Kome’s hiyashi chuka
As one who has always been perfectly content getting lost in my own thoughts and daydreams, I love eating a good meal alone. It seems easier to be able to fully analyze and contemplate the flavors and textures of a meal without having to concurrently carry on a conversation. Also, there’s nobody to get annoyed at me for Instagramming food pictures.
This obsession started about eight years ago when I lived on South Congress. Magnolia Cafe was just two blocks away, and I ate dinner at the counter about once a week. I haven’t been there in years and have no idea what it’s like now, but back then, it was an excellent place for people watching. Patrons included the stereotypical people in Austin — middle aged hippies, tech nerds, college kids, tourists — all enjoying gingerbread pancakes and Mag Mud, enchiladas and stuffed squash (my favorite) at all hours of the day and night. That counter was where I met my neighbors and where I learned to cherish solitary dining.
Fast forward to the present, in an Austin that has since evolved into a true foodie city. Hundreds of new restaurants and food trucks have opened and some have closed since 2007. In the meantime, I found myself in this predicament where my closest friends have all gotten married, started families, and bought starter houses in the far north suburbs. As a South Austinite, I generally frown on driving north of 183 (that’s being really generous; I actually don’t like driving north of Enfield/15th Street but really draw the line at 183), and my friends refuse driving south of 45th Street. Since so many new restaurants have opened in South Austin and East Austin, as a food lover lacking dining companions, I’ve been eating alone about once a week. Admittedly, some places are more solo diner friendly than others, but I’m happy to share places where I feel most at home.
Kome
Kome (4917 Airport Blvd.), which happens to be minutes from my office, is one of my favorite places to eat lunch alone. Sit at the counter, where you can watch the sushi chefs at work. It’s mesmerizing. While sushi is certainly popular at this Japanese restaurant, my favorite dish is the hiyashi chuka, which is a cold ramen salad. It’s just such a refreshing dish when it’s 100+ degrees outside, as it is about five months out of the year here in Austin.
Blue Dahlia
Blue Dahlia (1115 E. 11th St. and 3663 Bee Cave Rd.) is such a lovely cafe. I love going to the Westlake location (due to proximity to my home) with a book and enjoying happy hour. $5 wine and $5 brie, walnut, and homemade jam tartine is quite the deal. On weekends, I occasionally stop by for a cafe au lait and a pastry at the counter.
Blue Dahlia’s waffles
Salt & Time
Salt & Time (1912 E. 7th St.) is an excellent butcher shop with a restaurant and bar off to the side. It’s so easy to feel at home sitting at the bar with a pickle plate and a sandwich or burger, all washed down with a local craft beer.
Salt & Time’s pickle plate
Kin & Comfort
Located in a food court inside Hana World Market, Kin & Comfort (1700 W. Parmer Ln.) offers creative Thai-Southern fusion food. Since it’s a food court, it’s difficult to feel awkward dining alone, especially for those of us who have worked retail jobs in shopping malls at one point in our lives. While I do hate driving so far north, I’ll admit that the food is well worth the drive — plus, I can get my Asian groceries like dried bean curd sticks and shredded seaweed at the market. Kin & Comfort’s Asian-style fried chicken is fantastic. It’s perfectly crispy and spiced, just like the Chinese and Korean style fried chicken I ate growing up. Seriously, this chicken is as good as my mom’s, which is saying a lot.
Kin & Comfort’s fried chicken, som tam, fried green tomato, and Thai tea
Odd Duck
I’ve been a huge fan of Odd Duck (1201 S. Lamar Blvd.) since its food truck days, and I was thrilled when they opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant. It’s a great place to enjoy a meal at the bar, and their brunch is so innovative. The beet Bloody Mary is a fabulous way to start the day, as is their modernist-style corn dog, which is filled with chorizo verde and served in fried egg foam. Also, I really love that Odd Duck gave Bon Appetit their recipe for beet panna cotta with Meyer lemon mousse. I emailed the magazine for that recipe last year, and it’s in the latest issue!
Odd Duck’s corn dog with chorizo verde, fried egg foam, and spicy maple
St. Philip Pizza Parlor + Bakeshop
Okay, so I talk about St. Philip (4715 S. Lamar Blvd.) in every other food post, but I’m really becoming a regular. It’s an excellent place to eat alone at the bar because the locals, servers, and bartenders are just so affable. It’s truly a neighborhood restaurant for those of us in South Austin, and that Southern hospitality really shines. My favorite dishes are the meatball sandwich (which has to be eaten with a knife and fork) and the steak sandwich (served French dip-style). Wait, actually, I lied. My favorites are the cassis granola donuts, the lemongrass cake, the malted hot chocolate (topped with crunchy, little Valrhona pearls), the Twix bar…
Sa-Ten Coffee and Eats
Sa-Ten (916 Springdale Rd.) is a little Japanese coffee shop and cafe located in the large arts complex housing Big Medium, Art.Science.Gallery, that semi-mysterious “museum” that I shall not (and should not) name since it prefers to remain an open secret, and a handful of other art galleries and studios. Since so many people go to coffee shops alone anyway, it’s not awkward at all to eat alone at one. The cafe specializes in many wonderful toasts featuring fluffy Japanese bread topped with anything from basic miso butter and honey to teriyaki curry chicken.
Foreign & Domestic
If I somehow happen to be running early for work, Foreign & Domestic (306 E. 53rd St.) is such a great place to stop by for a pastry and coffee. I just love their popovers, which the server tops with a bit of freshly grated cheese just before handing over the plate. Simply find a seat at the counter, and the friendly barista hands you your coffee and pastry of choice.
Foreign & Domestic’s popover and coffee
And those are my personal favorite places to eat alone. Anyone out there have more suggestions for solo Austin diners?
The Texasian Travels 