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Dining room of La Bonne Table, with an intimate bar, tables and bright interior. — Dining room of La Bonne Table.

Where to Dine Solo in San Diego

Eat a meal by yourself in comfortable bars and quiet dining rooms

by Roxana Popescu@roxanapopescu Feb 28, 2022, 10:59am PST

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Dining room of La Bonne Table.

| La Bonne Table

by Roxana Popescu@roxanapopescu Feb 28, 2022, 10:59am PST

When it comes to creating a true solo dining experience, some places are better than others. It’s gotta feel right. (You can’t be made to feel weird about it or like you’re taking up too much space or like your date ghosted you.) It’s gotta look right. (We’re leaving out places where you can dine alone and highlighting places where you should dine alone because they’re just lovely.) And it’s gotta taste right.

So whether you’re sitting down for a midweek lunch or taking yourself out for a special-occasion dinner, here’s where to enjoy a fabulous meal in your own company.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

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Lobster West

Lobster roll lovers know that when the craving hits, it doesn’t matter if you’re alone or in a group of 20: You just need to make a beeline for the nearest source. This shaded spot in Encinitas is in the middle of one of San Diego’s more charming strip malls, but Lobster West operates another location in Coronado.

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765 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

The exterior of Lobster West in Encinitas, with steps leading to a patio covered by a white roof. The door leading inside is in the background. — The exterior of Lobster West in Encinitas.

NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar

Whether you’re a tourist in the area or a local who wants to savor a well-crafted meal in an elegant setting, NINE-TEN delivers. Gracious bar seating is one option, but its tables for two are actually sized just right for one. Recent offerings include Japanese sweet potato agnolotti with thyme-roasted Bosc pear, Point Reyes blue cheese, and crispy Brussels sprout leaves, a roasted cauliflower steak with pine nuts, mint, parsley, raisins, cipollini onion, sprouting cauliflower, and a romesco yogurt sauce, and eight house cocktails.

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910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Halibut with summer squash, zucchini and corn, displayed on a plate, photographed from above. The food is colorful and the plate is a dark slate. — Halibut with summer squash, zucchini and corn.

Also featured in:

Taegukgi Korean BBQ

It’s hard to find an AYCE Korean barbecue spot that allows solo diners, but Taegukgi plays by different rules. So here, lone barbecue hunters can have it all: a spacious and bright dining room, friendly staff, and all the glorious sirloin, pork belly, and octopus they can devour (within the two-hour time limit).

Open in Google Maps

7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #501, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Where to Get Korean Barbecue for Takeout in San Diego

Palmys Cafe

This tranquil corner coffee shop and restaurant in Pacific Beach has always been a haven for solo diners, students, and bohemian souls, whether it was Cafe 976 back in the day, or any of its more recent reincarnations. This freshly updated, Aussie-inspired restaurant and cafe has tables scattered around its ample shaded garden. Grab a menu, grab a book, and commence your perfect afternoon.

Open in Google Maps

976 Felspar St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Woody's Breakfast & Burgers

This unfussy beachfront eatery is the perfect spot to grab a simple, reassuring bite (breakfast burrito, yogurt bowl, chicken fingers, and more) and feast on the view.

Open in Google Maps

4111 Ocean Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Bleu Bohème

French comfort food, friendly staff, classic French mixed drinks, a covered patio, and a long bar that seems plucked out of a village in the Dordogne make this a lovely locale for a relaxed, indulgent meal.

Open in Google Maps

4090 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Bleu Bohème’s long bar, with bottles of liquor on one side and tables on another. Above are wooded ceiling beams. — The bar at Bleu Bohème.

Also featured in:

Tajima Ramen North Park

Pair its from-scratch ramen (which comes in both classic and creative takes) with a seat at the bar or a communal table and you are set. Tajima’s locations around North Park, East Village, and a few other spots ensure that within central San Diego, ramen is just a bike ride or quick drive away.

Open in Google Maps

3015 Adams Ave #102b, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Where to Find Vegan Ramen in San Diego

Fort Oak

This bustling Mission Hills restaurant is perfectly suited to people feasting alone. Find a perch at the bar, where you can survey the whole scene, inside and out, while savoring the creativity of chef Brad Wise.

Open in Google Maps

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

The whimsical yet cool bar at Fort Oak, has tile floors, blue paneling and vintage industrial chairs. — The bar.

Also featured in:

Sushi Deli 1

This casual sushi restaurant (with another location in Kearny Mesa) draws crowds for miles, and especially if you’re traveling light — solo, that is — it’s an easy spot to pop in, devour a roll or two, and take off.

Open in Google Maps

228 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

La Bonne Table

For someone eating alone, this tiny gem of a French restaurant in Hillcrest might just feel like the hug you didn’t know you needed. Friendly staff, well-executed French standards, and a petite dining room scaled for intimacy (and eavesdropping, shh) all give this place its warm, welcoming aura.

