Solo dining is seriously underrated. Particularly in Sydney. Whether you’re a solo traveller sick of room service, live alone, or are just sick of trying to wrangle the group chat to try that new restaurant, Sydney will reward you for venturing out solo.
Beyond the barrage of waiters saying their menu is “designed to share,” is a long list of Sydney venues with satisfying, uncomplicated menus perfect for one. The void left by your dining partner is filled with stunning interiors and plenty of people-watching. There is no awkward waiting for your date’s food to arrive while yours goes cold. Perhaps you’ve made friends with the waiter, or you’ve revelled in dining in blissful silence. All's right with the world. So don’t fear dining alone. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, if you’re ready to “take that fear to lunch,” we’ve rounded up the best spots in town for those of us ridin’ solo.
Jane
478 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Image credit: Jane | Instagram
This intimate mod-Aussie bar is the perfect place to perch yourself for a quick drink or an indulgent dinner. Come early for their “Australiano Hour”—arguably one of the best happy hours in Sydney with $2 oysters and their iconic Australiano cocktail for $8. Or, settle in for the evening with their rich a la carte menu with nostalgic Australian touches.
Solo diners will feel at home at the chic marble bar, and there are also a few dog-friendly tables to perch outside for some quiet people-watching with your pooch. Must-orders for lone rangers include lamb dumplings with saltbush, chilli, and yogurt for an elevated Australian take on shish barak, and the heavenly layers of crispy potato served with whey and cured egg yolk. Don’t skimp on desserts just because you’re alone—you’ll be thankful you have their rich Daintree chocolate cake with espresso cream all to yourself.
Ante
146 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Ante | Instagram
Nabbing a table at this uber-cool listening bar is no easy task with its walk-ins-only policy, which probably contributes to the appeal. Going in alone is your best bet at sliding up to the bar without being put on a waiting list. When you do, the moody, dark space will be completely full no matter what hour you arrive.
Staff are serving Italian and Japanese-inspired snacks and spinning tracks from their record collection larger than their impressive list of sakes. Between their creative, ever-evolving fusion menu and their groovy playlist, dining at Ante is a multi-sensory experience that will keep solo diners satisfied.
Woodcut Hickory Bar
Crown Sydney, Level 1/1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
Image credit: Woodcut | Instagram
While the restaurant at this innovative fine diner is filled with groups of business lunchers and celebratory diners, the Hickory Bar at Woodcut is the perfect way to enjoy Woodcut’s handsome space and modern menu, solo.
Treat yourself to their $55 Woodcut pepper steak on offer, paired with a glass of red from their international array of wines from their Coravin system - which allows you to sample glasses without spoiling the bottle. Deluxe snacks like their hemp seed fried prawn sando, Moreton Bay bug roll, or steak tartare are perfectly formed bites to enjoy while watching the chefs play with fire.
Deux Freres
6 Loftus Lane, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Deux Freres | Instagram
The group behind the beautiful French bistrot Bouillon l'Entrecôte has moved their sights south to Basque country. Deux Freres brings this corner of Europe known for its incredible food to Sydney with style and authenticity. And in authentic fashion, you will be packed like the sardines on their menu if you try coming with a large group, so zipping up to the bar solo is a great idea.
This acclaimed regional cuisine makes for addictive small bites that go perfectly with a glass of vermouth. Start with a classic gilda, and be sure to check out their hibachi grill menu that features their salty, hearty txistorra Chorizo sausage, flamed at the table. End things on a fresh note with their blood orange sorbet.
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Bar Totti’s
330A/330B George Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Bar Totti's | Instagram
The CBD outpost of Sydney’s favourite Italian is the perfect spot for a solo date. At Bar Totti's, sit amongst the action al fresco on George Street and watch people fly through the city, aperitivo in hand. If you’ve ever been peeved by someone ripping away more than their fair share of their puffy wood-fired bread, fret no more, it’s all to yourself now.
Dining solo at Totti’s means coordinating which antipasti to order no longer feels like an FBI mission—you get to pick all your faves. Or make your decision even easier and order a plate of pasta, like their holiday on a plate of bucatini vongole, shitake, garlic and chilli. If you have a sweet tooth, their iconic neapolitan ice cream sandwich is the perfect bite-sized dessert for one.
The Bar At Poetica
Mezzanine Level/1 Denison Street, North Sydney
Image credit: Poetica | Steven Woodburn
Over in North Sydney, Poetica is a beautiful grill restaurant with a dedicated bar that's perfect for solo diners. Grab a seat at the bar or in one of the cosy armchairs where you can order individual bar snacks like focaccia di recoo with capers, chilli and gruyere, raw beef with green mustard and crispy onions, and a 250g Black Onyx flank steak.
There's no discrimination here as the full restaurant menu is also available in the bar. Order the southern calamari cooked over the wood fire and served with shiso and parsley, or a flathead cooked over charcoal and served with a zesty herb salad and lemon. Oh, and one of Poetica's stunning martinis, obviously.
