Favorite Restaurants as a Self Conscious Solo?

Thanks for all of the help!

I'm sure that lots of solos enjoy a communal table but I'm not one of them. I'm very introverted and somewhat of a loner by nature. I am uncomfortable enough with sitting with strangers when I have a companion. Solo ain't happening. It's a huge leap for me to have this many solo TS meals as it is.

I do like the food at Teppan Edo (I considered Tokyo Dining before going with Chefs de France.) but we spent two weeks in Germany a couple of years ago and that was enough German food to hold me for quite a while! I'm not super picky in general but also not a huge fan of meat 'n taters.

Thanks again!
 
I prefer to sit somewhere that's outside so I can watch the world go by while waiting/dining. Try the Boathouse at DS, you can sit outside overlooking the amphicars on the water and characters in flight balloon going up and down. The food's amazing and so are the staff. A must do for me.
 
Thanks for all of the help!

I'm sure that lots of solos enjoy a communal table but I'm not one of them. I'm very introverted and somewhat of a loner by nature. I am uncomfortable enough with sitting with strangers when I have a companion. Solo ain't happening. It's a huge leap for me to have this many solo TS meals as it is.
!

My feeling on communal dining, after a bad experience, is "I'd rather BE solo than wish I was!" I went to Teppen Edo solo once and got seated next to a teenager who was experiencing her worst nightmare-a vacation with her parents and now, seated next to a stranger. She refused to talk to ANYONE. At the end of the meal, I don't know which one of us was happier to leave. No communal dining for this solo.
 
I would do Chefs de France over Coral Reef. What about Kona Cafe or Sanaa? Both have great menus. Or check out the lounges, we particularly liked the Crew Cup at the Yacht Club (truffle fries!). I am eating at the following restaurants on my upcoming solo trip;

Jiko
BOG
Spice Road Table
50's Prime Time
Boma
Kona Island Sushi Bar
Boathouse
Sanaa

I hope you have a wonderful trip! :)
 


My introvert faves for solo dining i.e. Just want to enjoy meal and not make new friends are
Epcot- Coral Reef- watching the tank and tables are not as on top of one another
Inside Mexico- San Angel Inn- it is super dark so no one can see if you are solo, plus pretty setting and the servers are great
Now I love Le Cellier and Chefs de France, but the tables are super close so I usually end up taking to whoever is near by so if that is not what you want, you should know that. If you hit Chefs at an off time it can be great. But busy times, you will make new friends...whether you want to or not
MK- nothing TS is special for solos except- Be Our Guest. Great service and I actually got to waltz with the beast after dinner...so that was pretty cool
DHS- Mama Melrose and Brown Derby are great for solos. Tables are well spaced and servers will take good care of you. Sci Fi dine in is a good option but I once had a server try to make me pay for the whole car. Bit embarrassing to say no I am on my own.
AK- Yak and Yeti. Every time. I like the food- cream cheese wontons for the win! Also servers are good with solos and there is space between tables
 
I was just going to stick with my quick service dining plan for my solo trip in March, but reading this has made me think I may try somewhere like Boma - I loved it when I visited with family and it would be nice to have one or two 'special' meals to break up the quick service.

I'm actually quite comfortable dining alone; I've made several trips to London for mini-breaks and would often have tables at various restaurants there, but I suppose it's the family nature of WDW that makes it feel a little more strange.
 
I thought I would share the list of ADRs I have for my first solo trip:
Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen--new since I was in WDW and sounded good
Biergarten--one of my favorites from before--I know its communal, but is solo there THAT much different than a couple?
50s Prime Time--my very favorite--a MUST DO every time, even a month apart
Boma--another favorite
La Hacienda de San Angel--never tried this before, but it sounds good and I do like Mexican
Le Cellier--never tried this before as it is so popular, but I have wanted to for some time
Sci Fi Dine--another new one for me, but I heard it is fun
California Grill--another favorite from before
Feel free to comment/criticize my list.
 


