I'm a 'sit at the bar' guy as well and find it to be fairly relaxing actually. One thing I don't like is when the bar is too dark to read and there is no television with sports on. But bartenders are usually friendly people and can provide just the right amount of conversation without being intrusive.

Has anyone ever sat at the bar at a nice restaurant in Barcelona?

A few years ago, I went alone to a fine restaurant. I arrived very early by Barcelona standards (maybe 8:30 pm) and told the maitre d' I was alone, but I wanted a good meal, and would be happy to sit at the bar. He replied very politely, "Oh Senor, we can give you an excellent meal, but the bar is fully reserved." He placed me at an excellent table, I stayed for hours, and received wonderful food and wonderful service, and watched the bar fill up with glamorous folk, and saw many other chic people turn away when told the bar was full.

Was it only Barcelona, or only this restaurant, in which the really cool people vie to sit at the bar?

Has anyone else observed this phenomenon in Barcelona?

bars with chefs, like sushi bars, kind of stand out as an option. of course if there is a language barrier, that might kill it.

I will be dining alone tonight in Arlington, IL at a sushi bar. I'm going to bring the newspaper and my GMAT review book and have a great time.

Dining Alone
 

Do you often find yourself dining alone on trips abroad or even at home? I've stayed at hotels myself so often eat at the restaurant on my own.

I don't usually dine alone, if I do it's at a more casual place where I feel a bit more comfortable doing so.

I think many restaurants miss the boat here and don't make people who are traveling feel welcome to dine alone, and in this economy they really could make a bit more of an effort.

Some previous threads on the subject:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...ade-plans.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...ing-alone.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...pet-peeve.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...manhattan.html

I find that I frequently dine alone on trips and I relish that opportunity.

I can choose the restaurant that I want, I can proceed at my own pace, I can get into much more interesting conversations with the wine director and learn more about the wines the restaurant has, and so on.

After spending a day or two in meetings, it's wonderful to be out dining alone.

(Since I write occasional restaurant reviews, I can also take pictures and make notes at my own pace as well - for a recent review of Ame in San Francisco, click here.)

If I am dining alone, I will usually go to a very casual place... even a local diner if I can find one... I usually carry a newspaper or a book to read while eating....

Or I will just pick something up and bring it back to the room and catch up on the news while eating.

I usually sit at a bar and eat when by myself.

Although I do like a bit of privacy when dining alone, the problem is that they might put me in some corner that makes it hard to get the attention of a waiter.

Do you ask for a different table at that point?

I have not really run into that problem that I can think of.

Yes, I usually travel alone. I hate and avoid eating by myself in the States, but it's actually a pleasure in SE Asia. In this country all we care about is the bottom line - single diners don't provide enough profit for them to treat us like human beings.

I eat at the bar, frequently. Sometimes I'll ask for a table, but I don't recall ever having been seated in Siberia just because I was alone.

Most of the restaurants I go to either don't have a bar as such or don't seem to be serving food there but the seating typically isn't as comfortable as at a table so that would not be an option for me.

My guide book for Seoul noted that solo diners might be politely turned away from some restaurants specializing in Korean BBQ, I think, as it's a more communal experience. As that's where I'm headed in a month I'll see if that's true of just words in a guide book, though hopefully it isn't as I'd liked to try the meal for the experience.

Yes, like OP I travelled alone 95% of the time and eat alone as much and feel more self-conscious at times and in places, usually the more upscale places. That's partly why I enjoy cruising as I find it easier to approach someone and ask to join them for a meal than other trips where sometimes language can be a barrier. It, however, isn't something that would prevent me from travelling as much s I do, just one of those realities like jet lag or the airporrt shoe carnival security circus. :)