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Tell us: Where is the best place to eat alone around Boston?

Taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Shy Bird in South Boston offers a co-working program for diners to stay, eat, and work for the day. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

By Kristina DaPonte

January 16, 2024

1 minute to read

For many, going to a restaurant has become a social event. It’s a time to catch up with friends, spend some quality time with family, or get to know the date at the other end of the table. At times it can feel obligatory to eat a meal with someone else, but it doesn’t have to be — just ask the man in Edward Hopper’s famous painting “Nighthawks.”

Dave Portnoy called this Chelmsford pizzeria his favorite in Mass. Now there are 2-hour waits daily.

Many restaurant goers have embraced dining alone, according to OpenTable. In 2015, the reservations for solo parties, the fastest growing party size during that year, increased nationally by 62%. Atlantic Fish Company in Back Bay was even cited as a Top 25 Restaurant for Solo Diners in America by the service.

In a recent Reddit post, user Highviews97 asked where in Boston they could be like the man in the painting, who is sitting quietly in a diner and eating a meal “undisturbed.”

Because in a city as bustling as this one, it can be hard to find a place that makes it easy to dine in both solitude and peace. It always seems as though every restaurant in the city is busy at every time of the day, so finding a seat that isn’t surrounded by other customers is no easy task either.

Going out, eating alone, and taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be intimidating. So we want to know: Where is the best place in Boston to enjoy a meal alone? And what time of day is best to go? Fill out the form or e-mail us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.

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