Restaurants for when you're eating alone
Eating on your lonesome? It's OK we'll get you through this.
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.
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.
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 Boheme
13-17 Old Compton Street W1D 5JQ
Cafes & Tea Rooms
Opening Times
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.
Princi
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.
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.
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?
Kiln
58 Brewer Street W1F 9TL
Kiln's keenly-priced menu and buzzy atmosphere make this a great choice for the solo diner. An the food is spot-on.
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.
