Chef Alex Stupak’s Favorite NYC Solo Dining Spots

“I think diners are an ideal place to eat alone. Jackie Carnesi [the chef at Kellogg’s Diner] did a really fantastic job with the reboot of that place. I think it’s honestly the first time that a chef has redone a diner and kept it right, putting their imprint on it and cheffing it out, but still keeping it a diner. Sometimes, when chefs get their hooks into diners, they’re a diner in name only.

“Jackie’s from Texas, and that Tex-Mex, cosmic cantina diner vibe that she injected into it feels really welcome there. I’m usually ordering enchiladas; she does enchiladas suizas, so the ones with a really tart tomatillo sauce and lots of gooey, melted cheese, and crema.

“I’ll almost always sit at the bar — most of these places are either a bar or a restaurant with a really big, welcoming bar that’s good for walk-ins.”

“This is also in the realm of a diner, and it’s a place I go to often. Usually I’ll go for breakfast, but it’s also my favorite cheeseburger in the city.

“I’ll go there for your typical eggs, potatoes, and toast, but again, it’s my platonic ideal of a cheeseburger. It’s not fancy at all: It’s beef and chuck, so not some fancy hybrid blend. They get a really good sear on it and know how to serve it screaming rare. The other interesting thing is that when they make it, the cheese never actually touches the burger. They melt the cheese on both insides of the bun, which basically waterproofs it. I’ve never seen anyone else do it like that.

“I’m almost always going there either first thing in the morning or on my midday break.”

Call (212) 473-5150 to make a reservation.

“This might be my favorite restaurant in New York City. It’s a small space with a small bar, and it’s very, very busy so I’ll go on an off hour. It’s one of those places where I know the owner’s name, and the owner’s niece who works there, and they remember my name.

“There are two things about it that are fascinating. As a restaurateur, you see how hard it is to keep any place open that long, so any time it’s done multi-generationally it’s really interesting to me. The other thing I love about it is that it’s called Donohue’s Steakhouse, but it’s not a steakhouse at all. – I love things that say they’re something, but are actually something completely different, either intentionally or by morphing over time.

“I always get a gin and tonic to drink with my burger: – a Tanqueray and tonic. Their martinis are really good, too, since they serve them bruised on purpose. They’ll leave around 50% of it in a tall glass of ice with a strainer, and I just prefer that so much more than the fancy bar sidecar sitting in the cup of crushed ice. It’s something I’ve learned about myself over time;– I’m definitely a drinker, but I’m not a fancy drinker.”

Call (212) 744-0938 to make a reservation.

“I love the modern Israeli identity of it, and how, in addition to that, it’s just a collection of awesome things you are always in the mood to eat. I usually like to go for a light early dinner. The menu changes constantly, which I appreciate, and they have a fantastic wine selection.

“It’s a well-known place with plenty of accolades, but it’s also along my path when I’m walking from the West Village to the East Village, which I do often. The place is always buzzy, so you never feel alone, but the staff are really personable and never afraid to offer you a shot of something just because.

“Because the menu changes often, so the only thing I get with regularity is their bagel, and I typically follow that with one of their seafood dishes and then pasta dishes. The lasagna is a staple, but I save that for when I’m there with a group.”

“Fort Greene isn’t the neighborhood I live in, but I like it a lot. Strange Delight has a great setup– you walk in, and the front room is the kitchen and the bar, with the dining rooms tucked in the back.

“The menu skews toward seafood, but it’s definitely New Orleans [inspired]. They have these hush puppies with crème fraîche and trout roe that are the best thing on the menu. I also love that you can get a shellfish platter downsized for one person — it’s scalable in increments of one.”

Visit Strange Delight’s website to make a reservation.

“I was really sad that the one on 53rd and Lexington closed, because I used to break away to that one all the time since it wasn’t far from Empellón. I still go to the one on Park Avenue South, though. They have a really big bar that is designed for dining; they don’t let people stand and crowd at the bar, which I appreciate. I’m always just fascinated with those menus because there’s such an odd juxtaposition of offerings hiding in plain sight as ultra-normal.

“It’s something I’ve been trying to personally crack the code on. You work at a place like WD-50 and you’re trying to make this odd, interesting flavor combination on a plate, but it’s another thing in the context of an entire menu. Having barbecue ribs and sushi on the same menu is way more wild, and the fact that it’s all hiding in plain view as perfectly normal is something that’s just perpetually daunting to me, in a good way.

“I almost always start with one of their sushi appetizers and then it’s always the French dip. See how that’s weird? But they want you to do that. I don’t think I could ever pull that off [on a menu]. If I did that, I feel I would get it wrong every d— time.”

Call (212) 689-1090 to make a reservation.