I thought I would share the list of ADRs I have for my first solo trip:
Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen--new since I was in WDW and sounded good
Biergarten--one of my favorites from before--I know its communal, but is solo there THAT much different than a couple?
50s Prime Time--my very favorite--a MUST DO every time, even a month apart
Boma--another favorite
La Hacienda de San Angel--never tried this before, but it sounds good and I do like Mexican
Le Cellier--never tried this before as it is so popular, but I have wanted to for some time
Sci Fi Dine--another new one for me, but I heard it is fun
California Grill--another favorite from before
Feel free to comment/criticize my list.

No criticism here, the heart (stomach?) wants what the heart wants :)

I have an ADR at Jungle Skipper. I ate there solo in January and survived!

I'll just come out and say it-as far as I'm concerned Biergarten is a no go on pretty much all fronts. We've been several times (both with the kiddos and as a couple) and I simply don't like it. I don't care for communal seating or German food and our last visit was somewhat less than fun due to our dinner companions. We were seated with a family of five who were at the wrong end of a loooooong Disney day. The kids were out of control and the parents were too busy snarking at each other to do anything about their offspring. Cranky children and bickering parents did not make for a nice meal, nor did the icy cold glass of Dr Pepper (BTW, who gives an already over stimulated kid a sugary, caffeinated beverage at 8:00 PM anyway?) that the eight year old dumped into my lap.

If I ever (and that's a very large if) were to try a communal table solo it would be at Teppan Edo. I realize that there's a chance for sitting with a family in the midst of a meltdown there as well but at least I like the food!

50s Prime Time is not a restaurant I ever think about. We went a lot when the kids were young and that was fun but we haven't been back since they've grown up. DH does not like hijinx at meal times and the menu is not my favorite.

I love, love, love Boma and would definitely eat there except:
-We eat there a lot when DH is along. I mean, hello, unlimited meats? When both DH and a teenaged DS were along we regularly put a hurtin' on Boma's bottom line, even at Disney prices. On my own, I'm a fairly light and mostly seafood/veggie eater and get very little value from a buffet.
-I'm on the chubby side and would feel like the fat lady who never met a buffet she didn't like. It doesn't matter that nobody is looking, I can't help it. DH and I once dressed up as tacky tourists for MNSSHP. Our pre-party meal was at 'Ohana and our table was right next to the entertainment. There I was dressed in a Halloween costume, in everyone's sight line, in everyone's videos at an AYCE dinner. I was a fat chick in a muumuu (no pesky waistband to get in the way!) in an all you care to eat restaurant. I preferred the Dr Pepper drenched meal at Biergarten. Buffets are not gonna happen. WDW is too pricey a place to spoil while working on my body image and social anxiety issues.


I actualliy considered La Hacienda but opted for Chefs instead. Again, DH likes La Hacienda and we go fairly often. The tight tables at Chefs are a concern but I do love their salmon. Still may go with Coral Reef. I have a late lunch ADR at Coral Reef, an early dinner at Chefs. Will definitely cancel one.

There's the 2TS thing going on at Le Cellier and I'm not really much of a steak person.

Sci Fi is on my list for an OOP trip :-) It looks promising and not too $$. I'm doing the Fantasmic Dining Package at DHS so don't need another ADR.

I love California Grill but it's a very date night place for me. It was a favorite when DH and I would dump the kids for an evening. I probably would feel lonely here and it's also 2TS. I do enjoy it when DH and I go.


So, right now I'm leaning

Saturday
2:50 Mama Melrose (FDP)
or
3:50 Hollywood Brown Derby (FDP)

Sunday
5:15 Jungle Skipper Canteen

Monday
None-doing Food and Wine :drinking1

Tuesday
4:10 Tiffins (RoLDP)

Wednesday
5:10 Wave (will cancel for Be Our Guest if I can get it)

Thursday
?
I'm doing Food and Wine as an early lunch, maybe dinner at a resort?

Friday
2:50 Coral Reef
or
5:20 Chefs de France

Saturday
Move to Universal
(I may revisit AK depending on the FastPass situation. I already have one morning and an evening planned. AK has some of my favorite QS and I like to use my credits here. The Satu'li menu looks very me.)

