Greenville
Alone

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

How Greenville Dining Works

Dining alone is one of the particular pleasures of travel, and the practical shape of Greenville’s restaurants supports it. Bar counters are widespread, and you can spend an evening eating well without ceremony.

Off-peak times, such as early evening before the crowds or a late lunch, are quieter. Many places offer happy-hour menus at reduced prices in the late afternoon.

If eating alone still makes you self-conscious, a bar counter on Main Street is often the most natural seat for one: there is something to watch. A book gives your hands somewhere to go in the lulls, and lunch is a gentler place to start than dinner.

The range is wide: Soby’s for Southern and Lowcountry cooking, the Lazy Goat for Mediterranean plates on the river, Pomegranate on Main for Persian, Sum Bar for dim sum and Jianna for house-made pasta, with Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Indian and Italian kitchens around the city. Vegetarian and vegan options are increasingly available if you ask. The listings are in The Pleasures of the Table. Reserve for weekend dinners at Soby’s and the busier Main Street rooms; walk-ins usually work otherwise, especially at the bar.

A free excerpt from Greenville Alone.