London's Best Restaurants for Eating Alone
All In London's list of London's best Restaurants for Eating Alone
Ah. Bless you. Eating on your lonesome?
That's what you think everyone else is thinking. Well luckily, nearly everyone in London is incredibly self-involved and so are unlikely to notice that you're chowing down to a jumbo platter for two... on your own.
Enjoy the situation, this is going to be a great meal. You don't have to make conversation, for a start. Maybe take time to finish off that book or catch up on the SIPS recommendations in the FT. Better still, take a lead from the continentals and do... absolutely nothing. Do some people watching. Do some eaves-dropping. But most of all do some great eating in these 'best for dining alone restaurants' which we've picked out for you. These are the kind of places you're completely anonymous in, no one will bat an eye that you're dining alone... and the food's darned good, to boot.
The list
8/10Our Rating12 Archer Street W1D 7BB
The ice cream, bread, sausages, salami and pickles are homemade at this Italian eatery, which has garnered rave reviews since opening in 2008. Eat at the counter by the exposed kitchen and watch the chefs at work. 9/10Our Rating 2 Newport Place WC2H 7JP
If you’re after a quick, cheap meal where you can go unnoticed, Tokyo Diner in Soho is ideal. Customers mind their own business while eating sushi and katsu-don, plus green tea and Japanese crackers are brought to your table for free. Cafe Boheme13-17 Old Compton Street London Chinatown W1D 5JQ
This Soho favourite opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 2.30 am each day. The decor is French bistro-inspired, and you can sit at the bar or on cosy leather seating. Simple French snacks like croque monsieur are served late into the night, and more substantial classics like confit of duck and Toulouse sausages earlier in the day. Occasionally there is live music, usually jazz. 9/10Our Rating 63-64 Frith Street W1D 3JW
The elegant counter at Arbutus, designed for solo dining, shows that the Michelin star experience isn’t reserved to couples and groups. The menu is British (saddle of rabbit with cottage pie, crisp pig’s head with spinach and turnips) and every wine is available by the 250ml carafe. 8/10Our Rating 135 Wardour Street W1F 0UT
Alan Yau’s Italian eatery is so good it’s often hard to find an empty seat. Choose from the mouth-watering pastries, breads and antipasti and sit at one of the long communal tables or at the counter facing the wall – it’s more appealing than it sounds. 9/10Our Rating 18-20 Southwark Street SE1 1TJ
Brindisa has a bar with standing room, usually reserved for the throngs of customers waiting to be seated, but the small high tables, window seats and noisy atmosphere are perfect for a solo diner. Most importantly, the tapas are absolutely exquisite. 9/10Our Rating 11-15 Swallow Street W1B 4DG
The marble-topped bar at Bentley’s is ideal for solo diners who wish to while away a few hours in style, and what could be more decadent than sipping champagne and quaffing oysters while submerged in a classic novel? Barrafina54 Frith Street W1D 4SL
Barrafina has no tables, just a large, L-shaped bar with stools, along with a no reservations policy. After five years the queues still appear as this sleek tapas bar shows no sign of wavering. A second branch is set to open on Drury Lane in early 2012. Hix66-70 Brewer Street W1F 9UP
The bar at Hix Soho is perfect for resting your elbows and a newspaper. The menu is seasonal and British, however people are increasingly turning up just for drinks and hob-nobbing at this trendy spot. 7/10Our Rating 16 Brewer Street W1F 0SQ
Situated on the site of a former butcher’s (the original counter and tiled floor remain), Randall & Aubin has window seating which permits you to watch Soho’s comings and goings over a plate of seafood. Staff are jovial and dance music plays in the background as the evening goes on.
