Best places to dine solo in Toronto

Those who want to ditch awkward dinner conversations and focus on the food may want to check out a guide for dining alone.

Consumer research shows 76 per cent of Toronto residents are planning to dine solo in the next 12 months, according to a report from online reservation website OpenTable and travel aggregator Kayak.

Over half of Canadians (56 per cent) say they travel solo at least once a year and 86 per cent of Canadians have dined solo at restaurants, the report found.

“Solo dining is one of the standout dining trends this year and we expect it to continue into the next, with 73 per cent of Canadians planning to dine solo in the next 12 months,” said OpenTable Canada country director, Matt Davis.

According to OpenTable data, October is one of the most popular months for Canadians to solo dine and that’s why Kayak and OpenTable have teamed up to launch a solo travel and dining guide.

The guide spotlights the trendiest solo travel destinations, must-try restaurants and expert advice based on data-driven insights and inspiration.

“As the solo trend continues to pick up, our guide arms Canadians with the best intel and strategies to travel or dine solo,” said Matt Clarke, a vice president of marketing at Kayak.

Victoria, British Columbia is the number one destination for solo travel in Canada, followed by Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, according to the report.

The ratings are based on the average hotel prices, flight costs, meal expenses, perception of safety, local attractions and the share of solo dining.

In Victoria, solo travellers can enjoy dining out for average of $39 and Pan-Asian, seafood and farm-to-table restaurants are popular, according to the guide. Ottawa is a good place to enjoy craft beer and pub food.

Toronto is number 10 on the list with much pricer food at an average of $58 and butter tarts, peameal bacon and pizza among the top foods to try.

OpenTable data reveals the top ten solo dining spots in each of the ten domestic and international destinations.

Here are the top 10 Toronto restaurants for solo dining:

• Quetzal
• Pai Toronto
• Prime Seafood Palace
• Don Alfonso 1890
• Mamakas Taverna
• Aera
• La Piazza di Eataly Yorkville
• Buca Yorkville
• JaBistro
• Drake Hotel

For those craving adventures abroad, Edinburgh, Paris, Dublin, Seattle, and Boston are the top international destinations for Canadian solo travellers and diners.

See Kayak and OpenTable’s solo travel and dining guide here.

Kayak’s top solo Canadian travel destinations are here.

Lead photo: cottonbro studio