Best Solo Dining in NYC

[babydoctor]

My husband and I are both medical residents, and as such, our schedules often don't overlap, and we eat a lot of dinners alone. While he's content to throw together a turkey sandwich night after night, I find myself getting sick of the take out options in my neighborhood, and I'm not always up for cooking. I was wondering where my fellow Manhattanites turn when faced with this dilemma?

[MMRuth]

What is your neighborhood? That would help us narrow things down a little bit.

[babydoctor]

the point of the post wasn't neighborhood specific.

[MMRuth]

Sorry about that -- sometimes posters post without mention of geography when in fact they do have particular areas in mind. Glad you've gotten lots of great suggestions, and I do agree with Thew's post, below.

If up for a splurge, I recommend bar dining at La Grenouille.

-----
La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

[kathryn]

I find that Manhattan is great for solo bar dining, especially at odd hours.

Here's some places (not super formal but not super casual either) where you can drop in and get a good meal at the bar:

Babbo - you might have to wait for a seat, or you could go to Scarpetta, both serve the full menu at the bar but Babbo won't do a tasting for the solo diner, Lupa and Otto are also solo diner friendly, especially at the bar
Hearth - you can eat at the bar or ask for "the pass"... Terroir is next door as well if you want some wine and bites to eat.
Minetta Tavern - go early or really late
Prune - but the bar is pretty tiny
Po - ditto
Jeffrey's Grocery - they have a good sized bar and specialize in oysters, sandwiches, etc
Smith & Mills - tiny place but the bar has like 8 seats
Locanda Verde - the bartenders are great, you can order off the full menu, too
Pearl Oyster Bar - nearly 1/2 of the restaurant is counter seating anyway
Momofuku Ssam Bar - also solo diner friendly
Momofuku Noodle Bar - ditto, actually I bet any of the ramen places could accommodate you, like Ippudo
DBGB or Bar Boulud - although I think the seating set up at DBGB at the bar is kind of funky
Gramercy Tavern - the bar and casual front room have a nice vibe to them, it's a la carte unlike the formal dining room
Bar Room at the Modern - great atmosphere but it can get a bit loud
Union Square Care - they save the bar and some walk in tables for those without reservations
Txikito or El Quinto Pino - Most of EQP is counter style dining anyway
Casa Mono - also solo diner friendly and you won't have a long wait if you're a party of 1 at an off hour
Spotted Pig - if the downstairs looks crowded, ask the host about the upstairs bar
Perilla - I think you can order off the full menu, this is Harold from Top Chef's place, not sure if his new Thai joint, Kin Shop, has a bar with full menu dining
Maialino - although they don't serve the full dinner menu at the bar in the front room, it's an attractive and comfortable space
Red Egg - one of the few Chinatown places with night time dim sum (made to order), and a bar, and I think a happy hour special

-----
Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

Perilla
9 Jones Street, New York, NY 10014

Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

El Quinto Pino
401 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Ippudo
65 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003

Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Red Egg
202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Smith & Mills
71 N Moore St, New York, NY 10013

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

Jeffrey's Grocery
172 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10014

[daffyduck]

great post, i think the bar room at the modern is also a good place for solo dining although they aren't open too late.

[tvham]

Great thread...I'll be following it closely as I'm in NY in Dec for a week.

[babydoctor]

I like the idea of sitting at the bar. That way, your not facing that empty seat across from you, rubbing the solitude in.

[thew]

rubbing it in? i like myself. solitude doesn;t bother me, sometimes i seek it out. there is no stigma to eating alone

[kathryn]

There's no stigma to eating alone at a table, but I can see how you might prefer the bar, so you could interact with the bartender or people watch. Sometimes I end up chatting with other patrons at the bar as well.

[thew]

i do it as well, but that's a very different sentiment than "...rubbing the solitude in"

[steakrules85]

As always Kathryn has shared her great knowledge of the NYC dining scene with lots of recs that are helpful. The great thing about our city is that you can really eat anywhere solo and nobody will frown down on you or make you feel uncomfortable. This has been my experience no matter where I go- neighborhood casual place or ultra ultimate high end.

[fm1963]

A few more options for solo bar dining:

Aldea
Osteria Morini
The Breslin
Tap Room at Colicchio and Sons
Lupa
Ma Peche (limited bar menu but the ribs are amazing)

-----
Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

[kathryn]

For Aldea, are you talking about the bar in front or the chef's counter in back? I could have sworn they don't serve the full menu at the bar up in front.

-----
Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

[fm1963]

Yes, I just called Aldea and they verified that they serve the full menu at the bar up in front (I was offered the bar or a table the last time I walked in for dinner). I haven't tried the chef's counter yet.

-----
Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

[kathryn]

Oh, excellent! Adding it to my mental list now....

[karmalaw]

The chef's counter IMO is by far the better option -- you get to watch the action in the kitchen and not be overrun by anyone. It's my favorite solo dining spot in NYC.

[ml77]

I'm not a doctor, but my wife is in residency, and so I am in this situation frequently. Definitely don't be afraid to get out there as a solo diner and enjoy yourself. NYC is a great place to eat alone, and I've always felt welcome wherever I've gone.

Kathryn has given you a great and exhaustive list. If you want more specific advice, perhaps you can let us know what neighborhood you're in, and what types of food you like?

Maialino is one of my favorites. It's excellent Roman-style Italian food in a warm, relaxed atmosphere. I'm pretty sure the full menu -- with the exception of their signature "Maialino" suckling pig (though that's far too much food for one person anyway!) -- is available at the bar.

-----
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[kathryn]

I was under the impression that they only served the "chicchetti" menu at the bar at Maialino. Did this change recently?

http://www.maialinonyc.com/_pdf/cicch...

-----
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[ml77]

Check out this link:

http://www.maialinonyc.com/#/about/

It says "Bar Maialino serves as a coffee bar in the morning and offers the complete menu throughout the day."

I can't remember ordering from it at the bar, but I do remember that once I sat at the bar and asked for a spaghetti aglio e olio, which isn't on any of their menus, and they happily provided it.

IIRC, I think they weren't offering the full menu at the bar when they first opened, and later made the change, which may be where the confusion arises.

-----
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[AubWah]

Great NY Noodletown

[thew]

i have never been turned away or given shoddy service as a solo diner in manhattan, whether at the bar or a table, from highest of the high end to the holiest hole in the wall.

so wha i do is just go where i feel like going. maybe ramen, or chinese, maybe a burger or a steak, maybe high end. maybe not

[babydoctor]

Great list, kathryn. The other thing I was thinking is that some of these restaurants (the tapas places, maybe?) are kind of an experience meant to be shared. Then again, a place like Babbo is so freaking loud, its not like you would be having a decent conversation any way, so may as well hit is solo. Thoughts?

-----
Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

[ChemWork]

I actually had a great time at the bar at Babbo talking to the other folks on either side of me. They even let me sample some of their dishes. It was loud, but we could hear each other just fine. The bartenders were particularly helpful in choosing food and wine pairings. Other good bar food experiences I have had have been at Gotham Bar and Grill and Gramercy Tavern. The Modern Bar Room is a great place for a solo diner.

-----
Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Gotham Bar and Grill
12 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

Ditto, I love talking to the other people dining at the bar, and chatting with the bartenders. Watching them work is also fun.

[kathryn]

True -- but it also means that if you have a favorite dish you don't have to share! There's no shame in leftovers either. I find bar dining also conducive to when you just have a random craving for a single dish (like the spaghetti at Scarpetta) and don't want to go through a whole multi-course meal either.

-----
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

[umai]

Is there a bar at Del Posto? Might this be an option?

-----
Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011