I know many of you guys here travel solo, so you can probably answer this question:

What do you usually do when it comes to restaurants, when you're alone? Do you find hostel-mates who want to go with you? Or do you just go alone and put aside any insecurity about it?

Are there other countries that you have been to that are more accepting of eating alone in restaurants than the U.S.?

I will be in NYC from March 10th to the 16th, probably solo. I don't mind eating alone...too much, although it feels kind of awkward.

Here in the US I dine alone several times a week. Sitting at the bar I don't feel self conscious at all.

When I travel I mostly do it alone, and I feel a sense of...I'd have to describe it as "confidence" being obviously from a foreign country by oneself and being okay with that.

BTW, if you get the chance, have a drink and some good food at Two Boots on 2nd St. and 7th Ave in Brooklyn. I was a regular there when I used to live around the corner from it. It's a great place to meet Brooklyn neighborhood people. And it used to become "smoke friendly" after the door locked at midnight!

I'm totally comfortable with it. I'm sure some people think it's weird, but I don't let it bother me. I usually take the opportunity to read a guide book and/or plan the next activity of the day.

even though I love traveling alone and I pretty much enjoy my own company nothing freaks me out more then walking in by myself to a restaurant. I really don't know why is that , as I don't have any problems with dining alone for example in London. It makes everything twice as bad if the restaurant is empty, for that reason I often end up in McDonalds.

I regularly travel for business and often eat alone. I bring a book or magazine; it's a chance to regroup/depressurize after the business day, and the habit has carried over for travel on my own dime. When traveling for fun, I read too but keep more of an eye open to drink in my surroundings. I usually also bring a book with some local flavor.

Too many US restaurants have a TV blaring and I steer as clear of that as possible.

NEVER bring work with you when eating alone.

I like to use these meals as quiet time to catch up on my journal. I find that I get distracted when I'm at the hostel and don't write as much because I want to talk to the people around me. I'm also really big about the 3pm sit down at some place. Not just to write, but also to re energize.

If you feel awkward, it is always better to walk in with a book or a magazine. In fact, if you walk in with the local newspaper, it may give you a peg on which to chat with complete strangers (if you do want to)

After dealing with the public all year long, I relish being able to eat alone, read a book and chill when I am away. There are times when I wish I had somebody along, but that feeling usually passes in a minute, just like the food.

quote:

Originally posted by SputnikLee:
I regularly travel for business and often eat alone.

That is how it started for me too. Now it doesn't bother me at all no matter where I am. Depending on the setting I may just people watch or read or do some journaling.

I travel a lot for work and spend a good chunk of time in NYC during the winter. Usually I find myself with lots of time to kill during the day so rather than hopping from fast food restaurant to pizza joint, I put aside any insecurities and really started to enjoy eating alone. NYC is a great place for this because there are a lot of diners where people eat alone or decent restaurants with a bar to sit at and order food. Sometimes I'll bring a book and read and sometimes I'll just hang out, chat with the waiter/waitress, bartender, or other people in the restaurant if it's a tiny local joint. Often I'll just pick a subway stop at random, find an interesting looking restaurant close by, and settle in for an hour or two just eating, reading, and drinking coffee. This could explain my huge caffeine addiction.

When I travel for fun I like to find people to eat with from the hostel if I can, but if not I enjoy the time to catch up on my journal or read a local paper.

Like some others here, I travel alone for work constantly. I actually eat more meals alone in restaurants(by far), than I do with others. I have to say I prefer eating alone to eating with 1 or 2 others, and I MUCH prefer eating alone to eating with a larger group. If it's available, I'll always eat at the bar, if not, a table works. Speaking of bars, I have always preferred going to them solo too. For many reasons.

Ah crap. I had no idea I was supposed to feel self-conscious eating alone in restaurants. Ever the fool, I guess. This must be why people are always pointing and staring and laughing at me in restaurants. Huh. Bit of a relief, really. I've always figured I had food stuck in my teeth or something.

Tell you the truth, the question surprises me as well. I LOVE eating alone out. Never been the least bit embarrassed about it. Nice to people watch and, if you feel like you wanna read, no one's going to bug you.


And, travelling.....Eating alone is THE thing to do. You are in a strange place and people are interested in you. If you are by yourself, you get approached in a restaurant. Yep.

Like the others, I use the time to read or keep up with my journaling. However, I've found that it's a great opportunity to meet with other people. I was once in a restaurant in London eating my myself and struck up a conversation with the married couple at the next table. It turned out he was a member of the Scottish Parliament who was in London. He gave me a fascinating account of the political situation between England and Scotland.

New Yorkers can be very friendly, regardless of their reputation, so if you're feeling lonely, try chatting one up - you might find a new acquaintance.