Open in Google Maps

3696 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Underbelly North Park

One key advantage to dining solo at Underbelly: It will be a lot easier to find a table at this North Park hot spot, where lines at peak dining times can reach down the block. At off times, it’s a peaceful spot to grab a bowl of warm, silky goodness and take in the fresh air and the action on 30th Street.

Open in Google Maps

3000 Upas St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Liberty Public Market

This market has a daily and weekly rhythm: quiet hours, meal time hustles, the tourist frenzy. When you’re flying solo, any of these moments is perfect. Alone, you can weave through the crowds faster, find seating more easily and make decisions on the fly. Burger, oysters, or beignets? Yes, please. (Dinner seekers, be alerted that it shuts down on the early side — at 7 p.m.)

2820 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

Also featured in:

CUCINA urbana

This Bankers Hill institution may be great for large groups, girls nights and date night, but it’s also ideal for solo dining at the bar when you want to do right by yourself. You could go dainty, with a small plate or two. Or go Italian (pizza, pasta, yum). Or go umami (e.g., their roasted carrot, beet, goat cheese, hazelnut, and pomegranate mostarda). Or you could go big, with a whole roasted fish, a side of foccacia, and a bottle of their finest gruner Veltliner.

505 Laurel St, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Cucina URBANA’s dining room, with two tables against a wall. On the far side is bench seating with pillows in warm, subdued colors, and on the near side there are two chairs. — Cucina URBANA’s dining room.

Also featured in:

Point Loma Seafoods

This venerable waterfront restaurant and market is now almost 50 years old — it opened in 1963. Order some sushi, a seafood plate, or a seafood salad, then head up to the broad terrace for views of the bay and seagulls duking it out over fallen French fries.

Open in Google Maps

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

A pair of gloved hands are preparing raw swordfish. The meat is a rosy pink color and the gloves are bright blue. — Swordfish being prepped at Point Loma Seafoods.

Also featured in:

Little Italy Food Hall

There are many great places to dine solo in Little Italy, from casual pizza by the slice to somewhat more formal restaurants. This elevated food court, with its oblong bar dropped in the middle of the action and several excellent dining options (from rice bowls to gelato), might be the most exciting in terms of people-watching.

Open in Google Maps

550 W Date St Suite B, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

The food hall has soaring ceilings. In the background is vendor Mein St. Asian Kitchen. On the right is the bar. — Interior of the food hall.

Westgate Dining Room Plaza Bar

This upscale piano bar has a rotating roster of performers, such as jazz trumpet great Gilbert Castellanos and versatile jazz flutist Holly Hofmann. On the menu: seafood chowder, Kobe burger, a black truffle and leek quiche, and feeling like royalty (or James Bond).

Open in Google Maps

Civic Ctr Wy, San Diego, CA 92101

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Lobster West

765 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Lobster roll lovers know that when the craving hits, it doesn’t matter if you’re alone or in a group of 20: You just need to make a beeline for the nearest source. This shaded spot in Encinitas is in the middle of one of San Diego’s more charming strip malls, but Lobster West operates another location in Coronado.

Open in Google Maps

765 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

The exterior of Lobster West in Encinitas, with steps leading to a patio covered by a white roof. The door leading inside is in the background. — The exterior of Lobster West in Encinitas.

NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar

910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Whether you’re a tourist in the area or a local who wants to savor a well-crafted meal in an elegant setting, NINE-TEN delivers. Gracious bar seating is one option, but its tables for two are actually sized just right for one. Recent offerings include Japanese sweet potato agnolotti with thyme-roasted Bosc pear, Point Reyes blue cheese, and crispy Brussels sprout leaves, a roasted cauliflower steak with pine nuts, mint, parsley, raisins, cipollini onion, sprouting cauliflower, and a romesco yogurt sauce, and eight house cocktails.

Open in Google Maps

910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Halibut with summer squash, zucchini and corn, displayed on a plate, photographed from above. The food is colorful and the plate is a dark slate. — Halibut with summer squash, zucchini and corn.

Taegukgi Korean BBQ

7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #501, San Diego, CA 92111

It’s hard to find an AYCE Korean barbecue spot that allows solo diners, but Taegukgi plays by different rules. So here, lone barbecue hunters can have it all: a spacious and bright dining room, friendly staff, and all the glorious sirloin, pork belly, and octopus they can devour (within the two-hour time limit).

Open in Google Maps

7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #501, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Palmys Cafe

976 Felspar St, San Diego, CA 92109

This tranquil corner coffee shop and restaurant in Pacific Beach has always been a haven for solo diners, students, and bohemian souls, whether it was Cafe 976 back in the day, or any of its more recent reincarnations. This freshly updated, Aussie-inspired restaurant and cafe has tables scattered around its ample shaded garden. Grab a menu, grab a book, and commence your perfect afternoon.

