11 Chicago restaurants that are perfect for dining alone

Chicago is our kind of town. Not just because this brawny, muscular city of 2.7 million people boasts globally admired architecture, miles upon miles of lakefront and crazy good cultural attractions, but also because the romance of navigating this alternately hard-scrabbled and opulent metropolis all by one’s lonesome is one of life’s great pleasures. Dare yourself to sidle up to a restaurant’s counter or bar sans companion and make new friends with a hipster mixologist, a sexy stranger or best of all—the most badass, bonkers and out-of-this world meal you’ve ever had. Here are Chicago’s 11 best restaurants for solo diners:

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Avec | Photo courtesy of Chloe List

Avec

When Avec swung open its doors to the public more than a decade ago it had tremendous sex appeal, thanks to its slim, sauna-esque interior, shareable small plates (in those days, a largely foreign concept)and industrial bar practically stretching the entire length of the restaurant. The food, including head spinning chorizo-stuffed medjool dates and chicken liver crostini, is still ambitious and inventive so don’t hesitate to make friends for the sole purpose of sharing dishes.

Big Star | Photo courtesy of Lucy Angel

Big Star

You’re just another hipster wannabe at this beloved taco joint modeled after the Mexican cantinas popular in Austin and Los Angeles. But the giant rectangular bar is bigger even than the one where “everybody knows your name,” not that scoring a seat is EVER easy. The bartenders couldcare a less about you so order up a Mexican Coke or margarita, a heaping pile of chips and guac, and a few tasty tacos, and indulge in people watching to your heart’s content. You’ve never seen so many sleeve tattoos and mustachioed men in your life.

Birrieria Zaragoza

The counter at this Archer Heights taqueria is small, just like all the seating in this no-frills taco joint which has earned every possible accolade from foodies worldwide thanks to a menu consisting of goat, goat and more goat that is slow-cooked and falls right off the bone and into hungry mouths where it melts in a cascade of meaty goodness. The counter is absolutely where the action is and provides not only the occasional free sample of the delicacy to come, but also a first glimpse of every amazing dish before it leaves the kitchen.  

Coda di Volpe

At last the Southport Corridor has a braggadocios neighborhood eatery. So popular is this sexy, corner joint that to even snag a seat at the expansive, U-shaped bar requires seriously elbowing every diner around you. During our latest visit the bartender couldn’t have been more attentive—especially considering the late hour at which we plopped our booties down. A half a dozen or so pizzas are solo appropriate but so too is the summer roasted corn, the half portions of pasta and the perfectly delicious swordfish spiedini.

Dove’s Luncheonette | Photo courtesy of Brian Willette

Dove’s Luncheonette

A throwback to the kind of roadside diner you might have found along a deserted stretch of Texas highway in the 1970s, Dove’s is a dream destination for hungry loners. Its Tex-Mex menu challenges your gullet to handle heart-attack inducing items like a generous plate of chicken fried chicken smothered in chorizo verde gravy or the slurp-worthy pozole dojo with braised oxtail. The entire restaurant is basically all counter seating so don’t even think about making friends before you visit.

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Dusek’s | Photo courtesy of Clayton Hauck for Thalia Hall

Dusek’s

This brilliant Pilsen eatery and packed hangout is bolstered in part by Thalia Hall, the gorgeous concert hall above it. It’s a fantastic place to sidle up to the elegant bar and people watch while drowning your liver in craft cocktails and noshing on serious snacks like beer fat frites and duck pâté, or larger offerings such as a confit Berkshire porchetta or an olive oil poaches king salmon. The vibe is convivial so be prepared to dine alone and drink afterward with new friends at basement bar Punch House.

Eataly | Photo courtesy of 2013 Galdones Photography/Eataly

Eataly

When Oscar Farinetti brought his Italian marketplace and food court to Chicago in 2013 it clocked in at twice the size of the New York version and was packed from day one. Eataly is not by any means romantic, but with its smorgasbord of culinary counters sprinkled throughout the multi-level complex and serving up everything from pizza and pasta to antipastos and gelato, it’s tailor made for lonely hearts. The thin crust pizzas are to die for, but virtually everything is good all of the time.

The Jonah crab salad and waffle fries at Giant | Photo courtesy of 2016 Galdones Photography LLC

Giant

The counter seats at this newbie Logan Square hotspot are almost impossible to secure. Not only are they few and far between—there’s only five or six to begin with—but this restaurant from chef Jason Vincent is impossibly busy from open to close, making one even more difficult to procure. But if you can snag one—holy cow are you in for a treat. The counter faces the teensy kitchen which means every item you order—from the Jonah crab salad with waffle fries to the wildly satisfying cajeta ice cream is meticulously and lovingly explained by staff.

Little Goat

If you don’t know by now who Chicago super chef and Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard is, you’ve probably never been to a restaurant in your life. Nevertheless, her trifecta of West Loop/Meatpacking eateries including The Girl and the Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Little Goat are constantly packed and the stuff of food legend. The latter puts a playful spin on the diner concept with counter seating galore and an exhaustive menu featuring edible goodies like a pork belly pancake “sammich” and banh mi burgers. Eat there now and die happy.

Maude’s Liquor Bar | Photo courtesy of Maude’s

Maude’s Liquor Bar

This casual French boîte from legendary restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff is romantic to the point of being obscene, but it’s a great spot for the solodiner thanks in part to a tight-knit waitstaff who are only too happy to make friends with their bar patrons and maybe even go out for drinks with the clientele after their shift ends. The garlic pork sausage with lentils and chocolate mousse are so good that if Maude’s were a cult, these would be their recruitment tools.

Wood

Boystown has long been starved (no pun intended) of elegant dining options, but in sexy restaurant Wood it finally has one in the heart of its gay nightlife strip. A neighborhood full of singles on the prowl, Wood entices them with a menu of shareable plates, schmancy cocktails and charcuteries doled out along an enticing bar full of cute men and women. The restaurant is tailor-made for friend making so buy a drink for that hottie stranger at the end of the bar and seduce them with a shared bowl of delicate gnocchi or a delicate steak tartare.

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Tagged: Midwest