Eating alone, deliberately
London restaurants that welcome a solo diner at the counter with a book. Kiln, Koya, Barrafina, Bar Gemella, Andrew Edmunds bar, St JOHN bar. No fuss, no pity.
Eating alone is one of the great civilised uses of a weekday evening. The right restaurant for it has: a counter, a kitchen you can watch, a short menu, a staff member who will not ask if you are waiting for someone.
The counter seats
- Kiln, Soho - first come, first served. The best solo dinner in Soho.
- Koya Ko, Soho - udon counter, quick, fills you up, a glass of cold sake.
- Barrafina, Coal Drops Yard / Soho - the original Sam and Eddie Hart idea.
- Bar Gemella, Soho - three marble tables, a zinc bar, walk in before nine.
The bar seats
- Andrew Edmunds, Soho - a tiny ground-floor bar with four stools. The menu is the same as upstairs.
- St JOHN, Smithfield - eat at the bar by the window. A plate of bone marrow and a glass of sherry.
- Noble Rot, Bloomsbury - the bar at the front. A glass, a terrine, a plate of cheese.
Why it matters
Because occasionally you want to eat without talking.
Clara Whitfield
Editor and restaurant critic
Clara Whitfield is the editor and lead restaurant critic of Vivi. She has eaten through the London restaurant scene professionally for over a decade, contributing reviews and features to regional and national food publications.
She writes Vivi's weekly restaurant review and the Saturday essay. She prefers early dinners and a table facing the room.