How to Enjoy Eating Alone While Traveling Solo

One of the things I think scares people off of solo travel is the fear of eating alone. And I’m not going to lie: it can be weird. Asking a waiter at a swank, romantic restaurant for a table for one (bonus awkward points if said waiter is hot!) can feel super intimidating to the most confident person.

Hell, after years of of solo travel it still feels that way to me sometimes.

So how did I conquer this fear, and even learn how to enjoy eating out alone while traveling? And how can you do the same? Here’s my 4 step guide to help you get there!

Get comfortable dining alone: start with baby steps!

learning how to enjoy eating out alone at a fondue restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland
A very romantic solo date with some cheese in Geneva.

When I decided about five years ago I wanted to travel solo, I started practicing in Boston, my hometown.

That’s right: I practiced eating alone in a restaurant.

Does that sound lame? It’s something that gets easier with time and experience, which means it’s the perfect thing to slowly get accustomed too.

Take yourself out to lunch, then to a quick dinner. Work yourself up to that swank romantic place full of couples slowly, you don’t need to dive in headfirst if you don’t want to.

Have a strategy for how to enjoy eating out alone

I like to plan my meals like a general planning to send his troops into battle. (It’s possible I am obsessed with food and also have anxiety!)

So, what do I feel like tonight? If the best restaurant in a place I’m visiting is filled with couples but I need to try it, you bet I’m going in.

But first I peep some online reviews to check the vibe. Is there a bar I can eat at? Excellent! This is the most friendly place for the solo traveler. You can meet people, like the guy sitting next to you who it turns out owns like 5 restaurants in LA and can hook you up with a table at Wolfgang Puck’s fanciest eatery tomorrow (true story). And bartenders are some of my favorite people to talk to, especially when they want to make fun of the very pretentious guy who owns 5 restaurants.

Got a table by yourself? Get comfy. If it’s a casual place, I am not above bringing a New Yorker or my favorite books about travel to chill between courses. Do try to leave your phone alone as much as possible. No one thinks “oh she must be so important”, they just think you look bored and disengaged.

Total pro move? This works best on a patio or terrace. Put on your most glamorous sunglasses, some red lipstick, and your most enigmatic smile. Never look at your phone, never pull out a book, just gaze into the distance and let everyone marvel at what a creature of mystery you are.

a solo female traveler on the beach at sunset in Southern Crete, Greece
Me, a creature of glamor and mystery (sometimes).

Advanced anxiety techniques for dining solo

The non-anxious among you can stop reading here and go on living your wonderful, worry-free lives.

For the rest of us, I have a couple of coping mechanisms I use when I’m feeling particularly shy or nervous. I have an anxiety disorder so that’s pretty much all the time!

Take a deep breath and acknowledge how you’re feeling.

Am I feeling shy as I stroll up to a rooftop bar filled with glamorous Greek people whose language I don’t speak? Cool. I note this to myself, breathe in, and continue on.

Be a repeat visitor.

If you’re staying somewhere for a while, I find it comforting to find a place or two I love with friendly servers that I can return to. I know what to expect, I know they’ll be nice, I feel at home.

Realize almost no one is looking at you.

It’s easy to feel like the center of attention when you’re alone, but most people are too engrossed in their own meals/dates/Instagram feeds to notice you. And if they do? You’re only a temporary visitor anyways, so who cares? This is freeing once you internalize it!

Lean into the awkwardness of eating out alone

If we never did anything that made us uncomfortable, we’d never do anything thrilling either. Sometimes, solo dining gets a little weird (like the time I showed up to a bistro in France and the hostess snapped “You’re alone?!” and sighed like I had announced I was carrying the plague).

But you know what? That place ended up being one of the best meals I had in France. And while the hostess was rude, my server could not have been kinder and more attentive.

If I had let the anxiety and self-consciousness win and turned around? I would have missed out on my first duck fois gras and also the confidence boost that night gave me.

a solo female traveler's glass of Champagne at the rooftop bar at the Grande Bretagne hotel in Athens, Greece
I would not have seen this amazing sunset over the Acropolis without screwing up my courage and sauntering into a very fancy bar.

Try it. Try it again if it’s good. Try it again if it’s bad. Just keep trying (and eat all the duck foie gras you can).

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2 thoughts on “How to Enjoy Eating Alone While Traveling Solo”

  1. Love this, Kathleen! I embraced eating alone while Walt was deployed out in San Diego. Too many good restaurants to go to, why wait to have someone to go with? Plus you don’t have to share what’s on your plate 🙂

    Reply

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