So I can just go with Brown Derby or do FDP at Mama Melrose and book a meal for Thursday. I'm leaning toward keeping Brown Derby. If the past is anything to go by I should be hitting the Free Dining wall by Thursday. I always reach a point where I'm sick to death of eating out and just want a nice yogurt in the room.

Sorry about the stream of consciousness novel! I've never been to WDW when I could pick all of my restaurants. A dining plan usually means AYCE or places where DH can get big honkin' steaks.
 
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I agree with trying to avoid communal tables as a solo, because it's a gamble whether the other people at the table will be welcoming, or they will instead resent having an "outsider" at their table. It can go either way.

Actually most WDW restaurants have been fine for me when dining solo. The only one that stands out as awkward is an experience at Sci Fi when they seated me in the back of someone else's car and called me a hitchhiker, which they will often do with solos unless you request otherwise. That in itself wouldn't have been so bad, but the uncomfortable part is that the toddler in the next row kept turning around and staring at me. If you are a self-conscious solo, you probably would not enjoy this. I mentioned to my server that this was making me uncomfortable and asked if I could move somewhere else. She said all the toddlers in the restaurant do the same thing (turn around and stare at you), and she said the only option was to move to one of the "flying saucer" tables at the back, so I moved.

Sci Fi is still one of my favorite restaurants and I've had other good visits there (solo and otherwise), but when you asked about good restaurants for a self-conscious solo, I thought, you may be more comfortable elsewhere, depending on where you get seated. Other than Sci Fi (which is a bit like communal "tables") and actual communal tables, everywhere else was fine! Even Whispering Canyon can be OK if you tell them at the beginning that you don't want antics. They used to have a red-green disk indicator that made this easy. Unfortunately they no longer had those during my last visit. You can still tell them no antics, but it was nicer when they had a disk indicator as a reminder.
 
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So I was just down there solo for the Star Wars Half Marathon and did table service most nights. I'm pretty introverted so most of the time at the table I'll be buried in my phone. These are the places I ate at.

Raglan Road: I was seated in the main room off to the side a bit but a good view of the stage. The entertainment was awesome and even kept me off the phone with the music and step dancing. The waitress was nice. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and will be visiting again.

Yak & Yeti: I was seated upstairs at a table for 2. The menu was ok and the waiter was fine. I can check it off the list but I don't see a repeat view sit in my future.

Rose & Crown: this was an early dinner for me because of the half marathon the next day. I was seated in the main dining room and my waitress was just awesome, my favorite of the entire trip. We talked about the 2 races I had already ran that weekend and the upcoming half. For dessert I got the sticky pudding and she also gave me a free cupcake for good luck.

Sci-Fi Dine-In: I was the hitchhiker. It was fun and the movie screen was entertaining. Meal was ok and waiter was fine.

Biergarten: on a whim I decided to give it a shot. It ended up being way to uncomfortable for me. I was seated at a full table with 2 separate parties. A mom and dad with 2 small children on one side and 3 young women on the other. The stage was to my right and behind me. I learned that this was not my cup of tea and couldn't wait to get out.

All in all a great solo trip with only one dud restaurant. I can't wait to do it again next year.
 
I'm doing sci fi diner and BOG solo in June and it's great to hear these stories and that folk have already done it themselves!
 
I related to your thread. I just booked my first solo trip for the end of August and first 2 days of Sept. Dining solo at WDW will be a first for me. But, I did book Deluxe dining so I am planning many table service meals. I am going to book ROL at AK (Tiffins) and probably Brown Derby for lunch at the Studios. I have not booked my dining ADR's yet but will in the next few days. I will try to avoid peak dinner times around 7 or 8 p.m. but other than that, I am really looking forward trying some new restaurants.

I do hope I am not seated in the middle of the dining room and may ask to be near a window or off to the side. I hope you have a great trip!!!

I did Brown Derby solo for lunch in March and it was wonderful! My waiter was just friendly enough, I was seated up on the side and did some great people watching while enjoying a salad and a fancy drink before dessert of course. I'd highly recommend it.
 
