More people are dining solo in Toronto and these are the restaurants they choose

Fewer and fewer people in Toronto feel any hesitation about reserving a table for one as the trend of solo dining in the city continues to pick up.

Surveys have revealed that around half of residents eating out in the city are now comfortable regularly doing so alone, which is a significantly higher figure than across Canada at large. We’re even starting to see restaurants designed for taking yourself on a dinner date, like Yunnan Noodle Shack, which debuted its individual seating arrangements in Baldwin Village last year.

New numbers from dining booking service OpenTable and travel booking service KAYAK, released just this week, show that this season is the most popular for enjoying a meal on one’s own in the 6ix — October, specifically, being the top month for it — and that 17 per cent more diners in the city are partaking in the modern phenomenon this year than in 2023.

Per the study from the two brands, 45 per cent of residents are planning to travel solo, which, naturally, entails trying out eateries around the globe by oneself. Another 73 per cent intend to visit a local restaurant alone in the near future, while 86 per cent have already done so in the last year.

Based on reviews and other metrics, the report narrowed down the diner favourites for an unchaperoned meal in the city, all of them quite fancy: Quetzal, Pai, Don Alfonso 1890, Mamakas Taverna and Queen West Matty Matheson venture Prime Seafood Palace. 

“Solo dining is one of the standout dining trends this year and we expect it to continue into the next,” the report, which looked at major cities across Canada at large, reads.

“Restaurants are increasingly adapting to these habits, offering kitchen views to watch the chefs at work and cozy, quiet booths tucked away for the ultimate reading ambience. Data also shows that solo diners tend to be big spenders, splurging 43 per cent more per person compared to the average diner.”