Table for one: Cafe Boheme named Aberdeen’s top restaurant for solo diners

The cosy French bistro is among 50 UK businesses rated the "perfect spot" for eating alone.

By Graham Fleming

October 2 2024, 6:23 pm

Manager Ellie Donald is delighted to secure a spot on the solo diner list. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

With its rustic, cosy decor and the intimate lighting, you’d be quick to think Cafe Boheme is the perfect date spot.

However the French bistro on Windmill Brae has been named among 50 UK businesses which are apparently the “perfect spot” for those eating alone.

The list was compiled by OpenTable, which ranked restaurants on diner reviews, ratings, percentage of bookings made in advance, and percentage of solo diner bookings.

The Windmill Brae spot thinks the solo diner trend is “great”. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

In addition to swanky London, Edinburgh and Manchester hangouts, Cafe Boheme was the only Granite City spot on the list.

Solo dining phenomenon is ‘good to see’

The ranking came as welcome news for manager Ellie Donald, 22, who told The Press and Journal she thought the ranking “was great”.

She said: “It’s nice to know that people can walk in alone and still enjoy themselves here.

“It’s a relaxed environment. We do have a lot of solo diners here, and it’s good to see.

“Some diners can be very chatty, so of course we take time to make sure they are comfortable.

Do you dine out alone? Image: Heather Fowlie/DC Thomson

“Others prefer to be left alone and at those times it can be best just to get their order.”

She added: “I think its amazing that people can come in by themselves to enjoy fine dining.”

Ellie has been manager of Cafe Boheme for two years and admits she has been surprised about the number of solo diners coming in through the doors.

“Sometimes they are business people in suits that come in for their lunch or their dinner and go back to work,” she explained.

“Others are younger people in their twenties and thirties. There are also those that are travelling or on holiday. There’s a wide range.”

The restaurant has been praised for its “cosy” interior. Image: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson

Number of factors responsible for solo success

OpenTable data claims that 79% of generation Z and millennial diners plan to eat alone in the next 12 months.

They add that 28% state “me time” as the most important reason to go it alone – but Ellie thinks that the staff at Cafe Boheme are helping to add to those figures.

On why solo diners were choosing the Windmill Brae spot, she added: “It could be a range of things, it could be the food, the service or the relaxed atmosphere.

“We get a lot of people mentioning about the interior, how it’s so cosy – I think that helps.”