I've only done two solo TS, Yak & Yeti in AK (I found out they still do beef lo mein so had to go) and the Plaza in MK (no one else wanted to go but I like the sandwiches). I felt more comfortable in Yak & Yeti, I sat upstairs at a window table. My waitress was lovely and I am definitely going again this year. The Plaza was not so comfortable, I can't put my finger on why but it's just not for me again as a solo diner. I am desperate to try Sci-Fi Diner but I'm filled with dread at being the 'hitchhiker'.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Here's the final lineup :)
Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dining Package) (2:50)
Sanaa (6:45)
Food and Wine Booths
Tiffins (Rivers of Light Dining Package) (4:00)
Jungle Skipper Canteen (4:50)
Raglan Road (6:00)
Chefs de France (5:15)

Still a tad nervous! I was a little too late booking to get prime times so I went with late lunches/early dinners. I'm really not a night owl!

Thanks again!
 
I have no issues dining solo and I have dined at various restaurants throughout WDW and DLR including character meals. I'm going to pick my favorite at WDW and DLR. At WDW my favorite place to dine is at Boma's at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Normally I'm not a fan of buffet but I could eat myself into a coma at this place. Lots of traditional selections including some unique African flavors. At DLR I really enjoy Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel which is away from all the crowds of the parks and visitors from Downtown Disney. It's normally a quite place to enjoy a nice meal.
 
Really helpful thread, I think this is the most daunting thing about my upcoming solo trip. I'm torn between not wanting to put myself in a situation that I might be uncomfortable in and also not wanting to miss out on amazing food!
I have one reservation made so far and that is a breakfast at Kona Cafe - I keep hearing about the Tonga toast! I actually emailed disney reservations and asked if they would seat me towards the outskirts of the room so not to be so noticeable as I was nervous about dining alone. I got a lovely email back from a lady who said although they can't specifically do that right now, I can just ask on the day if I turn up a little early and they should be able to accomodate. She said not to worry because they get so many solo diners and that nobody will bat an eyelid. She said she had even done it herself many times.
I have the quick service dining plan and I don't feel I'm going to need too many big meals on that, i'll probably snack a lot. Also planning on eating a lot at Food and wine so I don't want to book a table service and then not even be hungry enough for it.
I do love a breakfast though! American's know how to do brekkie. So I might consider Boma or The wave another day as everyone seems to rave about them.
 
Really helpful thread, I think this is the most daunting thing about my upcoming solo trip. I'm torn between not wanting to put myself in a situation that I might be uncomfortable in and also not wanting to miss out on amazing food!
I have one reservation made so far and that is a breakfast at Kona Cafe - I keep hearing about the Tonga toast! I actually emailed disney reservations and asked if they would seat me towards the outskirts of the room so not to be so noticeable as I was nervous about dining alone. I got a lovely email back from a lady who said although they can't specifically do that right now, I can just ask on the day if I turn up a little early and they should be able to accomodate. She said not to worry because they get so many solo diners and that nobody will bat an eyelid. She said she had even done it herself many times.
I have the quick service dining plan and I don't feel I'm going to need too many big meals on that, i'll probably snack a lot. Also planning on eating a lot at Food and wine so I don't want to book a table service and then not even be hungry enough for it.
I do love a breakfast though! American's know how to do brekkie. So I might consider Boma or The wave another day as everyone seems to rave about them.
Kona was great alone. They took great care of me and allowed me to take my time with my meal, reading the paper and enjoying an entire French press of Hawaiian coffee. I even made friends with the people next to me and had a great conversation. Dining alone is no big deal. When I realized this I started having much more fun!
 
Ive done Hollywood Brown Derby solo twice, was a great experience. They normally sit you in the upper tier areas with the 2 person tables so no one notices. Ive done Skipper Canteen alone too and that was just fine. This time around im doing that again, Tusker House, and Coral Reef.
 
Ive done Hollywood Brown Derby solo twice, was a great experience. They normally sit you in the upper tier areas with the 2 person tables so no one notices. Ive done Skipper Canteen alone too and that was just fine. This time around im doing that again, Tusker House, and Coral Reef.
Glad to hear the Skipper Canteen is good when you're alone, I'll be trying it in October! Anything you recommend there?
 

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