Una Mas
Coogee Pavilion, 130a Beach Street, Coogee
Image credit: Una Mas | Instagram
No matter the weather, or the party size, gazing out onto the grassy knoll at Coogee never gets old. Una Mas is the quiet achiever in the Coogee pavilion, but it should not be overlooked by its rowdier neighbours. Venture there alone during pintxos hour for $14 aperitifs with complimentary pintxos (it’s a scientific fact you can’t fill up on gildas), and soak in the late afternoon sea views.
Once the sun has set, knowledgeable, chatty staff will keep you entertained and help you pick from their tapa and more substantial plates, most kissed with flames from their “plancha” grill. Their side of charred cabbage with anchovy sauce will have you licking the plate clean—and because you’re alone, you can.
Chaco Ramen
11 O'Brien Street, Bondi Beach | 238 Crown Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: Chaco Ramen | Yusuke Oba
There’s no meal better for the solo diner than a big, steaming, single bowl of ramen. Chaco Ramen serves unique flavours such as the yuzu scallop ramen, or their cold tomato truffle ramen are both no-brainers to slurp after a beach day in Bondi. At the Darlinghurst location, try the ultimate surf and turf with their fish salt ramen, with a smokey, fatty slice of chashu pork and their in-house John Dory and prawn wontons.
Both locations are anchored by a large communal table for solo diners, and the walk-ins-only Darlinghurst location is the perfect place for solo diners to speed past queuing groups. The Bondi outpost also has a row of seats at the front windows, where you can watch surfboard-toting Bondi locals make their way to and from the beach.
de Vine Food & Wine
32 Market Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: de Vine Food & Wine | Supplied
This quiet legend in the wine bar scene turns 21 this year, it’s worth popping in to see how it has grown up with us over the years. Gaze out the charming arched windows of its historic building and watch the city fly past you, or get chatting to the staff at their schmick, newly renovated bar.
Snack on fried zucchini flowers or seared scallops whilst navigating their solid list of by-the-glass wines, and for the full experience choose another to have with a plate of house-made pasta. De Vine has built a collection of over 200 bottles of amaro, so stay for dessert and a digestif from their impressive catalogue.
Harry's By Giuls
78 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Stanley Street in the beating heart of Darlinghurst is one of the best streets to people watch in this city, no matter the time of day. And this cheerful Italian eatery is the best spot to do so. Perch by the window and take in the action while ordering from their menu inspired by the flavours of Milan.
Their antipasti is perfect to be enjoyed alone, with grilled octopus with nduja and San Daniele prosciutto aged for 18 months. If you’re after a heartier plate, their warming ossobuco is a nod to traditional Milanese cuisine. They also get playful with silky scallops added to their famous vodka pasta sauce. The sauce can also be ordered as a dipping sauce for their house-made bread, or, if you ask, on a pizza.
JAM Record Bar
320C George Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: JAM Record Bar | Supplied
Japanese-inspired vinyl listening bars are popping up all over Sydney, and Justin Hemme’s latest passion project JAM Record Bar is a hot contender for one of the best. Taking walk-ins only, zip past the queue of groups into the record-lined coral room, and jam out to what’s spinning. With a selection of 15,000 records to select from, music lovers will be sure to be introduced to something new. Who needs company when the music is this good?
Head Chef Michael Fox curates the experience just as much as the DJ here, with a fun Japanese-influenced menu literally titled “solo hits”, perfect for lone diners. Eat your weight in smart, moreish snacks like spicy tuna, egg yolk, and fried potato, or fillet-o-fish spring rolls. If you’re after the full experience, move onto their textbook fluffy Japanese ebi sando, and ask what flavour of soft serve they’re pulling.
RAFI
99 Mount Street, North Sydney
If you need to decompress by yourself after work, pop into this hatted North Sydney restaurant and do it over some Mediterranean-inspired plates. Their bar snacks menu, available Monday to Saturday from 3-6pm, is perfect for perching at their elegant bar as a solo diner.
Their special pita made from a sourdough base is grilled over flames, and makes for a fluffy, flavoursome vessel to mop up their creamy house-made hummus, spiked with a bright burst of green chillies and crispy chickpeas. This same sourdough base is used for excellent value pitta pizzas, with chilli miso prawn or classic margherita toppings. Solo wine lovers will also relish the chance to try a glass of their premium wine of the month for $14 during happy hour.
Matkim
180 George Street, Sydney CBD
This dark, intimate eight-seater Korean omakase is the perfect place to immerse in a special gastronomic experience without any distractions. Matkim translates to “leave it up to you” in Korean, and here, you do just that. Watch the cooking process up close from the central chef's table.
Showcasing rare Korean imports, flavours, and techniques, watch 18 perfectly conceptualised courses be made all for you(no sharing!). With a focus on fire cooking, menu highlights include abalone sotbap, and WA marron with a crab doenjang foam, and Jeju Island tangerine sorbet for dessert. You will lose yourself in head chef Jacob Lee’s attention to detail while watching his creations unfold in front of you.
