I don't know about you, but I refused to go out for dinner alone. Breakfast yes, lunch fine, dinner? Not chance. However with ever increasing busy lives, sometimes it's hard to find a similar schedules with friends to go out for winner with. So is this going to stop you eating out? It shouldn't do.
I've recently started dining out alone and surprisingly I've really enjoyed it. There is something quite glamorous about sitting alone with ones own company and a plate of good food.
However it still can be slightly intimating to sum up the courage, so I've put together a guide of the best places to go for solo dinning.
The Ivy Market Grill
I've been solo dining here for a while now. Whilst you are more than welcome to take any table, I'd recommend sitting at the bar. The bar staff are always happy to chit chat with you as they make drinks, and speaking of drinks, being at the bar you always get served first.
The food is classic British plates like Grilled salmon fillet with steamed asparagus and
watercress hollandaise; and Rack of lamb
Herb crusted lamb with
fondant potato, minted sugar
snaps and lamb jus.
They also do a great brunch menu- oh and do me a favour and order the salted caramel espresso martini. Just divine.
Read more about it on my blog here
Kitchen Table
The intention of the Michelin Starred Kitchen Table was to create a feeling of someone cooking in your own home. A 19 seater u shaped table around the kitchen, it's a no where to hide kind of dinner. However for solo diners who want company this is ideal as it's certainly a talking point and encourages conversation with the people next to you.
Comprising of a 12 dish set menu, the European dishes include things like fried chicken skin spread with mascarpone, dotted with bacon jam and taramasalata with pork scratchings.
Chiltern Firehouse
While yes it is more famed for it's celebrity crowd, Chiltern Firehouse is surprisingly solo dining friendly. Again sit at the bar for a lively dinner watching the chef's prepare the food in the open kitchen. Or people watch in the hopes of spotting someone famous.
Oh and it's not hard to get a seat at the bar.
Dishes are a contemporary mix for European and American with such items as Welsh Lamb with buttered snow peas and chargrilled Iberico pork with seared courgettes.
Ting at The Shard
As a solo dinner sometimes your don't want to make new friends at the seats next to you, which is why having a meal with a view is just perfect. Makes sure you request a window seat and you can face into the view, leaving everything else behind whilst you eat your dinner.
Try the Rhug Estate Organic Lamb Loin with Sake, soy, eryngii mushroom or the Dover Sole with Watercress puree.
Read more about it on my blog here
Flesh and Buns
Flesh and Buns make solo dinners who want to make friends so much easier. With a huge long table down the center, there is no end of opportunity to chit chat with the people around you.
Styled as a Japanese Izakaya (a sort or pub equivalent) there is a strong culture of socializing after work in Japan. However, unlike our after work pubs, an Izakaya always involves eating too. So drinking and eating- whats not to love?
Do me a favour and order the S'mores dessert. It comes with it's own mini open fire to toast them fresh.
Read more about it on my blog here
White Room Supper Club
Not really a restaurant, although the food is so good it really could be. Essentially a supper club is a dinner party hosted in someone house, but the guests are all strangers.
White Room Supper Club is one of the most refined supper clubs around. Hosted in a luxurious apartment by ex Investment Banker turned Chef, everything from the welcome canapes, to the table settings and of course the food, is just perfect.
Come alone, bring some stories and chat the night away like old friends.
Read more about it on my blog here
How do you feel about solo dinning? Are there any other amazing places for solo dinners? Let me know below.
I'm more than happy to dine alone - though I've never had dinner on my own I have to say. Some great tips in here, I'll definitely be using them!
ReplyDeleteLauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries
beautiful places, i am going to keep a note of all these places
ReplyDeleteHave a great day
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I object to Hollandaise being described as a "classic British plate"...
ReplyDeleteThanks for these :D It's such a great way to meet new people!
ReplyDeleteI'm heading to the UK at the end of the year to live/work and will be by myself in London for the first few days! I'll take note of these places :D
'I don't know about you, but I refused to go out for dinner alone. Breakfast yes, lunch fine, dinner? Not chance. However with ever increasing busy lives, sometimes it's hard to find a similar schedules with friends to go out for winner with. So is this going to stop you eating out? It shouldn't do.'
ReplyDeletePlease, please, please read this and tell me what possessed you to post it without reviewing your work? You can't have read this back even once! It's appallingly bad!
Great list,thanks! Useful for business people travelling through London and on their own for a night.
ReplyDelete