Table for one · November 2026
Where to eat alone in 50 cities
The counter seats, the bar stools, the shared tables and the chef's counters where one is the best number. Five places in each city, the seat to ask for, when to walk in, and what to get when you sit down.
Europe
Table for one
Amsterdam
Eetsalon Van Dobben · Stubbe's Haring · Café 't Smalle
Counter seats · Stand and eat · Eat at the bar
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Barcelona
Cal Pep · El Quim de la Boqueria · Bar Cañete
Counter seats · Eat at the bar · Stand and eat
Table for one
Table for one
Bologna
Osteria del Sole · Salumeria Simoni · Sfoglia Rina
Shared tables · Counter seats · Market stalls
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Table for one
Lisbon
Taberna da Rua das Flores · O Trevo · Cervejaria Ramiro
Eat at the bar · Counter seats · Stand and eat
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Lyon
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse · Le Garet · Café Comptoir Abel
Market stalls · Shared tables · Stand and eat
Table for one
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for oneA photo like it
Paris
L'Avant Comptoir de la Terre · Bouillon Chartier · Clown Bar
Stand and eat · Shared tables · Eat at the bar
Table for one
Table for one
Rome
Salumeria Roscioli · Pizzarium Bonci · Supplizio
Eat at the bar · Stand and eat · Counter seats
Table for one
Stockholm
Rolfs Kök · Bar Agrikultur · Östermalms Saluhall
Eat at the bar · Market stalls · Stand and eat
Table for one
Vienna
Zum Schwarzen Kameel · Trzesniewski · Bitzinger Würstelstand Albertina
Stand and eat · A seat for one · Market stalls
The Americas
Table for one
Table for one
Table for one
Buenos Aires
Pizzería Güerrín · El Preferido de Palermo · El Banco Rojo
Stand and eat · Eat at the bar · Counter seats
Table for one
Table for one
Lima
La Mar · El Chinito · Mercado No. 1 de Surquillo
Eat at the bar · Counter seats · Market stalls
Table for one
Los Angeles
Philippe the Original · Grand Central Market · Daikokuya
Shared tables · Market stalls · Counter seats
Table for one
Mexico City
El Califa de León · Los Cocuyos · Expendio de Maíz Sin Nombre
Stand and eat · Shared tables · Counter seats
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Montreal
Schwartz's · Le Vin Papillon · Vin Mon Lapin
Counter seats · Eat at the bar · Market stalls
Table for one
Table for one
New York City
Grand Central Oyster Bar · Gramercy Tavern · Via Carota
Counter seats · Eat at the bar
Table for one
Table for one
Philadelphia
Reading Terminal Market · John's Roast Pork · Middle Child
Market stalls · Counter seats · Eat at the bar
Table for one
Table for one
Santiago
Fuente Alemana · Fuente Mardoqueo · Mercado Central
Counter seats · Market stalls · Eat at the bar
Table for one
Table for one
Vancouver
Published on Main · Kissa Tanto · Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Eat at the bar · Counter seats · Shared tables
Asia
Table for one
Bangkok
Raan Jay Fai · Wattana Panich · Nai Mong Hoi Thod
Counter seats · Shared tables · Market stalls
Table for one
Chiang Mai
Khao Soi Mae Sai · Khao Soi Khun Yai · SP Chicken
Counter seats · Stand and eat · Market stalls
Table for one
Hanoi
Phở Gia Truyền Bát Đàn · Bún Chả Hương Liên · Bánh Mì 25
Shared tables · Stand and eat · Counter seats
Table for one
Ho Chi Minh City
Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa · Phở Hòa Pasteur · Cơm Tấm Ba Ghiền
Stand and eat · Shared tables · Market stalls
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Table for one
Table for one
Table for one
Singapore
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice · Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle · Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
Stand and eat · Shared tables · A seat for one
Table for one
Taipei
Fuhang Soy Milk · Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice · Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles
Shared tables · Stand and eat · Market stalls
Table for oneA photo like itAustralia and New Zealand
Table for one
Table for one
Melbourne
Pellegrini's Espresso Bar · MoVida · Supernormal
Counter seats · Eat at the bar · Market stalls
Table for oneAfrica
Table for oneA photo like it
Table for one
Marrakech
Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha · Jemaa el-Fnaa food stalls · Café des Épices
Counter seats · Shared tables · A seat for one
How to eat alone well
Go at opening or after nine, when the counters are emptiest. Ask for the counter or the bar even when the host offers a table: you'll watch the cooks, talk to the bartender, and get served first. Order more small plates than you'd think; nobody is splitting them. Bring nothing. The room is the entertainment.
How Chef picked
Places where one person is the natural booking, not the leftover seat: counters, bars where the full menu is served, shared tables, standing bars, market stalls and chef's counters that sell single seats. Each pick comes from the city's own food guides and critics' lists, and every one was looked up on the web on October 29, 2026; a few that had closed or moved were swapped out. "When to walk in" is our advice, not the restaurant's promise, and hours change, so check before you go.
More to eat
Photos: the restaurant's own, our city guides', or "a photo like it" from Wikimedia Commons (said so, never of that place). Chef Amazing is not paid by any place on this list.
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