Open in Google Maps

976 Felspar St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Woody's Breakfast & Burgers

4111 Ocean Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

This unfussy beachfront eatery is the perfect spot to grab a simple, reassuring bite (breakfast burrito, yogurt bowl, chicken fingers, and more) and feast on the view.

Open in Google Maps

4111 Ocean Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Bleu Bohème

4090 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

French comfort food, friendly staff, classic French mixed drinks, a covered patio, and a long bar that seems plucked out of a village in the Dordogne make this a lovely locale for a relaxed, indulgent meal.

Open in Google Maps

4090 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Bleu Bohème’s long bar, with bottles of liquor on one side and tables on another. Above are wooded ceiling beams. — The bar at Bleu Bohème.

Tajima Ramen North Park

3015 Adams Ave #102b, San Diego, CA 92116

Pair its from-scratch ramen (which comes in both classic and creative takes) with a seat at the bar or a communal table and you are set. Tajima’s locations around North Park, East Village, and a few other spots ensure that within central San Diego, ramen is just a bike ride or quick drive away.

Open in Google Maps

3015 Adams Ave #102b, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Fort Oak

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

This bustling Mission Hills restaurant is perfectly suited to people feasting alone. Find a perch at the bar, where you can survey the whole scene, inside and out, while savoring the creativity of chef Brad Wise.

Open in Google Maps

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

The whimsical yet cool bar at Fort Oak, has tile floors, blue paneling and vintage industrial chairs. — The bar.

Sushi Deli 1

228 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

This casual sushi restaurant (with another location in Kearny Mesa) draws crowds for miles, and especially if you’re traveling light — solo, that is — it’s an easy spot to pop in, devour a roll or two, and take off.

Open in Google Maps

228 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

La Bonne Table

3696 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

For someone eating alone, this tiny gem of a French restaurant in Hillcrest might just feel like the hug you didn’t know you needed. Friendly staff, well-executed French standards, and a petite dining room scaled for intimacy (and eavesdropping, shh) all give this place its warm, welcoming aura.

Open in Google Maps

3696 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Underbelly North Park

3000 Upas St, San Diego, CA 92104

One key advantage to dining solo at Underbelly: It will be a lot easier to find a table at this North Park hot spot, where lines at peak dining times can reach down the block. At off times, it’s a peaceful spot to grab a bowl of warm, silky goodness and take in the fresh air and the action on 30th Street.

Open in Google Maps

3000 Upas St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Liberty Public Market

2820 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106

This market has a daily and weekly rhythm: quiet hours, meal time hustles, the tourist frenzy. When you’re flying solo, any of these moments is perfect. Alone, you can weave through the crowds faster, find seating more easily and make decisions on the fly. Burger, oysters, or beignets? Yes, please. (Dinner seekers, be alerted that it shuts down on the early side — at 7 p.m.)

2820 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

CUCINA urbana

505 Laurel St, San Diego, CA 92101

This Bankers Hill institution may be great for large groups, girls nights and date night, but it’s also ideal for solo dining at the bar when you want to do right by yourself. You could go dainty, with a small plate or two. Or go Italian (pizza, pasta, yum). Or go umami (e.g., their roasted carrot, beet, goat cheese, hazelnut, and pomegranate mostarda). Or you could go big, with a whole roasted fish, a side of foccacia, and a bottle of their finest gruner Veltliner.

505 Laurel St, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Cucina URBANA’s dining room, with two tables against a wall. On the far side is bench seating with pillows in warm, subdued colors, and on the near side there are two chairs. — Cucina URBANA’s dining room.

Point Loma Seafoods

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

This venerable waterfront restaurant and market is now almost 50 years old — it opened in 1963. Order some sushi, a seafood plate, or a seafood salad, then head up to the broad terrace for views of the bay and seagulls duking it out over fallen French fries.

Open in Google Maps

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

A pair of gloved hands are preparing raw swordfish. The meat is a rosy pink color and the gloves are bright blue. — Swordfish being prepped at Point Loma Seafoods.

Little Italy Food Hall

550 W Date St Suite B, San Diego, CA 92101

There are many great places to dine solo in Little Italy, from casual pizza by the slice to somewhat more formal restaurants. This elevated food court, with its oblong bar dropped in the middle of the action and several excellent dining options (from rice bowls to gelato), might be the most exciting in terms of people-watching.

Open in Google Maps

550 W Date St Suite B, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

The food hall has soaring ceilings. In the background is vendor Mein St. Asian Kitchen. On the right is the bar. — Interior of the food hall.

Related Maps

Westgate Dining Room Plaza Bar

Civic Ctr Wy, San Diego, CA 92101

This upscale piano bar has a rotating roster of performers, such as jazz trumpet great Gilbert Castellanos and versatile jazz flutist Holly Hofmann. On the menu: seafood chowder, Kobe burger, a black truffle and leek quiche, and feeling like royalty (or James Bond).

Open in Google Maps

Civic Ctr Wy, San Diego, CA 92101

Related Maps