody · Seafood
Louisiana Bistreaux is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the seafood is the draw, full stop. But if wine is part of your evening, don't come here expecting the list to match the kitchen's ambition. Order the crawfish ravioli, get a cocktail or a cold beer, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's put in the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cartersville · Seafood
Maine Street Coastal Cuisine is a seafood spot that doesn't take wine seriously, and the five-label, all-$7, no-producer list makes that clear without apology. If you're here for the food, drink the cocktails or crack a beer — the wine list isn't worth the conversation.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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