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The best restaurants for dining solo in London


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  1. J Sheekey, Covent Garden
  2. Koya, City/Soho
  3. Hopper’s, Soho
  4. The Sea, The Sea, Chelsea
  5. Sabor, Mayfair

I like to think I’m a reasonably gregarious sort of person: I like a big, congenial meal with booze and laughter and free-flowing chat. But it’s an occupational hazard of my job that I get a lot of that sort of meal, so I’m aware of my privilege when I say I’ve also grown to love eating alone.

It’s wonderfully liberating, to be alone with your thoughts, to be able to eat exactly what you wish, at whatever speed you enjoy, with no pressure to be charming or even to keep your elbows off the table. You can emit the occasional small, satisfied belch, entirely free of reproach, if such small transgressions delight.

The best part is how other diners look at you. “Who is that man of mystery? A twinkle in his cornflower-blue eyes and the soft light of candles glinting off his full head of startlingly blond hair?”

OK, maybe I’m getting carried away, but eating by yourself is an act of self-care you almost certainly deserve. It has become a lot easier and more comfortable to do in London over the past few years and, basically, it’s a blast. A growing number of places encourage sitting at the counter, where, if you’re so inclined, you can fall into conversation with your cook or other diners.

Here, then, are a few restaurants that really get solo dining, where you’ll be able to find a seat, be treated well, have a fine meal and come out a better and relaxed person. If you happen to see me, sitting in along the bar digging into a large entrée or an improving book, well it’s a Tanqueray Export martini, very dry, two olives.

1. J Sheekey

28-32 St Martin’s Court, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4AL

  • Good for: spotting celebrities from the theatre
  • Not so good for: those who like their restaurants industrial or austere
  • FYI: the wine list is heavily Italian. Ask your waiter’s advice if you get lost
Fish and shellfish are the Sheekey's speciality
Fish and shellfish are the Sheekey’s speciality © Daniel Ogulewicz
Sheekey's bright and buzzing vibe is pure theatreland
Sheekey’s bright and buzzing vibe is pure theatreland

J Sheekey (“Sheekey’s”) is one of London’s favourite long-established restaurants. Up an alley among the theatres of the West End, it’s been a hang-out for the stage crowd since the 1890s and the interior is very much art deco in style.

Sheekey’s has a reputation in the industry for excellent front of house: the maître d’ keeps the rooms bright and buzzing, so there is always plenty to see.

You’ll need to book if you want a table in the main dining room, but far more exciting is the Atlantic Bar — a piece of pure romantic Jazz Age bling that looks like it’s been lifted from one of the great liners and where, as if by miracle, it is always possible to get a seat at short notice.

I drift to Sheekey’s when I feel like treating myself shamefully well. I’ve reached a stage in life where I don’t need to make excuses for ordering a whole steamed crab, a vast pot of chips, ample mayonnaise and a bottle of very cold white burgundy.

I trust the staff at the Atlantic Bar would put me in a cab and send me safely home if I ever overindulged, but of course I never have . . . at least not that I can remember.

2. Koya

City: 10-12 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR
Soho: 50 Frith Street, London W1D 4SQ

  • Good for: your soul
  • Not so good for: business dining
  • FYI: cold noodles in cold sauce are much more delicious than you think
Udon noodles are the basis of a superbly idiosyncratic menu
Udon noodles are the basis of a superbly idiosyncratic menu
The Japanese have found the winning formula for solo counter-dining
The Japanese have found the winning formula for solo counter-dining © Steven Joyce

Koya has branches in the City and Soho, and a superbly idiosyncratic menu, based around udon noodles. I’m sure it’s a great spot to linger with friends in the evening, but for me it’s the default place to go alone for breakfast, lunch or a quick dinner.

The Japanese seem to have the model for solo counter-dining down pat, and chef Shuko Oda has developed a menu where there seems to be something pure, restrained and, frankly virtuous for every occasion.

Egg and bacon udon might be the perfect hangover breakfast, and cold udon with a light dipping sauce is a superb lunch on a hot day. In winter at the Soho branch, when the steamed-up windows hold back the cold outside, a but a miso (pork broth with hot udon) is the ideal way to set yourself up before cocktails.

You don’t book at Koya, you queue. But you do so for a short time and gladly because once you’re seated it’s one of the happiest places to be.

