The dining landscape in Ireland has shifted considerably over the past few years, most notably with the influx of communal dining spaces and solo-friendly seating. Is this the new normal when it comes to the restaurant meal experience?
Of course, the restaurant experience is a combination of many elements: the decor, the rituals surrounding a meal, the company (or lack of) and, of course, the food. Are the post-pandemic Irish actively seeking connection with strangers over a shared dining space, or does the commune of eating together make solo dining less lonely.
Usually, people sitting opposite each other at a meal are almost compelled to engage, while those sitting side by side may feel less conspicuous, and therefore more relaxed as solo diners. The simple act of changing the seating layout in a restaurant has created a shift in dining culture and opened up a wealth of possibilities for those who previously would never dream of dining alone. A table for one can often feel intimidating, a stool at a shared counter, not so much.
My first foray into proper restaurant solo dining was born from necessity many years ago when I was lucky enough to secure a table at the newly opened Nopi in London. At the time, Yotam Ottolenghi was the darling of the London culinary scene, so getting a table at short notice was quite the achievement.
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I went to the cinema to see Small Things Like These. By the time I emerged I had concluded the film was crap
Sadly (or not as it turns out), my travelling companion was unable to join me due to work commitments and so I was left in something of a pickle, and not in a good way. Should I put on my big girl boots and dine solo, or miss the opportunity to eat somewhere I had been coveting since it opened its doors some months previously?
It wouldn’t have even been a question in Dublin, but in London there was zero chance of someone seeing me and deciding I was a loser for going to a restaurant alone. As it turned out, it wasn’t that big a deal, to the staff anyway, but it was a huge step for me. I ate, I drank wine, I read a magazine, and no one batted an eyelid. Although I was acutely aware of my oneness, nobody else seemed to be and to this day it is one of the most memorable dining experiences I have ever had.
Fast forward 12 years and communal tables, bar seats and counter dining is becoming the new norm, and once the stools are comfortable, I’m all in, solo or not.
At Dublin’s Kerala Kitchen, owners Lewis Cummings and Gráinne Flynn are pioneers of the communal table. “When we were considering the fit-out for our Baggot Street restaurant, we immediately visualised two big tables, heaving with food and people, in the upstairs Georgian diningroom. It was a gut feeling and our decisions are led by instinct and intuition rather than painstaking debate,” Flynn says.
“Our food is designed to be shared and we love the idea of convivial dining where there’s lots of laughter, conversation and comforting food being passed up and down these big tables. We have a very mixed demographic in Kerala Kitchen and it’s always lovely to see people sharing a big communal table whose paths, generally speaking, might rarely cross.” Both branches of Kerala Kitchen, in Baggot Street and Stoneybatter, boast communal tables.
At Ballyvolane House just outside Fermoy in Co Cork, the dining experience is markedly different from other hotels. Dinner is served at 8pm sharp, with all of the guests dining together around the large, antique table. It’s all very proper and at any given moment one might expect Hercule Poirot to glide through the door and start wagging his finger accusingly at the guests, one by one. It’s as convivial as can be and even the most reserved of us couldn’t help being seduced by the ambience and the sociable atmosphere.
On Dublin’s Camden Street, Frank’s caused something of a kerfuffle when it opened its doors in 2019 and – shock, horror – communal dining was the only option. Add to that the walk-in-only policy and Frank’s was all of a sudden the hottest ticket in town. People thronged through the doors for a glimpse of such an unknown entity, the 20-seater communal table. And they stayed, well, because it works. Whether for a solitary glass of wine or a shared bottle with friends, even the most vociferous anti-communal-table people I know have been converted after a few glasses of wine in Frank’s. Quelle surprise.
For a more rustic experience, Camus Farm Field Kitchen in Clonakilty is the place to go. There is a lot to love about Camus Farm, not least the bucolic location, the excellent food and the nature trails to explore, but it is the communal feasting tables in the barn that really do it for me. There is something almost medieval (in the best possible way) about the entire combination and when darkness falls and the stoves are lit, it’s a magical ambience filled with warmth and laughter.
Of course, the communal table is one beast, and counter seating another. When it comes to quality counter dining in Ireland, the pool appears to be expanding on a weekly basis. One of the first to embrace the trend was Fish Shop on Dublin’s Benburb Street, which is counter-only seating, at both the marble bar and along the wall. The stools sadly are backless but somehow that never seems to matter.
In Stoneybatter, A Fianco has also nailed peak counter culture with bar, window and wall counter seats making the most of the modest space. On Dublin’s Merrion Row, the space at Etto is made up of both bar counter and table seating, making it inviting for both couples, groups and solo diners. The after-work crowd throng to the bar counter at Niall Sabongi’s Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar, which is the perfect space to enjoy oyster happy hour, whether alone or with a friend.
Solitary dining at the bar in Spitalfields, Dublin 8, is a welcoming and convivial experience. In Belfast, snagging a stool at the bar counter at Ox Cave, part of Michelin star Ox restaurant, offers Michelin-quality dining in casual surroundings, while in Cork, the bar seats at Andy Ferreria’s award-winning Paladar are the ideal spot for a pisco sour with a plate of ceviche.
More great places for solo dining
- Hawksmoor, 34 College Green, Dublin 2; 01-485 4720, hawksmoor.ie. Who needs company when you can have oysters and martinis at the bar?
- Hang Dai, 20 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2; 01-545 8888, hangdaichinese.com. Cheeseburger spring rolls in an electric atmosphere.
- 777, South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2; 01-4254052, 777.ie. For uninterrupted tacos and margs.
- Host, Ranelagh, Dublin, 01-561 2617; hostrestaurant.ie. Prime people-watching from the window seat.
- Amy Austin, Drury Street, Dublin 2; 01-548 6255, amyaustin.ie. Wine on tap and stunning snacks in the city centre.
- Note, Fenian Street, Dublin 2; 01-244 7344, notedublin.com. Creative cooking with ever-changing, interesting wines.
- Big Mike’s, Blackrock, Co Dublin; 01-551 0332, michaels.ie. For witty repartee and legendary arancini at the bar.
- MacCurtain Wine Cellar, MacCurtain Street, Cork; 021-455 1533, maccurtainwine.ie. Grab a window seat and watch the world go by, negroni and small plates in hand.
- Rúibín, New Docks, Galway; 091-563 830, ruibin.ie. Late-night food and seasonal cocktails in the basement bar counter.
- The Black Pig, Kinsale, Co Cork; 021-477 4101, theblackpigwinebar.com. Comfortable bar stools and great food in buzzy Kinsale.
