Dining at the Bar

[mojoeater]

I find that often the best service in a resturant is at the bar. Your drinks are always full, the food comes out quickly, and bartenders either chat with you or leave you alone, depending on what you want.

However, I have friends who just hate sitting at the bar. Even for happy hour. We will go to a place where we know the floor service is slow, and still they prefer a table. And I'm talking about 3-4 people, who can easily hold a conversation at a bar. What's the hangup? I prefer sitting at a table when I want privacy or romance, but the bar is sometimes a lot better for small social outings.

[momof3]

Unless the bar is jampacked, the bar is always my favorite place to eat too.
Unlike a server on the floor, the bartender is always in his/her section. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide :) Almost always best service.
As a bartender I like to spread the love too of course.

[Linda VH]

The bar for happy hour with a max of 3 people is fine with me. I don't really like to eat at the bar but will if pressed. I spent a week with a friend in Calif. and that is all we did - never sat at a table - what a bore after awhile. JMHO, Linda

[jfood]

Eating solo on the road a lot, the bar is great, so I have a general liking to the bar.

Two people - can be very intimate or an outright disaster. If it is a congenial place it can be very private and cozy for two. Or it could be where there are pushers, yellers, side intruders (the guy who turns sideways and pushes between the two of you to order another drink) and general yutzes and then no fun at all
Above two - There will be one or two people who will look like a bobble head from turning to the left and the right and the two people at the end will have a crick intheir respective necks by the end of the evening.

So for two people it depends on the bar itself, for more tha two, i like a table.

[mojoeater]

My SO and I almost always sit at the bar, and have managed to perfect the art of keeping people from pushing between us. And we've gotten to know the bartenders at our favorite spots, so often get freebies!

[hotoynoodle]

i frequently dine solo, so prefer the bar. with one or two friends, we'll usually eat at the bar. however, some bartenders need to learn the fine art of shut the h*ll up. if we go in and he or she is on, we'll opt for someplace else.

b/f always prefers a table though.

[PDeveaux]

I agree that the service at the bar is usually really good. The reason I don't like to eat there is because of that edge or lip that's usually between me and my plate. I'm short so my feet dangle and then I don't have any way to get leverage.

[hotoynoodle]

i'm short too. i was just at a place yesterday where the stools were so low and the bar was so high it was truly uncomfortable. the bar was at chest height. i kept wondering if the wrong size stools arrived before opening and they just decided to keep them, rather than hassling a return. i won't eat at the bar there again!

[Perkyshai]

I like eating solo sometimes, with a book. It's a bit of a luxury. Bar is perfect for that, and the bartender won't bother you overly.

[soupkitten]

i love that too! you usually get better, more immediate service at the bar, which is a huge plus if you're all by yourself. when you're sitting with others at a table, service lapses are much less noticable because you're talking with your companions. i like to eat at the bar alone or with 1 other person and watch how the restaurant works-- very good for evaluating the general competance of the staff of a place that's new to me.

[nummanumma]

i love to eat at the bar- I always sit at the bar at Acquolina and have also at Colbourne lane- only way I can sit so close to my husband without looking like a fool (can't stand sitting on the same side of the table if we're alone!)

[smartie]

also love to eat at the bar. same reasons as above, easy to get drinks and quicker service for food. plus you can eat appetizers without the server being annoyed you are not eating entrees.

[mojoeater]

It seems to be mostly women who hate bar stools (I'm female, by the way). I'm short and my feet don't hit the rail, but I still prefer to get my drinks quickly and not have to wait for the server to come my way.

[brekkie_fan]

I like it when my feet dangle. And if it's just me and one other person, it's the best place.

[Jacquilynne]

I loathe bar stools. I look like an idiot trying to heft my fat butt up on a bar stool, and then spend my entire time there uncomfortable, since it's impossible to relax on them. Whether dining alone or with others, I'll always opt for chairs where my feet touch the ground.

[MeAndroo]

One thing about happy hour is that it's supposed to be relaxing. I find sitting at a table to be more relaxing because I can lean back in a chair, put my feet up if we have space, and not have to worry about people leaning too close to me at the bar. If it's myself and one or two people, we can do the bar thing, but I often find myself in groups of 6 or more, which makes the bar impossible anyway.

[mike_d]

I agree with you. But I think for some people (and I do find it this way myself sometimes) the linear arrangement at the bar isn't as nice for talking.