3. Hoppers

49 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SG

  • Good for: cocktails
  • Not so good for: quiet conversation
  • FYI: You can order an egg, cooked into your appa. It’s definitely worth it
A plus for single diners is the chance of a quick seat at the bar
A plus for single diners is the chance of a quick seat at the bar © David Loftus
The small dishes are made for sampling rather than sharing
The small dishes are made for sampling rather than sharing © David Loftus

Hoppers in Soho (there is another branch near the Selfridges department store) serves small Sri Lankan and south Indian-inspired dishes, so it is easy for a solo diner to try plenty of new things. (It has the terrific advantage that you do not have to share with another greedy individual.)

You’ll need to queue, but there are plenty of small tables and a comfortable little bar, so singles seem to be seated quite quickly.

Hoppers’ dosas (rice pancakes) are particularly special, as are the appas from which the restaurant takes its name. These are lace-thin pancakes to be dressed and dipped in fiery little sauces and enlivening chutneys.

One of the few problems of dining alone is that waiting staff often don’t have a handle on your drink requirements, either upselling drinks enthusiastically or looking weirdly judgmental if you fancy a whole bottle to yourself.

At Hoppers there is a good choice of regional beers, a superb cocktail list and some interesting soft drinks, so you should be able to navigate a route that suits you without difficulty.

4. The Sea, The Sea

174 Pavilion Road, Chelsea, London SW1X 0AW

  • Good for: your reputation as a foodie
  • Not so good for: steak lovers
  • FYI: the no-frills kitchen means patrons enjoy the talents and creativity of a Michelin-quality chef effectively operating with the tools of a small snack bar
The fish is sparklingly fresh and minimally messed with
The fish is sparklingly fresh and minimally messed with
Tiny it may be, but getting a seat is not too diffcult
Tiny it may be, but getting a seat is not too diffcult

The Sea The Sea is a bit of a find in a very smart shopping street in Chelsea. It’s a tiny fishmonger/restaurant/counter and home to Leandro Carreira, an outstanding young Portuguese chef. The trick here is that the fish is sparklingly fresh and minimally messed with.

It’s a very good place to get into conversation with the people behind the counter, who are brilliantly knowledgeable and completely charming. I find it hard not to order the whole menu, which is fun but, let’s be honest, costly, so I could be content with a small bowl of cockles in spicy broth, perhaps a few sardines on brioche and maybe a plate of whatever fish looks best raw on the day.

Eating solo often means ordering drink by the glass, which might be an opportunity to experiment with some of gorgeous sakés behind the counter.

It’s not hugely difficult to get a seat, particularly at the bar, but The Sea, The Sea is very popular with the London fooderati, so it’s definitely worth booking.

5. Sabor

35-37 Heddon Street, Mayfair, London W1B 4BR

  • Good for: warm Iberian hospitality
  • Not so good for: a quiet couple of hours with a book
  • FYI: most things on the menu go beautifully with a sherry — ask the barman about the selection
SABOR, LONDON. Credit: Chris Terry
Sabor has the perfect counter to get stuck in at
If it's Iberian, there's going to be ham —  but not just any ham
If it’s Iberian, there’s going to be ham — but not just any ham © Chris Terry

Sabor is the domain of Nieves Barragán Mohacho, who led the brilliant Barrafina tapas bar in Soho to its Michelin star. She now has her own Michelin-starred place, tucked away off a Mayfair street, as if to give it even more romance.

The place is noted for an upbeat atmosphere and informality. There is a wood oven just for roasting suckling pigs and special copper pots for simmering octopuses.

You don’t need a crowd of mates and a huge feasting table to enjoy the delicacy of Barragán’s work and the warmth of her hospitality as, true to her roots, she has kept a counter to which solo diners can cheerfully belly up.

Book or expect to queue, but again you’ll have an advantage being alone. Maître d’s can often easily find a seat for one, the smallest and most perfect of party sizes.

Where in London do you like to dine solo? Let us know in the comments

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About the author

Tim Hayward, FT food writer

Before writing about food for the FT, Tim Hayward worked in advertising and TV, which is probably where he learned to eat ‘on expenses’, but it also equipped him with an intimate knowledge of fine and accommodating eating establishments the world over. Before taking the corporate dollar he was an itinerant line cook in the US – emphatically not a ‘chef’ – cooking in diners, schools, factories and prisons. He understands bacon at a very fundamental level.





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