Mamak
Various Locations
Whether it’s during the lunch rush or after work, there is a perpetual, but fast-moving queue outside all three of Mamak’s Sydney locations. Once you taste their buttery, light, and crisp roti, it’s easy to see why.
You won’t need stimulating conversation to keep yourself entertained while waiting for a table. Instead, watch through the window as chefs fling wafer-thin roti dough through the air to accompany their rich curries, or to envelope a murtabak. However, being a single person will speed you through the queue where you will be seated surrounded by many other solo diners getting their roti fix.
Continental Deli
210 Australia Street, Newtown
Image credit: Continental Deli | Instagram
Taking bookings and walk-ins, Continental Deli is a reliable solo adventure. Pull up at the bar and be entertained by their friendly staff as they fetch you an aperitif. Come for lunch so you can tuck into one of their seriously delicious sandwiches.
Try the tremendous French dip, with roast beef sirloin, and jus to dip it in, so you can eat it with the gusto a good sandwich deserves and not have to fear sauce dripping down your hands in polite company. If you’re after a more sophisticated soiree by yourself, snack on their strong line-up of deli goods, or settle in for the night with their smart, seasonal, Italo-inspired a la carte menu (hello, steak tartare).
Manon
55/455 George Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Manon | Instagram
If you squint your eyes whilst sitting alone on a wicker chair outside Manon, you can almost pretend you’re Oscar Wilde or Pablo Pablo Picasso dining at Les Deux Magots. Manon emulates that belle-epoque style here in Sydney.
Take in the glory of the Romanesque QVB that it’s in whether you’re en pleine air watching the shoppers stroll past, or in the glow of the stained glass inside, tucked into a red leather booth, or perched at the marble bar. Manon welcomes solo diners for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, transitioning from croissants to classic French bistro food. Come here in the late afternoon to linger over thick, rich hot chocolates with whipped cream. Sip the afternoon away into their happy hour at 4pm, where you can swap out your chocolat chaud for a $12 Aperol spritz and some French charcuterie.
10 William St
10 William Street, Paddington
Image credit: 10 William St | Instagram
Everything at 10 William St is small but perfectly formed, from the cosy but classy dining space to the brass tables that sit within it, and the concise, seasonal Italian menu. The only thing that’s not small is the wine list, but solo diners will be relieved to see their latest selection of top by-the-glass wines scrawled on the wall.
Friendly, wine-savvy staff will happily point you in the direction of something special and left-of-centre, or a tried-and-true grape to go with whatever you’re eating. Snack on their iconic pretzel with bottarga while choosing which plate of pasta to linger over while eavesdropping on the diners next door.
Lana
Level 1/5-7 Young Street, Sydney CBD
Between the sandstone walls of Hinchcliff House near Circular Quay sits this Asian-Italian restaurant. Grab a seat at the bar and enjoy a cocktail that marries East and West beautifully, like a toasted sesame old-fashioned, or a rice-washed negroni.
Solo snackers will enjoy their creatively conceptualised dishes like their gnocco fritto, with LP’s salami cotto and XO sauce. Refresh your palette with baby cucumbers, macadamia, mapo chilli, and desert lime before moving onto something more substantial like egg yolk raviolo with a carbonara sauce spiked with dashi. Desserts here are also too good to share, like their hojicha and burnt vanilla creme caramel.
Parlour At QT
49 Market Street, Sydney CBD
Whether it’s a breakfast before work, an express lunch mid-week, or solo dining to take in the glorious heritage interiors spilling out from the neighbouring State Theatre, Parlour is the perfect spot to revel in solo dining.
Riffing off French bistro fare, it would be rude not to linger for an entree, main, and dessert as the Parisians do. The most popular dishes for those riding solo are the rich yet light twice baked soufflé, with goats cheese and nut crème, and the pasta citron with lemon and saffron macaroni. Take on the Grande Profiterole for dessert, which covers choux buns and vanilla ice cream in a hot Valrhona chocolate sauce, for messy, indulgent fun that is best enjoyed by yourself while getting chocolate sauce everywhere.
Fiore
29 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point
Image credit: Fiore | Instagram
The journey to this quaint Italian bakery is worth venturing out alone for as is, but is made exponentially better by the food that awaits on the other side of the harbour. Feeling the wind in your hair on a ferry is the ultimate main character moment. Fiore slings a variety of sourdough loaves and jarred condiments, which you should definitely take home with you, but stopping for one of their focaccia sandwiches is essential.
Choose your size, and however many ingredients you like, (Mortadella bocconcini and spicy nectarine relish is a godly combo) and let the merry co-owner Samantha Dean take you through their rotating selection of treats on offer. Find a seat outside on Blues Point Road, which has the charm of a street straight out of a fairy tale, and occupy yourself while patting the flocks of designer dogs begging for a crumb of focaccia.
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Image credit: Jane | Instagram
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