Best Solo Dining

Beaches and Cream is a great one. Nice and low key but still table service. ESPN Zone is great too since you can watch TV while you're waiting.

I will go to any restaurant by myself. Yes, I've even gone solo at Vicky & Al's. The key is to be comfortable with yourself by yourself. I suppose I learned how not to feel self-conscious sitting alone while others were dining around me because, usually, I was at the restaurant as part of my official duties as a restaurant critic. In other words, I was working. And I simply didn't care what others thought about me.
I was often amused that staff people found my solitude pitiable. I've been offered books and magazines, and staffers feel the need to engage me in conversation. Hundreds of times I've been asked if I might like to sit at the bar rather than at a table (of course, more often the reason they ask that is so I'm not taking up a table that could be occupied by more than one person).
A few weeks ago I stopped by the Plaza Hotel in New York to see how the renovations to the Oak Bar turned out (it has been returned to its resplendent self). The place was packed and bustling, just as in the old days, but there, at the bar, was a many reading a newspaper. I felt sorry for him -- he wasn't comfortable enough being alone with himself to enjoy the life going on around him.

Interesting question. I agree with Scott that being comfortable dining alone has a lot to do with self-confidence overall, but I also think it has a lot to do with practice! Just like other seemingly "uncomfortable" situations, all you have to do is try it a couple of times, get used to it, and then you're old hat.

A few places that I think are good ones for "dining alone" in WDW are Casey's Corner (great corner location to watch all the families streaming into the MK), 'Ohana (I just love that view of Bay Lake and the castle), and the Biergarten (you have to sit at long tables with other folks, so it's a built-in opportunity to meet new people).

Teppan Edo is another good one. It's hibachi dining, so you're seated with several other parties and you have a "show" to talk about.

Absolutely! That is a great one I've forgotten about. Always like to be reminded of places I haven't eaten in a while. We always eat at our favorite places every time we go, and we often forget to re-visit others on the list.

As do we! During trip planning phase, I like to visit the menus online and figure out what's new at our old favorites to see what we'd like to visit this time around. Also reminds me what we haven't tried yet--we always try to sneak in some new spots on every trip.

Some may disagree, but I would argue Le Cellier is good for solo dining. The way it's arranged tends to lend to privacy if you can get one of the tables along the edges. Plus the wait staff are all Canadian so they're probably funny and polite!

I'll have to agree that Le Cellier would be a nice solo respite from the parks. Though I'm interested by the sweeping generalization that all canadians are funny and polite!

Well, they're rarely seen in the wild, so it's not surprising that you have no experience with them. However, if you check your nature journals, you will find it to be well documented that native Canadians are in fact well mannered and comedy-oriented. There are programs in the pacific northwest to attempt to reintroduce them to wild environments, but unfortunately they do not seem to adapt well to the modern world.

How the heck did I miss this thread?!? You're talking my language, Brad!

1.) First off, it's got to be welcoming to solos. Seating is really important--bar or counter dining is good, two-tops in front of windows for people-watching is good, cozy little nooks for privacy are good. Just as important is the consideration of the staff. They have to treat the solo as if they welcome their presence as much as couples or groups. I love it when they ask me my preference for seating (which is rare). It helps if the servers or bartenders are extra friendly and willing to chat a little bit with the solo. You're right--buffets are great for solo dining because there's no awkward wait time for your food. Restaurants that provide newspapers for reading or TVs behind the bar with something other than sports get extra points from me (if I'm not dining with a companion, I need something to look at!). It also helps if the menu isn't filled with those items that say that they are "meant for sharing". I HATE that.

2.) I try to avoid any restaurant that has a reputation for being a "romantic" restaurant if I'm dining solo. Why punish myself? Otherwise, I think most anything is fair game. At WDW, I don't think I was uncomfortable anywhere I ate. I had meals at Le Chefs de France, Wolfgang Puck, the House of Blues, Mama Melroses (that would have been uncomfortable, as I was the only solo in the place, had it not been for my wonderful waiter and that I brought my digital camera with me, so I could focus on sifting through my photos), Tusker House, some nondescript Chinese counter service restaurant in Epcot and the ABC Commissary, I think. I'd say Puck, HOB, places that have bars are the absolute best for solos, because you can either mingle with other solos dining at the bar or sit by yourself at a table, it's your choice.

I will say, as with most things, Disney cast members generally seem to handle the solo visitors pretty well.

They do, cdub, and it makes me wonder why. I mean, think about it: WDW is a family destination. I'd say by far the majority of people who walk into their restaurants are with at least one other person. Yet, they are terrific with solo diners, by comparison with waitstaff in many restaurants out here in the "real world" that should be far more accustomed to solos (and yet act as though they've never seen a solo diner in their lives). It's impressive.

I think the key to any restaurant experience is good management. This is particularly true when it comes to the staff. Also, waiting tables at a fairly expensive restaurant is a pretty darn good gig...and the main skill it requires is motivation. Should be able to weed out the bad ones pretty quickly at a place like WDW.

Then again WDW is notorious for paying at a very low level. Granted, folks working in California Grille and Victoria and Albert's will do well on tips, how does Disney keep good waitstaff in the less expensive table service restaurants without paying higher wages?