The best places in Philly to eat alone at a restaurant, according to someone who dines out every single night

Sharon Thompson-Schill is one of the most prolific diners in Philadelphia, on top of her day job as an acclaimed neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania. She eats dinner out at a restaurant every night of the year—and sometimes stacks multiple dinner events in a night. Though Thompson-Schill often eats with friends, she also relishes dining solo. Here are her picks for the best restaurants to eat alone in Philly.

I have the schedule of an extrovert but the soul of an introvert. Don’t get me wrong, I love popping in at pop-ups, filling tables with unfamiliar-to-me cuisine to try with equally adventurous eaters, and sharing bottle after bottle with a group at a BYO. But I also enjoy the opportunity to recharge alone, and — so I’ve mastered the art of solo dining in Philly.

My preferred solo dining experience is a lingering one at the bar. Food matters — a great wine by the glass list never hurts — but the first thing I think about is the atmosphere. I want a place where the bartender gets to know their regulars: where they will greet me by name when I walk in, tell me about a new wine , and catch up with me during service lulls. The other patrons matter too, since I often end up chatting with people to my left and right — sometimes other regulars, sometimes people from out of town (who inevitably leave with a list of recommendations for the rest of their visit).

When I have an unscheduled night ahead of me, I am most likely to head to one of these places that check all of those boxes:

How does a bar that feels like Cheers consistently turn out some of the best food in the city? The eight-seat bar is always full of regulars who are there to see each other and Paul — our Sam Malone, who has been there since day one —as much as to eat incredible food like the red curry chicken liver toast. The brand new Débuts series, a new weekly pre-fixe dinner, gives Chef Eli Collins a chance to play with some new ideas every Sunday and Monday and is a perfect solo dining experience for me.

The bar at Vernick is the epitome of solo dining perfection. I’ve had New Year’s Eve and other holiday dinners and birthday dinners. I’ve dined with Charles Barkley, Georges Perrier, and Joey Baldino (who bought my birthday meal). Usually I get three small plates, like the blue crab toast, veal carpaccio, and blueberry pie, but every once in a while I head home with two-thirds of a chicken in my tupperware.

When I was newly single in 2022, one of the first places I went Irwin’s. It quickly became my Sunday go-to spot. I’d start with a cocktail while beverage director Michael Lancaster checked the count on the Sunday food special, to make sure the kitchen wasn’t going to run out before I ordered food. My typical meal is two small plates and a half order of pasta (always appreciated menu option), like mushrooms with a cured egg yolk, Manila clams with green butter, fritto misto, and a half-order of trofie with pistachio & almond or a half-order of bucatini with zucchini and bottarga coursed out with whatever glass of wine Michael wanted me to drink with each dish.

I walk in at the end of the busy happy hour, and Giuseppe gestures to a couple who is about to pay their bill. He tells me his three favorite oysters of the day, and waits until they are dropped to bring me a glass of Crémant. There are always regulars, but I usually end up talking with tourists who are here at the recommendation of their hotel concierge.

Kinpira Gobo. Gomaae. Tsukune. Saba Shioyaki. Karaage (a contender for best wings in Philly). I typically order two plates at a time, and ask Billy to choose a sake for me, which is poured by the glass, so that it overflows in a wooden box. The bar is often full of regulars, many of whom are industry people, but occasionally there is an izakaya novice who might ask for my help navigating the large and unfamiliar menu.

In 2022, I walked 90 minutes from my Rittenhouse home to Olde Kensington’s Martha every Saturday afternoon, rain or shine. If I wasn’t there by 3, the bartenders started worrying. Chef Andrew Magee’s playful menu has a frequently changing assortment of small snacks and toasts, like the “cold pizza” cup of whipped ricotta, fra diavolo, oregano, and a side of garlic bread for a perfect morning-after bite. Diners sit in the garden in the summer and by the fireplace in the winter, but you’ll find me eating at the bar, with a book, a cell phone charger, and a glass of wine from their outstanding list.

The small bar at this East Passyunk Abruzzi restaurant has been filled with regulars since opening in 2007, but if you are lucky, one of the bar stools will be occupied by the owner’s brother Fred, who will pour you one of the many liqueurs he’s quietly crafting on the premises. The food has never been better than right now, since chef Andrew Wood, formerly of Russet, has returned to the restaurant scene here at Le Virtu. You’ll find me here on a weekend night when Wood rolls out antipasto, primi, and secondi specials that are so interesting that I haven’t looked at the printed menu in months. Some favorites lately include the n’duja crostini, gamberetto in cartoccio, mortadella caramelle, Cape May fluke stufato, roasted golden tilefish, and the capretto (slow-roasted goat).

There are so many outstanding gastropubs where I am delighted to eat solo (Standard Tap, Good Dog, Royal Tavern) that it was hard to pick just one, but it might be the throwback playlist of long-time bartenders Nashia and Travis that pushed Pub & Kitchen to the top of my list. The all-star list of chefs who have spent some time in the kitchen here is almost mind boggling — Melissa McGrath, Eli Collins, and Jonathan Adams — and the current chef, Alex Schiff, appears to be on the same trajectory.

If there was one dining trend I would like to see more of in 2024, it is the communal table: Shared plates of food at large dining tables are common at the growing number of supper clubs and chef residencies. My favorite recent Thanksgiving tradition is the communal River Twice Friendsgiving. It’s always fun to leave my bar stool and enjoy a big, family style meal for a night, so let’s see more of that, Philadelphia!