Eating alone in London

London has a constant flow of business travellers who are on their own and likely to be seen dining single. Also, there are several neighbourhoods that cater to the singles crowd. As a consequence, there is no stigma attached to eating alone like there might be in other cosmopolitan cities. But more to the point, London restaurants will happily accommodate anyone with the capacity to pay and is reasonably dressed. For starters, you can read Time Out's article on London's best restaurants for dining alone. This article presents a few upmarket restaurants that will seat singles at their bar.

Caveat: London restaurants come and go, so there's no guarantee that a list of specific restaurants will be helpful three months from now.

So rather than giving out links to specific restaurants, I will list some neighbourhoods and locales where there lots of restaurants to choose from and explain why they (in particular) are suitable for single travellers.

Marylebone High Street This neighbourhood is brimming over with great restaurants that are small and comfortable. There are lots of single pensioners in the residential flats at the top of the street, but more interestingly it runs parallel to the medical district on Harley Street and thus is a favourite haunt for doctors and nurses to eat lunch or dinner.

St Christopher's Place This is a small area abutting the south end of Marylebone High Street adjacent to Oxford Street (the shopping district). It is basically a pedestrian area filled with restaurants that cater to shoppers wanting to eat lunch or dinner. It's fine to dine either outside or in as a single, but towards about 9 PM or so, it becomes part of the 'singles scene' and is more likely to be populated by groups of 5 - 8 people.

Pavilion Road in Knightsbridge also caters to professionals and shoppers who are looking for an up market restaurant. As a single, it's best to hit this area early because after about 9 or 10 PM it becomes populated by the 'Sloan Rangers' (the posh singles set like Prince Harry when he was younger).

And of course the London Docklands, which is further away from the centre, but is often frequented by bankers and other professionals who worked late and are looking for an appropriate place for dinner before heading home.

That's not an exhaustive list, there's also the western end of King's Road in Chelsea and Brick Lane in 'the city'. Other answers have mentioned Soho. These are neighbourhoods where you can find excellent restaurants where a single diner can get a nice table and not appear out of place at all. And if you find yourself overwhelmed, you can always take a seat at the bar.

Finally, you can always check Trip Advisor for any specific restaurant and see what others have experienced. It's not perfect but might save you from a "let down".

Eating Alone Rocks!

I will not deny that there might be a social stigma associated with eating alone in some cultures/countries. Comments like "what a loser" immediately come to mind. Truth be told, people will always watch/stare/comment/judge since curiosity is an intrinsic part of human nature. The bottom line is that you should not care. There is absolutely no embarrassment about eating out alone. It's a free world (mostly), and eating alone is definitely not something illegal nor immoral. This is ever more true in a city who's seen it all and done it all (or most) like London. I think you can be pretty sure that nobody will care. So my advice is: go ahead an do it. Walk into any tempting restaurant you encounter and ask for a table for one.

Since my opinion-based advice is obviously not sufficient on SE, here are some references to back my claims up. The internet is scattered with online newspaper articles discussing the topic. Most of the recent press backs up the fact that solo-eaters have become a trend in the past couple of years. Various reasons behind this phenomenon include an increasing number of solo-travellers, as well as businessmen on the move. Another reason could be that no-reservation restaurants are becoming more and more trendy, and these make it easier for solo-eaters to find a table. Some also bring divorce statistics into the picture, saying that broken couples inevitably produce more potential solo-eaters.

Looking for Inspiration?

Eenmaal is a restaurant franchise catering to single diners, originating in Amsterdam (see here for their (somewhat unfriendly) official homepage). As of January 2015 they have opened a restaurant in London, which is just off New Oxford Street, according to google maps. You might want to give this a try.

If you don't feel like ordering a table for one, you can always target restaurants with seating at the bar/counter-top. These include traditional pubs, oyster bars, Japanese restaurants, market stalls, and even some new recent concept-dining joints, to name a few. Here is a selection from Food Verdicts, although I am sure there must be many more around London.

Borough Market, near Southwark Cathedral, very often has a lot of stalls selling good food during the day with a few benches to sit on, but maybe not so much at night. I spend a lot of time in London on my own and there are a lot of "apartment" style hotels, where you get (essentially) a studio flat. There will be a kitchenette, plates and cutlery and it means I can consider buying food from M&S, Tesco, etc.

One thing to consider if you take that approach in future, though, is that there is always a lack of salt and pepper, but that can always be remedied by a trip to an Eat or Pret A Manger, which all have complementary salt, pepper, sugar and even good plastic cutlery if you decide to eat in your hotel.

I often end up eating alone, and you won't stand out. You particularly won't stand out if you are in a hotel aimed at business men/women, but the food / atmosphere may be boring, and you want to avoid that.

I know of no restaurants in London that cater explicitly for single diners (and it would seem a very odd concept). You just get a table for two. Bring a book or a newspaper. My only problem has been being served unnaturally quickly (presumably because the waiters think you have no one to talk to).

You would certainly not stand out in (e.g.) any Indian restaurant or a Chinese in Soho. Perhaps avoid restaurants with candlelight, lots of linen and waiters with violins.

It's difficult to make a recommendation without any idea of price range, cuisine or location (beyond zone 1-2) because there are simply so many; I can think of nowhere I go that wouldn't be OK, so choose by cuisine or location and ignore the fact you are eating alone. But if you want some company for your meal, one useful technique is to find somewhere where you can eat at the bar. In general the restaurant welcomes this because they have you paying for food but not using up a table. This works best in a wine-bar / bistro type environment. They may offer you snacks at the bar but I have never found ordering a full meal an issue. On a good day the bar staff will chat to you. The only risk on a Saturday night (particularly late) is that the bar might be too busy (but many restaurant bars are not). In that case they'll give you a table!

What you want is a casual dining place. Any formal restaurant tends to have all groups and couples, so you'd stand out.

If you like Mideastern food, try Edgware Road. There are many Mid-eastern cafés. One of my favourites is Beirut Cafe. (Nearest Tube: Marble Arch)

If you like Vietnamese food, try Kingsland Road. There are half a dozen Vietnamese restaurants here at least. All quite casual, maybe a bit noisy; but a single person wouldn't feel out of place. (Nearest Tube: Old Street)

I'd say anywhere food is cheap (relatively) is casual dining, so you'd be OK.

Wong Kei on Wardour Street (in China Town) used to have tables up stairs for bigger groups, and singles and pairs were sent downstairs to sit on these long bench-like tables. This is sort of catering for eating alone, as everyone else downstairs is as well. I haven't been since they refurbished though, so it may have changed (can anyone confirm or deny?)

Talking of long benches, chain Japanese restaurant Wagamama have these benches where you're not particularly separate from the groups next to you, so even if you're alone you blend into the crowd.