The Case for Dining Alone

Table for one, please

Not long ago, asking for a table for one felt like a small act of bravery; now it's the fastest-growing booking in the world: OpenTable told CNN Travel that solo reservations rose 19% globally in 2025. 

Britain is catching up fast: solo diners on OpenTable UK grew 14% in a single year, with 85% of Brits now having eaten out alone at least once — enough for the platform to publish its first data-led list of the best UK restaurants for eating solo. That's quite a shift for a country where eating out has always been a communal ritual. 

Let's have some «me time»

So why are people doing it? In surveys by OpenTable and Resy, the top reason is simply wanting time alone, and OT describes the trend as a form of self-investment. Therapists see something else in it too: a meal with no one to perform for is a chance to slow down, taste what's actually on the plate and leave the phone face-down for once. 

Less to carry, more to remember

When money is tight, people cut almost everything before they cut experiences, and a solo dinner has become the small, affordable luxury that survives the budget. 

Restaurants have noticed. And they've redesigned for it. Bar seats and chef's counters put you right in front of the action. Communal tables let conversation happen if you want it, and only if you want it. Lunch sets turn a weekday treat into something that feels easy, not extravagant. 

The Italian Greyhound

The Italian Greyhound was inspired by the bacari of Venice, the little neighbourhood bars where you drop in for a glass and a bite. It has a big bar with its own entrance, so walking in alone for a negroni and a bowl of pasta feels completely natural. Yohei Furuhashi, formerly of the River Café, leads the kitchen, and the menu keeps things simple and properly good. Order the Greyhound Bellini, take a stool and watch Marylebone go by. 

Paulette

Paulette is a cosy French bistro with old-school hospitality. Michelin says as much, and the room proves it, with chequered tablecloths and a ceiling full of mismatched chintz lampshades. The menu runs from escargots to chocolate soufflé, the wine list is all French and fairly priced, and a fridge of produce lets you take home leftovers if one dinner isn't enough.  Its sister restaurant, Josette, is in Clerkenwell.

Dishoom

Dishoom has always felt like a Bombay café dropped into London, and the bar is where a solo diner belongs: close to the bustle, with a chai in your hand and nobody expecting you to make conversation. Come for breakfast and order the bacon naan roll, or settle in for dinner and let the room do the entertaining. 

Wild by Tart

Wild by Tart lives in a former 19th-century power station, under a glass roof that floods the room with light. Its counter seats look straight into the open kitchen, with the wood-burning oven and charcoal grills. The menu changes with the seasons, and crab and clams arrive from Devon. The founders cooked for Vogue and Stella McCartney before opening their own place, and the room still has that effortless, editorial ease.