If you fancy treating yourself to some alone time over dinner or lunch, here's our tried and tested picks of the places that'll make you feel welcome even when you're ordering a meal for one.
The Warehouse Café
This vegetarian/vegan restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere, where the staff are friendly, the food is to-die-for and the prices are good, too. Try out the Banana Burger, featuring bananas with peanut butter and chilli – sounds crazy but it'll have your tastebuds dancing. You could easily take your laptop at lunchtime and stay there all afternoon, or pore over a book at dinner instead. Weekends are busy, but the rest of the time you'll be golden.
For more info and to to read our full review of Warehouse Café, head here.
4023
This Greek restaurant is quaint, has friendly staff and freshly made innovative and tasty food for under £5 a meal. Give the grilled aubergine platter a go, it is full of flavour and will have you wanting to come back for more. We would advise taking the table near to the window - it allows you to people watch and eat, which will stop you feeling lonely. They can get quite busy around lunchtime, so you might need to wait a little while, but the food is worth it with great service and a chilled atmosphere to boot.
34 Stephenson Street,
Birmingham
B2 4BH
Cherry Red's
This is the go-to place for vegan cake, tea and a game of Scrabble (though you might want to wait until you visit with a buddy to play board games, or you might find it very difficult to play). The comfy sofas are a great spot to grab a gorgeous piece of vegan cake or a cupcake and read your latest book, listen to music, blog or catch up on social media antics to your heart's content. Also, the lunches are good too, especially if you're a fan of homemade falafel.
For more info and to read our full review of Cherry Red's, head here.
Wagamama
Wagamama's is a trusty solo-dining friend with it's canteen style seating, attentive staff and reliable dishes that will fill you up with zero fuss or pretension. Favourites here include Chilli Squid, Pad Thai and Teriyaki Soba Noodles.
98 New Street,
Birmingham
B2 4HS
Quinto Lounge
Lastly, one of the newest additions to the 'Lounge' collection is Quinto Lounge. Located in Sutton Coldfield, it has a relaxed atmosphere that's a bit of a cross between an old-man's pub and a hipster café. The staff are knowledgeable, there's plenty of seating to go round and loads of menu options. A great place to grab a vegan breakfast and chill on the sofa.
21-23 Birmingham Road,
Sutton Coldfield
B72 1QA
Do you ever dine alone? Where would you recommend? Tweet us at @timeoutbirm.