Do some restaurants not allow solo reservations? I've noticed for my March trip that some won't show for a single person.
Some do but I travel a lot solo and don't want to sit at bar so I reserve for 2, show up and tell them my SO was not feeling well and I have always been seated. Don't know if it makes a difference but I am old lady(soon to be 80).
You can't always do it online, but I've never had a problem when calling. Worst case you can book for two and tell them the other person cancelled (since a table for 2 is going to be the same size as a table for 1). I usually go to Picasso solo, and they tend to put me down as a party of 2 with a note that it'll probably just be me, but that's just because they I'm a frequent customer and this way I don't have to worry if I invite someone else last minute.
I agree above. I really don’t like to sit at the bar and I always sit at a table. If I’m feeling uncomfortable about it, that’s when I throw out the mystery illness of my guest. Me and my youngest did it at NOBU we had reservations for three so they gave us a pretty decent size table in our own little pod Told them that we were waiting for him to get here. Hopefully he makes it lol knowing my oldest wasn’t arriving till the next day
Thanks all. I guess I'm in the minority when I want to make a solo reservation for the bar. I didn't think it'd be that difficult for some places.
You're not, I prefer sitting at the bar, but have found in general that I don't need a reservation. May need to wait a bit, or may choose to head to a different spot one night if there's too long of a wait, but other than very busy weekends solo at the bar hasn't been much of a problem.
About half of my Vegas trips are solo. I will try to make a reservation online but if it doesn't work I'll just show up at the time I want to eat. I don't think I've ever been turned away but I have had to head back to the casino for 30 mins or so just to kill some time before a spot opens up.
Often online booking requires 2+, but you can call and book for 1 person. It is also usually pretty easy to get bar seating as walk up (I would not try it on a special trip to a busy place on a Saturday night without a plan B, but generally would not worry)
There was a time when this wasn't even an issue in Vegas. Sadly, a solo traveler may run into some issues on busy nights or weekends if they don't want to sit at a bar. It would be great if the community compiled a list of places where solo dining was a no go in 2024.
I actually would of prefer bar seating. I just would like to have a reservation. I already have a reservation for Tender for my upcoming March trip. Just need to figure out two more places.
Never had an issue before, but Ruth’s Chris at Harrahs denied me seating late last year because I was a solo diner. Couldn’t even sit a the bar because there were reserved signs and was told that was for two or more people. There was one single seat offered to me, but I didn’t want to be squished in-especially when there was a bunch of empty seats at the bar! Peter Luger at Caesar’s Palace won’t allow solo diners in the main dining area, but you can sit in bar area to dine (bar or the lounge tables by the front of bar). That’s the only two I can think off the top of my head
Just an update. The online systems at Jean Georges at Aria, Michael Mina at Bellagio, and SW Steakhouse at Wynn allow for solo reservations at least on the weeknight I'm looking at.
All of the fine dining establishments at Wynncore I have been able to make reservations as a solo diner
I just book a table for 2. I have never been denied a table, but there are certainly places that try to steer single diners to the bar. Peter Luger is in the “new kid on the block” phase and perhaps they can get away with this. Give it a year and they will be happily seating parties of 1. The real fine dining places are always welcoming. The Michelin *** places in France always seem to have parties of 1 (usually middle aged gentlemen) sitting there for hours, spending a fortune, enjoying themselves. It doesn’t seem odd to people like Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon, lol.
Like all things, experiences and preferences vary. With a few exceptions, most of my Vegas trips are solo, as are most meals. My experience: Many online systems won't take reservations for one. In that situation, I reserve for two. I prefer to be seated at a table. When I show up, and they ask "two?", I simply respond "one." I refuse to make up an excuse, or explain why there arent two, as if I'm acknowledging that there's something wrong with dining solo. The hosts don't program the online reservations system; they don't really care. About two weeks ago, I walked into a local place that I frequent. "Just one?" was the greeting, I said yes, and was seated. And overheard the owner school the waiter who'd seated me. "Ask 'party of one?' or 'table for one?', not 'just one?'" I wanted to cheer! It renewed my loyalty to the business. My Vegas experiences where dining solo was an issue: Zuma will not seat solos at a table; they'll take a phone reservation for one, but it's first available counter seating. Robata station or sushi bar. Delilah will not take a reservation for one, not even from a host. It's bar seating only, first-come, first-serve. Javiers won't take reservations for one, and insists that solos sit in the bar. Even when the dining room is not busy. There have been times I felt service suffered because I was solo. I can't be certain: Zuma hustled me through my meal at the Robata counter. Courses weren't timed, plates were whisked away as I was still chewing final bites. I was offered the check within 1 minute of finishing. Catch treated me poorly, seated me, then accused me of choosing my own table and moved me, then rushed me through my meal. Red Plate and Carbone both provided perfunctory service. I inquired about fresh fish at Red Plate, was told the fish are all too big for one, and was steered towards noodle dishes. A couple was seated next to me, and their very personable waiter recommended fresh fish, some wonderful smaller options for the lady. My Carbone waiter was cold and impersonal, simply took my order. Then a couple was seated to my right, then another to my left. Suddenly, the same waiter was Mr. Personality, with friendly chatter, describing the dining experience, plenty of recommendations, for each adjacent table. These examples are a very small part of my solo Vegas dining experience. Most places, it's no issue at all.
While we're updating this. Orla the new Michael Mina restaurant at Mandalay Bay takes solo reservations.
