Best ways for solo travelers to meet locals in New York

Why food beats most other options

Bars are loud, tours are transactional, and coworking lobbies are for work. A meal has a fixed start, a fixed end and a built-in shared activity, which is exactly what a stranger conversation needs.

It also has a natural exit. Two hours is a complete evening, not a commitment to a scene.

Pick the neighbourhood before the restaurant

New York rewards specificity. A table in Flushing, the East Village or Sunset Park will feel like three different cities, and choosing the neighbourhood first tends to produce a better evening than chasing a famous restaurant name.

If your dates are tight, look for tables already scheduled during your stay rather than proposing new ones — a table that already has diners on it is closer to happening.

Joining a table as a visitor

Browsing works signed out. You are asked to sign in at the moment you take a seat, and you return to exactly what you were doing.

Travelers can add trip context to a table so the group knows you are in town for a short window. Travel-specific features are available with the Travel Pass; the core act of joining a table does not require it.

• Look for shareable cuisines — the food does some of the talking.
• Choose a time you are certain about; a seat means you are coming.
• Read the table's stated approach to the bill before you join.

If nothing fits your dates

Plant your own Meal Seed. It costs nothing extra, carries no host duties, and locals can take the remaining seats. A visitor proposing a Tuesday dim sum table is a perfectly ordinary thing on ToShareAMeal.